- Full name Eric Samuel Hammond
- Born 11/21/2002 in Newport Beach, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Southern California
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Drafted in the 19th round (558th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2021.
View Draft Report
A high school pitcher from Texas has been taken in the first and supplemental first round every year since 2008. It’s become a fait accompli that every year, some Texas prep pitcher will take a big step forward as a senior and vault onto the national stage—Noah Syndergaard, Grayson Rodriguez, Michael Kopech and Kyle Muller all fit that description. But it never happened this year. Hammond is the best arm of the bunch, but his fastball didn’t take the leap forward this spring that evaluators had hoped to see. Hammond will pitch at 91-95 mph in early innings, but he quickly settles in at 88-92 as the game wears on. His fastball is relatively flat as well. What’s more intriguing at this point is his present ability to spin two breaking balls and locate an average changeup. Hammond throws two distinct breaking balls, with a bigger, high-70s average curve that he locates well and a harder, above-average slider. Hammond has some length in his arm action with a slow, deliberate delivery and a plunge in his takeaway, but he demonstrates average control and he has the body (6-foot-4, 175 pounds) to add more weight and stuff. Hammond is committed to attend Southern California.
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
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A high school pitcher from Texas has been taken in the first and supplemental first round every year since 2008. It’s become a fait accompli that every year, some Texas prep pitcher will take a big step forward as a senior and vault onto the national stage—Noah Syndergaard, Grayson Rodriguez, Michael Kopech and Kyle Muller all fit that description. But it never happened this year. Hammond is the best arm of the bunch, but his fastball didn’t take the leap forward this spring that evaluators had hoped to see. Hammond will pitch at 91-95 mph in early innings, but he quickly settles in at 88-92 as the game wears on. His fastball is relatively flat as well. What’s more intriguing at this point is his present ability to spin two breaking balls and locate an average changeup. Hammond throws two distinct breaking balls, with a bigger, high-70s average curve that he locates well and a harder, above-average slider. Hammond has some length in his arm action with a slow, deliberate delivery and a plunge in his takeaway, but he demonstrates average control and he has the body (6-foot-4, 175 pounds) to add more weight and stuff. Hammond is committed to attend Southern California.
Career Transactions
- RHP Eric Hammond assigned to USC Trojans.
