Justin Hooper

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #444 prospect in 2018 draft
  A 25th-round pick of the Brewers out of Concord (Calif.) De La Salle High in 2015, Hooper was an all-star in the Cape Cod League last summer and projected top-five rounds pick before succumbing to Tommy John surgery in January. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound Hooper flashed mid-90s velocity in past years but dropped to 88-91 mph over the summer in order to improve his below-average control. At his new velocity, he was able to throw his fastball for strikes to both sides of the plate and his changeup was still effective against both righties and lefties. His slider remains inconsistent. Hooper's tradeoff of velocity for better control was a good one in the Cape, but it remains to be seen how he looks post-surgery. Hooper will be out until at least spring 2019. Any team drafting him will have to guide him through his rehab.
• Ranked #39 prospect in 2015 draft
  Hooper comes from an athletic family that includes his father Michael, who played college football at San Diego State; two uncles who played sports (one football, one tennis) at high levels, and an older brother Austin who plays tight end for Stanford's football team. Justin Hooper has tight end size at 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, but he's stuck to the diamond with plenty of success. He's a two-time Area Code Games participant who hit 93 mph as a rising junior and 96 as a rising senior. He's held his velocity this spring, throwing almost every fastball at 92 mph or better over a seven-inning duel against College Park (Calif.) High's Joe DeMers at Cal's Evans Diamond in early May. Hooper has long levers and the athletic ability to control his body. He hasn't done it often this spring, with 20 walks in his first 37 innings, as Hooper lands closed and often struggles to repeat his high-elbow arm action. The landing is correctable, and many scouts are willing to be patient with taller pitchers. Hooper's secondary pitches include a surprisingly useful changeup for his age and a slider that lacks consistency as he struggles to stay on top of it. At his best, Hooper looks like a first-rounder, and if he doesn't sign, he'll likely be a first-rounder three years from now at UCLA.

• December, 2014 Scouting Report
  Hooper comes from an athletic family that includes his father Michael, who played college football at San Diego State; two uncles who played sports (one football, one tennis) at high levels, and an older brother Austin who plays tight end for Stanford's football team. Justin Hooper has tight end size at 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, but he's stuck to the diamond with plenty of success. He's a two-time Area Code Games participant who hit 93 mph as a rising junior and 96 as a rising senior. He's held his velocity this spring, throwing almost every fastball at 92 mph or better over a seven-inning duel against College Park (Calif.) High's Joe DeMers at Cal's Evans Diamond in early May. Hooper has long levers and the athletic ability to control his body. He hasn't done it often this spring, with 20 walks in his first 37 innings, as Hooper lands closed and often struggles to repeat his high-elbow arm action. The landing is correctable, and many scouts are willing to be patient with taller pitchers. Hooper's secondary pitches include a surprisingly useful changeup for his age and a slider that lacks consistency as he struggles to stay on top of it. At his best, Hooper looks like a first-rounder, and if he doesn't sign, he'll likely be a first-rounder three years from now at UCLA.