Drue Hackenberg Stats & Scouting Report

IP	59.1
ERA	3.64
WHIP	1.25
BB/9	4.25
SO/9	9.4

Full name Drue David Hackenberg
Born 04/01/2002 in Lehighton, PA
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Virginia Tech
Drafted in the 2nd round (59th overall) by the Atlanta Braves in 2023 (signed for $1,997,500).

View Draft Report

School: Virginia Tech Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.3
BA Grade:40/High
Tools:Fastball: 50. Slider: 50. Changeup: 45. Control: 55.

Hackenberg comes from an extremely athletic family, with all three of his brothers playing college sports and getting drafted in football, soccer and baseball, respectively. A 6-foot-2, 220-pound righthander, Hackenberg made a strong first impression as a freshman with Virginia Tech in 2022, when he posted a 3.30 ERA over 92.2 innings and struck out 87 batters compared to just 19 walks. Following the season, Hackenberg was invited to USA Baseball’s trials roster. He posted a 5.70 ERA in 15 starts and 85.1 innings in 2023, with a 24.8% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate. Hackenberg has a solid frame and throws from a three-quarter slot, while primarily pitching off a sinking, 93-94 mph fastball that touches 96 and a low-80s slider that took a step forward this spring and generated a 47% whiff rate. He also throws a firm, upper-80s changeup. Hackenburg drives a high groundball rate and induced ground balls at a 55% rate for his career. He does a nice job filling up the zone with his fastball/slider combination and has been an above-average strike-thrower. He has a back-end starter profile and could get picked among the top five rounds.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 45/Medium.

Track Record: Hackenberg signed for $1,997,500 with the Braves as a draft-eligible sophomore in the second round of the 2023 draft after serving as a steady starter for Virginia Tech in back-to-back seasons. He pitched at three levels in his first full pro season, finishing with four strong starts at Triple-A Gwinnett. He ranked second in the Braves’ system with 144 strikeouts and third among Atlanta farmhands with 50-plus innings with a 53.9% groundball rate.

Scouting Report: Hackenberg has a broad and filled-out 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame, and he attacks hitters with a deep mix of five pitches. He throws both a four- and two-seam fastball with the four-seamer averaging 94 mph and the two-seamer a tick slower at 93, though he can run both pitches up to 96. His two-seamer is a groundball offering to righties with above-average life and around 15 inches of armside movement. The Braves were encouraged with how his four-seamer played against both righties and lefties despite below-average carry. Hackenberg’s 82-85 mph curveball is his best swing-and-miss offering, and potentially one of the better curves in the system. He previously threw an in-between breaking ball but now has a distinct curve and harder 88-91 mph cutter he can mix in, though neither is a true plus offering. Improving his upper-80s changeup was a focus for Hackenberg in 2024, and while it still lacks significant velocity separation from his fastball, he did pull the string on a few while adding a bit more tumble to the pitch overall, which will help against lefties. Hackenberg is a control-over-command pitcher who runs into bouts of wildness that could limit him against big league hitters.

The Future: Hackenberg’s diverse pitch mix should allow him to carve out a back-of-the-rotation or swingman role. He’s knocking on the major league door.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 45. | Cutter: 40 | Control: 40
BA Grade: 45/High

Track Record: Hackenberg stepped into a full-time starting role from Day One with Virginia Tech. After posting a 4.50 ERA over two seasons and a stint with Team USA he ranked as the No. 148 prospect in the 2023 draft class. The Braves liked the draft-eligible sophomore better than that and selected him with the No. 59 overall pick and signed him to an over-slot bonus just under $2 million. Hackenberg made three starts after signing and looked too advanced for Low-A Augusta, but was uncharacteristically wild in his single outing with Double-A Mississippi.

Scouting Report: A Bryce Elder comparison isn’t too far off with Hackenberg, who employs a similar sinker/slider pitch mix. Hackenberg’s fastball sits in the 92-93 mph range and has been up to 96, with heavy armside running action that tends to keep contact on the ground. He generated a 55% groundball rate during his college career and was off to more of the same in his brief pro debut. Hackenberg pairs his sinker with a low-to-mid-80s breaking ball that mostly has slider shape, but he will occasionally blend into a slurvy curveball look. It’s a solid-average pitch that took a step forward as a swing-and-miss offering in college and has spin rates in the 2,500 rpm range. Hackenberg also has a firm, upper-80s changeup that is almost exclusively used against lefthanded hitters. It’s more of a fringe-average pitch without significant life or velocity separation from his fastball. But it could be useful in keeping lefty hitters off the barrel. Hackenberg historically is a strong strike-thrower, but his fastball was a bit more scattered than usual in his short pro debut.

The Future: Hackenberg has back-of-the-rotation upside. If he winds up being an Elder-esque arm with a better fastball, Atlanta will be quite happy. He should be challenged with a full season at Double-A.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 55

Draft Prospects

School: Virginia Tech Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.3
BA Grade:40/High
Tools:Fastball: 50. Slider: 50. Changeup: 45. Control: 55.

Hackenberg comes from an extremely athletic family, with all three of his brothers playing college sports and getting drafted in football, soccer and baseball, respectively. A 6-foot-2, 220-pound righthander, Hackenberg made a strong first impression as a freshman with Virginia Tech in 2022, when he posted a 3.30 ERA over 92.2 innings and struck out 87 batters compared to just 19 walks. Following the season, Hackenberg was invited to USA Baseball’s trials roster. He posted a 5.70 ERA in 15 starts and 85.1 innings in 2023, with a 24.8% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate. Hackenberg has a solid frame and throws from a three-quarter slot, while primarily pitching off a sinking, 93-94 mph fastball that touches 96 and a low-80s slider that took a step forward this spring and generated a 47% whiff rate. He also throws a firm, upper-80s changeup. Hackenburg drives a high groundball rate and induced ground balls at a 55% rate for his career. He does a nice job filling up the zone with his fastball/slider combination and has been an above-average strike-thrower. He has a back-end starter profile and could get picked among the top five rounds.