Adam Hill Stats & Scouting Report

IP	232
ERA	4.5
WHIP	1.444
BB/9	4.267
SO/9	9.466

Full name Adam Dean Hill
Born 03/24/1997 in Anderson, SC
Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School South Carolina
Drafted in the 4th round (110th overall) by the New York Mets in 2018 (signed for $507,800).

View Draft Report

A 39th-round selection by the Padres in 2015 out of high school, Hill bypassed the draft to attend South Carolina, where he's been a three-year starter for the Gamecocks. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound righthander has the kind of durable frame scouts look for in starting pitchers and he's been a workhouse at South Carolina, leading the rotation when the likes of Clarke Schmidt and Will Crowe went down with Tommy John surgery. Hill had the look of a first-round selection earlier this spring when he posted back-to-back starts with 14 strikeouts, including an electric outing against in-state rival Clemson in front of 10-15 scouts. He's since backed up, with a 5-5, 4.58 record though 11 starts and 79 strikeouts to 35 walks in 57 innings. When he's at his best, Hill sits 90-93 mph with a heavy fastball, touching 95-96 and getting a plethora of swings and misses due to the pitch's late life. Hill had starts his first two seasons where his fastball would be the only pitch he needed to record outs, but he's made a conscious effort to incorporate both his breaking ball and changeup into his arsenal this season. His slider is the better of the two pitches, a hard, low- to mid-80s pitch with bite and some depth, but he's shown flashes with his changeup as well, particularly to lefthanded hitters. What holds Hill back is the lack of consistency with his secondary stuff and his, at times, erratic location. Hill has the stuff to be a mid-rotation starter at the next level, but he'll need to smooth these rough edges in order to get there.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Track Record: Hill looked like a first-round pick early in 2018 before losing feel for the strike zone. . The Mets snagged him in the fourth round and assigned him to short-season Brooklyn, where he struck out 15.3 batters per nine innings while averaging about 30 pitches per appearance.

Scouting Report: Hill's arm action reminds scouting director Marc Tramuta of former Mets starter John Maine, whom he scouted and signed for the Orioles in 2002. At 6-foot-6, Hill is two inches taller than Maine but throws with a similar low three-quarters arm slot and misses bats up in the zone despite modest fastball velocity. Hill pitched at 91-92 mph in his pro debut but hit 96 as a college junior. He gets swings and misses above the barrel with the riding life on his fastball. Hill's above-average curveball registers at 79-84 mph with good break. He can shape the pitch to sweep across the zone or throw it with tighter break for swings and misses. He must continue to refine a below-average changeup.

The Future: Hill can pitch effectively in short bursts using only his fastball, but to profile as a starter he must develop consistency of his secondary pitches and sharpen his control.

Draft Prospects

A 39th-round selection by the Padres in 2015 out of high school, Hill bypassed the draft to attend South Carolina, where he's been a three-year starter for the Gamecocks. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound righthander has the kind of durable frame scouts look for in starting pitchers and he's been a workhouse at South Carolina, leading the rotation when the likes of Clarke Schmidt and Will Crowe went down with Tommy John surgery. Hill had the look of a first-round selection earlier this spring when he posted back-to-back starts with 14 strikeouts, including an electric outing against in-state rival Clemson in front of 10-15 scouts. He's since backed up, with a 5-5, 4.58 record though 11 starts and 79 strikeouts to 35 walks in 57 innings. When he's at his best, Hill sits 90-93 mph with a heavy fastball, touching 95-96 and getting a plethora of swings and misses due to the pitch's late life. Hill had starts his first two seasons where his fastball would be the only pitch he needed to record outs, but he's made a conscious effort to incorporate both his breaking ball and changeup into his arsenal this season. His slider is the better of the two pitches, a hard, low- to mid-80s pitch with bite and some depth, but he's shown flashes with his changeup as well, particularly to lefthanded hitters. What holds Hill back is the lack of consistency with his secondary stuff and his, at times, erratic location. Hill has the stuff to be a mid-rotation starter at the next level, but he'll need to smooth these rough edges in order to get there.