Brett Hunter
| IP | 248 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.754 |
| WHIP | 1.56 |
| BB/9 | 6.532 |
| SO/9 | 10.706 |
- Full name Brett T. Hunter
- Born 06/27/1987 in Westlake Village, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Pepperdine
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Drafted in the 7th round (214th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2008 (signed for $1,100,000).
View Draft Report
Undrafted out of high school, Hunter first began to draw the attention of scouts as a closer for his Connie Mack summer ball club in 2005. He has since blossomed into one of the top pitching prospects in the nation. Now 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Hunter may possess the strongest arm in the draft. Hunter has missed all but two starts in 2008 due to arm problems, generally reported as elbow pain. Hunter returned in late May with two short outings, peaking at 92 mph and showing some rust but generally encouraging scouts. Many scouts aren't surprised by Hunter's injury due to his unorthodox mechanics. He drops his arm behind himself like a discus thrower, making it hard to find a consistent arm slot. Hunter's tilted, unbalanced finish features a high right leg release. None of that precluded Hunter, who dominated with Team USA last summer as a closer, from featuring some of the nation's best stuff. His thunderbolt fastball arrives at the plate from 93-97 mph and has touched 100 in relief outings. As a starter, he has no difficulty maintaining velocity into the sixth and seventh inning, when healthy, and he challenges both good and average hitters with his four-seam in all situations and all counts. Hunter's high-70's to low-80's curve has nasty downward break, though he has inconsistent control of the that pitch. Hunter's command is spotty and causes him to get behind batters and run up high pitch counts. Health concerns muddle where Hunter will be selected, and his command problems muddle whether he will be a starter or reliever. The combination makes predicting his draft position impossible.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Hunter was one of the best college pitching prospects in the nation entering 2008, but elbow pain limited him to just five appearances for Pepperdine. The A's still believed enough in him to give him a $1.1 million bonus, a record for a seventh-round pick, but his first full pro season couldn't have gone much worse. He struggled mightily to find the strike zone with Kane County, earning a demotion in July. Hunter still has one of the best arms in the system, but his delivery seemingly changed every outing last year. Oakland revamped his delivery in the fall, lowering his arm slot and making his motion similar to Carlos Marmol's. Hunter throws hard sinkers that sit at 92-94 mph and touch 96. His slider doesn't have as much tilt as it once did because of the lower arm angle, but it still comes in at 83-85 mph. He flashes a good changeup at times and it has some sink, but it's not as good as his slider. The A's will develop him as a reliever going forward, and Hunter has the potential to move quickly if his new delivery helps him throw more strikes. If he shows improved command in the spring, he could open 2010 in high Class A. -
Hunter was a likely top-10 pick in 2008 before he came down with elbow problems at Pepperdine and saw his peak velocity dip to 92 mph. After watching him with the U.S. college national team during the summer, the A's felt confident enough in his health to sign him for $1.1 million--a record for a seventh-round pick and the equivalent of first-round money. Before he got hurt, Hunter was one of the hardest throwers available in the 2008 draft, having touched 100 mph during fall ball with the Waves. After signing, he spent time focusing on his mechanics and was back up to 94-96 mph in instructional league. Hunter's hard slider can be a knockout pitch when he locates it, though he doesn't do so with enough frequency yet. Scouts' biggest concerns center around his mechanics. His arm action is funky in the back as he drops his arm behind him, making it difficult to repeat his arm slot. He has a head lean in his delivery, a high front leg kick that results in a long stride and doesn't take a direct line to the plate, which leads to below-average command and Hunter getting underneath too many pitches. His stuff, mechanics and medical history profile best in the bullpen, though Oakland may continue developing him as a starter for now.
