Blake Hunt

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #27 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Hunt seemed destined to head to Pepperdine until a standout senior season vaulted him into the third round. After a strong 2019 season, he was traded to the Rays along with Luis Patino, Cole Wilcox and Francisco Mejia in the Blake Snell trade in Dec. 2020.
  
  Scouting Report: Hunt tried to drive the ball more in 2021. He did do more damage when he made contact, but he made a lot less contact. His 32.5% strikeout rate helped sink his batting average, but he also had a career-high nine home runs. Hunt’s swing has some length and isn’t very adjustable. That and his modest bat speed makes him unlikely to be more than a below-average hitter with below-average power. Defensively, Hunt is an excellent receiver and framer despite his massive 6-foot-5 frame, and he is adept at blocking balls in the dirt. He allowed only two passed balls and a well below-average 29 wild pitches all season.
  
  The Future: The Rays left Hunt off the 40-man roster, the logic being that it would be hard for a team to carry Hunt’s bat on an MLB roster. Hunt has a great glove, but his bat needs to improve a lot.
  
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #26 prospect in 2021
  Hitting: 45. Power: 50. Running: 40. Fielding: 60. Arm: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Hunt failed to make the Area Code Games as a rising high school senior and used it as motivation to get stronger. The added strength and power made him one of the fastest risers in the 2017 draft, and the Padres selected him 69th overall and signed him for an above-slot $1.6 million. Hunt stood out as one of the top defensive catchers in the low Class A Midwest League in his full-season debut in 2019. The Padres made him a late addition to their alternate training site in 2020. The Rays acquired him in the trade that sent Blake Snell to San Diego after the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hunt's strength is his defense. Though tall for a catcher at nearly 6-foot-5, he moves well behind the plate, is a plus receiver and pitch framer and has the intelligence and work ethic to lead a pitching staff. He controls the run game with an above-average, accurate arm. Hunt has good timing at the plate and stays in the strike zone, but his upper-body, handsy swing limits his impact. He has the size to project 15-20 home runs once he adds more strength and learns to incorporate his lower half.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hunt projects to be a defensively-minded catcher who starts in his peak years. He'll see high Class A in 2021.
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #19 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Hunt played at national power Mater Dei (Calif.) HS and vaulted into first-day draft consideration with a standout showing at the Boras Classic in 2017. The Padres drafted him 69th overall and signed him for $1.6 million to forgo a Pepperdine commitment. Hunt made his full-season debut with low Class A Fort Wayne in 2019 and impressed as one of the Midwest League's top defensive catchers. He finished third among league catchers with a .990 fielding percentage and threw out 33 percent of runners.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hunt is a physical, righthanded hitter with excellent natural timing in the batter's box. He stays within the strike zone, rarely swings and misses and hits the ball to all fields. He has above-average pullside power and is learning to translate it into games. Hunt's swing gets long at times, but he puts together quality at-bats and hits the ball hard. Hunt's plus arm is his best defensive tool and he gets out of the crouch well for a big catcher. He's an advanced receiver with a knack for framing and moves well laterally in blocking, projecting as an above-average-to-plus defender overall.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hunt is frequently requested by opposing teams in trade discussions. The Padres think he's a potential everyday backstop and are keen to hold onto him.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #123 prospect in 2017 draft
  Hunt was one of the highest risers of any prospect this spring. Scouts were familiar with him as an underclassman, but he asserted himself as a pro prospect after adding significant muscle in the weight room during the fall and winter. Hunt's best attributes are on defense, where he has the tools to become an above-average catcher. Hunt sets a low target behind the plate and has natural instincts, blocking balls to either side and showing above-average hands. Hunt is able to steal low strikes by coming up on balls or positioning his feet well and swiping his glove toward the zone. He shows comfort getting into and out of his crouch and he has a loose, mobile lower half that allows him to move well laterally. Hunt flashes plus arm strength, with a fluid loose arm action and carry on his throws. His pop times are typically in the 1.95 second range. Hunt shows power potential in his righthanded swing. He has a compact stroke with minimal pre-pitch load. When his swing is in sync, Hunt is able to drive the ball with authority to right center field or pull it over the fence. He has above-average power potential in his broad-shouldered, 6-foot-3 frame. National evaluators don't have as much history of scouting Hunt, who didn't make the southern California Area Code Games roster last summer, and he's also battled through some arm injuries. He's not expected to come cheap because of his Pepperdine commitment, but Hunt's late rise and the dearth of catchers in the class could push him into the top three rounds.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Hunt seemed destined to head to Pepperdine until a standout senior season vaulted him into the third round. After a strong 2019 season, he was traded to the Rays along with Luis Patino, Cole Wilcox and Francisco Mejia in the Blake Snell trade in Dec. 2020.
  
  Scouting Report: Hunt tried to drive the ball more in 2021. He did do more damage when he made contact, but he made a lot less contact. His 32.5% strikeout rate helped sink his batting average, but he also had a career-high nine home runs. Hunt’s swing has some length and isn’t very adjustable. That and his modest bat speed makes him unlikely to be more than a below-average hitter with below-average power. Defensively, Hunt is an excellent receiver and framer despite his massive 6-foot-5 frame, and he is adept at blocking balls in the dirt. He allowed only two passed balls and a well below-average 29 wild pitches all season.
  
  The Future: The Rays left Hunt off the 40-man roster, the logic being that it would be hard for a team to carry Hunt’s bat on an MLB roster. Hunt has a great glove, but his bat needs to improve a lot.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 45. Power: 50. Running: 40. Fielding: 60. Arm: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Hunt failed to make the Area Code Games as a rising high school senior and used it as motivation to get stronger. The added strength and power made him one of the fastest risers in the 2017 draft, and the Padres selected him 69th overall and signed him for an above-slot $1.6 million. Hunt stood out as one of the top defensive catchers in the low Class A Midwest League in his full-season debut in 2019. The Padres made him a late addition to their alternate training site in 2020. The Rays acquired him in the trade that sent Blake Snell to San Diego after the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hunt's strength is his defense. Though tall for a catcher at nearly 6-foot-5, he moves well behind the plate, is a plus receiver and pitch framer and has the intelligence and work ethic to lead a pitching staff. He controls the run game with an above-average, accurate arm. Hunt has good timing at the plate and stays in the strike zone, but his upper-body, handsy swing limits his impact. He has the size to project 15-20 home runs once he adds more strength and learns to incorporate his lower half.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hunt projects to be a defensively-minded catcher who starts in his peak years. He'll see high Class A in 2021.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 45. Power: 50. Running: 40. Fielding: 60. Arm: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Hunt failed to make the Area Code Games as a rising high school senior and used it as motivation to get stronger. The added strength and power made him one of the fastest risers in the 2017 draft, and the Padres selected him 69th overall and signed him for an above-slot $1.6 million. Hunt stood out as one of the top defensive catchers in the low Class A Midwest League in his full-season debut in 2019. The Padres made him a late addition to their alternate training site in 2020. The Rays acquired him in the trade that sent Blake Snell to San Diego after the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hunt's strength is his defense. Though tall for a catcher at nearly 6-foot-5, he moves well behind the plate, is a plus receiver and pitch framer and has the intelligence and work ethic to lead a pitching staff. He controls the run game with an above-average, accurate arm. Hunt has good timing at the plate and stays in the strike zone, but his upper-body, handsy swing limits his impact. He has the size to project 15-20 home runs once he adds more strength and learns to incorporate his lower half.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hunt projects to be a defensively-minded catcher who starts in his peak years. He'll see high Class A in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 45. Power: 50. Running: 40. Fielding: 60. Arm: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Hunt failed to make the Area Code Games as a rising high school senior and used it as motivation to get stronger. The added strength and power made him one of the fastest risers in the 2017 draft, and the Padres selected him 69th overall and signed him for an above-slot $1.6 million. Hunt stood out as one of the top defensive catchers in the low Class A Midwest League in his full-season debut in 2019. The Padres made him a late addition to their alternate training site in 2020. The Rays acquired him in the trade that sent Blake Snell to San Diego after the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hunt's strength is his defense. Though tall for a catcher at nearly 6-foot-5, he moves well behind the plate, is a plus receiver and pitch framer and has the intelligence and work ethic to lead a pitching staff. He controls the run game with an above-average, accurate arm. Hunt has good timing at the plate and stays in the strike zone, but his upper-body, handsy swing limits his impact. He has the size to project 15-20 home runs once he adds more strength and learns to incorporate his lower half.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hunt projects to be a defensively-minded catcher who starts in his peak years. He'll see high Class A in 2021.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Hunt played at national prep power Mater Dei (Calif.) HS and vaulted into first-day draft consideration with a standout showing at the Boras Classic in 2017. The Padres drafted him 69th overall and signed him for $1.6 million to forgo a Pepperdine commitment. Hunt made his full-season debut with low Class A Fort Wayne in 2019 and impressed as one of the Midwest League’s top defensive catchers. He finished third among league catchers with a .990 fielding percentage and threw out 33 percent of runners.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hunt is a physical, righthanded hitter with excellent natural timing in the batter’s box. He stays within strike zone, rarely swings and misses and hits the ball to all fields. He has above-average pullside power and is learning to translate it into games. Hunt’s swing gets long at times, but he puts together quality at-bats and hits the ball hard. Hunt’s plus arm is his best defensive tool and he gets out of the crouch well for a big catcher. He’s an advanced receiver with a knack for framing and moves well laterally in blocking, projecting as an above-average-to-plus defender overall.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hunt is frequently requested by opposing teams in trade discussions. The Padres think he’s a potential everyday backstop and are keen to hold onto him. BA GRADE 50 Risk: Very High BA GRADE 50 Risk: Very High
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Hunt played at national power Mater Dei (Calif.) HS and vaulted into first-day draft consideration with a standout showing at the Boras Classic in 2017. The Padres drafted him 69th overall and signed him for $1.6 million to forgo a Pepperdine commitment. Hunt made his full-season debut with low Class A Fort Wayne in 2019 and impressed as one of the Midwest League's top defensive catchers. He finished third among league catchers with a .990 fielding percentage and threw out 33 percent of runners.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hunt is a physical, righthanded hitter with excellent natural timing in the batter's box. He stays within the strike zone, rarely swings and misses and hits the ball to all fields. He has above-average pullside power and is learning to translate it into games. Hunt's swing gets long at times, but he puts together quality at-bats and hits the ball hard. Hunt's plus arm is his best defensive tool and he gets out of the crouch well for a big catcher. He's an advanced receiver with a knack for framing and moves well laterally in blocking, projecting as an above-average-to-plus defender overall.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hunt is frequently requested by opposing teams in trade discussions. The Padres think he's a potential everyday backstop and are keen to hold onto him.