Chad Hutchinson
| IP | 4 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 24.75 |
| WHIP | 3.75 |
| BB/9 | 13.5 |
| SO/9 | 4.5 |
- Full name Chad Martin Hutchinson
- Born 02/21/1977 in Del Mar, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Stanford
- Debut 04/04/2001
- Drafted in the 2nd round (48th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998 (signed for $2,300,000).
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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After starting the year as a surprise inclusion on the big league roster, Hutchinson finished it by trying out with NFL teams as a quarterback. He was considered a potential football firstround pick at Stanford before St. Louis signed him to a major league deal with a $2.3 million bonus in 1998. Hutchinson is the kind of spectacular athlete who makes scouts ga-ga. He can reach the mid-90s with his fastball. His out pitch is an 84-85 mph slider that looks like a curveball. He's intelligent and intense, and he has been the Cardinals' best pitcher in spring training the last couple of years. The Cardinals have always wondered when Hutchinson would figure it all out, and the football dalliance raises new questions. He lacks consistent command of all of his pitches, though it comes and goes, and he hasn't handled adversity on the mound well. Hutchinson is a bigger wild card than ever, but his arm still demands attention. It might be to the Cardinals' advantage if he pursues football in the offseason so he can get it out of his system. -
Before Joe Borchard, Hutchinson was the Stanford quarterback getting the big bucks. As a 1998 second-round pick, he signed a major league deal with a $2.3 million bonus. After a promising spring in 2000, he got shelled in Triple-A before returning to Double-A and righting himself. Then he missed much of the second half of with elbow tendinitis. Hutchinson's numbers haven't been impressive in college or pro ball, but scouts remain agog over his stuff. He's a horse with a 94-mph fastball, but his breaking ball is his out pitch. Whether you call it a curve or a slurve, it gives him a second hard offering. His changeup showed progress in the Arizona Fall League, where he led the league in strikeouts. Command of the fastball is everything for Hutchinson. He lost it at Memphis last year and blew up. A little of the problem is mental and a little of it is mechanical. There's also debate about his future role. The Cardinals want him to remain in the rotation for now because frontline starters are so hard to find. The Cardinals think Hutchinson is ready to compete for a big league job, but he would be better served by Triple-A success. Their larger point is that when he's on, he can get hitters out at any level. -
Background: After three years as a quarterback and pitcher at Stanford, Hutchinson was persuaded to give up football by the Cardinals' $3.4 million major league contract. He turned down a seven-figure offer from the Braves as their first-round pick in 1995. Strengths: The sky's the limit for Hutchinson, who has a dominating mid-90s fastball with great movement. He has a hard breaking ball that was described by one scout simply as "intense." His arm is fresh because his time on the mound has been limited by football. Weaknesses: Football also means that Hutchinson is behind other college pitchers in his development. He needs to work on his changeup and must improve the command of all his pitches. The Future: The Cardinals are going to be conservative with Hutchinson. They put him through a spring-like regimen before he pitched in a game last summer. When minor back problems limited him in instructional league, he probably put himself back at Class A Potomac to start the 1999 season.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Like his Arkansas teammate Rick Ankiel, Hutchinson is immensely talented. Unlike Ankiel, he hasn’t yet figured it all out. Hutchinson has a mid-90s fastball and a hard breaking ball that sometimes left batters’ knees buckling. When he was on, he was almost unhittable. The problem was consistency. Hutchinson struck out 150 batters in 142 innings, but led the league with 85 walks. "He’s got to smooth out his mechanics and get better command of his fastball," Arkansas manager Chris Maloney said.
Top 100 Rankings
Scouting Reports
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Like his Arkansas teammate Rick Ankiel, Hutchinson is immensely talented. Unlike Ankiel, he hasn’t yet figured it all out. Hutchinson has a mid-90s fastball and a hard breaking ball that sometimes left batters’ knees buckling. When he was on, he was almost unhittable. The problem was consistency. Hutchinson struck out 150 batters in 142 innings, but led the league with 85 walks. "He’s got to smooth out his mechanics and get better command of his fastball," Arkansas manager Chris Maloney said.
