Josh Hart Stats & Scouting Report

AB	529
AVG	.244
OBP	.301
SLG	.297
HR	1

Full name Josh Hart
Born 10/02/1994 in Lilburn, GA
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Parkview
Drafted in the CB-A round (37th overall) by the Baltimore Orioles in 2013 (signed for $1,450,000).

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A third-team All-American, Hart never gets included in the same class of prospects as fellow Georgia prep outfielders Clint Frazier and Austin Meadows of Loganville. He's a different kind of player because power isn't a major part of his game, but he's not far off from them as a prospect. Hart has been a winner, playing for Parkview teams that won Georgia state titles in 2011 and 2012 as well as BA's national championship last year. He has his detractors, as some scouts don't like that he doesn't involve his lower half in his swing. Nevertheless, Hart has excellent hand-eye coordination, generates good bat speed and has a knack for finding the barrel of the bat. He consistently sprays line drives from gap-to-gap, has some polish in his plate approach and should be able to develop the plate discipline to become a leadoff factor. Scouts have reported him as a 60 runner turning in 4.0-second times to first base from the left side. His speed also plays in center field, where he shows some polish as well. The Georgia Tech signee performed most of the spring and was expected to go out in the first round or supplemental round.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Hart played a full season at high Class A Frederick at age 20 in 2015 and put up modest numbers. Still, the player the Orioles selected with the 37th overall pick in 2013 and signed for a bonus of $1.45 million has tools. Hart shows some decent bat speed with a line-drive swing and the ability to hit to all fields. He hit .340 in June, showing a glimpse of his talent. He has shown little game power because he fails to incorporate his lower half into his swing, but some club officials believe gap-to-gap pop potential is there. Hart continues to work to improve the small-ball elements such as bunting and basestealing, and he worked on both during instructional league. He's a solid defender in center field who takes good routes, is an above-average runner and has an average arm. He will likely return to high Class A Frederick in 2016.
The Orioles drafted Hart 37th overall in 2013 and signed the Georgia high schooler for $1.45 million. So far his performance has not quite matched his promise. A hamstring injury limited him in 2013, and he missed five weeks in 2014 after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus. Hart has been projected as a speedy, top-of-the-order hitter with little power. Some scouts feel he'll eventually show gap-to-gap pop, but he'll need improved plate discipline to increase his on-base ability and take advantage of his speed. Hart is a solid-average defender who can stay in center field. His arm rates below-average but has improved and could become average. Despite Hart's poor output at low Class A Delmarva in 2014, the Orioles feel he has a shot to start at high Class A Frederick in 2015.
The Orioles drafted Hart 37th overall in 2013 and signed the Georgia prep outfielder for $1.45 million. He reported to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League before moving to short-season Aberdeen for a few games late in the season. Hart missed a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury, one reason why he struggled a bit in his debut, though he kept grinding and had five hits in his final two games. Hart profiles as a speedy, top-of-the-order hitter with little power. He has been timed at 3.98 seconds to first base from the left side and was 11 of 14 in stolen-base attempts in the GCL. Hart needs to improve his plate discipline. He chases too many pitches and at times gets out on his front foot too much, and some scouts who saw him as an amateur lamented his inability to incorporate his lower half into his swing. Others cited his loose hands and gave him a chance to hit for a high average, even without having much power. He needs to work the count better and draw walks to fulfill his leadoff profile. Hart projects as a plus defender in center field with a below-average arm. He gets good jumps and can really get the ball in the gaps, and he is aggressive on groundballs. Hart played for a pair of Georgia state champions at Parkview High, and scouts like his makeup. He'll try to earn the everyday center-fielder job at low Class A Delmarva in 2014.

Draft Prospects

A third-team All-American, Hart never gets included in the same class of prospects as fellow Georgia prep outfielders Clint Frazier and Austin Meadows of Loganville. He's a different kind of player because power isn't a major part of his game, but he's not far off from them as a prospect. Hart has been a winner, playing for Parkview teams that won Georgia state titles in 2011 and 2012 as well as BA's national championship last year. He has his detractors, as some scouts don't like that he doesn't involve his lower half in his swing. Nevertheless, Hart has excellent hand-eye coordination, generates good bat speed and has a knack for finding the barrel of the bat. He consistently sprays line drives from gap-to-gap, has some polish in his plate approach and should be able to develop the plate discipline to become a leadoff factor. Scouts have reported him as a 60 runner turning in 4.0-second times to first base from the left side. His speed also plays in center field, where he shows some polish as well. The Georgia Tech signee performed most of the spring and was expected to go out in the first round or supplemental round.