Tommy Hunter Stats & Scouting Report

IP	917
ERA	4.073
WHIP	1.241
BB/9	2.041
SO/9	6.272

Full name Raymond Thomas Hunter
Born 07/03/1986 in Indianapolis, IN
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 250 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Alabama
Debut 08/01/2008
Drafted in the C-A round (54th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2007 (signed for $585,000).

View Draft Report

A draft-eligible sophomore, Hunter could garner attention as a third- to fourth-round pick if he's willing to sign for slot money. He stepped into the Tide rotation as a freshman last season and won 10 games, then made 14 appearances out of the Team USA bullpen last summer and compiled an impressive 23-4 strikeout-walk ratio. With a soft body that's not well proportioned, Hunter flunks scouts' eye test. He's a two-time junior Olympic champion in judo, however, and more athletic than he looks. He has a four-pitch repertoire, working off a solid-average fastball that bumps 93 mph and a power slurve at 82-84. His delivery is passable and his arm works well. Some scouts see him as a two-pitch set-up man in the mold of Braves reliever Tyler Yates, something of a poor-man's Jonathan Broxton. Others point out his ability to hold his velocity late into games and believe he profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

One of the most polished pitchers in the 2007 draft, Hunter went 54th overall and signed for $585,000. As expected, he moved quickly during his first full pro season. He jumped a level to high Class A to start 2008, reached Triple-A by early July and received his first big league callup to make three fill-in starts in August. Major leaguers hit him hard, but the experience reinforced to Hunter the need for a third pitch. When he was sent back to the minors, the Rangers asked him whether he wanted to be a starter or a reliever. He chose starter, so he focused on developing his changeup, which he tends to throw too hard. Hunter attacks hitters with a 90-93 mph fastball that has a natural cut action. His 82-84 mph breaking ball can be a power slurve at times and a true downer curveball at others. It's usually a plus pitch, but Hunter struggled to throw his breaking ball for strikes in the majors and was locked into being a one-pitch guy, resulting in his rough debut. On the day before his scheduled start in the Texas League playoffs, Hunter was hit in the forehead with a line drive during batting practice. Despite a big welt on his head, Hunter returned to pitch well four days later, illustrative of his toughness and competitiveness. A good athlete for his size, he fields his position well and is very durable. He profiles as a workhorse in the Joe Blanton mold, and he could reach the big leagues for good sometime in 2009.
After earning second-team freshman All-America honors as a starter in 2006, Hunter thrived in the bullpen for Team USA, then split 2007 between the closer role and Friday starter spot for the Crimson Tide. The Rangers popped the draft-eligible sophomore with their third supplemental first-round pick (No. 54 overall) and signed him for a $585,000 bonus, and he excelled out of the bullpen for Spokane, where he ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the short-season Northwest League. Hunter's hulking, rather soft frame belies his athleticism--he was a two-time junior Olympic judo champion, and he's surprisingly quick off the mound. A leader off the field, Hunter took Rangers top pick Blake Beavan under his wing in instructional league, and his commanding presence carries over to the mound. Hunter pounds the strike zone with a solid-average 90-94 mph fastball, the centerpiece of his quality four-pitch mix. His short, tight, late-breaking curveball is his better breaking ball, a plus pitch at 82-84 mph, but his slider and changeup with split-finger action are usually average offerings, though he sometimes gets around his slider, causing it to flatten out. Some scouts see Hunter as a tenacious late-innings bulldog in the Jonathan Broxton mold, but others envision him as an innings-eating workhorse along the lines of Joe Blanton. In either case, he was one of the most polished pitchers in the 2007 draft class and figures to move very quickly, starting with a likely assignment to high Class A in 2008.

Minor League Top Prospects

At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, Hunter doesn't look like much a prospect, but he has two plus pitches and solid command. A two-time junior Olympic champion in judo, he also has much more athleticism than his figure suggests. Hunter has a low-90s fastball, and though Spokane used him judiciously as a reliever, he showed the ability to maintain his velocity late into outings as a starter in college. His curveball comes in at 82-84 and at times has power and hard, tight spin. He tends to get around it, causing it to flatten out, but it has put-away potential. "His curveball is what sets him apart. It's one of the best in the league with good angle and depth," Spokane manager Tim Hullet said.