Casey Hughston Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Casey Brannon Hughston
Born 06/09/1994 in Mobile, AL
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Alabama
Drafted in the 3rd round (96th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015 (signed for $700,000).

View Draft Report

Hughston is positioned to have a very memorable birthday this year. He will turn 21 on the second day of the draft, making him draft-eligible as a sophomore. While shortstop Mikey White is the Crimson Tide's top prospect, Hughston attracted attention of his own with a hot start to the season. He cooled off a bit in SEC play, but remains an intriguing player thanks to his average-or-better tools across the board. Listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Hughston has the strength and bat speed to provide lefthanded power in the heart of Alabama's lineup. When he's going right, he can drive the ball to all fields and shows a good feel for the barrel. But he often falls back on an aggressive, pull-oriented approach that leads to a fair amount of swing and miss. He's also had struggles against lefthanded pitchers. Hughston has the speed for center field, but his outfield actions play better in the corners and Alabama has used him in right field. Scouts see him as more of a fourth outfielder right now, but if he can find a more consistent approach at the plate or prove he can play center field, he could develop into something more.

Top Rankings

The Pirates selected Hughston as a draft-eligible sophomore on his 21st birthday in 2015 and then signed him for $700,000, which was $107,300 over his slot in the third round. He has intriguing raw potential but tends to become pull-happy and already comes with some other question marks at this early stage of his career. The lefthanded batter struck out 29 percent of the time overall at short-season West Virginia in his professional debut and went just 6-for-50 (.120) versus same-side pitchers. Hughston has above-average speed and played center field last summer, but some scouts believe he doesn't have enough range to stay there and will likely end up on a corner. His arm is average but passable to play right field. He was a member of the National Honor Society in high school in Mobile, Ala., and showed mental toughness in his first pro season by overcoming a horrific 1-for-43 start to his career. Hughston has a lot of rough edges to smooth in what could be a lengthy development track, but his lefthanded power could play with the short right-field porch at PNC Park. He will begin 2016 at low Class A West Virginia.

Hughston is positioned to have a very memorable birthday this year. He will turn 21 on the second day of the draft, making him draft-eligible as a sophomore. While shortstop Mikey White is the Crimson Tide's top prospect, Hughston attracted attention of his own with a hot start to the season. He cooled off a bit in SEC play, but remains an intriguing player thanks to his average-or-better tools across the board. Listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Hughston has the strength and bat speed to provide lefthanded power in the heart of Alabama's lineup. When he's going right, he can drive the ball to all fields and shows a good feel for the barrel. But he often falls back on an aggressive, pull-oriented approach that leads to a fair amount of swing and miss. He's also had struggles against lefthanded pitchers. Hughston has the speed for center field, but his outfield actions play better in the corners and Alabama has used him in right field. Scouts see him as more of a fourth outfielder right now, but if he can find a more consistent approach at the plate or prove he can play center field, he could develop into something more.