Eric Hanhold Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Eric Dru Hanhold
Born 11/01/1993 in Bartlett, TN
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Florida
Debut 09/04/2018
Drafted in the 6th round (181st overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015 (signed for $250,000).

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Hanhold has excelled in summer leagues in each of the last two years, ranking as the No. 2 prospect in the Northwoods League in 2013 and No. 15 in the Cape Cod League a year ago. But he's never been able to reach that level of success in the springs as a member of the Gators deep pitching staff, and he's thrown only 128 innings in three years at Florida. While he's primarily been a reliever for the Gators, he has the stuff and body (he's listed at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds) to develop as a starter. His fastball gets up to 95 mph, and he typically throws it 90-94 with heavy sink and a good downhill plane. His slider can be an above-average offering and he has some feel for a changeup. He often isn't able to get to his secondary pitches because he falls behind in the count. Hanhold's arm strength and summer track record make him an intriguing project for a team that believes they can help him harness his arsenal.

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Track Record: The Brewers drafted Hanhold, who worked primarily as a reliever at Florida, in the sixth round in 2015 and intended to develop him as a starter because of his 6-foot-5 frame, repertoire and track record working in the rotation in premium college summer leagues. Milwaukee abandoned the idea in 2017, the same year they traded him to the Mets in an August waiver trade for Neil Walker.

Scouting Report: Everything Hanhold throws is hard. After pitching in the low 90s early in his pro career, his four-seam fastball velocity bumped up to 94-97 mph in 2018 and tickled triple digits. He wasn't able to throw his fastball by big league hitters in a small sample, and even in the minors he tended to be too hittable. Hanhold's plus-plus 88-90 mph slider could be an equalizer. It has devastating late break and wipeout potential in and out of the strike zone. He also throws a changeup occasionally.

The Future: Hanhold made his major league debut as a September callup in 2018 but appeared in just three games before a left oblique strain ended his season. He should see plenty of big league work in 2019 as an up-and-down reliever who has a chance to pitch himself into higher leverage work.

Hanhold has excelled in summer leagues in each of the last two years, ranking as the No. 2 prospect in the Northwoods League in 2013 and No. 15 in the Cape Cod League a year ago. But he's never been able to reach that level of success in the springs as a member of the Gators deep pitching staff, and he's thrown only 128 innings in three years at Florida. While he's primarily been a reliever for the Gators, he has the stuff and body (he's listed at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds) to develop as a starter. His fastball gets up to 95 mph, and he typically throws it 90-94 with heavy sink and a good downhill plane. His slider can be an above-average offering and he has some feel for a changeup. He often isn't able to get to his secondary pitches because he falls behind in the count. Hanhold's arm strength and summer track record make him an intriguing project for a team that believes they can help him harness his arsenal.