Hunter Strickland

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #8 prospect in 2015
  Focusing on Strickland's nightmarish 2014 postseason misses the point. He gave up a major league record six home runs in eight appearances and almost started a World Series brawl in Game Two. But the 2014 season was also Strickland's biggest triumph. Drafted by the Red Sox in the same 2007 draft as Anthony Rizzo, Strickland was traded to the Pirates in the 2009 Adam LaRoche deal, missed nearly two entire seasons with injuries and was claimed on waivers by the Giants in 2013. Strickland's stuff is unquestioned. He just needs to do a better job on pitch selection and location. In the postseason, he relied too much on four-seamers instead of pounding the bottom of the zone as he is capable of doing. Strickland has shown he can fill the zone, and he demonstrates average command in hitting his spots. His 95-100 mph fastball is a top-of-the-scale, 80-grade pitch with some armside run, and his hard 84-86 mph curveball is a plus pitch as well. He has a fringy, ineffective changeup he uses against lefties, but at his best, everything is hard. In the playoffs, his failure to locate his changeup meant he relied too much on his fastball against lefties. Strickland's durability has long been a concern. He missed time with an elbow strain in 2010, missed all of 2011 with a shoulder injury that required rotator cuff surgery and had Tommy John surgery in 2013. If he can stay healthy, Strickland has the stuff to be a setup man and possibly a closer. He will compete for a spot in the Giants bullpen in 2015.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #19 prospect in 2010
  It will be hard for Strickland to top his debut in the Pirates organization. Acquired from the Red Sox along with slick-fielding shortstop Argenis Diaz in a trade for Adam LaRoche last July, Strickland started for low Class A West Virginia five days later and pitched the first six innings of a combined no-hitter with Diego Moreno. Strickland was lifted because his pitch count reached 90. He added velocity to his fastball last season after adding weight to his lanky frame, touching 94 mph and usually sitting at 88-92. Besides his four-seam fastball, he also relies on a two-seamer and a curveball. His changeup is in the rudimentary stages, as he didn't begin throwing it until he began his pro career. Strickland has complex mechanics that include a high leg kick, but he's working on smoothing out his delivery. He does a fine job of throwing strikes but needs to improve his location because he's too hittable. He'll begin this season in high Class A, and if he can develop a swing-and-miss pitch, he'll jump on the fast track to Pittsburgh.