Taylor Hearn

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #28 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: The Nationals drafted Hearn, traded him and Felipe Vasquez to the Pirates one year later for Mark Melancon. Two seasons later, the Pirates flipped him to the Rangers for Keone Kela. In 2019, Hearn made four Triple-A starts and made his major league debut in April, but he injured his elbow during that outing and didn't pitch the rest of the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hearn has a big fastball, sitting in the mid-90s with the ability to reach 98 mph. He gives hitters a difficult angle on his fastball and he creates good extension out front, which helps his fastball play up, especially when he elevates. Everything beyond Hearn's fastball lagged behind last year. He showed progress with his slider the previous year, but it wasn't effective for him, while his changeup is a fringe-average offering. Hearn needs to sharpen his secondary pitches to be able to miss more bats, but he also needs to improve his fastball command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hearn, who will turn 26 before the end of the season, is healthy and ready to go for spring training. The Rangers plan to keep him as a starter, but there's a good chance he ends up in a relief role.
• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #7 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: The Nationals drafted Hearn in 2015, then traded him and Felipe Rivero to Pittsburgh one year later for Mark Melancon. Hearn spent two years with the Pirates, who traded him to the Rangers in July 2018 in the Keone Kela deal.
  
  Scouting Report: Hearn pitches off a fastball that can overpower hitters. It sits in the mid-90s and reaches 98 mph. His premium velocity from the left side is particularly uncomfortable for opponents because of his angle and long arms that create good extension out front, with the ability to get swings and misses up in the zone. After the 2017 season, Hearn went to the Arizona Fall League, where he changed the grip on his slider. It's still inconsistent, but it now flashes above-average. He has a solid changeup, too, that at times is an average offering. Hearn can pile up strikeouts--he had 9.8 per nine innings in 2018--but improving his command and pitch sequencing are focal points for his development.
  
  The Future: If Hearn can tighten his fastball command and refine his pitchability, he has the makings of a mid-rotation starter. If not, he has the stuff to pitch high-leverage relief innings. He's ticketed for the Triple-A Nashville rotation to open 2019.
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #9 prospect in 2018
  The Pirates acquired Hearn along with Felipe Rivero when they traded Mark Melancon to the Nationals in 2016. Rivero became the Pirates' closer in 2017 and was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball. Hearn has some of the same attributes as Rivero. He missed the final two months of 2017 at high Class A Bradenton thanks to a strained left oblique but still finished with 11 strikeouts per nine innings in a career-high 89 innings. Hearn's near top-of-the-scale fastball plays in the 96-97 mph range, and he frequently hit 99 in games. On occasion he even topped triple digits. His below-average control is still an issue, and he is also working on secondary pitches. Hearn is making progress with his potentially average 84-86 mph changeup. It's tough on both righthanded and lefthanded hitters. He's working on his fringy slider, but he hasn't found a shape and velocity he feels comfortable with yet. The central question for Hearn is whether or not he can remain a starter, and that might not be possible if his control and slider don't improve. He will likely move up to Double-A Altoona in 2018, but he could move to the bullpen there if it becomes clear that's his best bet to reach the majors.
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #13 prospect in 2017
  The Pirates angered their fans and created some discord in their clubhouse when they traded all-star closer Mark Melancon to the Nationals at the 2016 trade deadline for lefhanded reliever Felipe Rivero and Hearn despite being just 31?2 games out of a wild card spot. While Rivero moved immediately into the big league bullpen, Hearn continued rehabbing from a broken foot he suffered while covering first base during his second start of the 2016 season. The Pirates were familiar with Hearn after drafting him in the 22nd round in 2012 out of high school--the first of four instances he was drafted--and saw him flash a 99 mph fastball and potentially wipeout slider once he joined their system. Hearn lacks a third pitch at present, with his changeup in the rudimentary stage of development, and his command of all his pitches is spotty. He will start 2017 in the high Class A Bradenton rotation but could move to the bullpen if his changeup and command don't improve.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #28 prospect in 2016
  Hearn was drafted out of his Texas high school, San Jacinto (Texas) JC (twice) and finally out of NAIA Oklahoma Baptist, finally signing with the Nationals for $275,000 after they made him a fifth-round pick in 2015. He impressed during his pro debut and in instructional league by touching 99 mph with his fastball. Hearn more typically throws in the low to mid-90s and induces plenty of ground balls thanks to the steep downhill angle his 6-foot-5 height creates. His slider still is developing, but he throws it with power and could develop into a second viable offering. Hearn's control needs further refinement, but he did a better job of throwing strikes at short-season Auburn than he had at Oklahoma Baptist. Hearn appears destined for the bullpen, but the Nationals will send him out as a starter in 2016, when he begins his first full pro season at low Class A Hagerstown.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Eastern League #19 prospect in 2018
  Hearn has been traded twice already, first to Pittsburgh for Mark Melancon, and then again this season to Texas for Keone Kela. The reason he’s been so desired in trade stems from the lightning produced by his left arm. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and has touched even higher, up to 98 at times. His low-three quarters arm angle helps make the pitch even tougher on lefthanded hitters. This year he worked on learning how to better sequence his arsenal. Specifically, he figured out which counts were appropriate for fastballs and which were more suited for offspeed pitches. Both his slider and changeup project as at least above-average offerings with more repetitions. Before the trade, the Pirates were committed to giving him every opportunity to start but acknowledged that the possibility was there to be shutdown reliever from the left side if that’s where his development took him.

• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The Nationals drafted Hearn, traded him and Felipe Vasquez to the Pirates one year later for Mark Melancon. Two seasons later, the Pirates flipped him to the Rangers for Keone Kela. In 2019, Hearn made four Triple-A starts and made his major league debut in April, but he injured his elbow during that outing and didn’t pitch the rest of the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hearn has a big fastball, sitting in the mid-90s with the ability to reach 98 mph. BA GRADE 50 Risk: Extreme BA GRADE 45 Risk: High BA GRADE 40 Risk: Medium He gives hitters a difficult angle on his fastball and he creates good extension out front, which helps his fastball play up, especially when he elevates. Everything beyond Hearn’s fastball lagged behind last year. He showed progress with his slider the previous year, but it wasn’t effective for him, while his changeup is a fringe-average offering. Hearn needs to sharpen his secondary pitches to be able to miss more bats, but he also needs to improve his fastball command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hearn, who will turn 26 before the end of the season, is healthy and ready to go for spring training. The Rangers plan to keep him as a starter, but there’s a good chance he ends up in a relief role.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The Nationals drafted Hearn, traded him and Felipe Vasquez to the Pirates one year later for Mark Melancon. Two seasons later, the Pirates flipped him to the Rangers for Keone Kela. In 2019, Hearn made four Triple-A starts and made his major league debut in April, but he injured his elbow during that outing and didn't pitch the rest of the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hearn has a big fastball, sitting in the mid-90s with the ability to reach 98 mph. He gives hitters a difficult angle on his fastball and he creates good extension out front, which helps his fastball play up, especially when he elevates. Everything beyond Hearn's fastball lagged behind last year. He showed progress with his slider the previous year, but it wasn't effective for him, while his changeup is a fringe-average offering. Hearn needs to sharpen his secondary pitches to be able to miss more bats, but he also needs to improve his fastball command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hearn, who will turn 26 before the end of the season, is healthy and ready to go for spring training. The Rangers plan to keep him as a starter, but there's a good chance he ends up in a relief role.