Diamondbacks’ Jack Hurley Draws Up To-Do List For 2024 Development
After more than holding his own in his pro debut, outfielder Jack Hurley got to work on honing his game for 2024.
“Overall, it was a good taste of how pro ball is going to be,” Hurley said. “Getting used to wood bats, playing every day against pretty good competition—it was new, but it’s what I signed up for and what I want to do for a long time.”
The Diamondbacks drafted Hurley in the third round this year out of Virginia Tech. He hit .276/.374/.409 with two home runs and 10 stolen bases in 33 games, 20 of them at High-A Hillsboro.
He has some thoughts on how he can get better. He chased (32%) and swung and missed (38%) more than he would like. He thinks he can benefit from both scaling back a big leg kick and by being a little more targeted and selective.
Hurley said he likes having movement at the plate to help generate energy and, ultimately, power. He believes he is athletic enough to make it work. But the 21-year-old also wants to give himself the best chance to succeed.
“The less going on, the easier it probably is to hit,” he said. “For me, right now, I have no problem letting it loose and having a big move, but you learn throughout your career . . . and this is something that could help me.”
Similarly, he wants to maintain his aggressiveness while also finding ways to cut back on his chase.
“You look at Corey Seager and he is a crazy aggressive hitter,” Hurley said. “It’s possible to be uber-aggressive, but he also is one of the more disciplined hitters in the league, too. It’s important to have a mix of both, and not just sell out on being 100% aggressive.”
Hurley said much of what he is working on stems from conversations he had with the D-backs’ player development staff.
“It’s obviously easier to trust it when there’s guys ahead of you,” Hurley said, “guys like Corbin Carroll and Alek Thomas, who went through their own struggles and came out and are really good baseball players.”
