San Diego Padres Austin Hedges & Hunter Renfroe makes Baseball Prospectus Midseason Top 50 Prospects
By Joel Burdeos
San Diego, CA- San Diego Padres prospects catcher Austin Hedges and outfielder Hunter Renfroe are ranked in Baseball Prospectus Midseason Top 50 prospects.
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In Baseball Prospectus preseason rankings Austin Hedges was ranked 18th and Hunter Renfroe was unranked.
In Baseball Prospectus Midseason rankings Hunter Renfroe rose in the rankings to 44th and Austin Hedges fell slightly to 20th.
Hunter Renfroe the Padres No. 5 prospect will represent the United States in the All-Star Futures Game and had an excellent first half for the Lake Elsinore Storm batting .295 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI’s. Renfroe lead the he California League in home runs and was named to the California League All-Star Team before being promoted to Double-A San Antonio.
When the San Diego Padres selected Hunter Renfroe with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the MLB draft last season the Padres hoped he would develop into the power bat the Padres desperately need and so far he’s lived up to his potential. With the way Hunter Renfroe has performed this season it was no surprise to see him prompted to Double-A San Antonio and maybe Renfroe will even be promoted to Triple-A El Paso before the end of the season.
Baseball Prospectus’s Scouting Report on Renfroe:
"Previously left off the preseason Top 101, the stocky outfielder exploded in the California League thanks to plus-plus power potential that’s already showing its face in game action. He can impact the game on the other side of the ball as well, with a solid defensive profile and a weapon in his arm. His rapid ascent into the premier crop of outfield prospects has earned him a promotion to Double-A, where he’ll continue to hone his future average hit tool and developing approach. –Chris Rodriguez"
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Austin Hedges the top catching prospect in baseball has had a solid first half of the season for the Missions, batting .249 with five homers and 32 RBIs in 72 games in Double-A for the San Antonio Missions. Hedges has continued to excel on defense with his elite receiving skills and major league caliber defensive skills, but the only question with Hedges is will his bat develop to match his defensive skills. His offensive skills have continued to improve the past few seasons and his performance this season, is an excellent sign for Austin Hedges development. Hedges may be close to a promotion as well, but there isn’t a rush to get Hedges to the big leagues until he is completely ready.
Baseball Prospectus’s Scouting Report on Hedges:
"I’ve been insanely high on Hedges from the jump because I’m a sucker for premium defense behind the plate, and the 21-year-old has the best combination of skills at the position I’ve scouted at the minor-league level. The bat has played down in his first full Double-A season, but you can’t scout the stat line to determine his present status and you can’t lose sight of what the profile could look like at the highest level, a perennial Gold Glove contender behind the plate with a bat that will be good enough to keep him in the lineup despite lacking big impact potential. –Jason Parks"