Chase Hampton Stats & Scouting Report College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

BA Grade: 55/High

Track Record: The Yankees drafted Hampton out of Texas Tech in 2022, then shut him down in favor of work behind the scenes in their pitching program. That work included adding a slider and cutter to his repertoire. Hampton made his pro debut in 2023 and almost immediately ascended into the upper echelon of the system’s pitching prospects. He split his season between High-A and Double-A and finished with 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Scouting Report: Hampton’s bread-and-butter pitches are his fastball and slider, which he threw the most frequently. The former sits around 94 mph and has touched a few ticks higher while showing outstanding vertical break. The latter is a mid-80s pitch that scouts see as a potentially above-average breaking pitch. His curveball is on equal footing with his slider, though it is thrown more in the high 70s with top-down break that garnered whiffs both in and out of the zone. Hampton’s cutter--one of the weapons the Yankees introduced when he turned pro--is an excellent weapon that he can land to both his glove and arm side with short, sharp break. Hampton has a fringy, seldom-used changeup in the high 80s. He ties the package together with control that is at least above-average and could get to plus with further refinement. When he was at High-A, he found he could simply dominate hitters with his stuff. Upon moving to Double-A, he spent time learning how to become more of a complete pitcher. He learned which pitches to throw in certain situations, and the Yankees still would like to see him throw his fastball more often.

The Future: Hampton should begin 2024 in Triple-A with a chance to make his big league debut in the second half. He has the upside of a no. 3 starter if everything comes together in his development.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 45

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