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The New York Yankees have used their third-round pick to select Thatcher Hurd, a right-handed starter out of LSU with a power fastball and excellent secondaries. Struggling with injuries and command, the 21-year-old has the upside of a frontline starter but will need to better harness those skills and develop his repertoire. Across 44 innings this past season he posted a 6.55 ERA but struck out 56 batters in the process, going on to post a 1.86 ERA in two starts over in the Cape Cod League.
Viewed as a lottery ticket kind of prospect, the Yankees are drafting for upside just as they had in the previous two rounds last night.
Thatcher Hurd Selected By the Yankees in Round 3
As with the last two picks, fans will likely not be happy seeing an ugly ERA for a pitcher they just drafted, but the stuff here is absolutely tantalizing. Thatcher Hurd sits at 94.5 MPH with 18.2 inches of Induced Vertical Break, as the right-hander relies on his four-seamer heavily for whiffs and strikeouts. It is a high release point so the movement isn’t deceptive, but it’s still overpowering and has resulted in an 86th Percentile Whiff Rate (25.4%)
His secondaries have good shape but the results haven’t been there, as he has a firm slider at roughly 85 MPH with good drop and horizontal movement. It does sit between a sweeper and gyro slider, so perhaps the Yankees have him lean hard towards one or potentially throw both. His curveball is another interesting weapon since he gets so much vertical drop on it, but the overall profile is exciting.
The Yankees will have to do work with his mechanics to help him be more consistent in his delivery to the plate, but the stuff is truly awesome and I’m excited to see how he adjusts in the winter. It’s another right-handed arm being selected for the Yankees, three in a row, but that could be an indication that they’re looking for arms on the farm. After trading a good chunk of their MiLB pitching depth in the winter, they’re bolstering that part of the farm system for 2025.
