Hans Crouse | RHP
Background
The 18-year-old Crouse attends Dana Hills High School in Orange County. So far this spring he has a 0.88 ERA with 99 strikeouts and 17 walks in 63.1 innings. He’s committed to Southern California.
Scouting Report
Crouse has some of the best raw stuff in the entire draft class. He sits 94-96 mph with his fastball and ran it up as high as 97 mph during a showcase event earlier this year. His breaking ball is more of a slurve than a true slider or a true curve, and he throws it anywhere from 78-84 mph. Crouse, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 190 lbs., is still working to refine his changeup, though he is comfortable throwing it. The biggest concern here is a high-effort delivery, which has many thinking Crouse’s future lies in the bullpen. Also, for what it’s worth, Crouse is a really excitable high energy kid who makes it very clear with his mannerisms on the field that he loves playing baseball.
Miscellany
The various scouting reports see Crouse as a late first round/early second round talent. Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked him the highest in his last draft rankings. He had Crouse 22nd. MLB.com had him 31st and Baseball America had him 37th. The Yankees have the 16th pick. It’s worth noting the Yankees tend to go for polished prep arms early in the draft. They save the big hard-throwing projects for the later rounds.
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