Taylor Hearn Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

TRACK RECORD: The Nationals drafted Hearn, traded him and Felipe Vasquez to the Pirates one year later for Mark Melancon. Two seasons later, the Pirates flipped him to the Rangers for Keone Kela. In 2019, Hearn made four Triple-A starts and made his major league debut in April, but he injured his elbow during that outing and didn't pitch the rest of the season.

SCOUTING REPORT: Hearn has a big fastball, sitting in the mid-90s with the ability to reach 98 mph. He gives hitters a difficult angle on his fastball and he creates good extension out front, which helps his fastball play up, especially when he elevates. Everything beyond Hearn's fastball lagged behind last year. He showed progress with his slider the previous year, but it wasn't effective for him, while his changeup is a fringe-average offering. Hearn needs to sharpen his secondary pitches to be able to miss more bats, but he also needs to improve his fastball command.

THE FUTURE: Hearn, who will turn 26 before the end of the season, is healthy and ready to go for spring training. The Rangers plan to keep him as a starter, but there's a good chance he ends up in a relief role.