RHP Ben Hernandez, De La Salle Institute [IL]
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DoB: 7/1/2001. Commitment: Illinois-Chicago
The top high school arm in the Midwest, just like the top bat in the Midwest (Ed Howard), comes to us from Chicago. In fact, Howard and Hernandez go to school less than five miles apart on the South Side, with Hernandez's De La Salle Institute sitting just a couple of blocks from Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the White Sox. Hernandez is perhaps most well-known for possessing the best changeup in the high school class, using it to complement a well-rounded profile that makes him a favorite among scouts.
Hernandez, who stands 6'2", throws an exceptional changeup in the low to mid 80's that just fades and fades to his arm side. It's the best changeup in the high school class, and it's enough to consistently miss bats on its own without being set up by his other offerings. He also sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, which can really jump on hitters because he doesn't throw it with much effort. The fastball and the changeup tunnel really well off each other because of his solid command. At this point, the biggest piece of development for Hernandez is definitely the breaking ball. His curveball is alright, getting good top to bottom shape at times, but it lacks any real power and at this point it isn't really the putaway pitch that he'll need to be an impact starter at the next level.
Between the fastball and the changeup, Hernandez has the two pitch mix, plus the command, to succeed at the lower levels of the minors. When it comes to high school pitchers, you always expect something to be less than perfect, but that's also what makes high school arms (especially high school righties) such risky picks. If a pro team can sharpen that breaking ball to even an average pitch, then you have a legitimate prospect. Even without that breaking ball, he still has enough other starters' traits to potentially succeed in a #4/#5 role. One thing to keep in mind is age, as he will turn 19 in July and is older than most other high schoolers.
I don't know anything about how firm his commitment is to the University of Illinois-Chicago, but I imagine it's perhaps not as firm as some of these other commitments to schools like Vanderbilt, Texas, or Florida State (though UIC did give us Curtis Granderson in 2002). On talent alone, he fits as a second or third round pick with that fastball, changeup, and command. Some teams are bound to like him a lot better than others, so whichever team ends up with him will undoubtedly be very excited about the pick whether that's in the second round, third round, or later.
Throwing indoors in 2020
Summer showcase action
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