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Blake Hunt, C
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Scouting report
Hunt was so crowded out by other prospects (Danner, Greene, Lewis, Pratto, Crouse, Estrada, Allen, Ward, etc) that he didn't even make the SoCal Area Code team (a regional, draft and scout-driven All-Star team) the summer before his senior year, and I didn't know about him until the following spring when he played well at a heavily-attended Boras tournament. Hunt got a $1.6 million bonus to keep him from going to Pepperdine, then put forth three solid, if unspectacular offensive seasons (.258/.341/.384) before having a huge breakout during 2020 Instructional League, during which he was suddenly hitting for much more in-game power. As a young pro, Hunt had a conservative in-game swing swing. He'd show you average raw power during BP but deploy a contact-oriented approach in games. His swing had virtually no stride, and he relied on strength to drive balls into the gaps for doubles, but that was it. Last Fall, Hunt's swing had more lower body movement and that, combined with another year of added body/strength maturation, makes him a much more dangerous hitter. I watched him park one halfway into the left-center field seats at Chase Field and he took Mason Thompson (who sat 96-99 that day) deep later that week, his second loud extra-base hit that day. He was one of a few buzzy Padres prospects (some of the others have also been traded) from the Fall, and he performed against a quality cross-section of pitching. Hunt's defense has backed up a little bit. He was catching on one knee, even with runners on base, and his footwork coming out of his crouch was inconsistent, which lead to inconsistent throwing accuracy. I've also seen him pop as low as 1.88 on throws to second and, despite his size, he’s agile enough and has sufficiently good hands to receive and frame big league stuff. I think the style with which Hunt catches will probably grow and change, especially as he shifts to an org that seems less inclined to put their catchers on one knee with runners on, and ultimately he'll be good back there. The thing to focus on here, though, is the potential power production from behind the plate, which now compels me to project him as an everyday player. (Alternate site, Fall Instructional League)