Minnesota Twins 2025 Prospect Previews: Dasan Hill

[jmlease1]

22 hours ago, DJL44 said:

There have been a lot of high school kids who threw 95 and absolutely shredded their arm. I am hopeful that the newer training techniques will allow them to stay healthy and throw with high velocities. Pitchers are risky and teenage pitchers are even riskier.

I also think it is interesting how almost no drafted pitcher throws in their first minor league games at the same velocity as their radar gun readings in the draft profiles. Everyone is at least 2-3 MPH slower.

Considering the programs the pitchers are coming from have an interest in seeing the player get drafted highly and become a professional baseball player, is it really a surprise if their high school/college program has them on the gun slightly faster to try and increase some hype about them? Unless they're a first round prospect they might not get very many outside scouts getting an independent reading...

[Otaknam]

On 2/25/2025 at 8:14 PM, DocBauer said:

There was a LHP kid who's name i can't recall right now...White maybe?...that I really liked and wanted the Twins to grab. Hill wasn't really on my radar when the draft took place as there were a number of HS arms of great interest. But boy did I become an instant fan once I looked at him closer.

@Dmansort of stole my thunder in regard to seeing a LH Festa comp. Obviously there's a difference between HS and college pitchers, but both have the height and long levers. The concern for Festa is the same for Hill...even though comps aren't fair...with a long limb build and narrow shoulders, how much room is there to increase body and muscle mass for endurance. And by that, I mean maintaining velocity.

I DON'T mean a pitcher has to be 220lbs to be a good, strong arm. Good, lean, muscle is way better than bulk muscle. I just mean can he add some good muscle weight over the next few seasons, like Festa has, to maintain his velocity, as well as endurance.

I'm betting he can. 

He was maybe my favorite pick last season based on potential. But I'm actually embarrassed that I forgot about Carpenter. He's EXACTLY how Johnson runs the draft. I can't wait to see reports about Carpenter, ALMOST a HS draftee with tremendous potential. 

As far as s putting on muscle on a slender frame. I’m sure the organization has a nutritional plan for each player in their system, probably access to  weight training room, a d someone to monitor progress. Of course, the player has to be interested and committed to the program. As we saw with Sano, there’s no guarantee the player will follow the nutritional guidelines and could eat himself out of baseball. 

[tony&rodney]

The increase in facilities has changed youth baseball in major ways in the last 25 years. While kids in warm weather states could play baseball year around, young kids in cold climates were stuck in their house. The average time someone spends outside in the winter as compared to the summer in Minnesota is staggering. If one  goes cross-county skiing, snowshoeing, and takse a walk it might consume as much as 4-5 hours on a sunny January day. In the summer I'm rarely outside less than 12 hours a day. The kids are locked in too in winter. There are indoor winter options today but that is still far from playing outside.

The facilities and opportunities vary from state to state. In my experience normal Florida schools had no weight rooms or training facilities but their teams played year around. This has a direct effect on foot speed, arm strength, and how one swings a bat. Minnesota schools have specific weight programs for every sport and athletes benefit. However, time outside is limited due to the weather. Some years the high school season in MN is compacted into a single month and two months of decent weather just doesn't happen. 

A kid like Dasan Hill played a ton of baseball in Texas. His former high school team likely has a game today. It isn't surprising to see a bunch of kids throw hard in warm weather states because they throw all the time. I wouldn't get too worked up over declines or increases in velocity in general because different places use different guns and numbers get hyped. Remember that at one time MLB pitchers could be recorded as throwing 95 at one stadium and at 89 in another. A body like Hill's with a strong arm attached is a gold mine to develop because weight training and nutrition can increase his velocity and strength to allow his body to handle the change. The biggest transition will remain the same as it has for a century. Can Hill master his pitches; command and control. Can't wait to see him this summer.