Inside The Rangers' Prospect Watch: No. 3 Hans Crouse
3. Hans Crouse | SP
Born: September 8th, 1998
Bats: L Throws: R
Height: 6'4" Weight: 180
Drafted: 2017, 2nd round. Dana Hills HS (Dana Point, CA).
Team: Hickory Crawdads (A)
Other Team Rankings: Baseball America (6), MLB Pipeline (3)
Career Statistics
Player Bio
Hans Crouse was selected in the second round of the 2017 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers. A product of Dana Point, California, Crouse was a highly-touted pitching prospect directly out of high school. Immediately after the 2017 draft, Crouse was slotted in as one of the top prospects for the Texas Rangers according to Baseball America and MLB.
Strengths
Crouse's strength is his fastball, which sits in the mid-90's and is by far the best pitch in his arsenal. His command of his fastball is one of Crouse's calling cards, and is what projects him to be a big league starter in the future.
Furthermore, his slider has shown promise as a second 'plus' pitch in his arsenal to mix in with his fastball. With Class-A Hickory, Crouse flashed a sub-3.00 ERA and a solid strikeout rate averaging .92 per inning in 2018. He has the ability to throw heat and baffle his competition. Crouse's command of his plus-fastball and slider will allow him to climb the professional ranks as far as his health will allow him.
Scouts debate about Crouse's wild delivery that has a lot of moving parts, but he has shown the ability to repeat it and maintain control over his pitches.
Weaknesses
Crouse's biggest weakness is his changeup. With such an electric fastball, a plus-offspeed pitch would be a perfect complement, yet the top pitching prospect has not quite perfected his third pitch. His changeup has been serviceable in the lower levels of the Minors, but if Crouse were to truly fulfill his expectations, his changeup will need to improve.
Furthermore, Crouse's injury history can be considered another weakness for the frontline pitching prospect. He dealt with elbow issues in 2019, specifically elbow spurs that were surgically dealt with last season. Those issues held Crouse back from a full load in 2019, and prevented him from pitching to his full potential. Bone spurs in the elbow can be a reoccurring issue and will be worth keeping an eye on going forward in his development.
If Crouse can't develop his changeup or struggles with his command with his wild delivery, his fastball/slider combo may be better suited for the bullpen.
Future
Crouse will likely continue to remain the Texas Rangers' top pitching prospect throughout 2020. He is expected to be fully healthy heading into the 2020 season, and will probably spend most of 2020 at Class-A Advanced Down East. There's an outside chance he makes his way to Double-A Frisco before the year ends if all goes well for Crouse.
The Texas Rangers have taken a cautious approach in advancing their top pitching prospects throughout the Minor League system. Hans Crouse remains one of their top prospects and is projected to be a frontline starter if he hits his ceiling, but there's risk involved. Texas will take their time in developing and promoting their top pitching prospect through the system.
Inside The Rangers Top 10 Preseason Prospect Rankings
10. 3B Sherten Apostel
9. SS Maximo Acosta
8. RF Bayron Lora
7. LHP Joe Palumbo
6. RHP Cole Winn
5. CF Leody Taveras
4. 2B Nick Solak
3. RHP Hans Crouse
Each spot will be released daily.
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