Atlanta Braves Scouting Report on RHP Jason Hursh
Jason Hursh made his way all the way to the Atlanta Braves in 2016. Could he be a fixture in the Braves bullpen soon?
Player Profile
The Atlanta Braves drafted Hursh in the first round out of college and have seen him transform into a very solid reliever.
Hursh was originally drafted in the 6th round out of high school in Texas by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010, but he instead chose to go to Oklahoma State University, where the Braves selected him from with the 31st selection in the 2013 draft.
Hursh skipped over rookie leagues completely and was immediately sent to low-A Rome in the South Atlantic League to finish out the 2013 season, making 9 appearances, throwing 27 innings with a 0.67 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 9.26% walk rate, and 13.89% strikeout rate.
He spent the entire 2014 season with AA Mississippi, skipping over high-A entirely after just those 27 low-A innings in 2013. With Mississippi, he showed an excellent sinker, making 27 appearances, throwing 148 1/3 innings, with a 3.58 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 6.99% walk rate, and 13.5% strikeout rate.
Hursh opened 2015 with Mississippi and had a rough season overall. He was eventually moved to a bullpen role with the M-Braves. When he moved to the bullpen, he had made 15 starts, throwing 70 innings with a 5.63 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, 9.12% walk rate, and 15.5% strikeout rate.
Hursh pitched well as a reliever with Mississippi, earning a promotion to Gwinnett. He struggled in his 10 appearances with Gwinnett out of the bullpen.
Overall in 2015, Hursh made 33 appearances, throwing 95 1/3 innings with a 5.00 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 8.31% walk rate, and 14.32% strikeout rate.
Now a full-time reliever, Hursh returned to Mississippi for the third straight season, mainly due to a full Gwinnett bullpen. He was tremendous in Mississippi before getting promoted to Gwinnett. He also made two appearances in Atlanta during a midseason call up when the rest of the bullpen was ailing from injury and over use.
Hursh made 43 appearances in the regular season, throwing 73 innings, tallying a 1.97 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 10.26% walk rate, and a 16.56% strikeout rate. His two appearances in Atlanta yielded 1 1/3 innings, 5 runs, and a 3/1 BB/K rate.
He made three appearances in Gwinnett’s playoff run, throwing 3 2/3 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5.
Next: Hursh's scouting report