Pittsburgh Pirates: Four Breakout Prospects For 2021

Outfielder Hudson Head

Hudson Head was the center piece from the San Diego Padres going back to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Musgrove. Head was picked in the third round by the Padres, but Head has much more talent than the round he was drafted in suggests.

Head was picked out of Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio Texas in 2019. According to MLB Pipeline, Head “wasn’t a regular on the showcase circuit last summer and didn’t stand out at the World Wood Bat Association World Championship in the fall”. Part of this was because he was committed to playing quarterback for his football team.

Head got his first taste of professional action in 2019 and collected 141 plate appearances. Overall, the lefty batter put up a .283/.383/.417 line, .375 wOBA and 119 wRC+. Head struck out in just 20.6% of his plate appearances while drawing walks at a 10.6% rate.

Head also had a hard hit rate of 37% and exit velocity of 89 MPH, which is decent speaking it was his age 18 season. Head has a 60-grade for both his hit tool and speed tool. He also is seen as an above average fielder with a 55-future grade with a strong arm, another tool with a 55-future grade.

Power wise, he only has a 45-future game power grade, but has a future raw power grade of 55. Many evaluators think he can develop his power into another above average tool, making him a five-tool player.

This upcoming season will be his age-20 season. He’s barely had any playing time at Rookie-Ball, so he may start out there, but could end the year at Low-A or High-A. Head is another prospect where it will be interesting to watch how aggressive the Pirates are.