Low Level Prospect Review: Ty Hensley, RHP, New York Yankees

With our positional and prospect rankings completed, we've reached a bit of a lull in terms of what we're discussing here at Fake Teams. Bret, Craig and I are already working on determining what we think this year's prospect coverage will look like. However, we're not quite done with that, and as a result I put out a call to Twitter for proposed subjects for this week. The first suggestion to come back was for the top draft pick of the Yankees in 2012, right handed pitcher Ty Hensley, so let's look a bit more in-depth at him.

The Basics

Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 220 lbs.
Age as of 4/1/13: 19 (Turns 20 in July)

His History

Hensley pitched for Edmond Santa Fe High School just outside Oklahoma City, the same high school as Giants' prospect Clayton Blackburn. The son of a former second round draft pick, Hensley The Yankees took Hensley with the 30th overall pick in the first round. He had originally agreed to a contract worth $1.6 million, but his physical noted an abnormality in his shoulder, which led to Hensley signing for less. He ended up signing for $1.2 million, and was able to get into some game action with the Yankees' Gulf Coast affiliate in Tampa. He made 6 appearances, striking out 14 and walking 7 in 12 innings pitched.

The Scouting Report

Right off the bat, the first thing that jumps out to me is Hensley's size, which fits in nicely as a prototypical projectable starting pitcher. Hensley was also a two-way player in high school, and is considered to be extremely athletic. In terms of repertoire, Hensley features a fastball that grades out as plus, touching 95 during the season with some movement per Kiley McDaniel of ESPN. In addition, he also has an above-average curveball and has shown some promise with his changeup as well according to McDaniel. In terms of makeup, Hensley has made very clear his goal of being in the Majors by age 21, which would be an extremely aggressive schedule given that he will turn 20 during the season. Personally, I like to see a player shoot for these kinds of goals as well.

What's Next for Hensley?

Mike Axisa over at River Ave. Blues speculated that Hensley could be given an advanced assignment of full season Low-A, in Charleston in the Sally League. We will learn a lot more about what he could be at that point, especially if he has success there. Obviously, the concerns about the shoulder issue that they found on the physical remain until he pitches a full season without issue, but he could jump onto top 100 lists this time next year with a solid season at Low-A.

What Does This Mean for Fantasy Owners?

The reports on Hensley point to a player who has the potential to have three above-average pitches, which usually bodes very well for a prospect's development. As is expected of most high school draftees, we don't really know yet just how good his command and control can be, which will really be the biggest determining factor in how high his ceiling could be. The fact that his repertoire has already shown signs of advanced development point to a pitcher who could be a very good fantasy pitcher down the line.

Sources

Baseball America
Baseball Reference
ESPN.com
River Avenue Blues

You can follow me on Twitter at @Jasonsbaseball