Kyle Hurt

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #6 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/Medium
  
  Track Record: A top draft prospect in high school, Hurt showed premium stuff at Southern California but posted a 5.06 ERA in a frustrating college career. The Marlins drafted him in the fifth round in 2020 and quickly traded him to the Dodgers with Alex Vesia for Dylan Floro in February 2021. Hurt continued to tease and got crushed at Double-A in 2022, but he used his struggles as motivation. He spent the offseason improving his fitness, confidence and execution and responded with his best season in 2023. He posted the highest strikeout rate in the minors (39.2%) among pitchers with at least 90 innings and rose from Double-A to the majors, where he retired Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto and Manny Machado in order in his first big league inning.
  
  Scouting Report: Hurt is a large-bodied righthander with a fast arm. His plus fastball sits 94-96 mph and touches 98-99 with late, riding life and gets swings-and-misses in the strike zone. His changeup is another plus pitch at 87-88 mph that falls off the table with late dive. He has advanced command of his change and can throw it for strikes or bury it for chase swings. Hurt rounds out his arsenal with an above-average, 86-89 mph vertical slider that keeps improving and an average 79-81 mph curveball he’ll mix in. He previously had below-average control and poor fastball command, but after dropping 30 pounds, he now maintains his delivery better and throws strikes at a fringy but effective clip. He has yet to throw more than five innings in a start and must improve his durability.
  
  The Future: Hurt’s improvements give him a chance to remain a starter if he can continue building on them. He projects to be a hard-throwing no. 4 starter or a high-octane reliever.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 45
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #27 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Hurt bounced between the bullpen and rotation during three rocky seasons at Southern California but appeared to be turning a corner when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the 2020 season. The Marlins drafted him in the fifth round and traded him with Alex Vesia to the Dodgers for Dylan Floro before the 2021 season. Hurt broke out in 2022 with a dominant showing at High-A Great Lakes before struggling after a promotion to Double-A. He struck out 32.7% of the batters he faced, third-highest in the organization among starters, but also had a system-worst 17.7% walk rate.
  
  Scouting Report: Hurt is a burly 6-foot-3 righthander with big stuff he is still learning to harness. His fastball sits 95-97 mph with extreme ride and run out of a low slot and generates lots of swings and misses. He holds his velocity through his outings and dominates with his fastball alone when he throws it for strikes. Hurt has long had advanced feel for a plus 87-89 mph changeup he locates well and his short, upper-80s slider has improved to flash average. Hurt's stuff is loud, but he has well below-average control and struggles to command his fastball. He'll walk batters en masse and has long struggled to maintain his poise for more than a few innings at a time, although he is slowly moving in the right direction.
  
  The Future: Hurt has the stuff to be an effective reliever if he can polish his control. He'll open 2023 back at Double-A.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 45. Changeup: 60. Control: 30

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #164 prospect in 2020 draft
  The gap between Hurt’s stuff and performance makes him one of the most divisive prospects in this year’s draft class. Considered a potential first-round pick in high school before a knee injury sidetracked him, Hurt logged a 5.06 ERA in three years at Southern California and even lost his spot in the Trojans' starting rotation at one point. He began to turn a corner at the end of his sophomore year, however, and appeared to be putting things together as a junior this spring before the season shut down. Hurt has an appealing pitcher’s body at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds and has some of the best stuff on the west coast. His fastball reaches 95-96 mph as a starter, his changeup is a consensus plus pitch he locates well and his curveball and slider each flash plus at their best. While he throws hard, Hurt's fastball is too straight and plays down due to below-average command, often leaving him to rely on his secondaries. He struggles to put together more than a few good innings at a time and scouts have long held concerns about his work ethic and makeup. The quality of Hurt’s stuff has some teams interested as high the third round, but others are turned off by his history of underperformance and have minimal interest. Those who believe in Hurt see his future as a hard-throwing reliever.
• Ranked #94 prospect in 2017 draft
  Hurt was a big name as an underclassmen and flourished under Torrey Pines High coach Kirk McCaskill, who pitched 12 years in the majors. Hurt's senior season was delayed when he tore his meniscus at an offseason event, and Hurt never regained his best form after he returned. Hurt's fastball sat in the low 90s and touched 95 mph before his injury but was mostly 88-90 after it. The pitch shows heavy sinking action and should be able to induce poor contact, especially if Hurt's velocity returns. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound righthander is well-built with a polished delivery, projecting as a future workhorse starter. He complements his fastball with a potential plus changeup and average breaking ball, giving him the arsenal to succeed. Hurt's maturity and motivation have been questioned and the fact he was one of the oldest players in the class gives evaluators pause. Still, his size and stuff give him a chance to be picked early. He is committed to Southern California.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Hurt bounced between the bullpen and rotation during three rocky seasons at Southern California but appeared to be turning a corner when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the 2020 season. The Marlins drafted him in the fifth round and traded him with Alex Vesia to the Dodgers for Dylan Floro before the 2021 season. Hurt broke out in 2022 with a dominant showing at High-A Great Lakes before struggling after a promotion to Double-A. He struck out 32.7% of the batters he faced, third-highest in the organization among starters, but also had a system-worst 17.7% walk rate.
  
  Scouting Report: Hurt is a burly 6-foot-3 righthander with big stuff he is still learning to harness. His fastball sits 95-97 mph with extreme ride and run out of a low slot and generates lots of swings and misses. He holds his velocity through his outings and dominates with his fastball alone when he throws it for strikes. Hurt has long had advanced feel for a plus 87-89 mph changeup he locates well and his short, upper-80s slider has improved to flash average. Hurt's stuff is loud, but he has well below-average control and struggles to command his fastball. He'll walk batters en masse and has long struggled to maintain his poise for more than a few innings at a time, although he is slowly moving in the right direction.
  
  The Future: Hurt has the stuff to be an effective reliever if he can polish his control. He'll open 2023 back at Double-A.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 45. Changeup: 60. Control: 30
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Hurt bounced between the bullpen and rotation during three rocky seasons at Southern California but appeared to be turning a corner when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the 2020 season. The Marlins drafted him in the fifth round and traded him with Alex Vesia to the Dodgers for Dylan Floro before the 2021 season. Hurt broke out in 2022 with a dominant showing at High-A Great Lakes before struggling after a promotion to Double-A. He struck out 32.7% of the batters he faced, third-highest in the organization among starters, but also had a system-worst 17.7% walk rate.
  
  Scouting Report: Hurt is a burly 6-foot-3 righthander with big stuff he is still learning to harness. His fastball sits 95-97 mph with extreme ride and run out of a low slot and generates lots of swings and misses. He holds his velocity through his outings and dominates with his fastball alone when he throws it for strikes. Hurt has long had advanced feel for a plus 87-89 mph changeup he locates well and his short, upper-80s slider has improved to flash average. Hurt's stuff is loud, but he has well below-average control and struggles to command his fastball. He'll walk batters en masse and has long struggled to maintain his poise for more than a few innings at a time, although he is slowly moving in the right direction.
  
  The Future: Hurt has the stuff to be an effective reliever if he can polish his control. He'll open 2023 back at Double-A.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 45. Changeup: 60. Control: 30
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 40/High
  
  August Update: Acquired in a trade with the Marlins for reliever Dylan Floro, Hurt has long had premium stuff and is finally starting to put everything together. He has a 95-96 mph fastball with late run he holds late in games, his changeup is a plus pitch and his slider is developing. Hurt previously struggled with his fitness, poise and confidence on the mound, but they&#39ve all made great strides to help his results finally match his stuff.
• December, 2019 Scouting Report
  The gap between Hurt’s stuff and performance makes him one of the most divisive prospects in this year’s draft class. Considered a potential first-round pick in high school before a knee injury sidetracked him, Hurt logged a 5.06 ERA in three years at Southern California and even lost his spot in the Trojans' starting rotation at one point. He began to turn a corner at the end of his sophomore year, however, and appeared to be putting things together as a junior this spring before the season shut down. Hurt has an appealing pitcher’s body at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds and has some of the best stuff on the west coast. His fastball reaches 95-96 mph as a starter, his changeup is a consensus plus pitch he locates well and his curveball and slider each flash plus at their best. While he throws hard, Hurt's fastball is too straight and plays down due to below-average command, often leaving him to rely on his secondaries. He struggles to put together more than a few good innings at a time and scouts have long held concerns about his work ethic and makeup. The quality of Hurt’s stuff has some teams interested as high the third round, but others are turned off by his history of underperformance and have minimal interest. Those who believe in Hurt see his future as a hard-throwing reliever.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Hurt was a big name as an underclassmen and flourished under Torrey Pines High coach Kirk McCaskill, who pitched 12 years in the majors. Hurt's senior season was delayed when he tore his meniscus at an offseason event, and Hurt never regained his best form after he returned. Hurt's fastball sat in the low 90s and touched 95 mph before his injury but was mostly 88-90 after it. The pitch shows heavy sinking action and should be able to induce poor contact, especially if Hurt's velocity returns. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound righthander is well-built with a polished delivery, projecting as a future workhorse starter. He complements his fastball with a potential plus changeup and average breaking ball, giving him the arsenal to succeed. Hurt's maturity and motivation have been questioned and the fact he was one of the oldest players in the class gives evaluators pause. Still, his size and stuff give him a chance to be picked early. He is committed to Southern California.