Prospect Profile: Porter Hodge Should Be Getting His Career Rolling This Year

When the Cubs took right handed pitcher Porter Hodge in the 13th round of the 2019 MLB draft, I was a little surprised considering they had already taken two high school pitchers the day before. Being that Hodge was a day three pick, I didn’t have a lot of time before the 14th round to get a lot of information on him.

That lack of info continued the rest of the year as Hodge was assigned to Mesa after signing. Normally, I get to see a lot of draft picks from the college ranks, but this whole high school pitching thing limits who I can see as the Arizona Rookie League does not have television.

Now that I’m indoors for awhile, my interest is a little piqued as to just exactly who he is and what he can do with a baseball in his hand.

Basic Info
Height – 6’4”
Weight – 230
Throws – Right
Cottonwood High School in Utah, 2 time state champion

In his high school career, Hodge played four seasons at the varsity level and pitched in 30 games with a 1.50 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 130.2 IP. He had 10 complete games and 6 shut outs in his 20 starts. He had committed to attend the University of Utah before taking the full slot value deal with the Cubs.

In an interview the day before the 2019 draft, Hodge said he would take the money rather than go to college as most high school signees get the cost of college included in their salary package.

As for what he throws, here is a video from his sophomore year that shows him in action. His fastball usually sat 88-90 as a senior. Sometimes, he got the velocity up to 92, but he does not have a max effort delivery. It’s pretty smooth and it looks like his breaking ball comes out of the same slot as his fastball, which is pretty deceptive.

UT: #DudeAlert 2019 RHP Porter Hodge K'd the side in the 9th to seal the W for the South All⭐️'s @GullsClub. FB sat 88mph #Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/Bxkyr7ZI8t

— Prospect Wire (@ProspectWire) June 2, 2017

I try not to put too much stock in what happens in rookie league, especially for high school kids. It’s a huge adjustment and just because a person is successful in Arizona does not mean they’re going to be successful in Eugene and vice versa. Hodge only struck out four and walked 8 in just 8 innings. That’s an extremely small sample size.

What intrigues me most about Hodge is his size. He’s big, but he’s not ripped. There still some work that could be done with him physically to either make him more muscular or make him more lean to see an uptick in his velocity. I doubt that he’s ever had to throw three pitches consistently throughout a game, not just every now and then. But that body size is built to withstand the rigors of being a starting pitcher. It might take a while, but that size gives him a huge advantage.

While I did find out a little bit of about Hodge today, I still am left wanting to know more. I’d like to hear about his grips and if he does throw a third pitch. I’d also like to know more about what he thought of his first taste of professional baseball in Mesa last summer.

As for where he will go when baseball starts back up, Hodge should be in extended spring training and from there it’s anybody’s guess. It depends on how much he’s developed over the winter and just exactly what he’s been working on by himself and with his development plan. Right now, Eugene could be his home when baseball resumes.