Brady Home is a high-ceiling slugger knocking on the door of the large leagues. Drafted eleventh general by the Washington Nationals in 2021 out of Winder-Barrow Excessive Faculty in Winder, Georgia, the 22-year-old third baseman is slashing .299/.352/.521 with a 128 wRC+ over 256 plate appearances with the Triple-A Rochester Pink Wings. Befitting his sturdy 6-foot-4 body and plus energy from the suitable aspect, Home has hammered 14 doubles and 12 house runs.
His method would possibly finest be described as old-fashioned. Requested about his M.O. on the plate, the promising teenager informed me his major objective is solely to hit the ball exhausting and get on base. And he positively hits the ball exhausting. His max exit velocity this season is 112.4 mph, which ranks within the ninetieth percentile on the Triple-A degree. As for his means to go away the yard, Home doesn’t hunt for homers a lot as he buys into the method.
“I hit probably the most house runs once I go up there not making an attempt to hit a house run,” he stated. “If I’m going up there simply making an attempt to get a base hit, it simply finally ends up by accident occurring.”
It’s not by chance that Home hits house runs in all instructions. He known as utilizing your complete discipline an essential a part of his method, and the information again up the phrases. His spray chart reveals three homers ripped to proper, 4 blasted to middle, and 5 launched to left. His general pull fee is definitely a career-high 49.4%, however that’s not essentially by design. Whereas an adjustment is a part of the equation, how he’s being attacked is enjoying a much bigger function in his pulling extra pitches.
“I’m making an attempt to be extra on time with the fastball, catching the ball out in entrance of the plate quite than letting it get in on me,” Home stated. “That method I’ve some room to work with. I imply, I’m simply making an attempt to hit it wherever it’s pitched. I really feel like I’ve been getting pitched in quite a bit this yr.”
What Home stated about having “room to work with” piqued my curiosity. Most frequently, hitters say letting the ball journey permits them extra alternative to acknowledge pitches and react accordingly.
“I’ve heard lots of people say that,” Home replied. “However previously, I’ve type of let the fastball get deep, so regardless that I’m hitting it exhausting, I’m getting caught up in my arms being again as a substitute of getting prolonged. For me, it’s extra about being on time. I’d quite be on time for a fastball and early for an offspeed. In fact, changes are made each sport, so I suppose it simply is determined by how I’m feeling.”
The slugger sounded glad when addressing the share of choices he’s propelling into the air, though at 47.9%, his groundball fee isn’t precisely superb for somebody together with his instrument field. As for specializing in batted-ball metrics to unlock extra of his energy potential, that isn’t how his thoughts works.
“I can inform if it’s hit exhausting, if that is sensible,” Home stated. “I’m probably not into the numbers. Issues like launch angle… that’s a little bit over my head. I do like video, however outdoors of that, I wish to hold issues easy.”
Eric Longenhagen’s evaluation of Home, which is influenced by Statcast metrics, is basically bullish. On the similar time, our lead prospect analyst isn’t with out considerations.
“The information is in settlement on each the whiffs — soundly below-average contact, barely below-average plate self-discipline — and the facility,” Longenhagen informed me. “Home’s hard-hit fee has been comfortably plus, particularly for his age. He has plus energy and destroys errors, [but] I’m a bit bearish relative to his xSLG and xwOBA as a result of I feel huge league pitchers will do a greater job attacking his weaknesses.”
Longenhagen sees the shortstop-turned-third-baseman’s glove as a energy. In his view, Home is “one hell of a defender,” gifted with plus vary, footwork, and arm energy.
Leaping again to the bat, reducing down on his strikeout fee (at the moment 25.8%) is amongst Home’s targets. He feels a current mechanical tweak is a step in the suitable course.
“I’ve lowered my arms,” Home stated. “Unknowingly, that they had gone up. That was in spring coaching. I imply, I suppose I knew I had them up larger, however I didn’t assume it was an issue till I spotted it was an issue. I used to be struggling a little bit bit final month.” From Might 18-24, Home went 4-for-23 (.174) with no house runs and 9 strikeouts; since then, he’s 20-for-51 (.392) with 4 homers and 11 strikeouts. “Reducing them,” he stated, “has helped me be a little bit extra direct to the ball.”
After which there are his 7.4% stroll fee and 32.5% chase fee. Requested what he most must work on, Home roughly echoed Eric’s considerations. A predisposition to overaggressiveness is a hurdle he’ll have to beat if he hopes to flourish at baseball’s highest degree.
“I don’t assume I’m dangerous at it, however it could be my plate self-discipline,” Home stated. “I’m a hitter that swings quite a bit. I wish to swing, and typically that may damage me if I’m not controlling the zone. It’s exhausting for me to go up there and need to take pitches, as a result of I’d quite hit the ball than take. It’s a tricky behavior to interrupt, however I’m engaged on it.”
Nationals followers are clamoring for Home to be known as as much as the large leagues, and there’s a good probability they’ll get their want sooner quite than later. As soon as it occurs, there can be quite a bit for him to show — that comes with the territory while you’re a extremely touted former first-round choose. Can Home be a constructing block in Washington? The muse is there, however tough edges stay.