Ryan Hagenow is a 6’5″ 200-pound pitcher out of Farragut High School (Knoxville, Tennessee). Hagenow opened many eyes after an impressive junior season in 2019, posting a dazzling 12-1 record to go along with an ERA of 1.02. This success earned him invitations to the Perfect Game National Showcase and East Coast Pro Showcase. He continued to impress scouts at these events, which earned him a reputation for being one of the best prep pitchers in the 2020 class. Unfortunately for Hagenow, he was unable to further display his skills this spring, as his season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s currently listed as the 68th-best prospect on MLB.com’s 2020 Prospect Rankings and is committed to the University of Kentucky.
Strengths
Hagenow’s repertoire consists of a four-seam fastball (88-92 mph), slider (78-83 mph), and changeup (74-76 mph). His fastball and changeup have great run and sink, and he uses his imposing slider to put hitters away. He effectively mixes these pitches, which keeps batters guessing at the plate. As a result, each of these pitches received an above-average scouting grade of 55/80 on MLB.com.
On the mound, Hagenow features an up-tempo delivery and throws from an extended three-quarters arm slot. The 17-year-old uses his big frame well and does an excellent job of creating deception with his arm angle. He also has good control of all three pitches — keeping them down and in the zone. He demonstrated this ability in his junior season, striking out 96 batters and walking just 21 in 68 2/3 innings. This command is even more impressive when considering his age.
Weaknesses
For a high school pitcher, Hagenow is as polished as it gets. If you’re trying to be nit-picky, you could point out his fastball velocity. In a day and age where teams are looking for pitchers that throw hard, Hagenow isn’t one of those. However, he should pick up some more velocity as he fills out his long and athletic frame. But even if he doesn’t, this shouldn’t be much of a concern if he continues to throw strikes and keep the ball down in the zone.
Due to Hagenow’s aforementioned commitment to Kentucky, there are some concerns about his signability. He has been committed to Kentucky since 2017 and has developed a strong relationship with the coaching staff. If teams deem his signability to be low, he could fall into the later rounds of the draft. At this point, it may take an enticing contract to pry him away from attending college this fall.
MLB Comp
Hagenow has a lot of similarities to Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola. Both pitchers have similar velocities, pound the bottom of the strike zone, and throw from a three-quarters arm slot. Nola’s repertoire is a bit different (fastball, curveball, changeup, and sinker), but just like Hagenow, he mixes his pitches to keep hitters off-balance.
Although Hagenow doesn’t possess elite velocity, his ability to consistently throw strikes and keep the ball down will be intriguing to many teams in this year’s draft.
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