Ryan Hendrix

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #30 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Control problems caused Hendrix to lose the closer's role at Texas A&M to his junior season. The Reds still selected the hard-throwing righthander in the fifth round because of his arm strength and ability to spin a breaking ball. Hendricks posted a 1.76 ERA at high Class A Daytona in 2018 and appeared primed to rocket up the system in 2019, but an elbow strain knocked him out for more than two months and limited him to 16 appearances at Double-A Chattanooga.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hendrix has premium arm strength with a fastball that can reach 97 mph. His main secondary weapon is a curveball that flashes plus-plus with late downward snap. It shows the ability to miss bats and put hitters away, although he lacks consistent command of it. Hendrix has a head whack in his delivery which can cause his control to waver from time to time. His third offering is a firm changeup that lags behind his other two offerings.
  
  THE FUTURE: A clean bill of health would go a long way for Hendrix in 2020. If he can iron out his control issues, he has a chance to become a seventh-inning reliever.
• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #28 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Hendrix was expected to be Texas A&M's closer in his junior season, but control troubles led to him losing the job over to Mark Ecker. The Reds still drafted him in the fifth round because his fastball and curveball are exceptional at their best. Hendrix has combined dominance and struggles since, as his wavering control determines his effectiveness. Hendrix had a much better stint in the Florida State League during his second go around in 2018. The righthander was particularly stingy on the road, holding batters to a .193 batting average against across 23.2 innings. Hendrix walked 5.9 batters per nine innings in the first half, but improved to 3.1 BB/9 in the second half.
  
  Scouting Report: Hendrix is a power arm out of the bullpen, showing the ability to run his plus fastball up to 97 mph in short stints–and he has touched 100 mph or better in the past. He throws a power curveball that can flash plus-plus and is one of the best in the entire system. It has a high spin rate with good shape, although he can struggle to land it for strikes consistently. A violent head snap during his delivery causes him to lose control of the strike zone. His third offering is a hard changeup that needs more polish to be effective, and is something he uses sporadically.
  
  The Future: Hendrix profiles as a middle reliever with the stuff to work in some high-leverage situations if he is able to improve upon his below-average command. He should be ticketed for bullpen work with Double-A Chattanooga in 2019.
• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #24 prospect in 2017
  If the 2016 draft had been held at the end of the 2015 summer season, Hendrix would have been a likely second-round pick. He dominated with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team as its closer and was coming off a sophomore season at Texas A&M where he impressed both as a starter and reliever. But as Hendrix's velocity spiked in his junior year, his control disappeared. He lost his closer job and fell to the Reds in the fifth round. He signed for $410,000. Hendrix can touch 101 mph when needed, and he'll pitch at 96-99 with his four-seamer and supplement it with a 92-95 mph two-seamer. He throws a fringy changeup against lefthanders to keep them honest. But Hendrix's control and the development of his curveball will determine his future success. When he lands his power curve, it's a double-plus pitch with excellent spin. Not only has it become harder to control as he has gained arm speed, it becomes loopier when he dials back to locate it. Given his stuff, Hendrix won't need more than below-average control to succeed as a big league reliever. High Class A Daytona is his probable next step.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #314 prospect in 2016 draft
  Hendrix looked to be a potential prominent pick coming off of an excellent sophomore season and a very strong summer with Team USA. But he took a big step back this spring as he became too focused on his newfound velocity. Ecker pitched at 92-94 mph in his sophomore season, but sat 95-99 at times this spring and touched 101. His curveball also benefitted and suffered from his improved arm speed--it has great spin but Hendrix has been unable to locate it. On the right night, Hendrix has two plus pitches, but he hasn't controlled either of them this year. In conference games, Hendrix walked 12 in 10 innings, forcing the coaching staff to turn elsewhere late in the season. Hendrix has an outstanding arm that should entice teams, but his struggles will mean he won't be taken nearly as quickly as the top two-round talent he looked to be heading into the year.

• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Control problems caused Hendrix to lose the closer's role at Texas A&M to his junior season. The Reds still selected the hard-throwing righthander in the fifth round because of his arm strength and ability to spin a breaking ball. Hendricks posted a 1.76 ERA at high Class A Daytona in 2018 and appeared primed to rocket up the system in 2019, but an elbow strain knocked him out for more than two months and limited him to 16 appearances at Double-A Chattanooga.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hendrix has premium arm strength with a fastball that can reach 97 mph. His main secondary weapon is a curveball that flashes plus-plus with late downward snap. It shows the ability to miss bats and put hitters away, although he lacks consistent command of it. Hendrix has a head whack in his delivery which can cause his control to waver from time to time. His third offering is a firm changeup that lags behind his other two offerings.
  
  THE FUTURE: A clean bill of health would go a long way for Hendrix in 2020. If he can iron out his control issues, he has a chance to become a seventh-inning reliever.