Hunter Renfroe

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked San Diego Padres #3 prospect in 2017
  Renfroe was a star prep athlete in small-town Mississippi and was drafted by the Red Sox in the 31st round out of high school in 2010. He instead attended Mississippi State, where he anchored the middle of the Bulldogs' lineup and led them to the College World Series as junior. He was drafted 13th overall after that season in 2013 by the Padres and signed for $2.678 million. Renfroe's carrying tool has long been his double-plus raw power, but up until 2016 it was largely to his pull side and came with a 25 percent career strikeout rate. He closed his stance and shortened his stroke in 2016 at Triple-A El Paso and had his best season yet, hitting 10 of his Pacific Coast League-leading 30 home runs the opposite way and cutting his strikeout rate to 20 percent as he rolled to the circuit's MVP award. He continued to mash after his first big league callup in September with four home runs in 11 games--including a titanic blast onto the roof of the Western Metal Supply Co. building, beyond the left-field wall at Petco Park. He was named the National League Player of the Week for the final week of the regular season. Renfroe's improved feel to hit and massive power comes with a double-plus arm in right field and the athleticism to hold down the position ably. His aggressiveness swinging in early counts will keep his strikeouts high and his walks low, but the swing adjustments he has made give him a better chance to make conisistent contact and annually reach his 30-homer potential. He will be the Padres' Opening Day right fielder in 2017 and represents the franchise's best hope to be its first impactful first-round draft selection since Derrek Lee in 1993.
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  Ranked San Diego Padres #3 prospect in 2016
  Renfroe's has earned a reputation for running hot and cold. His college career started slowly, but he broke out in 2013, leading Mississippi State to the College World Series finals with 16 home runs. He signed with the Padres for $2.678 million as the 13th overall pick in that year's draft. He finished 2015 on a hot streak, hitting .333 with 13 extra-base hits in 21 games at Triple-A El Paso. Renfroe hit just .224/.278/.324 with two homers through 45 games at Double-A San Antonio in 2015, prompting him to finally embrace help from Missions hitting coach Morgan Burkhart and roving instructor Luis Ortiz. They had Renfroe shorten his leg kick and adjust his hands, which helped him become shorter and quicker to the ball. He also employed a more selective approach. Strikeouts are the tradeoff for Renfroe's plus power, and he's no future batting champ, because his swing can get long and he tends to slip back into bad habits. He's a strong athlete who runs well for his size and has a plus arm well-suited for right field. He led the Texas League with 14 outfield assists. He has the range to handle center field occasionally. Renfroe came to 2015 spring training in poor shape and must make conditioning a priority to reach his ceiling as a profile right fielder. He could reach the majors late in 2016 with continued refinement at El Paso.
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  Ranked San Diego Padres #3 prospect in 2015
  Renfroe tied for the Southeastern Conference lead with 16 home runs as a Mississippi State junior in 2013 while driving the Bulldogs to the College World Series finals. Sufficiently intrigued by Renfroe's incredible raw power, the Padres selected him 13th overall in that year's draft and signed him for $2.678 million. He led the high Class A California League with 16 home runs in the first half of 2014 before San Diego promoted him to Double-A San Antonio, where he struggled to access his power with the same frequency. Not many prospects have as much extra-base potential as Renfroe, whose uppercut swing, bat speed and double-plus power produced 21 homers and 33 doubles in 2014. Scouts expect him to continue mashing at higher levels once he learns to swing through the ball and hit it straightaway, rather than trying to loft everything to his pull side. His high strikeout rate is tenable because of his correspondingly high power production and walk rate, though his big leg kick and busy swing will cap his batting-average ceiling at about .250. An average runner, Renfroe plays plus defense in right field with good closing speed and a plus, accurate arm he used to rack up 16 assists in 2014. Renfroe fits the profile for an everyday right fielder with plus power production, plus arm strength and good range. He could move quickly once he puts Double-A behind him and could be a regular in San Diego by 2016.
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  Ranked San Diego Padres #4 prospect in 2014
  A 31st-round pick by the Red Sox out of high school in 2010, Renfroe headed to Mississippi State rather than turn pro after establishing the Magnolia State's single-season prep record with 20 home runs. After two shaky years at MSU, he blossomed as a junior, tying for the Southeastern Conference lead with 16 homers while driving the Bulldogs to the College World Series finals. The Padres evaluated Renfroe as one of the top power bats available in the 2013 draft and signed him for $2.678 million after taking him 13th overall. His value will be tied to how often he unleashes his well-above-average raw power in games. He has tremendous strength and bat speed but needs to simplify his swing in order to shorten his bat path and not get under the ball so frequently. He'll also need to polish his strike-zone discipline after fanning five times as often as he walked in 2013, though he tracks the ball well out of the pitcher's hand. A plus athlete who caught and pitched in high school, Renfroe is an average runner--but plus underway--who has above-average range and instincts in the outfield. His arm compares favorably with those of Rymer Liriano and Yeison Asencio, two other strong-armed right fielders in the system. Renfroe will begin 2014 at high Class A Lake Elsinore. Scouts who like him see him as a future .270 hitter with 25-home run potential.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #11 prospect in 2013 draft
  Primarily a catcher and pitcher in high school, Renfroe intrigued scouts for his raw tools, primarily top-shelf power and arm strength. The Red Sox drafted him in the 31st round, but Renfroe wanted to go to Mississippi State and wound up there. Mississippi's single-season prep home run king, he arrived in school raw and got just 26 at-bats as a freshman, then batted a modest .252/.328/.374 as a sophomore starter. He's gained confidence and playing time with consecutive summers in the Cal Ripken League, where he hit a league-record 16 home runs last summer, prompting the Bethesda Big Train to retire his jersey. Renfroe has carried that confidence and improvement into the spring; entering May, he was in contention for both the old-school (AVG, HR, RBI) and slash-stats (AVG/OBP/SLG) triple crowns in the Southeastern Conference. He has polished his approach and gets to more of his 70-grade raw power, though scouts still expect him to swing and miss plenty as a pro. He's an asset defensively with a 70 arm and above-average speed (4.1 seconds to first base from the right side); he even was tied for Mississippi State's stolen-base lead. The 6-foot-1, 216-pounder fits the right-field profile well if he maintains his improved hitting approach, and he's hit his way into the first round.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Pacific Coast League #7 prospect in 2016
  The MVP of the PCL, Renfroe ranked among the league leaders with a .306 average (eighth), 30 home runs (tied for first), 105 RBIs (second) and a .557 slugging percentage (second). He appeared in the Futures Game in San Diego and was called up at the end of El Paso's season. Renfroe improved his ability to hit for average this season despite a slow finish to the campaign. He has a pair of tools that stand out: game-changing power to all fields and plus-plus arm strength. He is a good athlete who could capably play center field, but he profiles best in right field, where he has plus range and instincts A powerful but overaggressive slugger, Renfroe has curbed his strikeout rate with experience, but after recording a career-low walk rate in 2016, he needs to improve his ability to work the count and get on base more often if he's going to hit for average.
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  Ranked Texas League #13 prospect in 2015
  After a slow start at San Antonio, Renfroe hit his way to Triple-A El Paso in late August. He hit just .224 with two home runs through 45 games in April and May before finding more consistency in June and hitting .283/.337/.494 with 12 homers before his promotion. The biggest adjustment for Renfroe was toning down the high leg kick to a simple leg sweep, allowing him to start his bat sooner. The change allowed him to better tap into his plus raw power. He won't be more than an average hitter because of his lack of selectivity, but the Padres will live with the strikeouts and low average if he produces power as expected. Renfroe has tremendous bat speed, which results in a pull-happy approach on occasion, and he hit zero opposite-field home runs in 2015. On defense, Renfroe has played all three outfield spots this season, including center field in Triple-A. He's a plus defender in right field, with a prototype arm for the position, and he could be an average defender in center even without ideal speed.
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  Ranked California League #9 prospect in 2014
  A middling April gave way to huge May for Renfroe, during which he homered nine times, and he earned a promotion to Double-A at midseason. That kind of power is one of two very loud tools Renfroe possesses, the other being his throwing arm. Renfroe has big-time raw power and likes to show it, which in turn can get him in trouble. As one manager put it, he has some "wild stallion" in him. He takes uppercut swings and tries too often to lift everything. Lake Elsinore coaches tried to remind him to swing through the ball instead, for he has the bat speed and strength to hit balls over the fence naturally. He had cut down his strikeout rate by the time he moved on, but controlling the zone is something he'll have to continue to improve. As with his power, Renfroe likes to show off his cannon in right field. His throwing accuracy and solid range make him a solid all-around defender. Though he's not overly fleet of foot, he runs well enough that opposing batteries have to pay attention to him on the bases.
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  Ranked Northwest League #2 prospect in 2013
  Renfroe not only posted good numbers, but he also was one of the toolsiest players in the league after helping send Mississippi State to the College World Series finals. A former high school catcher who could throw in the mid-90s off the mound, Renfroe has tremendous arm strength and raw power. He finished the season with an 18-game trial at low Class A Fort Wayne. ?To me, he was probably the best player in the league,? Eugene manager Jim Gabella said. ?His raw power stands out, and the other tools are very noticeable. The way he goes after balls is like his hair is on fire. He has a unique feel for the game.? Renfroe is an average runner who could use some offensive polish, particularly as it pertains to plate discipline, but he fits the right-field profile.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #44 prospect in 2017
• Ranked Baseball America's #86 prospect in 2016
• Ranked Baseball America's #73 prospect in 2015
• Ranked Baseball America's #80 prospect in 2014

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Renfroe was a hometown hero at Mississippi State, where he anchored the Bulldogs' lineup and led them to the College World Series as junior. The Padres drafted him 13th overall after that season in 2013 and he signed for $2.678 million. Scouting Report: Renfroe's carrying tool has long been his mammoth raw power, but up until 2016 it was largely to his pull side and came with a 25 percent career strikeout rate. He closed his stance and shortened his stroke in 2016 at Triple-A El Paso and had his best season yet, hitting 10 of his Pacific Coast League-leading 30 home runs the opposite way and cutting his strikeout rate to 20 percent as he rolled to the circuit's MVP award. He continued to mash after his first big league callup in September with four home runs in 11 games--including a titanic blast onto the roof of the Western Metal Supply Co. building, beyond the left-field wall at Petco Park. Renfroe's improved feel to hit and massive power comes with a double-plus arm in right field and the athleticism to hold down the position ably.
  
  The Future: Renfroe's aggressiveness will keep his strikeouts high and his walks low, but the swing adjustments he has made give him a better chance to annually reach his 30-homer potential. He will be the Padres' Opening Day right fielder in 2017.