ProfileHt.: 5'10" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School
Rice
Drafted in the 8th round (262nd overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007 (signed for $150,000).
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Outfielder Tyler Henley could have gone in the first three rounds after a strong sophomore season at Rice and summer in the Cape Cod League, but he hit just .310 with five homers during the regular season. He looks more like a sixth- to 10th-rounder, and he may not be signable in that part of the draft. A 50th-round pick by the Astros as a draft-eligible sophomore last June, Henley has solid tools across the board and plays hard. He's a better athlete than most 5-foot-10, 200-pounders, and he can play center field.
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Henley sprinted to a .313/.370/.531 start in high Class A in April 2008 before he took his reputation for gritty, gutty play to an unlucky extreme. A fastball cut in on his hands as he squared to bunt, and his finger got pinched between the ball and bat with such force that it severed the tip. He had the finger sewn back together and missed seven weeks, but added oomph to his nickname "Psycho T." Given a full, healthy season in 2009, Henley cracked the dense thicket of outfielders in the system and emerged as one of the best. He earned Texas League all-star honors, showing an ability to hit for average (.303) and gap power (31 doubles). He has worked to improve his weight transfer so that he can develop more power, most consistently. An aggressive hitter, he rarely takes a strike and often pounces on the first pitch, but he makes consistent contact. With solid speed and arm strength, he's capable of playing all three spots in the outfield and fits best in right field. An invitation to the Arizona Fall League boosted his chance to show there's more to his game than grass stains. He'll advance to Triple-A in 2010.
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