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Seth Hernandez: Prep Baseball's Top Pitching Prospect

March 28, 2025
Shooter Hunt
Vice President, Scouting

seth-article

Everyone loves an underdog. There is something special about seeing the guy who is not supposed to win take down the favorite. Look at David—he was a 30-point underdog against Goliath.

But what about the favorite? It is easy to be the underdog, no expectations, just going out and proving people wrong. But to stay at the top, to dominate, that comes with its own set of pressures. The favorite has a target on their back, a spotlight that can be uncomfortable and hard to escape.

To carry that weight and still perform at a high level, to exceed expectations every time, that is something to admire. It takes a mentality to block out the noise, to ignore the doubters, and just keep asserting your dominance. That is what separates the truly great from the rest.

Enter Seth Hernandez, the 2025 MLB Draft class’ top pitching prospect who has held the moniker of “best in class” for nearly three years.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-hander has long held the title as the best pitching prospect in the class, and in spite of all the gaudy accolades, has matched and exceeded the expected outcomes with each performance. His most recent supremacy came in the form of 6.1 innings of shutout baseball against one of the nation’s premier programs and lineups with a smattering of big name recruits. The Vanderbilt recruit struck out 13 against just one (questionable) walk while yielding a single hard hit ball (5 total hits) and pummelling the zone to the tune of 72% strikes. Hernandez routinely pitched at 95-98 with a sizzling fastball that played well to the bottom of the zone with late arm side life at times. An ultra-dynamic athlete who moves with fluid assuredness reminiscent of Jean-Claude Van Damme, the full arsenal was on display in this look including a parachute changeup (83-84, 24-2500) that procured nearly double-digit whiffs in the zone and was thrown for a strike at will against a heavily left-handed hitting lineup. Ripping off both a curveball at 78-81 (2700+) and firmer slider at 86-87, the former provided sharp, multi-tier break with plus-potential flashed taking 11/5 shape for a general above average present pitch. The slider, short and late in its firm action, tunneled well next to the fastball which rarely came above the knees. While not (yet) a wipeout offering, the ingredients for morphing into one were clearly present, and it was unhittable late in kill-counts against right-handed hitters.

The changeup was the focal point of this outing as Hernandez routinely doubled and tripled up on the pitch (for strikes) which intriguingly held high spin with parachuting drop into the zone. It was an easy above average offering that may have played up higher due to the command, and cheating left-handed hitters struggled to apply contact even when it felt like the whole stadium knew the pitch was coming. The fastball, pulled down at mostly 18 IVB against 12-14 HM (2571 rpm max), was intently moved from black-to-black with more of a propensity to drive to the glove side. Effortlessly loose out of the glove before driving impressively long down the mound, his ability to touch the glove with efficient movement patterns holds near certainty of plus-command on a fastball that will almost definitely jump up in velocity (it was a semi-cool, overcast day).

Long has the floor been set high, but the development of the breaking ball was ultimately set to dictate the ceiling. This look provided a clear avenue for both the curveball and slider as selling points, especially in their upward trajectories, as Hernandez loudly declared himself to be a top 5 pick, even while holding the notorious “prep right-hander” moniker. His general disposition is both calming and fierce at the same time, and while some organizations may shy away from the prep profile, the idea of obtaining a Zach Wheeler-esq return is sure to be the selling point in the war room that ultimately makes him their selection.



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