ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 16: (L-R) Bubba Thommpson from McGill-Toolen High School, Chris Seeise out of West Orange High School and right-handed pitcher Haans Crouse out of Dana Hills High School pose for a photo after the Texas Rangers announced the signings of several of the club’s top selections in the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 16, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
It may not look pretty, but the results sure do. How long before the Texas Rangers prospect takes the mound in Arlington?
With each of our top 10 prospect lists this offseason, we will have a scouting report on one player from that organization’s top 10 list. With our recent review of the Texas Rangers, we will take a look at right-hander Hans Crouse, the Rangers #3 prospect.
Player profile
Hans Crouse made a name for himself among scouts with impressive performances with Team USA in the summer and fall of 2016, dominating Cuba for seven 1-hit innings while striking out 11 after a very good summer on the showcase circuit.
He followed up with a big senior year, where he was able to dominate hitters in the National High School Invitational in the spring with the same sort of bulldog mentality. The Texas Rangers were glad to snap him up in the second round of the 2017 draft with the 66th overall pick.
Crouse then came out and absolutely dominated in the Arizona Rookie League, often mentioned as the most impressive pitcher in the league in 2017. He made 10 appearances, 6 of them starts, tossing 20 innings, with a 0.45 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, and a 7/30 BB/K ratio. He even dominated in the playoffs, tossing 3 2/3 innings and striking out 7.
For his first full season, the Texas Rangers chose to hold him in extended spring training and have him open his year in short-season A-ball with Spokane. The Northwest League was no match for Crouse, though, as he posted a 2.37 ERA over 38 innings before being promoted.
He finished 2018 with low-A Hickory in the South Atlantic League, making 5 starts with a 2.70 ERA.
Size/Delivery/Control
Size/Build – Crouse is certainly lanky. He stands 6’4″-6’5″ depending on who you believe, and he’s a whole lot of arms and legs in his build. He is very lean throughout his frame, but he does have the shoulders to put on some good weight.
Delivery – To say that Crouse’s delivery is unconventional is putting it lightly, but in the end, he is consistent. He works from the first base side of the rubber and takes just a slight step back with his long legs.
From there, things are never the same twice, it seems. At times, Crouse will go straight up with a knee raise up just under his letters before taking a big kick toward home plate. That’s the most simple delivery and conventional delivery he utilizes. He will add in a bit of a twist at the waist where he shows the back of his jersey to the hitter at his most extreme, and he adds in multiple variations of how far he turns at the waist in between those two.
From the stretch, Crouse also gives hitters multiple looks. At times, he’ll go with a bit of a slide step, others he’ll have the same letter-high knee lift, and other times he has a hesitated slide step where he seems to be putting his foot down and then reaches forward for another bit with his foot before truly landing.
He does have a high 3/4 to nearly over-top finish with his arm slot that he is very consistent with out of any of the deliveries.
Control (50) – With his fastball, Crouse is probably a 55-60 control guy, but he is still building that level of control with his other pitches. The crazy thing is that I would have probably put a 50 on the fastball control and a 40-45 overall coming out of high school.
Crouse has already shown as a pro a very good ability to learn control and how to better locate with his stuff as his fastball took big leaps forward in 2018 in both control and command while the slider and change made more moderate leaps as he focused more on getting both to land consistently in the zone.
Pitches
Fastball (70) – Crouse sits 94-97 nearly all game with the ability to touch triple digits with his fastball. His height and high arm angle generate excellent plane on the ball, and when hitters do get ahold of the pitch low in the zone, it’s often pounded into the ground. He can generate high spin rates up in the zone, leading to plenty of swing and miss on the pitch.
His location on the pitch took a big step forward in 2018, and he was able to spot to both sides of the plate both up and down in the zone.
Change Up (45) – Crouse’s change has natural sink to it, but he rarely used the pitch in high school and even in his first run in the pros, so he’s still working on the pitch’s feel in hand. If you’ve had a chance to see Crouse’s big hands, you would possibly have the same idea that I do that a split-change could be a very interesting pitch for him, especially from his high arm angle.
Slider (55) – Crouse’s slider is already an above-average pitch, flashing plus, and he’s beginning to show the ability to “tinker” with the pitch, at times throwing his typical wipeout pitch that seems to head for the back ankle of the left-handed hitter while at other times showing a sharp, short break.
He has been able to show excellent control on the pitch with right-handed hitters in the box, but he seemed to struggle with lefties at the plate. That is likely his next step.
MLB Player Comp
Okay, before I say this, I want to ensure that everyone knows that I am not doing a tit-for-tat comp here. I’m not saying that the two are equal or Crouse is headed for the same career. I simply see a ton of similar young characteristics in their profiles, and if Hans develops in the same way, well, it could be very good.
The reason for that disclaimer is that while Crouse is a Calfornia boy that will come up for a Texas team, the guy I’m going to mention is a Texan who ended up a star for a California team. Yes, the best pitcher of the current generation, Clayton Kershaw.
Before you go ballistic on me, let’s step back to a young Kershaw who was allowed to be pushed by a Dodgers system that does push their guys more than the Rangers do for better or worse. In his debut season (and in his first full season in 2009), Clayton was a fastball dominant guy and threw 90% of his pitches between just two offerings. He threw 70% fastballs his first three seasons in the league, averaging 94 MPH, using a curve 20% his first two years, and then when he chose to change to a slider, he spent the next two seasons throwing 20% and 25% sliders.
Crouse has bigger velocity on his fastball, but he could seriously move quickly and succeed primarily with his fastball and slider as soon as the end of 2019 with the same level of improvement in control and command of both pitches as he saw in 2018. If he were to find a suitable third pitch that moved (perhaps not a looping curve for him, but something like a split or a cutter, or a spike curve), he could work like Clayton with changeups, as Kershaw has totaled just 2.2% changeups in his career.
The biggest thing that really stuck out to me in comparing the two was Kershaw’s ability to repeat his arm slot and mechanics even with varying the timing of those mechanics in order to throw off hitters. Crouse has that same ability, and while it’s not what you’d necessarily prescribe to someone just learning to toss, it can be incredibly effective for someone who can handle it.
Future role
Like any pitcher, the true floor for Crouse is that he is injured and never makes the major leagues for the Texas Rangers. However, he does have a fairly high “if he makes it” floor as his two-pitch stuff is so good that he could be a very good reliever that has the physical makeup to handle heavy workload out of the bullpen.
His most likely outcome for Clouse and the Texas Rangers is a very good mid-rotation starter that racks up a ton of innings at a high-quality level – the type of guy that could be the staff ace for a lower-tier team and is absolutely vital on a first-tier team. He certainly has the raw stuff and certainly has the mentality to have an above-average chance of exceeding that outcome, however, becoming a very good #2 or even a #1 starter for a good team.
dark. Next. Rangers 2019 top 10 prospects
The Texas Rangers are just beginning what will likely be a fairly painful rebuild for a few years. Luckily, they’ve gathered a few players like Hans Crouse that they can build their future around.
