OKLAHOMA CITY — It has been quite a whirlwind over the last couple of months for Los Angeles Dodgers catching prospect Hunter Feduccia.
The 25-year-old catcher not only earned an invite to his third spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but also showed that he could hit and make an impact while there as well. With Dodgers catchers Will Smith and Austin Barnes taking part in the World Baseball Classic, Feduccia made the most of his opportunity behind the dish. In 23 at-bats this spring, Feduccia slashed .348/.483/.696 with a home run and nine RBI.
However, Feduccia says that the biggest takeaway from this spring was something that can’t be necessarily seen in the stats.
“Managing a staff of starting pitchers,” Feduccia said as one of the biggest spring lessons. “It gave me a lot of confidence being with the older guys and feeling like I fit in going into this year.”
Lessons from Los Angeles Dodgers spring carrying over for prospect Hunter Feduccia
That confidence carried over to the Triple-A season where Feduccia started the campaign on fire. Through his first 40 at-bats of the campaign, Feduccia was hitting .400 and his four homers helped push his OPS to 1.329 during that run. With 21 RBI, Feduccia showed he could help power an offense as well as guide its pitching staff.
The numbers are indeed eye-popping when you consider the jump from his Triple-A numbers in 2022 where he slashed .240/.321/.473 and had just 25 RBI in 150 at-bats.
“In the spring, I found something that works in my swing so I’ve been sticking with that,” Feduccia said. “I’ve been staying on top of that and making sure every move is similar to what I was doing in the spring, zoning into pitches and getting some that I can handle.”
The approach has worked as Feduccia earned Pacific Coast League Player of the Week honors after driving in at least four runs in three consecutive games. He went 10-for-18 with 13 RBI during a week when he played in just four games, but was productive in eye-popping ways to earn his first-ever PCL award.
“I was pretty excited,” Feduccia smiled. “I knew I probably had a chance. It was a good week and I’m trying to keep that momentum going the rest of the season.”
Feduccia’s hot bat has helped the Oklahoma City Dodgers jump to a PCL-best 16-6 start to begin the season, including a 5-4 walk-off win over Sacramento on Tuesday night as Feduccia went 1-for-4 and drew a walk. Feduccia has 16 walks this season already (compared to the 17 he drew over a much longer period in Triple-A last season), so zoning in on pitches is also leading to more selective swings.
“It’s been fun so far,” Feduccia said of the early part of the schedule. “This is a team full of grinders to the last out. That’s been the theme all season.”