Wrote up Donnie Hart for BSL to begin the year (http://baltimorespor...prospect-press/)
A lefty reliever drafted in the 27th round will not show up on many radars, but I like Hart. He doesn’t generate a lot of velocity, but thanks to sidearm angle, his deception makes him someone of interest, especially given the Orioles recent success with Darren O’ Day and Mychal Givens. Hart, 5’11”, features a two-seam fastball (87-89 mph – 91 mph), a change-up (77-79 mph) and a slider (74-76 mph). He uses a circle-changeup grip and is able to generate a nice sinking motion on the pitch – it’s easily his best secondary. He’s also comfortable throwing the pitch to both left-handed and right-handed hitters. The slider is inconsistent and doesn’t have much movement to it. Because of the sidearm delivery, he does have trouble repeating mechanics. Thanks to a heavy fastball and good sinking motion on his change-up, ground-balls are not a problem.
Going Forward:
After a successful 2015 season, mostly in Frederick (A+) and a few innings with Bowie (AA+) and the Arizona Fall League, Hart figures to start the 2016 season in Bowie (AA). He’s a left-handed hitter killer, but I think he could be used for more than LOOGY purposes. Thanks to a deceptive delivery, ground balls and average strikeouts, he could be an interesting reliever moving forward.
Also profiled him on 2080 based on live viewings for 2016 (http://2080baseball....ts/donnie-hart/) - Prob an org guy, but worth watching.