The Official Destin Hood Watch

[hammondsnats]

Getting to Know Outfielder Destin Hood



Destin Hood leads the South Atlantic League with a .392 average and has hit in 18 of 20 games this season, including the only home run by a Suns player at Municipal Stadium. We had a chat with Destin about the season thus far and his life off the field:

You are the top hitter in the SAL, what has been the key to your success?
It's been staying calm at the plate and trusting my hands. I come into work early and do the same work everyday to stay consistent.

This is your first year with a full season affiliate, how has it been different than when you need to wait until June to play games?
It is good to get the season started right away rather than wait and see where you are going, the best thing is to get out there playing and keep it consistent. I like the flow of how I'm doing right now and hopefully I can keep it going throughout the whole season.

You've played right and left field a decent number of times, is there one you prefer?
I like right field better because I think my reads are better, but I have to learn how to play everywhere, so it comes with the territory.

What has Tony Tarasco been teaching you while you have been here?
Making sure I have the same focus at the plate as well as being sure I don't get too big at the plate. He makes sure I have the same plan every time I go to the plate.

At the plate, do you try to pull for power or just to make contact when you swing?
I just try to square it; I don't try to do anything with the ball wherever it is pitched. I do try to do too much or anything extra with the baseball.

When you were signed by the Nationals, you were set to be a football player at Alabama. Do you miss playing football at all?
Not really, I had played baseball longer and I knew it was going to be a means to an end at some point. I played football because I could and a lot of guys around were good too. It was fun while it lasted, but I wanted to get my MLB career started.

What are some things you do in your spare time?
Relax and take care of my little girl and watch my girlfriend, just basically hang out. I'm a pretty chill dude, so just hang out most of the time.

Do you have a favorite baseball player?
Not necessarily, I like to watch a lot of guys play. You can throw guys out there, I just like to watch the game of baseball, not anyone in particular.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100429&content_id=9672930&vkey=news_t563&fext=.jsp&sid=t563

[hammondsnats]

#22 is hitting .340.  Still too many k's (32) and needs to draw more walks (5).

[Salamander Man]

Yeah, his K/BB rate is awful.  He's probably gotten a bit of luck on balls in play.  The good thing he he does have some tools so hopefully he can work it out.

[daggerrrrrr]

Last week I had one of my questions answered by BaseballAmerica about how good could Destin Hood be if he gets his K's down and his Walks up. They answered by saying "Hood's come along alot quicker than expected given his background as a football recruit. He's got the potential to be an above-average power hitter with his physicality and bat speed. His pitch recognition will take a little longer, but that's what playing in the minor leagues is for." So lets give him some time before we worry about his K's & W's.

[Salamander Man]

Last week I had one of my questions answered by BaseballAmerica about how good could Destin Hood be if he gets his K's down and his Walks up. They answered by saying "Hood's come along alot quicker than expected given his background as a football recruit. He's got the potential to be an above-average power hitter with his physicality and bat speed. His pitch recognition will take a little longer, but that's what playing in the minor leagues is for." So lets give him some time before we worry about his K's & W's.

The same exact thing was said about Jeff Francouer.  It's never too early to work on it.

[daggerrrrrr]

The same exact thing was said about Jeff Francouer.  It's never too early to work on it.

I'm pretty sure he's working on it. It's just going to take some time.

[hammondsnats]

I'm pretty sure he's working on it. It's just going to take some time.

Exactly.  He just turned 20 the other day and remember he's projected to have a solid skill set, but he's still raw in a number of areas.  I'm excited about his future though.

[Potomac Cannons]

The same exact thing was said about Jeff Francouer.  It's never too early to work on it.

You mean the Francouer who is currently third on the Mets in OPS (and seem to have taken a big uptick since leaving Atlanta)? 

[JMUalumni]

Last week I had one of my questions answered by BaseballAmerica about how good could Destin Hood be if he gets his K's down and his Walks up. They answered by saying "Hood's come along alot quicker than expected given his background as a football recruit. He's got the potential to be an above-average power hitter with his physicality and bat speed. His pitch recognition will take a little longer, but that's what playing in the minor leagues is for." So lets give him some time before we worry about his K's & W's.

Hood is progressing a lot faster than I thought he would have by now.  As I have mentioned before, the strikeouts are mostly a product at him swinging at pitches in the dirt and more at-bats should help him better identify pitches.  A lot of pitchers in low A only have one or two good pitches, so it will be a lot easier for him to hit guys just off of pure athleticism.  I hope they keep him in Hagerstown all season, because this kid has tremendous potential if he can work on his plate discipline a little.

[Salamander Man]

You mean the Francouer who is currently third on the Mets in OPS (and seem to have taken a big uptick since leaving Atlanta)? 

His .807 OPS isn't all that impressive.  He'll probably end up being an averge right fielder.  Though, he was billed as a superstar, his lack of pitch recognition has caused him to not live up to his potential. 

[Potomac Cannons]

His .807 OPS isn't all that impressive.  He'll probably end up being an averge right fielder.  Though, he was billed as a superstar, his lack of pitch recognition has caused him to not live up to his potential. 

He's an enigma defensively (3 really good years followed by 2 really average years), but his OPS jumped 200 points just going to NY last year.  I don't think he'll be more than good at the plate, but that's not a bad thing with his defensive ability.

Today he pinch hit and drew a walk then stayed in to play RF and hit a sac fly to tie the game in the top of the 9th.  I'm betting part of his problem was the struggles in Atlanta and he just needed to get out of town.

[RD]

It's amazing how some people are so quick to write guys off.

Hood was expected to be a long term project with amazing power potential.

The fact that he's hitting .300 at this point, at a full season level, should be considered a great feat at this point. Nobody should be predicting superstar status, but it HAS to be encouraging, and has to be seen as ahead of schedule.

He's striking out a lot, but he's putting the ball in play. As some have pointed out, pitch recognition is the last thing to come. As he continues to gain more experience, and gain more confidence at the plate, not only will that improve, but his power will come. Give the kid time. You have to be impressed at this point though.

He's a guy that should play an entire year at each stop, at least through this year and next. Take his success and gain confidence, while not being pushed with guys more advanced.

A big difference between Francoeur and Hood is that Hood will be given time to develop at a steady pace. Francouer was in the bigs at 21. That would put Hood there next year. He won't be at AA for two years, let alone the big league level.

He's got a bright future, and to this point, has exceeded expecations for where he should be at this point. Be patient.

[Lintyfresh85]

It's amazing how some people are so quick to write guys off.

Hood was expected to be a long term project with amazing power potential.

The fact that he's hitting .300 at this point, at a full season level, should be considered a great feat at this point. Nobody should be predicting superstar status, but it HAS to be encouraging, and has to be seen as ahead of schedule.

He's striking out a lot, but he's putting the ball in play. As some have pointed out, pitch recognition is the last thing to come. As he continues to gain more experience, and gain more confidence at the plate, not only will that improve, but his power will come. Give the kid time. You have to be impressed at this point though.

He's a guy that should play an entire year at each stop, at least through this year and next. Take his success and gain confidence, while not being pushed with guys more advanced.

A big difference between Francoeur and Hood is that Hood will be given time to develop at a steady pace. Francouer was in the bigs at 21. That would put Hood there next year. He won't be at AA for two years, let alone the big league level.

He's got a bright future, and to this point, has exceeded expecations for where he should be at this point. Be patient.

Who wrote him off?

[hammondsnats]

great post RD ... i have high hopes for Destin ... hence I started this thread

he is a good kid with raw potential ... he's gonna be fine.

[Salamander Man]

He's an enigma defensively (3 really good years followed by 2 really average years), but his OPS jumped 200 points just going to NY last year.  I don't think he'll be more than good at the plate, but that's not a bad thing with his defensive ability.

Today he pinch hit and drew a walk then stayed in to play RF and hit a sac fly to tie the game in the top of the 9th.  I'm betting part of his problem was the struggles in Atlanta and he just needed to get out of town.

Francouer's OPS is now .645.  I've followed the guy since he was drafted.  He's not a good hitter.  I don't care where he plays.  His swing is just terrible.  He needs a complete overhaul.

As for Hood, he's still awful young.  I am surprised by his lack of power though.

[Glockypoo]

It's amazing how some people are so quick to write guys off.

Hood was expected to be a long term project with amazing power potential.

The fact that he's hitting .300 at this point, at a full season level, should be considered a great feat at this point. Nobody should be predicting superstar status, but it HAS to be encouraging, and has to be seen as ahead of schedule.

He's striking out a lot, but he's putting the ball in play. As some have pointed out, pitch recognition is the last thing to come. As he continues to gain more experience, and gain more confidence at the plate, not only will that improve, but his power will come. Give the kid time. You have to be impressed at this point though.

He's a guy that should play an entire year at each stop, at least through this year and next. Take his success and gain confidence, while not being pushed with guys more advanced.

A big difference between Francoeur and Hood is that Hood will be given time to develop at a steady pace. Francouer was in the bigs at 21. That would put Hood there next year. He won't be at AA for two years, let alone the big league level.

He's got a bright future, and to this point, has exceeded expecations for where he should be at this point. Be patient.

I believe the previous posters were talking about how dissapointing Francouer has been.

Regardless, nice post.

[spidernat]

hammondSF has another crush.

[hammondsnats]

i'm going to ignore you spidernat

[spidernat]

i'm going to ignore you spidernat

The button is right under my avatar and I'm pretty sure it's not broken.

[hammondsnats]

Destin is heating up and he is drawing more walks and cutting down ks recently.  He hit a huge 3 run homer tonight - 4th of season - and average is climbing back up.  Hope this continues.

[GMUNat]

He hasn't shown as much power as expected. A little disappointing.

[hammondsnats]

He hasn't shown as much power as expected. A little disappointing.

20 y.o. who is still raw...patience my friend.

[RD]

He hasn't shown as much power as expected. A little disappointing.

As mentioned above, patience is required here.

I still think he's ahead of the curve. He's posting a very good a verage, and that consistent contact is a pretty big issue. You see a lot of guys who are raw but have massive power potential, and maybe they hit 12-15 bombs, but the average is always way down there. The average being at a solid rate is a positive sign IMO. He's seeing the ball and putting it in play. As he gets more AB's, gains more confidence, and gets better at pitch recognition, he's going to drive the ball more.

The confidence issue is the main one with me. He's posting solid numbers, but if we keep moving him up a step at a time without putting e verything together, he could hit a rough patch and not dig himself out. Im a believer in taking a lot of time developing kids at the lower levels for the first 2 or 3 years(maybe in a player like Hood's case, 4 years) before getting aggressive with them. Let them get their at bats at the lower levels to gain confidence in themselves and to work on things. Trying to figure things out at the higher level could snow ball and dig him a hole he can't get out of. I would like to see Destin return to Hagerstown next year, and hopefully display more power. Let him start the year at Hagerstown, and if the power starts to emerge, move him up to Potomac near the all star break. If you start him at Potomac, and he is a .270 guy with 3 home runs at the all star break, it could be a problem. There's no way to judge the make up of a kid, but confidence is a big thing. And Ive seen plenty of confident kids have theirs shaken and never get it back. Take it slow with the kid.

[daveb32]

very encouraging recently, last ten games he's hitting .324 with 2 home runs. most encouraging stat though is his 7 bbs to 5 ks.

[hammondsnats]

RD, I agree take him slow, but he should start in Potomac next season if he continues to progress the way he has this season.  I wouldn't expect to see him in the bigs until late 2012 or 2013...if everything goes according to plan.