Austin Hendrick

Austin Daniel Hendrick (born June 15, 2001) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Cincinnati Reds organization. Hendrick was selected 12th overall by the Reds in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.^[1][2]

Austin Hendrick
Cincinnati Reds
Outfielder
Born: (2001-06-15) June 15, 2001 (age 23) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Bats: Left Throws: Left

Amateur career

Hendrick grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended West Allegheny Senior High School, where he was both an outfielder and a starting pitcher on the baseball team.^[3] Regarded as one of the best collegiate recruits in his class early on, he committed to play college baseball at Mississippi State after his freshman year of high school when he batted .371 with three home runs, 20 RBIs and 17 walks and went 5-0 with 37 strikeouts in 34 innings as a pitcher.^[4][5] He batted .327 with a .519 on-base percentage and 12 RBIs, two doubles, two triples and two home runs with 23 walks in 79 plate appearances in his junior season.^[6] After the season, Hendrick played for the United States national baseball team in the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 Baseball World Cup in Gijang, South Korea.^[7][8] He also played in the Under Armour All-America Game and won the event's home run derby as well as the MLB High School Home Run Derby.^[9][10]

Professional career

Hendrick was considered one of the top high school prospects for the 2020 Major League Baseball draft,^{[11][12][13][14]} and was selected 12th overall by the Cincinnati Reds.^[15] Hendrick signed with the Reds for a $4 million bonus.^[16]

After not playing a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the season, Hendrick was added to Cincinnati's 60-man player pool with whom would train at Prasco Park.^[17] He made his professional debut in 2021 with the Daytona Tortugas of the Low-A Southeast, slashing .211/.380/.388 with seven home runs, 29 RBIs and 16 doubles over 63 games.^[18] He struck out 100 times and walked 51 times over 209 at-bats.^[19] He missed time during the season due to groin and wrist injuries.^[20] In 2022 he batted .217.

References

1. "2020 Prospect Watch: 100 Draft". MLB Prospect Watch. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
2. "MLB Draft Tracker". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
3. White, Mike (July 5, 2019). "West Allegheny's Austin Hendrick to play in national all-star game in Cleveland". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
4. Swindol, Gene (November 6, 2017). "Austin Hendrick, Class of 2020 No. 1 Player, Talks MSU Commit". 247Sports.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
5. Bires, Mike (November 8, 2017). "West Allegheny baseball standout Austin Hendrick commits to Bulldogs". The Beaver County Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
6. Macaffee, Greg (August 19, 2019). "West Allegheny's Hendrick shines at summer showcases". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
7. Macaffee, Greg (June 25, 2019). "West Allegheny's Hendrick named to USA Baseball 18U national roster". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
8. "Forty-One USA Baseball Alumni Selected in the 2020 MLB Draft". USA Baseball. June 12, 2020. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
9. Mastroianni, Jake (February 7, 2020). "San Diego Padres 2020 MLB Draft scouting profile: Austin Hendrick". FriarsOnBase.com. FanSided. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
10. Bendel, Joe (July 26, 2019). "Prep stars Austin Hendrick, Mark Black continue to impress MLB scouts". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
11. "Meet Austin Hendrick, The 2020 MLB Draft Bat With 'Utterly Elite' Bat Speed". Baseball America. October 24, 2019. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
12. "Will Pirates use 1st-round pick on West Allegheny's Austin Hendrick". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. January 13, 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
13. "Local high school slugger ranked among baseball's top prospects". 12 January 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
14. "2020 Draft: Austin Hendrick, OF". MLB.com. December 3, 2019. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
15. "Cincinnati Reds take high school outfielder Austin Hendrick with 1st-round MLB Draft pick". Archived from the original on 2020-06-14. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
16. Adler, David (June 26, 2020). "1st-rounder Hendrick signs with Reds". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
17. Gray, Doug (2021-02-04). "Austin Hendrick Is An Open Book". Baseballamerica.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
18. White, Mike (September 15, 2021). "Where are they now: Taylor Hamlett, Daequan Hardy and Austin Hendrick". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
19. "The Enquirer". Cincinnati.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
20. J.J. Cooper (2021-08-04). "2021 Cincinnati Reds Midseason Top 30 Prospects Update". Baseballamerica.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2021-12-24.

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
• USA Baseball profile