MLB Rookie Profile: Jared Hoying, OF, Texas Rangers

Yesterday the Texas Rangers promoted outfielder Jared Hoying from the Triple-A roster, inserting him in the lineup against the Philadelphia Phillies (he went 0-for-3). Hoying played 38 games in the majors for the Rangers last year but is still an eligible rookie for 2017. Here’s a quick update.

Hoying was originally drafted by the Rangers in the 10th round in 2010 from the University of Toledo. He showed a fine power/speed mix in college, hitting 14 homers with 13 steals in '10, but concerns about his offensive projection at higher levels kept him from being selected in earlier rounds despite his athleticism.

He made steady progress through the system, impressing with his tools but never fully thriving with the bat until 2014 when he hit 26 homers for Triple-A Round Rock, stealing 20 along with a .277/.325/.517 slash line.

2015 was weaker at just .214/.263/.433; he did hit 23 homers and steal 20 bases but a poor 29/110 BB/K ratio was a red flag. In 2016 .269/.336/.474 in 390 at-bats, then .217/.265/.271 in 46 at-bats with the major league club.

He was hitting .242/.336/.477 in 128 at-bats before his promotion this season.

Hoying is a left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower, listed at 6-3, 205, age 27. He is a good athlete and his power/speed combination has always been attractive, but his strike zone judgment has been some flavor of terrible for most of his career and has prevented him from fully expressing his tools on the field.

I don’t see any particular reason to think that will change. He turns 28 tomorrow and is right at the classic career point for a surge season, so a “surprise” hot streak is plausible. In the medium and long-terms however, it is more likely that he’ll bounce between Triple-A and major league benches for the next few years.

What he can do on a good day: