Despite some controversy in his younger days, Zach Houchins is a talented infielder and possibly the biggest sleeper of the 2015 Angels draft class.
Zach Houchins
In 10 words or less: #NoMoreTwitter. Heck of a player. Steal for Angels.
Position: 3B/SS Born: 9/16/92
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 185
Last Year Rank: Unranked
2014 Season Stats
[table id=41 /]
OFFENSE
Contact – B. Houchins has a stance and load that reminds me a bit of Howie Kendrick. Hands are held high, snapping bat movement, good strength. Level swing geared more toward line drives that actually homeruns, though due to aforementioned strength, will occasionally run into a pitch and drive it deep.
Power – B. He’s not the traditional type of power hitter, but Houchins should have very little trouble piling up the extra base hits. Much like Kendrick again, he’s very much a line drive gap hitter.
Discipline – B. I couldn’t help but notice that the advanced collegiate prospect approach Houchins has somewhat wore off after he left the Pioneer League where every pitcher feared him (and for good reason). I think this was simply a case of pitchers throwing around him in Orem and Zach being smart enough to take a walk when they were giving it to him. The more advanced pitchers and less hitter friendly environments of the Midwest League quickly did away with this. Zach’s homeruns turned to doubles, and thus he became a less intimidating opponent. He was attacked in the zone and chased pitches off the plate. Still, I expect that once Zach finds his comfort level (likely at Inland Empire next year), he should have a smart, patient approach to hitting.
Speed – D+. Houchins is slow, believe it or not. He’s quite athletic and was even polished enough to not embarrass himself as a shortstop, but he’s a bit of a plodder when it comes to running the bases.
DEFENSE
Arm – B+. Zach has a very good arm. It isn’t elite like Cowart’s at third base, but Houchins arm strength, accuracy and quick release have allowed him to get by playing both shortstop and third base in college and Rookie/A Ball. I expect Houchins to stick at third base going forward as that’s where his skill set best fits. But Zach has enough arm to play any position on the diamond.
Fielding – B+. Every scouting report I’ve read on Houchins has said in some way or another that he’s an advanced fielder with great instincts. Though I’ve watched him play a few different times, I haven’t seen him get the chance to make anything other than the routine plays, which he did.
Range – B-/D. As a third baseman, I’d grade Houchins ability to go to his glove side right around average or even slightly below. However, coming in and going to his right he’s clearly above average. Though he has the instincts and experience to play a passable shortstop, his range rates poorly at this position.
OVERALL
Performance – B. Houchins was the best player in the Pioneer League before mercifully being promoted to Class A Burlington, where he struggled. Still, as a 21-year old playing professional ball for the first time, Houchins looked really good.
Projection – B. I think it’s pretty clear that after the Twitter nonsense that was uncovered once he was drafted by the Nats two years ago, most major league teams were scared off from Houchins. Zach probably should’ve gone in the top five rounds. The Angels rolled the dice with him in the 13th and so far, it’s looked like a good bet. Houchins may or may not have just enough glove and arm to play both a passable third base and shortstop and carve out a utility role for himself. However, I see him solely as a third baseman given the lack of depth at that position and that his strengths really play up there. Basically, if Houchins is as good as I think he might be, he may turn into an Alberto Callaspo type of player (slick fielder, good approach, everyday player). Physically, Houchins still has plenty of room to fill out and could theoretically add more power, though he’s already quite strong. I don’t envision this maturity resulting in more home runs however because to me his swing looks like a strict, level, line drive swing.
Grade as a Prospect – C+. Still on the younger side, could break into the majors at a young age. Plays two premium positions and has enough in his tool belt offensively to be a force to be reckoned with. He hasn’t done anything yet, which is why he’s simply a slightly above average prospect. But it’s feasible that he starts putting up eye-catching numbers next year and catapults himself toward the top of the rankings.
Estimated Time of Arrival – 2017. You can add Houchins to the ever growing list of possibilities the Angels have at 3B once David Freese is gone. What was once thought to be Cowart’s spot is now wide open for the taking. Clearly, the Angels have chosen a quantity over quality approach to filling this vacancy. Grant Green, Eric Stamets, Cal Towey, Sherman Johnson and Zach Houchins all have a reasonable shot at claiming it. All come with their question marks. It’s just a matter of who gets there first and who does it the best. Houchins should begin 2015 at Inland Empire. I could see him logging a full year in the Cal League and a full year in AA before pressing into the major leagues as a 24 year old.
2014 in Review*
In case you’re not aware of what the allusions to the “Twitter nonsense” was with Houchins, the summary is that he was drafted out of high school only for it to be quickly discovered that he had made some racist comments online. That ordeal pretty much submarined him, resulting in him heading off to college instead. As icky as that all is, it might very well have led to the Angels being able to draft Houchins in the 13th round despite him having fifth round or better talent.
As a result, the thought on Houchins is going to be that maybe the Halos got a steal. When he lit up the Pioneer League over 36 games, he did little to dispel that notion. Seriously, Houchins was ridiculous in Orem as he hit for big power (.237 ISO) while making a ton of contact with just a 9.7% strikeout percentage. Being a college bat, that kind of dominance isn’t entirely unheard of at that level of the minors, so don’t get too excited.
Just in case you were, take a look at what happened to Houchins when he got promoted to Burlington. It was only 120 plate appearances, but Houchins pretty much fell on his face. His power disappeared almost entirely and his whiff rate spiked over 21%. That is of some concern, but with such a small sample size coming at the end of a long season, it also isn’t worth freaking out over.
Looking Ahead*
Houchins will be playing at either Low-A or High-A to start 2015. He’ll probably mostly play third base as well. He’s proving to have defensive potential, so the Angels need to decide whether or not to continue letting him moonlight at short so he has utility infielder potential or letting him just focus on third base so he doesn’t have too much on his plate as he comes up through the system. There’s also always going to be the ongoing scrutiny that he will face due to his youthful social media indiscretions. Houchins seems to have put it behind him, but that kind of stuff is going to dog him every time he moves to a new team. How he handles that, fair or not, is going to be a factor in his career.
*As we do every year, the scouting reports and grades are provided by Scotty Allen while Garrett Wilson provides the 2014 in Review and Looking Ahead sections.
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