July 14, 2021 – Denver, CO –
Former UBC pitcher Garrett Hawkins was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the ninth round, 280th overall, of the annual MLB draft.
Standing at 6’6 and 225 pounds, Hawkins has a three-pitch mix with a simple windup that can speed up at-bats. Coming from the University of British Columbia, in 2020, Hawkins posted a 3.66 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 32 IP leading to a 3-1 record.
In total, his collegiate career ended with a 3.63 ERA with 115 strikeouts, compared to 25 walks. This performance made Hawkins one of the most efficient pitchers in the draft.
Although Hawkins is not a flamethrower of a pitcher, he pounds the strike zone with every pitch, resulting in a 12.9 K/9 in 2020 while only allowing 1.7 BB/9 in his age 20 season, according to Baseball-Reference. He is an intelligent pitcher who plays chess against his opponents. Although Hawkins does not have one specific out pitch, he manages to strike out batters at an exceptional rate, whether from throwing curveballs in the strike zone, painting a fastball perfectly, or tunneling a changeup after a fastball.
Due to COVID-19 causing border restrictions, Hawkins took part with the Trenton Thunder this summer shortly before the MLB draft.
With the size of Hawkins and the accuracy of his pitches, he is one of the more intriguing players to follow from this draft. Hawkins will have to prove he can keep people off base while still keeping up his incredible strikeout rate at higher levels to be called up to the big leagues.
If Hawkins could up the speed of his pitches, he will have a similar build to someone like Tyler Glasnow of the Tampa Bay Rays. Although if not, Hawkins still has plenty of potential to make it in “the show.” With an intimidating presence on the mound and all the tools to play at the highest level, Hawkins could be a crucial piece in the San Diego Padres future.
