| Player: Chase Hampton | |||||||||||
| Org: New York Yankees | Highest Level: Double A | Position(s): RHP | |||||||||
| Height: 6’2″ | Weight: 225 lbs. | Bats: Right | Throws: Right | ||||||||
| Summary: A flexor strain followed by Tommy John surgery wiped out the 2025 season entirely, leaving Hampton with an extremely limited professional track record built almost entirely around a 2023 breakout that briefly showed what the profile could be at full health. The evaluation is working against a backdrop of significant injury interruption — that healthy version featured a fastball touching the mid-90s, a sharp low-80s slider as the primary secondary weapon, and an advanced feel for deploying the arsenal intelligently that made the overall stuff play well beyond its raw grades. Returning to game action mid-2026, the velocity recovery is the most critical variable the evaluation needs to see. The breaking ball depth and pitching intelligence are what make the profile compelling beyond the raw stuff. An extended arm action with a low release point and a delivery angle that creates inherent difficulty for hitters give the arsenal a deception foundation that compounds the effectiveness of everything thrown, and multiple glove-side offerings across different velocity bands and shapes give the profile a sequencing capability that most pitchers simply don’t have. Varying the timing out of the leg lift adds a further wrinkle that advanced hitters have to account for before the pitch even leaves the hand. The primary ceiling limiter is the absence of a reliable weapon against left-handed hitters. A curveball that occasionally generates arm-side movement functions as a partial solution but isn’t a true equalizer — finding a consistent offspeed option that neutralizes the opposite-handed platoon is the developmental priority that determines the starter viability long term. The back-end rotation floor is realistic if the velocity returns intact and the sequencing picks up where the healthy version left off — everything going right gives the profile a ceiling that goes meaningfully beyond the initial projection. | |||||||||||
Shaun Kernahan is the founder and lead writer of Three Quarter Slot, where he blends scouting precision with a storyteller’s eye for the human side of the game. Based in Parker, Colorado, he has covered baseball prospects at every level since 2013, delivering in-depth evaluations, draft analysis, and developmental insight. Over the years, he has built Three Quarter Slot into a trusted home for thoughtful prospect coverage, detailed scouting reports, and a grounded look at how talent evolves
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