Hayden Dunhurst

Hayden Lane Dunhurst (born September 19, 2000) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Hayden Dunhurst
Kansas City Royals
Catcher
Born: (2000-09-19) September 19, 2000
Slidell, Louisiana
Bats: Left
Throws: Right

Amateur career

Dunhurst attended Pearl River Central High School in Carriere, Mississippi.[1] He committed to play college baseball for the Ole Miss Rebels after his freshman year, when he hit four home runs and boasted a .476 slugging percentage.[2][3] Dunhurst did not attend baseball camps or take lessons, but instead modeled his catching techniques after Yadier Molina and Salvador Pérez by watching YouTube videos.[4] During his sophomore year in 2017, Dunhurst hit ten home runs with 37 RBIs and nine doubles.[5] As a senior in 2019, he batted .369 with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs.[6] He ended his high school career with 31 home runs.[7] He was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 37th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign.[8]

As a freshman at Ole Miss in 2020, Dunhurst appeared in 17 games and batted .269 with five home runs before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] In 2021, as a redshirt freshman, Dunhurst made 65 starts and slashed .280/.385/.435 with seven home runs, 43 RBIs, and 11 doubles.[10] He won the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove award at catcher.[11][12] After the season, he was named to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.[13] Dunhurst entered the 2022 season as a top prospect for the upcoming draft.[14] He missed a brief period at the beginning of the season after tweaking a hamstring.[15] He ended the season batting .231 with six home runs and thirty RBIs over 56 games, helping lead Ole Miss to their first ever NCAA Championship.[16]

Professional career

Dunhurst was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round with the 175th overall selection of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[17] He signed with the team for $300,000.[18][19]

Dunhurst made his professional debut with the Arizona Complex League Royals.

References
  1. Magee, Patrick (May 6, 2019). "Teams won't pitch to this Coast senior, but his rise as an MLB prospect hasn't slowed". Sun Herald.
  2. Ochs, Patrick (June 25, 2016). "Coast baseball standout commits to Ole Miss". Sun Herald.
  3. Ochs, Patrick (March 16, 2017). "Power-hitting Ole Miss commit focused on getting defensive". Sun Herald.
  4. Magee, Patrick (April 27, 2018). "Ole Miss pledge from the Coast is a self-made star thanks to a little help from YouTube". Sun Herald.
  5. Welsh, Taylor (May 27, 2017). "Ole Miss commit pushes PRC to state title, but still hungry for more in future". Picayune Item.
  6. Askeland, Kevin (May 24, 2019). "2019 MLB Draft: Top 5 high school catching prospects". MaxPreps.
  7. Garrett, Ben (November 7, 2019). "Could Hayden Dunhurst be the next great Ole Miss catcher?". 247Sports.com.
  8. Clay, Patrick (June 5, 2019). "Dunhurst drafted in 37th round, will play for Ole Miss". WLOX.
  9. "Ole Miss' Hayden Dunhurst named Freshman All-American". WLOX. June 5, 2020.
  10. Healy, Joe (November 4, 2021). "Ole Miss Baseball: Five Questions to Answer Entering 2022". Baseball America.
  11. Dugan, Michael (June 23, 2021). "Hayden Dunhurst wins ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove award". WLOX.
  12. "Ole Miss catcher Hayden Dunhurst wins ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award". The Oxford Eagle. June 24, 2021.
  13. Garrett, Ben (June 18, 2021). "Derek Diamond, Hayden Dunhurst and Jacob Gonzalez chosen for USA Baseball Collegiate National Team". 247Sports.com.
  14. Katz, Michael (February 22, 2022). "The People Person: Knowing pitchers helps Dunhurst excel at high level". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
  15. Redding, Jared (March 3, 2022). "Could Hayden Dunhurst return this weekend against UCF?". 247Sports.com.
  16. "'I ain't going to bed until Wednesday': Ole Miss celebrates historic championship". Espn.com. 27 June 2022.
  17. Suss, Nick. "Kansas City Royals select Ole Miss baseball's Hayden Dunhurst in 2022 MLB Draft". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  18. "Dunhurst signs deal worth reported $300,000 with Royals organization". 247sports.com. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  19. "Royals 2022 Draft signings tracker". MLB.com. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
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