Position: OF
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 180 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/L
Born: 04/08/2001
High School: Winston Churchill HS (San Antonio, TX)
Drafted: 3rd Rd., 84th Overall, 2019 (Padres)
How Acquired: Trade (from Marlins with Zach Thompson and Kyle Nicolas for Jacob Stallings)
Bonus: $3,000,000
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: 2023
Minor League Free Agency: 2025
Options Left: 3
Overview
A high school quarterback, Head is an excellent athlete — ambidextrous, in fact — who drew little attention as a baseball prospect until he hit .645 with 13 home runs as a senior. San Diego drafted him and paid an above-slot bonus that was a record at the time for the third round. He has plus speed and an above-average arm, and could stick in center field. He also has good raw power, but hasn’t gotten to it with any consistency in games. Head had little experience against top competition and was expected to need some changes to his swing mechanics, making him a very high-risk prospect. He was thought to be the best prospect the Pirates acquired when they traded Joe Musgrove, but so far it hasn’t turned out that way.
2019-20
Head had a very good debut in rookie ball. He got on base at a good rate and didn’t strike out at an alarming rate. Baseball America rated him the tenth best prospect in the Arizona League and 20th in a loaded Padres’ system. In 2020, San Diego brought Head to their training facility, but he was hampered by hamstring problems. BA rated him 19th among Padres’ prospects at mid-season, but moved him up to eighth after San Diego traded many of their prospects. In January 2021, the Padres traded him to the Pirates in a three-team deal that involved Joe Musgrove.
2021-24
In low A in 2021, Head hit for good power and drew a great many walks, but also struck out in a third of his plate appearances. In fact, walks and strikeouts accounted for nearly half his plate appearances. He tended to take a lot of pitches and get into deep counts, which led to a lot of the walks and strikeouts. Despite a low average of .213, Head’s OPS was well above the league average. He was tied with teammate Endy Rodriguez for third in the league in home runs and, among qualifiers, was ninth in both OBP and slugging. He was also second in the league in runs. Head struggled very badly against LHPs, batting 097/244/236, while hitting 243/391/435 against RHPs. Defensively, he primarily played right and center, and saw some time in left.
In 2022, at Greensboro, Head had pretty much the same season as the one before: a good (but somewhat lower) walk rate, far too many strikeouts, and some power. He did finish strongly after going 10-for-70 in June. He had an .805 OPS in July and .921 in August. LHPs were again a big problem, as Head put up just a .530 OPS against them compared to .790 against RHPs. In the field he mostly played in center. The Pirates sent Head back to Greensboro for 2023, but he got hurt and missed nearly two-thirds of the season. When he played, he hit just like he had in 2022, except with fewer strikeouts and a lot fewer walks.
Head went back for his third try at Greensboro in 2024. He hit 13 home runs, but for the second year in a row his OPS dropped slightly. His line was 208/303/383, and his walk and K rates were nearly identical to the previous two years. He played all three outfield spots.
Stats
Transactions
June 4, 2019: Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 3rd round, 84th overall pick; signed on June 18.
January 18, 2021: Traded by the San Diego Padres with Omar Cruz, Drake Fellows and David Bednar to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Joe Musgrove in a three-team deal; Endy Rodriguez sent from the New York Mets to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Joey Lucchesi sent from the San Diego Padres to the New York Mets.