Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 55 | Field: 40 | Overall: 40

Sierra Canyon High School in California might best be known for being the school where Bronny James starred on the basketball court, but Hettiger is leaving his own mark as one of the better hitters on the California prep scene. He wasn’t seen a ton on the summer showcase circuit because of a minor knee issue, but he’s made up for it since, showing off some offensive potential in particular.

Hettiger is a switch-hitter who has swung the bat well pretty much everywhere he’s been. While there’s a little bit of a trigger in his swing, he has very natural timing and sees the ball well with an advanced approach that leads to a lot of walks. He has a lot of raw power, particularly from the left side.

While he’s fairly athletic and not a clogger on the basepaths, it’s unclear to evaluators where he might best fit defensively long-term. His best value would be if he can stick behind the plate, and he has enough arm for the spot, though there’s work to be done with his receiving. There would be more pressure on the bat if he ends up at a corner infield or outfield spot, but he might be intriguing enough to try to sign away from his commitment to Oregon.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

It looked like Hettiger, who starred on the Los Angeles high school scene, was going to head to Oregon for college ball as the 2023 Draft wore on and he didn’t hear his name called. The Phillies had other ideas, using some extra bonus pool money when Day 3 started, going over slot to sign him for close to $400,000. He hasn’t put up big numbers as of yet, but he made some progress along the way in a rough first full season with Single-A Clearwater, then earning a promotion to High-A Jersey Shore while finishing the year in Double-A in 2025.

A former switch-hitter who is now only hitting left-handed to help simplify things at the plate, Hettiger does have the makings of a solid approach at the plate, seeing a lot of pitches and drawing a lot of walks as evidenced by his career walk rate north of 16 percent heading into 2025. He finds the barrel a lot, and there’s some power for him to get to, but while he limits chase, the swing-and-miss is concerning (29.1 percent K rate).

When he first entered pro ball, there were questions about Hettiger’s ability to catch long-term, especially because he hadn’t played much behind the dish in high school. He continues to get reps at first, but he’s become one of the better defenders at the position in the organization, with more than enough arm. If that continues, he could end up catching in the big leagues one day, getting at-bats against right-handed pitching.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 55 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

Teams are always looking for catching come Draft time (even from the riskier high school demographic) and though Hettiger wasn’t seen much the previous summer on the showcase circuit, he was creating some buzz -- particularly with the bat -- in the Los Angeles area prep ranks as the 2023 Draft approached. It looked like he might be headed to Oregon for college when he wasn’t selected in the top 10 rounds, but the Phillies swooped in and took him in Round 11, going over the Day 3 slot of $150,000 to sign him for just under $400K. He spent the 2024 season scuffling -- and learning -- with full-season Clearwater, but after a little over a week back at that level to start the 2025 season, he was bumped up to High-A Jersey Shore and started showing some strides.

Initially a switch-hitter, Hettiger has scrapped his right-handed swing and is focusing on hitting left-handed, which he was dominant to begin with. He’s capable of seeing the ball well in professional at-bats, with a willingness to see pitches and draw walks. He started tapping into his raw power a bit more with Jersey Shore, though he’s going to have to mind his approach and keep the swing-and-miss in check for him to reach his offensive potential.

Hettiger didn’t get a ton of reps behind the plate in high school, moving around the field and seeing time at both infield corners. He’s still playing first base but has gotten more time at catcher, where he continues to work on improving his receiving. He has plenty of arm for the position and there’s hope he’ll have the defensive chops to stick there long term.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 55 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

When the first two days of the Draft came and went in 2023, Hettiger may have thought he was headed to Oregon for college ball. But the Phillies hadn’t quite used up their bonus pool money over the top 10 rounds and were able to nab Hettiger in Round 11, going over the Day 3 slot ($150,000) to sign him for just under $400,000. He made his very brief pro debut in the Florida Complex League last summer after signing.

A switch-hitter, Hettiger appears to be better from the left side than the right, though he sees the ball well and has good at-bats from both sides of the plate. He’s used a small trigger in his swing in the past, but tends to be on time and has an advanced approach with excellent pitch recognition. There’s plenty of raw power to tap into, and that shows up more when he’s hitting left-handed. Strength gains this offseason could start showing up at the plate during his first full season.

Hettiger didn’t catch a ton in high school, as the solid athlete moved around and played the infield corners quite a bit. There’s work to be done on his receiving, but he sets up well behind the plate. He’s already shown that he has more than enough arm to remain behind the plate, throwing out several potential basestealers in the FCL, with the Phillies having a bit more faith that he can stick there.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 55 | Field: 40 | Overall: 40

Sierra Canyon High School in California might best be known for being the school where Bronny James starred on the basketball court, but Hettiger left his own mark as one of the better hitters on the California prep scene in the class of 2023. He wasn’t seen a ton on the summer showcase circuit because of a minor knee issue, but he made up for it since, showing offensive potential in particular. The Phillies had some bonus pool money left when Day 3 of the Draft started and they were able to sign Hettiger away from his commitment to Oregon for an over-slot bonus of just under $400,000.

Hettiger is a switch-hitter who has swung the bat well pretty much everywhere he’s been. While there’s a little bit of a trigger in his swing, he has very natural timing and sees the ball well with an advanced approach that leads to a lot of walks. He has a lot of raw power, particularly from the left side.

While he’s fairly athletic and not a clogger on the basepaths, it’s unclear to evaluators where he might best fit defensively long-term. His best value would be if he can stick behind the plate, and that’s where he played during his pro debut in the Florida Complex League. He has plenty of arm for the position, though there’s work to be done with his receiving. There would be more pressure on the bat if he ends up at a corner infield or outfield spot.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/05/2026	C Kehden Hettiger assigned to Philadelphia Phillies Prospects.
	01/23/2026	Philadelphia Phillies invited non-roster C Kehden Hettiger to spring training.
	09/02/2025	C Kehden Hettiger assigned to Reading Fightin Phils from Jersey Shore BlueClaws.
	04/16/2025	C Kehden Hettiger assigned to Jersey Shore BlueClaws from Clearwater Threshers.
	03/14/2025	C Kehden Hettiger assigned to Philadelphia Phillies.
	07/23/2024	Clearwater Threshers activated C Kehden Hettiger from the 7-day injured list.
	07/03/2024	Clearwater Threshers placed C Kehden Hettiger on the 7-day injured list.
	04/02/2024	C Kehden Hettiger assigned to Clearwater Threshers.
	03/07/2024	Philadelphia Phillies Prospects activated C Kehden Hettiger.
	08/01/2023	FCL Phillies activated C Kehden Hettiger.
	08/01/2023	FCL Phillies activated C Kehden Hettiger.
	08/01/2023	C Kehden Hettiger assigned to FCL Phillies.
	07/18/2023	Philadelphia Phillies signed C Kehden Hettiger.
	06/15/2023	C Kehden Hettiger assigned to College Workout.
	02/03/2022	C Kehden Hettiger and assigned to Visiting Team.