A transfer after two years at Daytona State College, Hardin didn’t blow many away with his two seasons pitching in the Mississippi State bullpen. He posted a 3.23 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 23 walks in 36 1/3 innings for the Bulldogs in 2024 and went to the Brewers in the 12th round that July, signing for $147,500. Once in the system, Hardin showed enough to Milwaukee's player development staff to earn a starting look in his first full season, and he has run away with the opportunity, already climbing from High-A to Double-A in his age-23 campaign.
It's better to see Hardin’s arsenal as a full package rather than a series of individual pitches. His fastball sits 92-94 mph and touches 96, giving it plum average velocity, but the 6-foot-2 right-hander gets down the mound well and buzzes the upper regions of the zone with decent ride on that four-seamer. Hardin’s low-80s slider is his best whiff generator, thanks to its sweep and his ability to wear out the lower gloveside corner with it, and he plays off that with a sharper upper-80s cutter he’ll throw to batters from both sides. Those are the main features as an 86-89 mph changeup is reserved only for lefties. Even against them, it remains a fourth offering.
Hardin has spotted his pitches incredibly well in the early going, and that’s one of the keys to his professional success so far. The Brewers concede Hardin is on the older side for a first-year starter, but even without a true plus pitch, the 6-foot-2 hurler has earned more rotation looks in the upper levels. His current mix of stuff and command could make him a fit as a fourth or fifth starter in the Majors in short order.
