At a height admittedly found more often at a corner infield spot than shortstop, David Hensley would actually be slightly undersized in basketball. But, Hensley, 22, is determined to make his mark on whatever part of the diamond will help his team win. And, flexibility, in whichever way that word can be defined, is his goal.

The 6’6″, 190-pound Hensley was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 26th round of the 2018 draft out of San Diego State University.

When Carlos Correa was drafted first overall in 2012 out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, much was made of the 190 pounds on his 6’4″ frame. So, at the time of their respective drafts, both shortstops shared mirror-image frames, with Hensley being a mere two inches taller.

Time will tell if Hensley will pack on the pounds as readily as the currently 215-pound 2015 AL Rookie of the Year… or, if he’ll want to, need to, or healthfully be able to.

Houston Hedging Bets; Hensley Becoming Versatile

Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, in his first year with the team in 2012, said then that Correa “has a chance to be a star” who could hit 20-30 home runs in the pros, whether it’s as a shortstop or “ultimately maybe third base,” hinting that CC’s size might play up more effectively at the hot corner.

Time will also tell if Hensley’s results at short, or anywhere else on the infield, not his size, will dictate his eventual defensive placement. Predictably, though, he’s splitting time almost evenly, now, among every infield position but first base. And, he played every position but catcher in college.

Hensley, Smaller

David James Hensley was born in San Diego in 1996. His dad saw some athletic ability in his son early on and encouraged him to work at it and take things more seriously. Hensley credits his dad for helping him develop a love for baseball.

“I think him letting me know that early, sticking with me, making sure I was on track to be where I needed to be and have the preparation I needed at that time to compete and excel, I think it built me up to have a real love for the game and a passion,” Hensley explained to The Game Haus three weeks before the draft.

David attended Patrick Henry High School in the Allied Gardens subdivision (near La Mesa), where he starred as both a third baseman and pitcher for the Patriots.

“Nothing Meant More to Me Than That”

He earned three varsity letters and served as team captain in all three of those seasons. In his senior year, he hit .320 with two home runs, 26 RBIs, and 22 runs scored. He hit .370 as a junior and .350 as a sophomore.

While Hensley attracted some attention from name schools like UCLA and Arizona, offers were few and far between, partly because his grades were not scholarship-worthy. Hoping to become a draft pick out of Henry High looked like Hensley’s best opportunity.

“I didn’t really have a lot of offers coming out of high school,” Hensley concurred. “I had a lot more draft opportunities I guess than I did actual scholarship opportunities. I don’t think a lot of people thought that I wanted to go to college out of high school because of the position I was in. And not being the best student, I think that a lot of people passed on me.”

The San Diego State head baseball coach, though, saw potential in Hensley and showed up at his house one day.

“It wasn’t until my senior year that I got a call from coach Mark Martinez,” Hensley recalled. “I came home one day from school, and they were sitting in my living room. He asked me if I wanted to be an Aztec. I guess that’s something I worked for my whole life, and being able to stay in my hometown, nothing meant more to me than that.”

The Lamp of Experience

Hensley, at six-foot-six, was the tallest player on the SDSU roster, and during his Aztecs career played first, second, and third base as well as throughout the outfield. He actually settled into the right field position for the 2017 season, and earned Mountain West Conference Player of the Week that spring. He batted .647 (11-for-17) including a double, triple, and homer with seven runs scored and six RBIs in four games in mid-April 2017.

Hitting just .257 in his two dozen freshman games, Hensley became much more involved in his sophomore season, becoming a full-time starter for the Aztecs. He batted .276 with a homer, 20 RBIs, and 20 runs. Hensley also enjoyed a team-high 13-game hitting streak that season where he hit .386.

Showing a marked improvement during his junior year, Hensley led the Aztec team with a .357 BA, which also ranked 12th in the Mountain West that season. He also hit three home runs, drove in 31 runs, scored 36 more, and stole seven bases.

This past season (his senior year), Hensley hit .308 with three home runs, 28 RBIs, and 37 runs. He also saw action as a pitcher.

Go East, Young Man

While a draft selection by the San Diego Padres would have kept him at home, Hensley waxed philosophically about his pickup by the Astros, as evidenced by his Twitter account: “Today is the day I waited for for almost 3 years. God showed me that I needed change.”

That change began in mid-June, upon his assignment to Houston’s full-season Class A Quad Cities River Bandits. Still becoming acclimated to the pro game (and a wood bat), Hensley has put up a .203 average and a .635 OPS in 203 plate appearances. He hit his fourth home run August 16 and is the proud owner of an odd tater-related statistical anomaly:

On August 8, Hensley hit his “third” home run, but inasmuch as that game was a resumed contest from a July 3 postponement, it actually counts as his first homer, from a stat perspective.

Making consistent contact will be a focus for Hensley moving forward, as his 25 walks and 62 strikeouts attest.

“I came in, and I struggled a bit,” Hensley revealed recently to the QCTimes. “It took some time for me to adjust to professional pitching. That part of it has been a process, but I feel like things are coming around. I can’t get caught up in the numbers. I have to keep the focus on the progress I’m seeing.”

Witness For the Defense

Defensively, he’s put in the most time at shortstop for the Bandits, with 18 games, followed closely and almost evenly by third base (16) and second base (10), through games of August 16.

Hensley’s perfect fielding percentage at SS in 70 chances glows next to his .911 FP at 2B, with four errors in 45 chances, and .903 at 3B with three errors in 31 chances.

“Shortstop is probably where I’m most comfortable at, but I’m willing to play wherever they need me,” Hensley told the Times. “I feel like that is one of the things that I can bring to a team. I can fit into the lineup in a lot of spots.

“If I had to classify myself as anything I’d say I was an infielder,” he continued. “I’ve taken so many reps at every infield position. I’d feel ready to compete at any of them if needed.

“I’m probably more comfortable in the middle of the infield, just in terms of being able to read the angles as the ball comes off the bat,” Hensley explained. “At third, the reaction time is a little less, but I feel like I’m improving there as well.”

While quickness and an impressive wingspan can work to Hensley’s defensive advantage, stooping to scoop grounders on a regular basis might be problematic for a six-and-a-half footer, a challenge he’s smart enough to recognize: “For me, that’s the biggest challenge on defense, to get low and stay low,” Hensley said.

Astro-Projection

Hensley’s a project, to be sure. With shakiness at the hot corner and second base, it remains to be seen if the right-hander might also be given a look at first base in the future… on top of his promising SS time.

If he doesn’t start 2019 back at Quad Cities, he can look to start his second pro year at the Astros’ new Advanced-A Carolina League location in Fayetteville, following the team’s move from Buies Creek.

In the meantime, Hensley will be working toward completing his undergraduate degree in criminal justice at San Diego State during the offseason. He also plans to work with current Buies Creek and former Quad Cities’ hitting coach Ben Rosenthal in San Diego.

“I’m seeing the potential that is there for me now, and the only way I’m going to realize that potential is to put the work in to get there,” Hensley concluded confidently.

“The plan is to work hard on the finer points of it all and put myself in a position to come back ready for spring training and build off of what I’m learning now.”