Sam Hilliard

Sam Hilliard

31-Year-Old OutfielderOF
Colorado Rockies
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Hilliard hits the ball very hard. That was especially the case last season, when his 52.3 percent hard-hit rate, 94.6 mph average exit velocity and 14.8 percent barrel rate all would have ranked in the 94th percentile or higher if he had enough batted-ball events to qualify. He's also very fast, boasting a sprint speed last season in the 88th percentile. It's those tools that have made Hilliard intriguing and enough so to the Rockies that they brought him back for a second tenure in 2024. Hilliard popped 10 home runs and stole five bases in just 158 plate appearances for the Rockies but also struck out at a 35.4 percent clip, which is right around his career mark. The swing and miss issues are why Hilliard has yet to receive more than 238 plate appearances in any big-league season even as he heads into his age-31 campaign. It's possible he gets more than that in 2025, and if he does he could have some stretches of usefulness in fantasy leagues, particularly when the Rockies are at home. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#382
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Rockies in November of 2024.
Launches homer in 2025 debut
OFColorado Rockies
May 30, 2025
Hilliard went 1-for-1 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Mets.
ANALYSIS
Hilliard was brought on to the Rockies' 26-man roster before Friday's game as his contract was selected from Triple-A Albuquerque. He pinch hit for Tyler Freeman in the seventh inning, and Hilliard took advantage of the opportunity by taking Huascar Brazoban deep to right-center field for a solo home run. Hilliard is unlikely to see regular playing time but could see some spot starts in the outfield.
Read More News
Batting Stats
Loading Batting Stats...
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2025 MLB Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Sorare
Loading Batting Game Log...
2024 MLB Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Sorare
Loading Batting Game Log...
2023 MLB Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Sorare
Loading Batting Game Log...
2022 MLB Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Sorare
Loading Batting Game Log...
2021 MLB Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Sorare
Loading Batting Game Log...
2020 MLB Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Sorare
Loading Batting Game Log...
2019 MLB Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Sorare
Loading Batting Game Log...
Minor League Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Loading Minor League Batting Game Log...
Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
1
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2023
 
 
+28%
OPS vs LHP
2025
 
 
-100%
OPS vs RHP
2024
 
 
+38%
OPS vs LHP
2023
 
 
+1%
OPS vs RHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2023vs Left .962 52 9 6 17 1 .271 .275 .688
Since 2023vs Right .750 188 33 8 17 8 .230 .314 .436
2025vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025vs Right 1.833 4 1 1 1 0 .333 .500 1.333
2024vs Left 1.011 43 8 5 16 1 .300 .286 .725
2024vs Right .731 115 18 5 11 4 .214 .313 .418
2023vs Left .722 9 1 1 1 0 .125 .222 .500
2023vs Right .726 69 14 2 5 4 .250 .304 .422
More Splits View More Split Stats
Minor League Splits View Minor League Split Stats
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2023
 
 
+2%
OPS on Road
2025
 
 
-100%
OPS on Road
2024
 
 
+15%
OPS at Home
2023
 
 
+18%
OPS on Road
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2023Home .791 134 25 7 22 3 .260 .295 .496
Since 2023Away .806 106 17 7 12 6 .211 .317 .489
2025Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025Away 1.833 4 1 1 1 0 .333 .500 1.333
2024Home .868 79 16 5 17 1 .286 .325 .543
2024Away .756 79 10 5 10 4 .191 .286 .471
2023Home .689 55 9 2 5 2 .226 .255 .434
2023Away .812 23 6 1 1 2 .263 .391 .421
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Sam Hilliard compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
1.00
 
BB Rate
25.0%
 
K Rate
25.0%
 
BABIP
.000
 
ISO
1.000
 
AVG
.333
 
OBP
.500
 
SLG
1.333
 
OPS
1.833
 
wOBA
.698
 
Exit Velocity
99.5 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
50.0%
 
Barrels/PA
25.0%
 
Expected BA
.520
 
Expected SLG
1.539
 
Sprint Speed
0.0 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
50.0%
 
Line Drive %
0.0%
 
Fly Ball %
50.0%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
Loading Advanced Batting Stats...
Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
Loading Games Played by Position...
Loading MLB Defensive Stats...
Batted Ball Stats
Loading Batted Ball Stats...
Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
Want more matchup stats?
Loading Matchup Stats...
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Sam Hilliard See More
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
63 days ago
A certain up-and-comer in St. Louis has been featured by Jan Levine among his weekly NL selections.
Spring Training Job Battles: National League Update
69 days ago
Much has been decided in the National League over the last few days, including the Giants' fifth starter job, which was won by Landen Roupp.
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
77 days ago
Jan Levine kicks off the column for 2025 and examines all the NL positional battles.
Spring Training Job Battles: NL West
81 days ago
Every team in the National League West has a battle at the back of its rotation this spring, though the Dodgers' contest has just been won by Dustin May.
The Z Files: The Wisdom of Crowds and ATC Projections
102 days ago
Todd Zola explains how projected playing time and a skills-based approach helps him identify upside plays late in a draft, as well as leading him to put Aaron Judge at the top of his personal rankings.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2017
Hilliard's time in Colorado came to an unceremonious end when the team traded him to Atlanta in November in exchange for Dylan Spain. The writing was already on the wall after the Rockies optioned him down for good in late August. Hilliard shaved eight percentage points off his strikeout rate from 2021 (to 28.5%) while increasing his walk rate to a career-high 11.5%, but those improvements did not matter as he struggled to a .184/.280/.264 line. Things got especially ugly on the road, with Hilliard slugging a mere .188 in his 81 plate appearances without the Coors bump. His batted-ball numbers are somewhat confounding as he had a Statcast HardHit% close to 50% but just a .370 xwOBACON. Atlanta will not be looking to make Hilliard a starter, but he will get to make his case for the Opening Day roster as a lefty-swinging, speedy reserve outfielder. As he heads into his age-29 season, Hilliard is now out of minor-league options.
Although Hilliard spent just over two months in the minors during the 2021 campaign, he appeared in 81 games and hit a career-high 14 home runs. The outfielder had a career-low 33.1% hard-hit rate, and he also had trouble making contact, as his 67.4 Z-Contact% was the lowest mark of his career. Hilliard was unable to maintain a consistent role -- or roster spot -- for the struggling Rockies in 2021, and he has limited contact and power potential. Even while playing his home games at hitter-friendly Coors Field, he's a lackluster fantasy option outside of deeper leagues.
Hilliard had the chance to receive more consistent at-bats during the abbreviated 2020 season after Ian Desmond opted out, but he regressed as a full-time member of the Rockies. He flashed his power during a cup of coffee in 2019 with seven home runs over 27 games, but he only hit six over 36 contests in 2020. Hilliard had an elite .377 ISO in 2019, but the mark dropped to .229 last season. His strikeout numbers were way up (36.8%), and part of his struggles can be traced to his increased 17.1% swinging-strike rate. When he was able to put the ball in play, his results remained relatively steady from a year ago, as he posted a .281 BABIP. The shine has come all the way off, yet Hilliard still has a reasonable path to playing time in his age-27 season to go with power, speed and home games in Coors Field. He is a fine flier but shouldn't be targeted aggressively.
Hilliard's age (turns 26 in February) is misleading for a player who didn't reach the majors until late last season. A former pitcher, he didn't move to the outfield until 2015 at Wichita State, so he is relatively new to this. His age, 29.3 K% and the hitting environment of the Pacific Coast League led many to discount a 35-homer/22-steal campaign at Triple-A, but he was even better in his cup of coffee (138 wRC+, .377 ISO, 26.4 K%). His most impressive feat was a game-tying opposite-field home run off fellow southpaw Josh Hader. Per Statcast, he had the same sprint speed (29.1 ft/sec) as Scott Kingery, so he has the potential to steal double-digit bases in a full season. With the speed for center and the arm for right, Hilliard provides Colorado with defensive versatility and offensive upside. He may get jerked around early in the year but has a chance to settle in as a Rockies regular for years to come.
Hilliard has made quite an impression in his first two professional seasons with the Rockies. Drafted in the 15th round of the 2015 draft out of Wichita State, the left-handed outfielder possesses a powerful frame at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. In his one season of rookie ball, Hilliard slashed .306/.397/.532 in 262 plate appearances. He displayed good patience at the plate and finished his first season with a 13.7 percent walk rate. In his second minor league season, this time with Low-A Asheville, the 22-year-old hit .267/.348/.449, belted 17 home runs and stole 30 bases in 527 plate appearances. Those numbers should be slightly discounted, given the favorable hitting conditions at Asheville (.832 home OPS, .761 road OPS) and the fact that at 22 he was slightly older than league average. His combination of power and speed make him an intriguing prospect, but he's still got some kinks to work out in his game. Despite walking at a solid clip, he will need to cut down on his strikeouts as he posted a 28.5 percent strikeout rate at Asheville.
More Fantasy News
Contract selected Friday
OFColorado Rockies
May 30, 2025
The Rockies selected Hilliard's contract from Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Passes through waivers
OFColorado Rockies
March 31, 2025
The Rockies outrighted Hilliard to Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Designated for assignment
OFColorado Rockies
March 27, 2025
The Rockies designated Hilliard for assignment Thursday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Significant struggles this spring
OFColorado Rockies
March 9, 2025
Hilliard has gone 2-for-21 with 11 strikeouts in Cactus League action.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Likely for Opening Day roster
OFColorado Rockies
February 15, 2025
Hilliard is likely to compete for a starting corner outfield spot during spring training, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Unlikely to make Orioles' roster?
OFBaltimore Orioles
January 20, 2024
Hilliard "has an uphill climb" to make the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Baltimore already has four other left-handed hitting outfielders in Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad and Kyle Stowers that are either locks to make the team or possibly ahead of Hilliard in the pecking order. Hilliard is out of options, so he'll have to be traded or exposed to waivers if he doesn't break camp with the big club. The 29-year-old was claimed off waivers back in November.
See All MLB Rumors