06/17/2024 - College World Series Experience - Session 1
Derrick continues to shine with his baseball abilities on the diamond. At 1B, he shows smooth / fluid actions. He displays proper footwork around the bag and is a quality receiver. Glove action is clean and presents out front. Range will increase as he improves foot quickness. At the plate, he shows an open setup. Hands are quick and work through a level swing path. He stays inside the ball, utilizing all fields through a line drive approach. Lower half works well through the swing with an aggressive hip turn. On the mound, arm strength has improved as he threw his top velocity to date at 70 mph. Fastball shows a range of 67-71 mph with arm side run. Breaking ball displays 1/7 shape with gradual break. He maintains arm speed on his changeup with arm side run but throws too hard, resembling fastball. Control is solid as he attacks hitters and throws strikes with all his pitches. Stock on the mound will continue to improve as he builds more arm strength through a long toss program and develops off speed stuff. Mental makeup is a plus as he is very coachable and works hard to be the best player he can be.
02/25/2024 - National Showcase - Costa Mesa (Los Angeles), CA
Derrick is a LHP/1B prospect who will graduate in 2027. Starts with active footwork and fields from a low fielding position. Good actions at first base with soft hands. Creates momentum to his target and has an arm velocity up to 66mph. At the plate he starts in a closed and tall stance. Gets knob to C and has a short glide step. He hits into a firm frontside with a fast barrel through the hitting zone. He hit hard line drives to all fields during his round of BP. On the mound he gets to a good balance point and picks up his target. Has a simple and repeatable delivery. He challenges hitters with a FB that sits 66-68mph, a 2/8 breaking ball, and a CH with some tailing action. With 3 years of continued growth and development, Derrick should improve in all facets of his game.
11/09/2023 - Baseball Factory Select Training & Competition in California (Ages 14-18)
Derrick is a 2027 1B/LHP who improved his skills during the BF Select Training and Competition. At 1B he shows a good attitude and was a natural leader. He works to keep the ball in front of him and shows a good glove angle. Throws from a high 3/4 arm slot with a recorded arm velocity up to 68mph. On the mound he works exclusively from the stretch. He works with good tempo and throws strikes. He attacks hitters with a FB that topped out at 65mph with tailing action, a 2/8 shaped breaking ball, and a changeup with tailing action that he throws with FB arm speed. In 2 innings of work, Derrick didn't walk anyone and showed ability to control run game. At the plate he hits from an athletic and square stance. He has a direct hand path and keeps barrel in hitting zone for a long time. In live game action, he made consistent contact and showed a good eye at plate. We look forward to seeing him at another event in the near future.
06/09/2023 - 2023 Baseball Factory All-State Tournament (MS)
Derrick is a 2027 1B/LHP prospect who showed his skills at the All-State Tournament in Mississippi. At first, he shows off good size and a good arm, with a raw velo of 65 MPH. He throws from a high 3/4 slot with clean actions and makes accurate throws with carry to his targets. At the plate, he starts in a squared, tall stance with loose, comfortable hands. He gets good activation and features a controlled, squared stride. He's very strong and aggressive, and he recorded a max exit velo of 72 MPH. His rhythm is on-time and his lower half explodes through the baseball. His swing path is smooth and on-plane to the baseball, and he makes hard contact with a good barrel. Rotates his hips and hands and sprays line drives to all fields. He reached base 4 times in game action with 2 walks and 2 singles. On the mound, he throws from a high 3/4 angle and features a 3-pitch mix, reaching a max velo of 63 MPH with his FB. He gets good, on-time separation and keeps his eyes on his target. He stays in-line to his target and has a controlled landing. CB has gradual 2-8 break. Projects as a finesse/off-speed pitcher, working the plate and sticking around the outer half. He recorded 3 strikeouts in 2 innings and didn't allow a hit in game action. Overall, Derrick is an exciting prospect that we are excited to see continue to develop!
04/16/2023 - National Showcase - Costa Mesa (Los Angeles), CA
Derrick is a talented 1B/LHP in the 2027 class. In the field, he has a good feel for the bag and understanding of his 1B responsibilities. He squares his body to the baseball and his pocket has feel. Shows advanced movements to his arm side and stays low on his backhand play. Arm is loose and accurate (65 velo) and fits the position well. On the mound, he displays solid balance and rotates well to his target. His FB has a high ¾ release and sits 60-4. His CB has 1-7 shape and is in the zone. His CH has good feel off his FB at 58-60. At the plate, he uses a short stride to gain barrel feel. He is on-plane with his path and keeps his body behind the baseball. Shows gap-to-gap production and working to keep his head still will assist with pitch recognition as he advances to higher levels. Overall, Derrick is a solid two-way player to keep an eye on.
11/10/2022 - Baseball Factory Select Training & Competition in Arizona (Ages 12-14)
Derrick continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities at the Select Training event in Arizona. Foot speed has improved as he ran his best 60 time to date. At 1B, he shows smooth / fluid actions. He displays proper footwork around the bag and is a quality receiver. Hands are clean and presents out front. Range will increase as he improves foot quickness. At the plate, power potential has improved through an open setup. Hands are quick and work through an aggressive swing path. He stays inside the ball, utilizing all fields with gap-to-gap pop. Lower half works well through the swing as he transfers weight from the backside into a firm front side. On the mound, arm strength has improved as he threw his top velocity to date at 61 mph. Fastball showed a range of 56-61 mph with tailing action. Breaking ball displays 1/7 shape with gradual break. Getting on a long toss program to develop more arm strength will aid in improving abilities on the mound.