04/02/2017 - College PREP - Bel Air (Baltimore), MD
Derrick continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities and has a promising future on the diamond. At 3B, defensive abilities are now outstanding as he displays clean/athletic actions. Feet are active but needs to attack balls and play through balls with his body. Hands are clean and he presents well out front. Range is a plus as he moves well laterally and covers ground. At the plate, he shows a balanced/squared setup. Hands are quick (84 mph exit velocity) and work through a level swing path. He has strength in his swing and works to stay inside the ball, displaying gap-to-gap pop. On the mound, delivery is sound/repeatable allowing his arm action to work free to the plate. He shows good tempo through a strong balance point. Fastball showed a range of 72-75 mph with arm side run. Breaking ball displays 11/5 shape with late/sharp break. He maintains arm speed on his changeup, showing a feel for pitch with arm side run. Slider is tight and resembles breaking ball. Off speed stuff show potential as being quality pitches at the next level. Control is solid as he throws strikes with all his pitches.
01/13/2017 - Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament
Derrick continues to show steady progress in his baseball abilities. At 3B, feet are aggressive as he works around balls and plays through with his body. Hands are soft/clean and he presents well out front. Range will increase as he improves foot quickness. At the plate, hands are quick and work through an aggressive approach. He shows a feel for the barrel and makes consistent hard contact with power showing best to the pull side.
05/15/2016 - College PREP - Bowie, MD
This SS/RHP continues to excel both on the field and on the mound. In the INF, this athletic SS shows active pre-pitch movement with good angles and smooth/easy actions. At the plate, he is aggressive with some pull side pop and strong/quick hands. On the mound, Derrick shows a quick arm action, while throwing from a high 3/4 arm slot. He stays in line and compact to his target with ability to repeat his delivery. Newman showed a FB that sat at 78 MPH, a sharp CB with 11/5 rotation, and a deceptive changeup that is thrown with FB arm speed. Although control was inconsistent, working on pitching to contact will help Derrick become more efficient on the mound. Newman is a very talented athlete who will make things happen is a variety of ways.
07/08/2015 - College PREP - Washington DC, MD
This versatile athlete continues to shine. With the bat, Newman has smoothy actions working back into a strong loaded position. Barrel delivery is quick with speed as he connects and hits the ball where it's pitched. The ball jumps off of his barrel as he sprays it to all parts of the field. At SS, Derrick is aggressive coming to get the GB and works fluidly from right to left. He funnels to a quick/clean exchange, gains ground and fires accurate throws across the diamond. On the mound, this RHP remains compact throughout his delivery and repeats well. He fills up the zone and throws strikes with all 3-pitches. He gets good glove-side lead and works in-line toward the plate. Added velocity will come by getting on a long toss program along with driving his lower 1/2 off of the rubber. Only a 2018 grad - the future looks very bright for this talented 2-way player.
07/25/2014 - Baseball Factory National World Series at Pirate City
Derrick is a talented two way player that plays 2B and also pitches. At 2B he has good body control, fields out front with soft/sure hands, and uses the proper footwork with his approach. He is aggressive to the ball and makes strong accurate throws with a quick exchange. At the plate he has an open stance, smooth load, and he uses his lower half well. He has a nice rhythm and he takes a direct path to the ball with a level swing. He consistently squared up the ball and hit solid line drives during games. On the mound, Derrick attacks the strike zone with his fastball and curve. This 2 pitch mix makes him a tough at bat for any hitter. His curve has a nice 11/5 shape and a good sharp bite late in the zone. Derrick is an athletic player, a team guy, and a good communicator that has potential on the mound and in the field.
02/22/2014 - Hitting Accelerated Training Weekend (Ages 12-14)
Derrick is a very solid young hitter, that shows great potential with the bat. He displays good strength, but also shows quick hands that allows him to hit to all fields with some pop. Derrick needs to focus on his front side, he tends to drift out over the front side diving into the swing. This is causing him to spin at times which is taking away from his extension. He needs to focus on keeping his shoulders between his knees, and letting his hands extend through the zone and contact.
12/29/2013 - Interactive Video Program - Swarthmore (Philadelphia), PA
Derrick is a 2-way player (2B/RHP) who can swing it. At the plate, he delivers the barrel with quick hands and drives the ball on a line. He is aggressive and takes a hack. At 2B, he moves well around the ground ball and into a proper fielding position. He has active footwork and plays through the ball toward his target. On the bump, Newman throws 3 pitches (FB, CH, Sinker) from a high 3/4 arm slot. He has a loose arm action and good overall mechanics. He attacks the zone and throws strikes with all 3 pitches. CH shows arm-side run and is a good out pitch. Overall abilities will improve with work on the following.
Offense
1. Balance
2. Extension
Defense
1. Avoid glove flip
2. Arm strength
Pitching
1. Finish
2. Front side