Hillsborough Community College OF Aldrich DeJongh Scouting Report, March 2018

Low, wide-set stance with weight starting towards back leg even before load and stride; short stride out front with small load; very short, efficient bat path to the ball. Contact hitter oriented towards putting the ball on the ground and beating it out; contact in the air primarily comes to opposite field, though he’s got enough bat speed to turn on pitches on the inner half when given the opportunity. Primarily a slap-and-run guy with promising barrel control; will need to add some line drive execution to his game and alter approach for pro ball, but strong hand-eye coordination and barrel skills make for a good foundation.

Not a ton of power; slap-and-run approach and will produce a lot of ground ball contact. Short stroke without much leverage through swing leaves him a line drive/ground ball guy. Contact in the air primarily comes to opposite field side right now, but flashes some ability to get the ball in the air to pull side; could produce a little bit of pop in time thanks to sneaky natural strength and some bat speed, but won’t be consistent; most of his game will revolve around speed.

Good reads on balls in the air; moves very well defensively in center field and covers a lot of ground; glides with quick first step and easy shift to top speed. Foot speed helps in tracking down ground balls off the bat; picks up ground in towards his target well, considerably cutting down throwing distance. Tracks the ball well off the bat, which combined with plus speed (or better) makes his glove a legitimately above-average tool. Natural center fielder who should stay there in pro ball.

Good thrower, especially relative to his (lack of) physical size; fairly strong arm with good velocity and some carry. No real tail or arm-side fide on his ball on the way to target; throws hard and straight, and stays through target well. Accurate without real tendency to overthrow; executes well in game situations; consistent. Arm will be enough for a center field role in pro ball.

Timed 3.97, 4.01, and 4.04 up the line from the LHH box; 4.24 on a turn at first base. Kid flies. Great foot speed with very, very quick first few steps out of the box. Raw base stealer who seems to have thus far relied on speed itself to swipe bags; some development to be done here in learning nuances of base running, but enough speed to build off in pro ball. Moves well in the outfield; charges in on ground balls quickly and hard, cutting down throwing distance and helping arm; tracks ball well in the air off the bat. Covers ground. Speedster with the raw foot speed and feel for use in game situations to legitimately use it as a carrying tool into pro ball.

Aldrich DeJongh is now an MLB Draft eligible sophomore at Hillsborough Community College after playing his freshman season at NCAA Division I program Florida Atlantic University; appeared in 29 games as a freshman at FAU. Listed at 5’7″, 175 lbs.; certainly undersized and will inevitably face durability questions, but good musculature and encouraging natural strength base; will add some muscle as he ages into his body, too, though not a ton of physical projection remaining. Native of Curacao.

Aldrich DeJongh is already getting quite a bit of interest from scouts this spring at Hillsborough Community College; likely a high MLB Draft follow for 2018 as a draft-eligible junior college sophomore. Uncertain where he’s committed beyond Hillsborough if he doesn’t get drafted or sign; legitimate Division I talent with track record already at the level and some real physical upside and ability to play pro ball now or very soon. Easy to imagine him spending the summer at a complex league rookie-level team before being farmed out to Low-A in 2019 as an everyday center fielder.

Speed is next-level, and will be a legitimate carrying tool through pro ball; along with promising offensive skills and solid, consistent defensive approach with some arm strength, it’s easy to imagine Aldrich DeJongh as a solid everyday center fielder of the future at ceiling. Inevitable durability questions will arise with small frame, and he must prove himself physical enough for an everyday role in pro ball, but there’s a good foundation of strength and power in his build that should help keep him on the field. Could fall back to platoon/bench floor if he proves unable to adjust or hold up in an everyday role. Nevertheless, real shot to be a high-energy top-of-the-order table setter thanks to some bat skills and that absurd speed; really fun guy to watch play. MLB ETA: 2022.