Daniel Baruch Takes Over 2019 Top Spot With 93 mph Exit Velo
As of early Sunday morning April 3, only four 2019 graduates had posted an exit velocity of at least 90 mph, and the lead was held by OF Sebastian Orduno (San Pedro, CA) at 92 mph.
At the North Smithfield, RI (Providence area) Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout on Sunday afternoon, 2019 1B/OF Daniel Baruch (Cranston, RI) changed all of that. He became the fifth 2019 graduate to reach at least 90 mph, and took over the class lead with a mark of 93 mph.
Baruch, a right-handed hitter that throws left-handed (known as a “backwards guy” in scouting parlance), is listed a 6-foot, 185 pounds with athletic cuts and some physical maturity on his frame. He featured an extremely advanced set of tools, highlighted by a nice stroke that combined balance and natural rhythm with bat speed and strength to impact the ball. He’s a versatile defender with above average ability both at first base and in the outfield, and ran nearly a full grade better down the line (4.59) than he did in the 60 yard dash (7.50).
Other 2019 qualifiers included a pair of physical corner players in 6-foot-2, 250 pound 1B Jordan Griffin (Rehoboth, MA) and 6-foot-2, 198 pound RHP/1B Ben King (Calhoun, GA) at 82 mph, along with left-handed hitting 1B Elijah Brooks (Goodlettsville, TN) at 79 mph.
The highest exit velocity of the weekend came from 2017 C Robby Korff (Pittsburg, PA) at 94 mph. A right-handed hitter listed at 6-foot, 188 pounds, Korff missed qualification among pop time leaders by one hundredth of a second at 2.00, and was only three ticks shy of an appearance on the raw velocity leaderboard at 84 mph.
Checking in at 90 mph were fellow 2017 graduates OF Dillon Hughes (Maryville, TN) and LHP/OF Peter Rouse (Wrentham, MA) — interestingly both are also R/L like Daniel Baruch (to be clear, it’s interesting in that it’s rare to see more than just a couple of “backwards guys” in a weekend, and even more rare for all three to be so talented). Hughes featured a well-rounded set of tools on top of a strong build at 5-foot-11, 178 pounds, while Rouse offered solid-two way ability, with a solid breaking ball and changeup to complement his upper 70s fastball.
3B Michael Walker (Lafayette, LA) was the lone 2016 qualifier at 91 mph, while 3B Austin Bost (Groves, TX) and C Tyler Torres (Evadale, TX) joined 2018 leaders at 89 and 85 mph respectively. Torres added a low pop time of 1.94 to enter a tie for the fifth best time among 2018 graduates.
The Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout Tour is rolling through all 50 states. Tryouts are held for players ages 12-14 and 14-18. Don’t miss your opportunity to Be Discovered.
Register online for an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout near you or call (800) 641-4487.
