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http://www.perfectgame.org/players/p...aspx?ID=287018Derek (DJ) King is a 2014 SS/RHP/2B with a 6-2 190 lb. frame from Ft Meade, FL who attends Fort Meade HS. Tall athletic build, good present strength, very projectable physically. Right handed hitter, open high hand start, short direct path to the ball, shifts into contact well, quick hands, lots of present bat speed, loose and extended out front, hit the ball very hard in games, big power potential. 7.00 runner, shows lateral agility and range, arm strength with carry, accurate throws, clean actions all around, could outgrow the middle of the infield. Also pitched, high 3/4's arm slot, gets downhill well, low effort release, big crossfire on release. Mid-80's fastball, topped at 86 mph, worked fastball aggressively for strikes early in the count, hard breaking 11/5 curveball with sharp biting action, has two-way potential on the mound. Very interesting prospect. Good student. -
The Fort Meade shortstop is considered the top Polk County high school prospect this spring, and he's hoping to cash-in on the huge opportunity.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior, who has already signed a baseball scholarship with Hillsborough Community College, is projected to be selected in the top 10 rounds of the first-year player draft, which begins Thursday and runs through Saturday.
"There were a few scouts that told me I had top-three (round) potential," King said. "They were area scouts, but they had to send it up to other scouts. They said I had top three, maybe. But they had to send that out to the cross-checkers."
King, who throws and bats right-handed, attended work-out sessions for three different major leagues clubs recently, including the Tampa Bay Rays, where he hit five balls into the seats at Tropicana Field and displayed the highly sought sub-7-second 60-yard dash time.
"I don't think they thought I was going to hit the ball that hard," said King, who also worked out with the Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres. "I ran a 60 in 6.8 seconds and then we took ground balls. The Rangers' workout was long, like six hours, and then at the end I had to hit live pitching off like 10 pitchers."
Major League Baseball issued slot values for each of the first 10 rounds of the draft, beginning with a $7,922,100 for the top overall pick, held by the Houston Astros. They also hold the first pick (75th overall) in the third round, where values begin at $748,000 and stagger down to $499,000 with the Miami Marlins' 105th overall pick.
"It's not like you can sign in the fifth round for first-round money like people were doing a few years ago," Fort Meade head coach Jon Spradlin said. "It's slotted on exactly what you are going to get."
Before making selections, major league teams are not just evaluating talent. Management wants to know whether the player is signable in a projected round and value so the player doesn't accept a college offer instead.
"I'm looking for top-three-round money," King said. "That's where I want to get drafted. I could go $475,000, but $500,000 is really what I am sitting on. If the money is not what I want, then I believe I will go to college and try to get faster and stronger and try to increase my draft for the next time."
Spradlin said he thinks King will be the top overall selection from Polk County, and he'll be picked by the 10th round.
"I think we have some kids that may go in the late rounds, but from what I understand he may go in the top-10 rounds or better," Spradlin said. "It's just from what I heard and seeing him at some of these workouts and comparing him to some of the top prospects they are bringing in."
Slot values for the 10th round begin at $142,000 with the 286th overall pick and finish at $137,000 for the 315th pick by the St. Louis Cardinals.
In order to cash-in, King has been taking extra batting practice at the school – before sunrise – using his pickup truck to light the facility.
"He is a kid that will go down and hit at 5 a.m. in the morning," Spradlin said. "He wore down his truck battery doing that. He and (Lake Region pitcher) Jacob Kelley went down there at 2 a.m. betting he couldn't run from home to second in under seven seconds. So at 2 a.m., they got out of bed, turned the truck lights on, and executed the bet."
King, a Polkpreps.com All-County first-team selection, hit .456 with two home runs, five triples, six doubles and 18 RBIs this past season. He was the FACA Class 3A district player of the year and a member the USA 18-and-under team.Comment
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