- Full name Derek Bender
- Born 01/09/2003 in Murrells Inlet, SC
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Coastal Carolina
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
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School: Coastal Carolina Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.5
Bender played in just 22 games as a freshman with Coastal Carolina in 2022 before his breakout sophomore season in 2023, where he slashed .341/.399/.635 with 19 home runs, 13 doubles, a 14.8% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate. Bender followed up that campaign with a strong summer in the Cape Cod League, where he hit .374/.446/.557 with four home runs and seven doubles in 31 games and ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the league. A strongly-built righthanded hitter, Bender is listed at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds and employs a fairly simple righthanded swing that generates power via strength more than bat speed. Bender does have all-field power, but his approach is overly aggressive at times and in his first two seasons with Coastal Carolina he chased out of the zone at a 35% rate. Additionally, Bender has struggled against 92+ mph velocity and his struggles against velo carried over to the Cape. A disproportionate amount of his in-game impact in his career has come against changeups, which will add to questions about how he’ll handle more consistent velocity in pro ball. Bender has played first base, catcher and corner outfield. He profiles best at first base and needs to refine his actions behind the plate, though he does have average arm strength. -
School: Arizona State Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.6
BA Grade: 45/High
Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 70 | Field: 55 | Arm: 50
Lampe was a dynamic player with Santa Rosa (Calif.) JC prior to his Arizona State career, where he hit .424 with eight triples and seven doubles and went 17-for-20 in stolen bases. He’s continued to showcase speed and solid center field defense for the Sun Devils, and after a solid 2021 campaign, has taken a step forward offensively in 2022. In 2021, scouts thought Lampe was more of a slap-and-dash hitter who looked to take advantage of his double-plus speed, while this year he has done a better job driving the ball with impact to center and right field. Lampe makes plenty of contact—especially against fastballs and 93-plus mph velocity—but has a history of walking at a solid clip as well. In the Cape Cod League during the summer of 2021, Lampe hit just .269 but managed a .416 on-base percentage thanks to 21 walks compared to 22 strikeouts. While Lampe has hit a career-best 12 home runs this spring, he’s not overly physical and his exit velocities don’t suggest home runs will be a key driver of his offensive value. He’s a high-energy competitor who will stick in center field.
Top 100 Rankings
Career Transactions
- C Derek Bender assigned to College Workout.
