Kyle DeBarge has been an impact player at Louisiana-Lafayette for three years. After excelling in his first two seasons, DeBarge refined his swing and made significant strides, developing into a complete hitter as a junior this spring.
DeBarge has excelled against top-tier pitching throughout his collegiate career. This spring, he showcased a complete offensive skill set, including impressive power, hitting 21 home runs compared to seven as a sophomore.
Scouts rave about DeBarge’s skill set, development and overall potential. Scouts consider the talented Louisiana-Lafayette shortstop a potential second-round pick in the MLB draft, which begins Sunday.
“It means everything,” DeBarge said. “I always wanted to be a big leaguer since I was a little kid. This is another stop to getting there.”
DeBarge is a 5-foot-9, 170-pound right-handed hitting shortstop known for his excellent contact-oriented skills with solid plate discipline. This spring, DeBarge focused on changing his swing mechanics to tap into more power. He previously used a steep swing that caused him to hit a lot of baseballs on the ground. After working with his coaches at Louisiana, DeBarge worked on lifting the baseball more.
DeBarge is more of a contact over power hitter right now. But he offers intriguing offensive tools that allow him to hit line drives into the gaps and use his athleticism on the bases to make a difference.
“I feel like I can do whatever the head guy wants me to do,” DeBarge said. “If he wants me to hit for power, I can. If he wants me to hit for average, grind out at-bats, get on base and not strikeout, I can do that too. It’s a full package deal.”
Defensively, DeBarge has above-average arm strength, quality athleticism that allows him to cover plenty of ground and strong instincts to handle shortstop. He was a high school catcher but moved to shortstop at Louisiana where he showed a quality toolset. Scouts believe he could handle shortstop in pro ball.
“I’ll play wherever the head guy wants me to play,” DeBarge said. “I can play everywhere but first base.”
In his three years at Louisiana, DeBarge made tremendous strides. He hit .293 with 13 doubles, three home runs, 30 RBIs and 16 stolen bases as a freshman in 229 at-bats in 2022. He had 28 strikeouts and 21 walks. As a sophomore in 2023, DeBarge posted a .371 batting average with 15 doubles, seven home runs, 38 RBIs and 18 stolen bases in 205 at-bats. He recorded 21 strikeouts and 21 walks.
This spring marked DeBarge’s best season at Louisiana. His swing change allowed him to tap into more power. He hit .356 with 19 doubles, 21 home runs, 72 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 256 at-bats. DeBarge didn’t sacrifice any plate discipline as he tried to hit for more power, tallying 30 strikeouts and 24 walks.
DeBarge raves about his development and experience during his three years at Louisiana.
“Definitely came out a better man with being close to God,” DeBarge said. “From a development standpoint, I cleaned up my approach. I also played in some big games and played every day.”
Read more in-depth stories on top 2024 MLB draft prospects at Baseball Prospect Journal.
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for nine years. He has interviewed 518 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
