Derek Bender Stats & Scouting Report

AB	60
AVG	.2
OBP	.273
SLG	.333
HR	2

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
Drafted in the 6th round (188th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2024 (signed for $297,500).

View Draft Report

School: Coastal Carolina
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.5
BA Grade: 40/High
Tools: Hit: 45. Power: 50. Run: 40. Field: 40. Arm: 50.

Bender played in just 22 games as a freshman for Coastal Carolina in 2022 before a breakout 2023 season that included 19 home runs during the spring as well as a standout summer in the Cape Cod League following the season. In his three years with Coastal, Bender slashed .326/.408/.570 with 32 home runs, a 15.4% strikeout rate and a 9.1% walk rate. He’s a strongly-built righthanded hitter with a 6-foot-1, 235-pound frame and the strength to drive the ball out of the park to all fields. He has a simple and surprisingly compact swing and generates power more via strength than bat speed, but employs an overly aggressive approach and chased out of the zone at a 31% clip this spring. There are also some questions about his ability to consistently handle premium velocity, which raises questions about whether his hit and power combination will translate to pro ball. While Bender has spent some time behind the dish in college most scouts think he’ll need to move to first base which puts plenty of pressure on his offensive profile. Old school scouts and analysts seem a bit split on Bender’s profile, with the former being lower and the latter being higher, though he should fit somewhere in the 4-7 round range.

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Draft Prospects

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.