Zander
Darby

Cape Cod: A physical third baseman who stands 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Darby had a strong summer with the Red Sox, batting .292 during the regular season with three home runs, which tied for second on the club (yes, the gap between Hines and the rest of the team was that wide). With 27 strikeouts and 24 walks, he also showed better plate discipline than he’s shown in his two seasons at UCSB. He has an upright setup and low hands at the plate, and he starts his swing with a pronounced front leg kick. Though his five errors were tied for the most on the club this summer, Darby is a good athlete who moves well at the hot corner and he has a track record as a solid defensive player. 

At San Benito: UC Santa Barbara commit. Darby caught my attention last season where he played multiple positions as a Sophomore and the frame has made big strength leaps since last season. The physicality in the long limbed frame includes added strength in the shoulders and chest which have helped the arm push above-average. The footspeed may end up pushing him off the SS position in the long-term, but he played defense very well in his range especially when attacking the ball; made a diving play getting up and throwing a strike across. His bat-to-ball skills continue to show well as he was right on mid 80’s FB’s for a 2 RBI 1B to RF and another hard hit ball that kept carrying into LCF for an easy 2B. Stands balanced at the plate with the hands at the back shoulder and high back elbow; hands have a tight half-circle lift with knee tuck staying behind the baseball very well and keeping balance through contact. The hands stay tight through the quick turns and it’s a compact barrel turn allowing him to get contact out front; can push the hands a bit but with his strength he makes up for it. Another top 2021 in the section.

CCS Playoffs - Long and lanky large frame that shows a high waist with some projection still available in the frame. Played SS with regular SS on the mound and showed fair range and footwork. Arm is solid with strength and hand speed leading to balls on the line across the diamond. Has room for development with his SS skills as he’s been mainly at 3rd base most of the season. Threw one away that led to runs in the 2nd popping up after fielding and causing the ball to take off. Have seen him play in RF/3rd/1st in previous game this season and he’s definitely athletic with good range and foot speed. Really liked his aggressive approach at the plate putting together three strong AB’s getting on base with each. 1st AB got a first pitch FB and drove it to LCF showing off his foot speed and athleticism getting to 3rd base when the ball got past the OF. 2nd AB hooked a ball at the 1st baseman but ran hard out of the box reaching on an error and when the ball was dropped on the toss to the bag. In his 3rd AB fell behind but battled and showed discipline taking close pitches to draw the walk. Bat has barrel adjustability and as he continues to strengthen will lead to more extra-base power. Showed he could handle velocity and take good off-speed pitches. A 2021 to watch.