Breaking: 2019 Texas Tech baseball commit Darell Hernaiz selected 138 overall by the Baltimore Orioles

SS/2B and current 2019 Texas Tech baseball commit Darell Hernaiz has been selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the MLB draft in the 5^th round with the 138^th overall pick.

The 6’1 170 lb. Americas HS in El Paso, Texas product gets picked up by a team so desperately in need of young and viable talent. Like Harris II, this pick is very much a risky situation for Tim Tadlock to “recruit” against, as there is a clear path for Hernaiz in Baltimore, which lacks any sort of talent at any position and has a $402,000 compensation slot value. I expect Hernaiz to eventually get offered more, as Baltimore has a large bonus pool of excess funds to play with. Also, they are Baltimore. And they need talent more than anyone in the league at this moment.

Hernaiz is currently graded as a 9.0 prospect as a 17 year old high school Senior by Perfect Game. He has a slender athletic build with a frame that has more room to grow. Has extremely quick feet with great balance and soft hands but doesn’t (currently) have the arm strength to play shortstop at the next level. However, Hernaiz is only 17 and arm strength is definitely a skill that can be gained in the right environment. Hernaiz ranks in the top-75 percentile in bat barrel speed, measured by Diamond Kinetics. This means he has the ability to see a pitch deep and catch up, or get his hand inside quick enough to turn on a high and tight fastball.

Perfect Game ranks prospects on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being a top draft pick in the MLB and an elite college prospect, to 1 being basically a tee-baller or a baseball blog writer (me).

Whatever Darell Hernaiz decides to do with his future, we wish him the best of luck and a long career.