The best player by far to come out of James Madison University has been Billy Sample, a tenth-round pick back in 1976. After hitting extremely well in abbreviated seasons in 2020 and 2021, then tying for the Cape Cod League lead in home runs last summer, DeLauter has the chance to become the first true first-rounder in the history of the school and surpass Sample’s big league production. He was well on his way to cementing that position with a .437/.576/.828 line in 24 games when he broke his foot in April sliding into second base.
DeLauter could be a middle-of-the-order type of hitter. He’s put up gaudy numbers at JMU, beating up the pitching in the mid-major Colonial Athletic Conference. He has at least plus raw power and even though there’s a little drift to his lower half that causes him to be more of a front-foot hitter at times, he’s so big and strong he can still out-leverage pitching. Some might question the length in his swing path and some scouts point to being overmatched against Florida State to start the season as proof that it won’t work against better pitching, but he had no problem getting to his power with wood on the Cape, and the fact he has more walks than strikeouts in his career points to a solid approach.
DeLauter runs well, especially for his size, which helps him now in center field, though most see a move to a corner in the future. He’s shown a strong arm that has fired 90-92 mph fastballs as a pitcher in college, but has played more as average in the outfield, with a power profile that would fit well in right field.
After attracting little attention as a West Virginia high schooler, DeLauter batted .402/.520/.715 in three seasons at James Madison, led the Cape Cod League in homers (nine) and slugging percentage (.589) in 2021 and went 16th overall in the 2022 Draft. After breaking his left foot running the bases midway through his Draft year, he reinjured it after signing for $3.75 million, requiring surgery to replace a screw with a bone graft that delayed his pro debut until June 2023, then broke it again in April 2024. He missed much of last season following core muscle surgery before becoming the sixth player ever to make his big league debut in the playoffs with two starts in the Wild Card round.
DeLauter offers an unusual combination of size (6-foot-3, 235 pounds), athleticism, performance (.302/.384/.504 in 138 pro games) and plate discipline. He doesn't have a pretty left-handed swing and he'll get out on his front foot at times, yet he makes it work with his bat speed and feel for the barrel. He recognizes pitches well, rarely strays from the strike zone and hammers balls all over the field against both lefties and righties and all types of offerings.
While he can flash plus speed, DeLauter is more of an average runner and has become conservative on the bases after his repeated foot injuries. He can handle center field but is better on the corners, where he's a solid defender with a plus arm that produced low-90s fastballs when he pitched sporadically in college. He might have claimed a spot in the middle of Cleveland's lineup two years ago if he hadn't kept getting hurt, and he still could be a star if he can stay healthy.
Lightly regarded by pro scouts and college recruiters as a West Virginia high schooler, DeLauter went to James Madison, slashed .402/.520/.715 in three seasons, led the Cape Cod League with nine homers and a .589 slugging percentage in 2021 and became the first first-round pick in school history. He broke his left foot running the bases midway though his Draft year in 2022, then reinjured it after signing for $3.75 million as the 16th overall choice, which led to surgery to replace a screw with a bone graft and delayed his pro debut until June 2023. He broke the foot again last April, costing him nearly three months, but he has slashed .317/.387/.517 in two pro seasons and .313/.417/.522 in two trips to the Arizona Fall League.
Few players in the Minors can match DeLauter's combination of size (6-foot-3, 235 pounds), athleticism, ability to hit for both average and power, and plate discipline. He rarely strays from the strike zone and makes repeated hard contact against all types of pitches. He has an unorthodox left-handed swing that can get long and he'll get caught on his front foot at times, but his bat speed and strength allow him to pull pitches for power and drive them the other way with authority.
An average runner, DeLauter has been more conservative on the bases in pro ball compared to college because of his repeated foot injuries. He has seen time at all three outfield positions and is a capable defender in center field, and his plus arm strength fits nicely in right field. He generated low-90s fastballs when he pitched on occasion at James Madison.
Largely anonymous as a West Virginia prepster, DeLauter batted .402/.520/.715 in three years at James Madison and became the first Duke ever drafted in the first round. Though the pandemic shortened his schedule in his first two seasons and a broken left foot truncated his third, he had proved his bona fides by leading the Cape Cod League with nine homers and a .589 slugging percentage in the summer of 2021. He reinjured his foot after signing for $3.75 million as the 16th overall pick in 2022, leading to surgery to replace a screw with a bone graft and delaying his pro debut until June 2023, but he posted a .945 OPS while reaching Double-A afterward and then starred in the Arizona Fall League.
At 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, DeLauter offers a tantalizing combination of size, athleticism, performance and plate discipline. His loudest tool is his well-above-average raw power to all fields, which he creates with bat speed, strength and leverage. His left-handed swing can get long and he'll drift onto his front foot, yet he still makes consistent hard contact and controls the strike zone exceptionally well.
DeLauter has solid speed and uses it to steal an occasional base and to cover ground in the outfield. He played all three outfield positions in his debut and projects as an average defender in center field and solid on the corners. He fits best in right field with a strong arm that produced low-90s fastballs when he pitched sporadically at James Madison.
Barely recruited as a West Virginia high schooler, DeLauter attended James Madison and became the first first-rounder in Dukes history after batting .402/.520/.715 in three years. The pandemic limited his first two seasons and a broken left foot shortened his third, but he proved himself with wood bats by leading the Cape Cod League in homers (nine) and slugging (.589) in the summer of 2021. He reinjured his foot after signing for $3.75 million as the 16th overall pick, leading to surgery to replace a screw with a bone graft in January and putting his pro debut on hold until midseason 2023.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound DeLauter offers a rare combination of size, athleticism, plate discipline and performance. His bat speed, strength and leverage combine to give him well above-average raw power to all parts of the ballpark, and he lets his power come naturally with an extremely disciplined approach. Scouts aren't enamored of his tendency to get long with his left-handed swing or to drift onto his front foot, but that hasn't stopped him from making a lot of hard contact.
DeLauter possesses solid speed and translates it into basestealing ability and center-field range. Some scouts think he's destined for right field, where his plus power and arm strength would fit the classic profile. He delivered low-90s fastballs when he pitched sporadically in college.
Lightly recruited as a West Virginia prepster, DeLauter went to James Madison and batted .402/.520/.715 in three years en route to becoming the highest pick in school history. The pandemic shortened his first two seasons and a broken left foot truncated his third, but he also proved himself with wood bats in the Cape Cod League, which he led in homers (nine) and slugging (.589) in 2021. He offered the best combination of tools, plate discipline and performance among college hitters in the 2022 Draft and went 16th overall before signing for $3.75 million.
DeLauter is a 6-foot-4, 235-pound athlete with bat speed, strength and leverage that produce well-above-average raw power that plays to all fields. He lets his pop come naturally with an extremely disciplined approach that resulted in 62 walks vs. just 45 strikeouts in 66 college games. Scouts don't love his left-handed stroke, which can get long, or his tendency to drift onto his front foot, but it's hard to argue with his track record.
DeLauter is a legitimate five-tool talent. He translates his plus speed into basestealing ability and enough range to man center field. Some evaluators think he'll wind up moving to right field, and he has the arm for the position after producing some low-90s fastballs during sporadic college pitching appearances.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2026
4
1
2
4
0
3
3
1
4
2
3
4
1
2
4
1
1
1
1
4
2
2
4
2
1
2
2
2
1
2
2
Player
4
1
2
4
0
3
3
1
4
2
3
4
1
2
4
1
1
1
1
4
2
2
4
2
1
2
2
2
1
2
2
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here