Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

If the Twins were trying to corner the market on college infielders who performed at the plate in the 2024 Draft, they did a very good job out of the gate, getting Kaelen Culpepper in the first round, Billy Amick in Round 2 and DeBarge right between them. The Lousiana-Lafayette standout had been a catcher at Barbe High School in Louisiana before moving to short and parlayed a huge junior season for the Ragin’ Cajuns (1.117 OPS) into being the No. 33 overall pick in the Draft. He got his professional feet wet with just over 100 at-bats with Single-A Fort Myers after signing.

The Twin were clearly coveting advanced hitters with an idea of what they’re doing at the plate and DeBarge, like Culpepper, typically does a fantastic job at making a ton of contact without chasing out of the zone. He has a quick right-handed stroke with some sneaky pop to his pull side, but he does tend to hit a lot of ground balls with a flatter swing, something that happened more when perhaps he was pressing a bit during his brief pro debut. There’s confidence he’ll be able to rediscover his knack for finding the barrel and driving the ball without sacrificing his approach.

An impressive athlete with plus speed, DeBarge should be able to steal bags as a pro. That quickness along with excellent hands, good instincts and a strong arm give him all the tools to play shortstop, but the Twins are eager to continue seeing how he looks at second, third and perhaps even in center field to expand his paths to the big leagues.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50 

A standout catcher at powerhouse Barbe HS (Lake Charles, La.), DeBarge was too small to draw pro interest out of high school. He moved to shortstop after arriving at Louisiana-Lafayette and developed into a better prospect than recent Ragin' Cajuns standouts at the position: 2015 third-rounder Blake Trahan and 2020 fifth-rounder Hayden Cantrelle. He plays bigger than his 5-foot-9, 170-pound frame and earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year accolades this spring, leading to him being drafted earlier than his predecessors, being taken by the Twins No. 33 overall and signing for a just-below-slot bonus of $2.4 million.

An elite contact hitter, DeBarge recognizes pitches extremely well and rarely chases out of the strike zone or swings and misses. His right-handed stroke is quick, compact and flat, designed to put the ball in play so easily that it does cut into his walk totals. He has some sneaky power to his pull side but doesn't drive the ball in the air consistently and slugged just .297 with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer. 

DeBarge has the tools and instincts to impact games in a number of ways. He has plus speed and uses it aggressively on the bases. His quick hands, strong arm and fine internal clock allow him to play a solid shortstop, and he also looked good at third base on the Cape.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50 

A standout catcher at powerhouse Barbe HS (Lake Charles, La.), DeBarge was too small to draw pro interest out of high school. He moved to shortstop after arriving at Louisiana-Lafayette and is a better prospect than recent Ragin' Cajuns standouts at the position: 2015 third-rounder Blake Trahan and 2020 fifth-rounder Hayden Cantrelle. He plays bigger than his 5-foot-9, 170-pound frame and earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year accolades this spring.

An elite contact hitter, DeBarge recognizes pitches extremely well and rarely chases out of the strike zone or swings and misses. His right-handed stroke is quick, compact and flat, designed to put the ball in play so easily that it does cut into his walk totals. He has some sneaky power to his pull side but doesn't drive the ball in the air consistently and slugged just .297 with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer. 

DeBarge has the tools and instincts to impact games in a number of ways. He has plus speed and uses it aggressively on the bases. His quick hands, strong arm and fine internal clock allow him to play a solid shortstop and he also looked good at third base on the Cape.

Awards

Rawlings MiLB Gold Glove

Year	Team
2025

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/31/2025	SS Kyle DeBarge assigned to Cedar Rapids Kernels from Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.
	03/06/2025	activated SS Kyle DeBarge.
	03/06/2025	Minnesota Twins Prospects activated SS Kyle DeBarge.
	03/06/2025	Minnesota Twins Prospects activated SS Kyle DeBarge.
	08/03/2024	SS Kyle DeBarge assigned to Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.
	07/24/2024	Minnesota Twins signed SS Kyle DeBarge.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated SS Kyle DeBarge.
	02/19/2024	SS Kyle DeBarge assigned to Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns.
	06/08/2023	2B Kyle DeBarge assigned to College Workout.