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Uncommitted Spotlight: '26 SS/C Elijah Duarte

June 28, 2024
Steven Hardesty
Central Coast/North LA Area Scout

  

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The Uncommitted Spotlight Series continues as the summer circuit is getting underway Prep Baseball California is beginning to highlight some of the top uncommitted class of '26 athletes ahead of the August, 1st contact date for this class. The player featured today is one of the top players in the state of California and figures prominently in our Class of 2026 Rankings. The players featured within our Uncommitted Spotlight series are ones that college coaches and fans should be keeping their eyes on over the coming months.

We invite you to get to know them through the eyes of our Prep Baseball California staff of scouts both through our in person looks at players and/or the data-backed numbers collected at our events with our partnered companies. TrackMan, Blast Motion, Swift Performance, and Visual Edge provide comparable data to project and evaluate players. All of these systems come together to give a clear picture at what colleges will get when a players steps onto their campus.

Today, we put the spotlight on the number 40 ranked player in the 2026 class in SoCal '26 SS/C Elijah Duarte from Ayala High School. With an intriguing frame that shows some present strength to it at 6'2 175lbs. with easy actions at both SS/C and upside to his offensive ability, Duarte has consistently performed across the board for the Prep Baseball California staff including being a part of the 2024 SoCal Preseason All State Underclass event and the Spring Invitational Tournament to kick off the '24 High School season. During the workout portion of the Preseason All State event Duarte impressed with his skill set across the board first with a 7.36 second 60 yard dash that includes a top run speed of 18.2 MPH. He moves around with athletic actions in the INF where he showed the ability to stick up the middle as either a SS/2B flashing and additionally looks like a solid catch/throw backstop with 2.03 current pop times with carry & accuracy to his throws. While Durate is a versatile defender with intriguing potential his tools are not solely limited to the defensive side of the game as there is also advanced tools on the offensive side of the game with strength in his RH bat. During the batting practice session Duarte consistently genereated hard contact from the middle to pull side of the field including a peak EV at 94.4 MPH with 89.6 MPH average EV with line drive leverage that currently plays as doubles power with HR potential as he continues to polish his approach & frame. His ProCase West BP was highlighted by a blast over the scoreboard at Pepperdine in straight away RF off the massive brick wall just beyond it. With his abundance of tools on the offensive/defensive side, solid athleticism, and feel for the game Duarte was a key performer playing at a high level in game this spring for the CIF-SS D2 semifinalist Ayala Bulldogs program. Duarte posted an impressive .345 average to go with a .402 OBP/.452 SLG and 7 doubles, 1 triples, 15 RBIs, 14 runs scored while facing down strong competition both within the Spring Invitational and the rest of his CIF High School season. As he continues to mature and develop as a player to go with his already stellar performance Duarte has a chance to go to even higher levels of performance over the course of his final 2 years of high school/travel baseball. 

College coaches and fans be sure to click on Duarte's profile to see full video and information.

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Elijah Duarte

Class of 2026 / SS

Rankings  StateRank: 40 / POS: 13 OverallRank: 294 / POS: 70

Player Information

  • Graduating Class: 2026
  • Primary Position: SS
    Secondary Position: C
  • High School: Ruben S. Ayala High School
    State: CA
  • Summer Team: TB SoCal
  • Height: 6-2
    Weight: 175lbs
  • Bat/Throw: R/R

Scouting Report

1/06/24

Elijah Duarte, Ayala (CA), 2026
Positional Profile: SS/C
Body: 6-2, 175-pounds. athletic projectable frame
Hit: RHH. wider stance slighlty open with some knee bend. low back elbow with hands set off the rear shoulder at same height slight off body. looseness to the hands. no stride with a sink into the backside while tipping the barrel in the hand load. shows good use of the lower 1/2 while sequencing the swing from the ground up with loose fast hands. path is flatter geared more for leverage and doubles with feel to turn on the ball. 63 mph bat speed with 7.6 G's of rotational acceleration.
Power: 94 max exit velocity, averaged 89.6 mph. 299' max distance. presently plays as average with gap to gap line drive plane and pull side lift, butthere is above average potential for the power with a tweak to add lift to the path through the middle of the field.
Arm: RH. C-70 mph. INF-77 mph. arm works at SS and C with quickness and fluid arm stroke while showing carry with accuracy.
Defense: 2.05-2.25 pop times. smooth defender with natural actions at two different premium positions and the ability to be at worst average while flashing above average or plus potential.
ATH: 7.36 runner in the 60. fluid runner with quickness

Videos

PBCASI 2/10/24

(1/6/24)

(6/14/23)

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