By Adam Akin
Director of Scouting

The 2017 PBR Tennessee Top Prospect Games took place on Tuesday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 14 at Hawkins Field on the campus of Vanderbilt University and included a position player workout, followed by three 9-inning games each day. Players were afforded the opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of the PBR Tennessee staff and many college coaches in attendance. The following is our evaluation of the top catchers to compete in this year’s event.

Catchers

Cole Carter, C, Goodpasture Christian, 2018
H-1B: 4.81, Position Velocity: 69, Exit Velocity: 81, Pop Time: 2.02-2.15
5’11, 180-pound, RHH begins relaxed and in an open stance, using a leg kick and long stride that gathers his lower half and creates a lot of separation and before attacking the ball.  Carter is an aggressive hitter and generates much more bat speed and drive through the baseball than his 81 mph exit velocity would suggest.  His swing plane travels on a slight uphill path through the zone and can really elevate the ball with some authority.  Carter put together one of the best rounds of BP and showed himself as one of the best pure hitters at the event.  Defensively, he showed good footwork behind the plate and a pretty efficient exchange.  Some improvement in arm strength would be huge for Carter, as his showcase pop time did translate well to game action.  He finished 2-4 with a double and a walk in game play.

Zachary Copenhaver, C, Science Hill, 2018
H-1B: 4.97, Position Velocity: 69, Exit Velocity: 80, Pop Time: 2.04-2.18
6’2, 190-pound, RHH has a pretty athletic frame that seems to have matured even since seeing him at our East Tennessee Preseason Preview back in January.  Copenhaver begins from a wide and open stance and uses a longer stride with some rhythm in his hands to get loaded. He likes to pull the ball and showed a flat bat path through the zone.  His lower half works well and keeps him strong and balanced throughout.  Defensively, Copenhaver is a little disconnected in his low exchange, but still seems to get the ball out pretty quickly through a ¾ arm slot and short arm action.  His footwork is solid and he seems to have a good feel for the position through his actions.  Copenhaver threw a couple of runners out and finished 3-5 with a double in game play.

Luke Jones, C, Greenbrier, 2019
H-1B: 4.79, Position Velocity: 69, Exit Velocity: 88, Pop Time: 1.99-2.10
5’11, 175-pound, RHH shows a ton of confidence and has a fluidity about his swing that seems to just come naturally.  Jones uses an abbreviated leg kick and a long and smooth stride to get loaded and create some good rhythm headed into contact.  His swing plane comes through the zone at a slight uphill angle and his lower half drives through to create some positive separation.  He gets extension through contact and creates some lift at the end of his swing.  Jones has gap power and the projectability to continue adding on.  Defensively, he is efficient with his footwork and his exchange, using a high ¾ release point to get rid of the ball and create some carry.  His hands are pretty good when he’s actually focused.  Certainly a guy to continue keeping an eye on.

Nathan Massey, C, Spring Hill, 2018
H-1B: 4.69, Position Velocity: 71, Exit Velocity: 81, Pop Time: 1.97-2.08
6’2, 190-pound, RHH has a strong and athletic build, as he seems to be more physically mature than a majority of his class.  Massey hits from a wide stance and low hands and uses a no stride approach.  He likes to stay middle to pull side of the field but doesn’t quite generate the fluidity and extension he’s capable of in the swing.  Massey has a pretty flat bat path and can generate a little lift on balls left up in the zone.  Defensively, he can get a little quick with his footwork without giving himself a strong enough base and causes himself to be less consistent than he could be.  When he gets the timing right, his throws are firm and accurate to the bag.  Receives the ball with confidence and has plenty of experience catching high-level arms at Spring Hill.

Sam Mast, C, John Overton, 2019
H-1B: 4.72, Position Velocity: 73, Exit Velocity: 89, Pop Time: 1.99-2.10
6’1, 185-pound, RHH is most definitely on of, if not the most improved player we’ve seen over the past year or so.  Mast came to the Top Prospect Games and made a statement about his abilities and the amount of work he has clearly put in.  The strength he has added and the fine tuning of is swing have not only added to his exit velocity, but have given him a presence in the box.  Mast uses a big leg kick with good rhythm and generates solid bat speed and strength through contact on a slightly uphill plane.  He currently shows gap power and could develop a whole lot more.  Defensively, he is sound with good hands and clean footwork.  Mast has an efficient exchange and uses a short arm action to create good carry to the bag.  A hitch in his arm action is the only thing keeping him from an even lower pop time.  A consistent player, Mast finished 2-3 with a double and a walk in game play.

Gavin Pulliam, C, Franklin, 2018
H-1B: 4.71, Position Velocity: 75, Exit Velocity: 90, Pop Time: 2.00-2.12
6’1, 200-pound, RHH continued to show his ability to produce and continue getting better.  Pulliam is a strong player with a solid build and plenty of room left to grow.  He hits from a balanced and slightly open stance and uses an abbreviated leg kick and some hand movement to get going.  Although his round of BP started slow, he came on strong and showed some power potential over his last 4-5 swings.  Pulliam has a good approach and stays pretty simple at the plate.  Defensively, he showed some real arm strength and is really only held back by the pause in his release that he seemingly uses to gather himself to get that extra bit of velocity.  He also uses a low exchange that could be brushed up to cut some time off.  Pulliam finished 1-3 with a walk in game play.

Patrick Vandenbergh, C, Ensworth, 2019
H-1B: 4.49, Position Velocity: 75, Exit Velocity: 86, Pop Time: 1.97-2.08
5’11, 168-pound, LHH is raw, but has a number of tools and the athletic potential to continue developing for a very long time.  Vandenbergh has some quick twitch and shows that with the measureables he puts up during the showcase.  He hits from a balanced position and uses a very early and short stride to get into position.  His load could be smoother, as that would add some bat speed and rhythm to his swing.  Vandenbergh’s bat path is flat through contact with a little lift toward the end.  He has a line drive approach with the ability to hit the ball to all fields.  Defensively, he has quick feet and gets rid of the ball through a short arm action from over-the-top.  He can come out of his squat a little too soon at times, but is accurate and certainly has the ability to throw runners out.  Vandenbergh finished 1-4 with a walk in game play.

Noah Webb, C, Sevier County, 2019
H-1B: 4.55, Position Velocity: 76, Exit Velocity: 85, Pop Time: 1.94-2.00
5’11, 175-pound, RHH was one of the most impressive players in the entire event.  Webb showed the ability to contribute in all three phases of the game and the strength and athleticism to continue developing.  He starts with a wide stance and uses a short and early stride that builds some slight rhythm leading into his swing.  His hands drop into a slot and generate a slight uphill swing plane through contact, allowing him to drive the ball.  Webb can get a little handsy, but shows gap-to-gap pop when he gets the barrel through it.  Defensively, he is sharp and is one of the best receivers in the class.  His footwork is good and his arm strength can be a separator.  He has a little hitch in his arm action, but still produces sub 2.00 pop times, consistently.  Webb finished 2-4 with a walk in game play.

Brennan Whitten, C, Ravenwood, 2018
H-1B: 4.68, Position Velocity: 72, Exit Velocity: 86, Pop Time: 2.00-2.13
6’0, 185-pound, RHH is a very solid player and a big part of every team he plays on.  Whitten has a grasp for the game and is the definition of a “gamer.”  He takes a good approach to the plate with a good eye and the selectiveness that’s hard to teach.  Whitten also shows leadership from behind the plate.  He hits from a balanced stance and uses a short stride decent rhythm in his load.  His swing got a little longer in BP than it really is.  He has the ability to work both gaps and finds the barrel a lot.  Defensively, he has good hands and a quick release threw a short arm action.  A cleaner and higher exchange could probably help cut his pop time. Throws were firm and accurate.  Whitten finished 2-4 with a triple and a walk in game play.