Adam Akin
Director of Scouting


On Wednesday, September 28, the DeMarini GA Prospects and the Cross Hit Baseball Academy 15U teams got together for a showcase workout, followed by a short exhibition game.  The event was held at Hendersonville High School’s baseball field at Drakes Creek Park, which has seen some great renovations over the past few years, including a turf infield and a perfectly graded outfield.  Below is a highlight of some of the top performers from the event.

 

DeMarini GA Prospects

Brady Harris, MIF, Gallatin, 2019
60 Time: 7.23, Position Velo: MIF-74, Exit Velo: 78
5-foot-10, 140-pound, MIF played a solid shortstop and moves athletically around the infield.  He had a really good round of batting practice, as he showed an ability to hit the ball all over the field on a line.  In game play, Brady made two or three really good plays on defense and put together some of the best at-bats of the entire game, highlighted by an RBI double in the first inning.  With some growth and physical maturity that will come with age, Harris could draw a lot of interest.

Tarver Hayslip, 1B, Friendship Christian, 2019
Exit Velo: 85
5-foot-11, 195-pound, 1B missed part of the showcase portion of the event, but made up for it with a good round of BP.  Hayslip showed some more pop with an 85 mph exit velo and the ability to drive the ball into the outfield with consistency.  In game play, Tarver drew a walk after a six-pitch at-bat and found a hole for a single to right, while also recording a stolen base.  Defensively, played a solid first base and has the potential to play outfield when needed.  Hayslip had a good summer and should continue to develop and become even more consistent.

Alex Huey, LHP, Columbia Academy, 2018
Max FB: 83, FB: 80-83, CB: 63-64, CT: 68-69
5-foot-11, 160-pound, LHP worked smoothly on the mound and showed a quick arm.  Huey worked at a quick pace and showed a ton of confidence in attacking the zone.  He worked two no-hit innings and struck out three of the six hitters he faced.  Alex used his fastball to get ahead in the count and to catch hitters off guard late in the count, but threw just enough off-speed to keep them guessing.  His fastball showed life from a loose arm action through a ¾ slot, his curveball had good bite with 2/8 shape, and his cutter had some sharp and late slider-type movement.

Hayden Mullins, LHP, Hendersonville, 2019
Max FB: 84, FB: 82-84, CB: 63-64, SL: 69-71
5-foot-10, 150-pound, LHP was just like we’ve seen him before.  With confidence and aggressiveness on the mound, Mullins has the ability to keep hitters on their heels throughout an entire at-bat.  He struck out three and allowed two hits in his two innings of work, while also walking two.  Hayden showed a ton of movement with run on his fastball and sharp bite on both his curveball and his slider.  Although he struggled a little bit with his command, he did pitch through a small rain shower and was able to recover and work out of a jam, unscathed.

Reid Nelson, OF/MIF, Hendersonville, 2019
60 Time: 7.22, Position Velo: OF-86 MIF-75, Exit Velo: 74
5-foot-10, 145-pound, OF/MIF played a very athletic outfield and showed off some very good arm strength during the showcase portion of the event.  Nelson has a long and loose arm action that works very well in the outfield, where he has time to load up before release.  In game action, he covered a ton of ground toward the right-center gap and made a diving catch that likely saved his team a run.  Reid is athletic enough to play in the infield if need be.  Some strength gains could really help him get to another level, as a hitter. 

Jacob Seals, C/OF, Goodpasture, 2019
60 Time: 6.95, Position Velo: C-74 OF-80, Exit Velo: 72, Pop Time: 2.02-2.08
5-foot-8, 145-pound, C/OF showed athleticism and some defensive versatility during the showcase portion of the event.  Seals ran the fastest 60 of the day and uses that quickness to his advantage in all areas of the game.  He popped a 2.02 from behind the plate and showed solid arm strength in the outfield.  Jacob showed the ability to barrel the ball during his round of BP, but sits on his backside through his finish.  During game play, Seals made a great block of a ball in the dirt and recovered to throw the runner out at second base.

Nate Vaughn, C, Hendersonville, 2019
60 Time: 7.85, Position Velo: C-75, Exit Velo: 79, Pop Time: 1.99-2.09
6-foot-0, 188-pound, C showed some strong defensive work behind the plate.  Nate used good footwork and a strong arm behind the plate to pop a 1.99 during the showcase portion of the event.  In game play, he worked hard behind the plate and had to battle through some wild pitches that were likely caused by the rain. Offensively, Vaughn barreled up balls in BP, but tends to sit back a little bit on contact and showed good plate discipline in drawing a walk in game play.

Cross Hit Baseball 15U Black

Luke Bradshaw, OF, Lebanon, 2020
60 Time: 7.08, Position Velo: OF-80, Exit Velo: 89
6-foot-1, 175-pound, OF was one of the most athletically gifted players at the event and showed the ability to transfer that to the field.  Bradshaw is a well-build kid with strength and athleticism ahead of where most 2020 graduates are, at this time.  He showed aggressiveness in the outfield in playing through the ball and an arm that will continue to improve.  Luke’s round of BP was one of the most impressive at the event, with a left-handed swing that gets the barrel on plane early and keeps it there through contact.  He drove balls to the right-center gap and recorded the highest exit velo of the day.  Look for Bradshaw to be a name consistently mentioned in the future.

Luke Jones, C, Greenbrier, 2019
60 Time: 7.78, Position Velo: C-71, Exit Velo: 86, Pop Time: 2.03-2.06
5-foot-10, 170-pound, C is a solid player that had one of the best swings we saw at the event.  Jones showed good bat speed and a swing path to promote additional power in the future.  He hit a lot of balls in the air and has the natural extension and strength at contact that is hard to teach.  Defensively, he was solid behind the plate and recorded a pop time of 2.02 at his best.  Luke is a sound player and his pitchers showed a ton of confidence in having him behind the plate by being able to throw breaking balls in any count.

Hunter Lautzenheiser, OF, Davidson Academy, 2020
60 Time: 7.20, Exit Velo: 84
6-foot-0, 185-pound, OF missed the position portion of the showcase, but came into his round of BP with a bang.  Lautzenheiser showed some very good pop from the left side and drove the ball consistently from gap to gap, finishing his round with a home run to right-center.  Like Bradshaw, he is more athletic and athletically developed than most kids his age.  In game play, he recorded a double and a single in his only two plate appearances.  Lautzenheiser will surely be heard from in the future, as he develops and continues getting stronger.

Chase Nelson, LHP/OF, Hendersonville, 2019
Max FB: 83, FB: 79-83, CB: 62-64
60 Time: 8.43, Position Velo: OF-80, Exit Velo: 83
5-foot-10, 170-pound, LHP/OF showed the ability to compete on both sides of the ball throughout the event.  As a pitcher, Nelson commanded the zone with a heavy fastball that he used to get ahead in the count and a 2/8 curveball that had a ton of movement just before reaching the plate.  He recorded two K’s in his only inning of work and tallied the third out on a routine fly ball to right.  As an outfielder, Nelson can certainly improve on his 60 time, but is able to get the job done with pretty good arm strength.  He had a good round of BP from the left side and singled on a line drive to left field off of Hayden Mullins. 

Jackson Odette, C/MIF, Wilson Central, 2019
60 Time: 7.43, Position Velo: C-72, MIF-74, Exit Velo: 75, Pop Time: 1.99-2.03
5-foot-8, 155-pound, C/MIF is quicker than his 60 time would suggest and seemed to be able to use that to his advantage.  Jackson moved quickly behind the plate and was able to record a 1.99 pop time at his best.  In the infield, Odette used good hands and that short arm action he uses behind the plate to get the ball across the infield with pretty good accuracy.  Offensively, he had a good round of BP from the left side, with a ton of hard line drives up the middle and toward left-center.  In game play, he worked hard behind the plate and used that quickness and athleticism to be a wall for the pitchers.

Caid Sanders, IF/C/RHP, Hendersonville, 2020
Max FB: 79, FB: 78-79, CB: 64-65
60 Time: 7.65, Position Velo: IF-78, C-74, Exit Velo: 77, Pop Time: 2.02-2.10
5-foot-9, 160-pound, C/IF/RHP showed a ton of versatility with his ability to play nearly anywhere on the field.  Behind the plate, Sanders was able to record a low pop time of 2.02 and show some pretty solid arm strength at 74 mph.  In the infield, he had sure hands and the ability to make plays both up the middle and deep in the hole with an arm that showed some carry.  Offensively, Caid has a short swing that produced some solid line drives into left field.  He seemed to be more of a pull hitter.  On the mound, Sanders showed a fastball that had some late movement and a curveball with sharp 11/5 shape late in the zone.  In his one inning of work, he recorded one K and allowed one hit.