The 2017 PBR Tennessee East Tennessee Preseason Preview took place on Sunday, January 29 at Chattanooga Sports Complex, in Hixson, Tennessee and included a position player workout, followed by pitcher bullpens.  Players were afforded the opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of the PBR Tennessee staff and college coaches in attendance. The following is our evaluation of every catcher that participated in the event.

 

Will Long, C, David Crockett, 2018
Home-1^st: 4.74, Pop Time: 1.97-2.09, Position Velocity:  C-72, Exit Velocity: 85
6'3, 200-pound, RHH showed improved strength and performance in many areas of his game since his first appearance at our East TN Prospect Games, hits from a balanced and open stance with relaxed hands, uses that same abbreviated leg kick and aggressive stride with some subtle hand movement to get loaded, lower half fires his hips through quickly and keeps his body in a strong position, swing plane is flat through the zone with some lift at the end that drives the ball to the pull side with some real power potential, can get a little handsy at times.  Defensively, showed good hands and quicker footwork behind the plate, exchange was quick and got rid of the ball from a short arm action through a high ¾ slot, throws had some slight tail. Continues to move up the 2018 ranks. 

Noah Webb, C, Sevier County, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.71, Pop Time: 1.99-2.06, Position Velocity:  C-78, Exit Velocity: 86
5-foot-11, 175-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and slightly open stance, uses an abbreviated leg kick and stride with a fluid movement back with his hands that stands the barrel up a little bit, lower half clears his hips with some aggression and creates a solid foundation and good separation, upper body stays quiet, gap-to-gap approach smoked a few toward dead center.  Defensively, showed good hands with solid footwork behind the plate, showcased good arm strength and quickness with a sub-2.00 pop time but could get even lower by eliminating the hitch in his arm action.  A solid prospect in the class with a lot of upside.

Carson Carroll, C, Independence, 2017
Home-1^st: 4.81, Pop Time: 1.99-2.08, Position Velocity:  C-73, Exit Velocity: 84
6-foot-0, 200-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and open stance with some loose movement in his hands before the pitch, uses an abbreviated but smooth leg lift and stride with a subtle movement back and a quietening of his hands to get loaded, lower half gets wide and strong and clears his hips with some explosiveness, swing plane stays through the zone for a long time and showed some lift at the end, drove the ball in BP with some gap power.  Defensively, showed good hands and quiet feet behind the plate, got in a good position and a clean exchange led to a short arm action through a high ¾ slot, throws were accurate.  A highly regarded unsigned senior.

JP Tighe, C/3B, Dalton (Dalton, GA), 2018
Home-1^st: 4.58, Pop Time: 1.98-2.05, Position Velocity:  C-70, IF-78, Exit Velocity: 87
6-foot-1, 210-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and upright stance with high hand positioning above his head, uses a pretty generic stride with a big lowering and movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires with some explosiveness and keeps him balanced throughout, bat path is mostly flat through the zone but can get a little steep on pitches kept down, very strong and has the ability to really drive through the ball.  Defensively, sits high behind the plate but showed good hands and footwork, has a slight hitch in his low exchange but gets rid of the ball quickly with a short arm action through a near over-the-top release point, showed some versatility by competing at 3B as well.

Garrett Carmichael, C, Baylor, 2018
Home-1^st: 4.71, Pop Time: 2.00-2.13, Position Velocity:  C-76, Exit Velocity: 85
6-foot-1, 203-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance with his hands relaxed just above his back shoulder, uses an abbreviated leg kick and stride with a movement back of his hands to get loaded, lower half fires but does more pulling his body forward than clearing his hips through, bat path is steep through contact, can come around the ball but is best when he stays up the middle.  Defensively, showed above-average hands behind the plate with good footwork, bounced well and used a short arm action through an over-the-top slot with some good arm strength.

Trent Rice, C, South Warren (KY), 2019
Home-1^st: 4.65, Pop Time: 2.06-2.14, Position Velocity:  C-69, Exit Velocity: 80
5-foot-11, 180-pound, LHH hits from a wider and open stance with high hand positioning with a high back elbow, uses a short stride and rhythmic lowering and movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires and gets his hips through but pulls his upper body very far forward onto his front foot, swing plane is up through the zone and could lead to some pop down the road.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and good footwork behind the plate, jumped up quickly and used a short arm action through a nearly over-the-top slot to deliver throws to 2B.

Ryan Lee, C, Cleveland, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.79, Pop Time: 2.05-2.22, Position Velocity:  C-72, Exit Velocity: 79
5-foot-8, 170-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance, uses an abbreviated leg kick with a slight movement back of his hands that stands up the barrel to get loaded, lower half tries to work and does keep him balanced but fails to clear his hips to create separation, bat path is mostly flat through the zone and sometimes tried to show some lift, comes around the ball and yanks it to pull side quite a bit.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and pretty good footwork behind the plate, gets squared up through a solid exchange and leads to a short arm action that comes through a high ¾ slot.

Tyler Hayes, C, Knoxville Catholic, 2018
Home-1^st: 5.17, Pop Time: 2.09-2.14, Position Velocity:  C-71, Exit Velocity: 90
6-foot-0, 190-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and open stance with lower hands held close to his body at the start, uses a smooth and longer stride with a further lowering and movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires but has occasional trouble getting his hips cleared through, swing plane is steep through the zone but likes to pull balls toward LF in the air.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork behind the plate, sat high in his squat, arm action is shorter through a near over-the-top slot.

Zachary Copenhaver, C, Science Hill, 2018
Home-1^st: 4.83, Pop Time: 2.06-2.19, Position Velocity:  C-69, Exit Velocity: 80
6-foot-2, 190-pound, RHH hits from a wider and slightly open stance with a slight waggle with his hands before the pitch, uses a short stride and a push back of his hands to get loaded, lower half gets through and creates some separation but does pull him a little taller, swing plane is steep through the zone and contact, pull approach did barrel up a lot.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and relatively quick feet behind the plate, didn’t quite get front side closed and loaded before throwing to the bag, arm action is short through a higher ¾ slot.

Matthew Fine, C, Knoxville Catholic, 2018
Home-1^st: 4.92, Pop Time: 2.14-2.25, Position Velocity:  C-71, Exit Velocity: 79
5-foot-11, 175-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and slightly open stance with his hands in a higher and cocked position to start, uses a pretty generic stride with a further cocking of his hands to get loaded, lower half works well and keeps him balanced and solid throughout the swing, bat path generally comes slightly up through the zone but gets a little stiff because his barrel stays above his hands, likes to pull the ball.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork behind the plate, could be a little more balanced, arm action is short through a high ¾ slot with a unique release.

Jacob Upshaw, C/3B/RHP, Central Magnet, 2018
Home-1^st: 4.75, Pop Time: 2.13-2.28, Position Velocity:  IF-68, C-69, Exit Velocity: 79
5-foot-11, 210-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance with some quick movement in his hands before the pitch, uses a generic stride and a quietening of his hands and a slight movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half spins but doesn’t do it quick enough to create any real separation, bat path is mostly flat but can get steep on balls kept down in the zone, could benefit by staying middle.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork both behind the plate and at the corner, exchange could get quicker but leads to a short arm action through a high ¾ slot.