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By Chris Fuller
Director of Operations

Quinn Smith, C, McCallie HS, 2016

At 6-foot-2, 195-pounds, Smith possesses an athletic frame, and he put on an impressive showing at last Saturday’s East Tennessee College Prospect Showcase in Knoxville.

The facility was already buzzing about the 101 mph exit velocity Smith put up before his round of batting practice, a number that is rarely seen from high school hitters.  In fact, not only did the 101 mph exit velocity shatter the PBR Tennessee record, but using the advanced search function on the PBR website, it appears to have tied a record for the entire Prep Baseball Report coverage area.

While exit velocity presents an idea of a player’s ability to generate bat speed, it doesn’t always translate into how good a hitter a player is.  In Smith’s case, he was equally as impressive  in his round of batting practice.  With a swing that displayed his loose and quick hands, the right-handed hitter squared up everything thrown his way in a barrage of line drives.  He showed the ability to drive the baseball and should have no problem in continuing to develop into a consistent power threat at the next level.  In addition, Smith showed his athleticism and ability to run in posting a 4.27 home to first time.

Defensively, Smith proved to be a polished receiver and blocker behind the plate.  He had no trouble handling the velocity of RHP Alex Haynes, who sat 90-91 mph at the event, showing the ability to stick Haynes’ fastball at the bottom of the zone.  His athleticism allows for good lateral movement behind the plate, and he showed 78 mph arm strength from the crouch with pop times consistently in the 2.00-2.05 range.

Smith will undoubtedly provide good leadership for McCallie from the catcher position this spring while providing some pop in the middle of the batting order.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SMITH'S PROFILE AND VIDEO