Adam Akin
Director of Scouting



The 2017 PBR Tennessee Middle Tennessee Preseason Preview took place on Monday, January 16 at Showtime Sports Academy in Franklin, 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, as well as a number of college coaches in attendance. The following is our evaluation of every middle infielder that was in attendance.

 

Jonathan Brown, 2B, lndependence, 2019
60 Time: 7.77, Exit Velocity: 65
6-foot-0, 152-pound, RHH hits from a more narrow and open stance with loose hands that seem to lay the barrel back a little bit before the pitch, uses a pretty generic stride with a push back of his hands to get loaded, lower half gets his backside through but often pulls his body forward and out on top of his front leg, swing plane comes into the zone a little steep but can flatten near contact, drags the barrel at times and produces a lot of ground balls up the middle.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork in the infield, made a conscious effort to play through the ball, had some arm trouble and wasn’t able to cut any throws loose. 

Drew Byers, SS, Ensworth, 2020
60 Time: , Position Velocity:  IF-80, Exit Velocity: 83
6-foot-0, 175-pound, RHH hits from a wider and mostly even stance with his hands relaxed just above his back shoulder before the pitch, uses a leg kick and stride with a big movement up and back with his hands to get loaded, lower half is very active and fires his hips quickly through the zone but keeps him tall and can over-rotate from time to time, swing plane is pretty steep through contact because of the high positioning that his hands come from, strong kid for his age produces good bat speed.  Defensively, showed good hands and footwork in the infield, played around and through the ball with confidence, exchange used a glove pat at times and leads to a long and clean arm action through a ¾ slot. A solid player to watch in the 2020 class. 

Alex Eagon, 2B, Ravenwood, 2018
60 Time: 7.37, Position Velocity:  IF-72, Exit Velocity: 83
5-foot-9, 150-pound, LHH hits from a balanced and even stance with some more upright posture, uses a short and closed stride with a fairly big movement back and up with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires but is somewhat cut off by his closed alignment, bat path is steep to and through the zone and causes him to top the ball at times, singles approach focuses on staying up the middle during BP.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork in the infield, played through the ball pretty well and fielded the ball out front, exchange was efficient and led to a short arm action through a high ¾ slot.

Tyler Finley, 2B/RHP, Brentwood Academy, 2020
60 Time: 7.96, Position Velocity:  IF-72, Exit Velocity: 80
6-foot-1, 160-pound, LHH hits from a balanced and open stance with pretty athletic posture, uses a short and closed stride with a push back of his hands to get loaded, lower half fires to get his hips through but is held back a little bit by his closed alignment and keeps him tall with a straight back leg, bat path is mostly flat through the zone but can come around the ball at times, makes an effort to get through and drive some balls the other way.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork in the infield, would benefit by getting his momentum headed toward 1B and playing through the ball, arm action is pretty short through a high ¾ slot.

Sebastian Matlock, 2B, Oakland, 2019
60 Time: 7.70, Position Velocity:  IF-74, Exit Velocity: 82
5-foot-11, 170-pound, RHH hits from a wider and even stance on a strong base, uses a no-stride approach by simply lifting his front heel off the ground and putting it back down with a movement up and back with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires a little late and struggles to provide any real separation, bat path is steep into the zone because of his higher hand placement but can provide some lift at the end, pull hitter can come around the ball at times.  Defensively, showed solid hands and footwork in the infield, puts himself in a lot of good positions, arm action is short through a high ¾ release point. 

Cole Miller, SS, Centennial, 2019
60 Time: 7.47, Position Velocity:  IF-72, Exit Velocity: 74
5-foot-10, 135-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and mostly even stance with his hands cocking the barrel just behind his head to start, uses a short and early stride with a smooth movement back and up with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires but doesn’t really get cleared through until long after contact, swing plane comes into the zone fairly steeply but is able to flatten out through contact, produced some solid contact up the middle.  Defensively, showed good hands and fluid footwork in the infield, impressed with his athleticism, played through the ball aggressively and with confidence, clean and quick exchange led to a short arm action through a high ¾ release point and delivered accurate throws.

Quinn Murphy, 2B, Dickson County, 2020
60 Time: 7.78, Position Velocity:  IF-69, Exit Velocity: 70
5-foot-6, 131-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance with relaxed hands just above his back shoulder, uses a short stride and a subtle lowering of his hands to get loaded, lower half gets through but can come at the same time as his hands at times and cause him to drag, bat path is mostly flat through contact, sometimes seems to guide the ball up the middle and toward 2B.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork in the infield, fielded the ball a little deep at times, could have played through the ball better by getting the weight off of his heels, arm action is a little longer and comes through a near over-the-top slot.

Dawson Powers, 2B/RHP, Franklin County, 2018
60 Time: 8.04, Position Velocity:  IF-77, Exit Velocity: 75
5-foot-11, 130-pound, RHH hits from a mostly balanced and even stance while beginning up on the toes of his front foot and some higher hand positioning to begin, uses a quick and abbreviated leg kick and stride with a lowering of his hands to get loaded, lower half certainly gets through but can pull him forward on top of his front leg at times, bat path is flat to slightly up through the zone because of the lower hand positioning he gets to during his load, singles approach with a lot of low line drives and ground balls.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork in the infield, could play through the ball with more confidence, arm action is pretty long and comes through a ¾ arm slot.

Tyler Sills, RHP/2B, Battle Ground Academy, 2018
60 Time: 7.96, Position Velocity:  IF-73, Exit Velocity: 78
5-foot-10, 140-pound, RHH hits from a wider and even stance with his long and lanky frame, uses a short and rhythmic stride with a smooth movement back of his hands to get loaded, lower half fires well and creates some good separation while keeping him well-balanced at the same time, swing plane is flat through contact and can provide a little lift at the end, whippy swing creates good extension as well.  Defensively, showed soft hands and above-average footwork in the infield, could have played through balls directly at him, exchange uses a glove pat and leads to a long and loose arm action through a high ¾ slot. Interesting prospect on the mound, as well.

Cameron Smith, SS/RHP, McGavock, 2020
60 Time: 8.44, Position Velocity:  IF-75, Exit Velocity: 70
5-foot-8, 145-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance with pretty quiet hands to begin, uses a short and very early stride with a smooth movement back of his hands to get loaded, lower half keeps him well-balanced and certainly gets his backside cleared out, bat path is flat to slightly up through the zone, bat speed and aggressiveness should improve with age and physical maturity.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork in the infield, played around the ball well but didn’t quite get through it smoothly, exchange is high and sometimes involves a glove pat, arm action is short through a high ¾ release point.

Jaylen Smith, SS, Forrest, 2018
60 Time: 7.46, Position Velocity:  IF-74, Exit Velocity: 81
5-foot-7, 138-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and slightly open stance with a subtle bat waggle over his head before the pitch, uses a short stride and a movement down and back with his hands to get loaded, lower half gets his backside cleared but gets very tall on a straight back leg, bat path is short and slightly steep through the zone, produces a single approach with low line drives and ground balls.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork in the infield, got caught on his heels a few times and could have been more aggressive through the ball, arm action was shorter through a ¾ to low ¾ slot.

Brandon Tucker, SS/RHP, Portland, 2019
60 Time: 7.93, Position Velocity:  IF-74, Exit Velocity: 85
5-foot-9, 185-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance with his hands relaxed away from his body, uses a quick and very abbreviated leg kick and short stride with a subtle movement back of his hands to get loaded, lower half stays wide and strong and fires his hips through very well, bat path is flat to slightly up through the zone and combines with his raw strength to get through the ball solidly, can drive the ball to center.  Defensively, showed good hands and footwork in the infield, could have played through the ball more aggressively but did stay under control, exchange is pretty clean and leads to a short arm action through a high ¾ slot.

Connor Williamson, 2B, Blackman, 2018
60 Time: 7.55, Position Velocity:  IF-76, Exit Velocity: 76
5-foot-10, 145-pound, RHH hits from a wider and even stance and seems to lean the barrel back with his hands, uses a short and early stride with a sudden movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half gets through but often over-rotates and forces him to lose some balance, bat path is pretty flat through the ball as his backside clears well, comes around the ball when he gets long.  Defensively, showed good hands and footwork in the infield, played around and through the ball smoothly and with confidence, exchange took an extra step at times but led to a short arm action through a high ¾ release point.