Adam Akin
Director of Scouting


The 2016 PBR Tennessee Unsigned Senior Games took place on Sunday, September 18 at Woody Hunt Stadium on the campus of Cumberland University and included a position player workout, followed by pitcher bullpens.  The original schedule was adjusted, due to heavy rain on Saturday evening. Players were afforded the opportunity to showcase their abilities to the PBR Tennessee staff and college coaches in attendance. The following is our evaluation of every position player that was assigned to the Gray Team in Sunday’s action.

 

OUTFIELDERS

Jake Holloway, RHP/OF, Battle Ground Academy, 2017
60 Time: 7.38, Position Velocity:  OF-81, Exit Velocity: 79
5-foot-11, 190-pound, RHH hits from an athletic and open stance with his hands in strong position, used an abbreviated leg kick and shorter stride than we saw at the Top Prospect Games in June along with that same push back of the hands to get loaded, lower half is very strong and created a good base for him to work on, bat path stayed fairly flat through the zone with some lift, hit a lot of balls hard in the air and up the middle.  Defensively, stays very much under control and plays through the ball consistently, could be a little more aggressive, clean exchange led to a long arm action from an over-the-top slot, good carry and accuracy on his throws. 

Blake Osborne, OF/RHP, Davidson Academy, 2017
60 Time: 7.23, Position Velocity:  OF-83, Exit Velocity: 77
5-foot-10, 150-pound, RHH hits from the same taller and athletic stance we saw from him at the East TN Games, slightly open stance, utilizes that smooth and relatively long stride that seemed to be a little more aggressive at this event, barrel tilt to get loaded, lower half worked well, bat path seemed to be a little flatter than in the past and still showed that little bit of lift, drove some balls toward LCF and hard up the middle. Defensively, played athletically in the outfield while approaching the ball under control and with confidence, worked through the ball smoothly but would’ve liked to see a little more aggressiveness, clean exchange led to a long and loose arm action from an over-the-top slot and produced accurate throws with good carry.

Wiley Barton, LHP/OF, Trousdale County, 2017
60 Time: 7.21, Position Velocity:  OF-79, Exit Velocity: 84
5-foot-7, 165-pound, LHH hits from a balanced and even stance with some looseness, uses a short stride and a push back of his hands to get loaded, lower half works and gets his backside through but pulls his upper body forward a little bit, swing path is flat through the zone and produced line drives to all areas of the cage, good potential to hit the ball where it’s pitched.  Defensively, showed good hands and footwork as he played through the ball well and with confidence, stayed fluid, clean transfer led to a shorter arm action through a high ¾ slot, throws were accurate with average arm strength.

Jon Lynn, OF/RHP, Creekwood, 2017
60 Time: 7.21, Position Velocity:  OF-84, Exit Velocity: 70
5-foot-10, 145-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and closed stance with some fairly high hand positioning, picks his front foot up and brings it back down with a slight lowering of his hands to get loaded, lower half fires but keeps him high and almost up on his toes at contact, hands come down into a good slot and through the zone on a flat plane, hit a lot of low line drives and ground balls up the middle during his BP session. Defensively, attacked the ball with average hands and footwork and made an obvious attempt to play through it aggressively, long exchange and arm action comes through a high ¾ to over-the-top arm slot with good arm strength.

Nathan Johnson, RHP/OF, Hardin Valley Academy, 2017
60 Time: 7.25, Position Velocity:  OF-75, Exit Velocity: 75
5-foot-11, 160-pound, LHH hits from a balanced and slightly taller stance with even alignment, uses a quick and short stride with hardly any hand movement to get loaded, lower half gets through but does so very suddenly and keeps him very tall, could create some more torque if he got into his legs some more, swing is short and steep to contact without much extension, hit a lot of pull side ground balls and oppo balls in the air.  Defensively, played through the ball but seemed a bit mechanical at times, showed average hands and footwork in the outfield and used a long exchange and arm action through a high ¾ release point with average arm strength.

FIRST BASEMEN

Daniel Freeman, 1B/LHP, Stewarts Creek, 2017
60 Time: 7.58, Position Velocity:  IF-80, Exit Velocity: 84
6-foot-5, 200-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance with some subtle hand movement to stay loose, uses an abbreviated leg kick and stride along with a lowering and push back of his hands to get loaded, lower half fires and gets through the zone well but pulls him forward a little too much at times, uses his backside well as he gets in a strong position and gets the barrel through the zone on a level plane, showed some power potential in BP with a lot of high line drives toward CF.  Defensively, showed good hands and footwork around the bag with a sense of confidence and fluidity, played through the ball smoothly and used a long arm action through a high ¾ slot to produce accurate throws across the infield.

Andrew Winningham, 1B, Franklin, 2017
60 Time: 7.69, Position Velocity:  IF-68, Exit Velocity: 84
5-foot-10, 190-pound, LHH hits from an even and slightly wider stance than we saw from him at the Top Prospect Games in June, similarly higher hand positioning as we’ve seen, abbreviated and slightly smaller leg kick and stride with a lowering and push back of his hands to get loaded, swing plane is steep to the ball with a short finish, hit some balls very hard to pull side with some line drives toward CF.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork around the bag, gives a little hop right before getting into fielding position that can keep him slightly on his heels, gather and exchange takes some time and leads to a shorter arm action through a high ¾ slot.

MIDDLE INFIELDERS

Braedon Melton, 2B, Arlington, 2017
60 Time: 7.09, Position Velocity:  IF-72, Exit Velocity: 88
6-foot-1, 190-pound, RHH hits from a wider and even stance with some fairly high hand positioning, uses a short stride and a movement back with his hands to get loaded, can look a little stiff at times, lower half gets through but stays very tall throughout his swing, should use height for leverage, bat path starts a little steep because of his hand positioning but is able to flatten out and provide some lift at the end, can get armsy, hit balls hard and low back up the middle in BP.  Defensively, showed good footwork and hands while playing around and through the ball well, used a clean exchange and a short arm action through an over-the-top slot to produce accurate throws across the infield.

Anthony Norman, SS/RHP, LaVergne, 2017
60 Time: 7.28, Position Velocity:  IF-76, Exit Velocity: 74
6-foot-0, 150-pound, RHH hits from a taller and slightly open stance with relaxed hands, uses a slow and smooth stride that actually leaves him a little closed when he lands, lower half works and gets through but doesn’t always maintain balance, bat path is a little steep through the zone but finishes high and loosely, closed front side influences him to come around the ball a little bit, hit some hard ground balls to the left side in BP.  Defensively, showed good hands and footwork at the shortstop position, played through the ball smoothly and used a clean exchange and a short arm action through a high ¾ slot to get the ball across the infield with average arm strength.

Dillon Miller, 2B/OF, Oakland, 2017
60 Time: 7.2, Position Velocity:  IF-69, OF-72, Exit Velocity: 75
5-foot-10, 150-pound, RHH hits from a wider and even stance, uses a short stride and a push back of his hands that creates a little barrel tilt to get loaded, lower half turns but doesn’t create the separation it’s capable of by coming at the same time as his hands, hands drop into a good slot and come through the zone on a flat to upward plane, got through the ball well and drove some ground balls and hard line drives the other way, pulled some ground balls.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork in the infield as he put himself in solid fielding position but didn’t play through it smoothly, shorter arm action came through a high ¾ slot, showed versatility by also competing in the outfield.

Presley Carver, SS, Fulton, 2017
60 Time: 7.44, Position Velocity:  IF-70, Exit Velocity: 87
6-foot-0, 190-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and slightly closed stance with a decent amound of hand movement to stay loose, uses a leg lift with a lot of movement and a quick stride with a slight movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half gets through but forces his front knee to collapse and forces a soft base, bat path consistent with a slightly uphill plane and comes around the ball some,  hit almost everything to his pull side in BP.  Defensively, showed good hands with incosistent footwork, usually put himself in good positions but rushed from time to time, showed some range, used a quick arm action through a ¾ release point to get the ball across the infield.

Nathan Kernell, 2B, Gallatin, 2017
60 Time: 7.45, Position Velocity:  IF-71, Exit Velocity: 69
5-foot-7, 135-pound, RHH hits from a taller and even stance with some high and unique hand positioning out in front of his face, also uses a bit of a waggle to stay loose, started with a quick leg kick and slowly moved to a simple and short stride toward the end of the round, hands come down and move back with a bit of movement to get loaded, lower half works but doesn’t fire as strongly as it could, swing plane is pretty flat through the zone, can get handsy and come around balls to the pull side, barreled some balls up the middle.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork, often fielded the ball too deep and had trouble playing through it, long exchange sometimes included a glove pat and led to a short arm action through a high ¾ slot and average arm strength.

THIRD BASEMEN

DJ Wright, 3B/RHP, Blackman, 2017
60 Time: 6.98, Position Velocity:  IF-84, Exit Velocity: 84
6-foot-3, 175-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and slightly open stance with his hands beginning just above his shoulder, uses a short and early stride along with a movement back and up with his hands to get loaded, lower half gets through but pulls him up to a taller position, could create some serious leverage with more engagement of lower half, swing plane begins steeply but seems to flatten out and provide some lift at the end, hit balls hard to RCF and up the middle, athletic kid produces good bat speed with low effort.  Defensively, showed good hands and footwork at the corner and played around and through the ball very smoothly, gather and exchange took a step but led to strong throws across the infield with accuracy through a high ¾ release point. 

Nicholas Plemons, 3B, Lenoir Cuty, 2017
60 Time: 7.47, Position Velocity:  IF-76, Exit Velocity: 74
6-foot-0, 180-pound, RHH hits from an athletically balanced and slightly open stance with his hands relaxes just below his back shoulder, uses a leg kick with a long stride and a rhythmic movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires very quickly and with intent and allows him good separation, swing plane is flat on balls belt high or above but can get steep on lower pitches, attacks the ball with entire body, hit some balls very hard up the middle and showed gap-to-gap potential. Defensively, showed pretty good hand and above average footwork, played around and through the ball well, gather and exchange take a step, arm action is short and somewhat stiff from an over-the-top slot but was pretty accurate.

Dalton Squires, 3B, Lebanon, 2017
60 Time: 8.32, Position Velocity:  IF-68, Exit Velocity: 75
5-foot-11, 210-pound, RHH hits from a tall and narrow stance with an open front foot, uses a leg kick and a long stride along with a tilt of the barrel to get loaded, lower half gets through but not until after contact and causes him to come around the ball, swing plane is flat to slightly up through the zone on a typically good plane, releases the barrel just before or at impact, hit balls hard and stayed mostly middle to pull side.  Defensively, showed good hands and average footwork, got where he needed to be but didn’t play through the ball as aggressively as he can, gather and exchange took an extra step and led to a short arm action through a high ¾ slot to get the ball across the infield.

CATCHERS

Hayden Locum, C, Murfreesboro Central Magnet, 2017
60 Time: 7.41, Pop Time: 1.99-2.07, Position Velocity:  C-74, Exit Velocity: 83
6-foot-5, 195-pound, RHH hits from an athletically balanced and slight open stance with some high initial hand positioning, uses a short stride with a slight push back of the hands to get loaded, lower half fires through and creates good separation and leverage while keeping him behind the ball, backside turns through the ball and creates a flat bat path with some lift at the end, long arms get extended through the ball, drove balls hard from LCF to RCF with gap power.  Defensively, showed good hands and smooth footwork behind the plate, worked hard during bullpens, clean and high exchange helped him get rid of the ball with a short arm action through an over-the-top slot with good carry and accuracy.

Noah Brock, C, Columbia Academy, 2017
60 Time: 7.28, Pop Time: 2.08-2.18, Position Velocity:  C-74, Exit Velocity: 74
5-foot-10, 155-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and slightly open stance with his hands in a relatively high position near his head, uses a leg kick and stride along with some rhythmic movement up and back with his hands to get loaded, lower half gets through but doesn’t fire as quickly as it could, stays balanced with a bent front leg, bat path starts steeply because of his hand positioning but quickly levels out to get through the ball.  Defensively, showed above average hands and footwork behind the plate as he played through the ball but would often stride way open when throwing to 2B, exchange was a little lower and out front but led to a quick release from a short arm action through a high ¾ slot.