Adam Akin
Director of Scouting



The 2017 PBR Tennessee West Tennessee Preseason Preview took place on Sunday, February 12 at Houston High School’s baseball field in Germantown, 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 middle infielder that participated in the event.

 

Colton Thompson, SS, Dickson County, 2019
60 Time: 7.07, Position Velocity:  IF-77, Exit Velocity: 83
6-foot-0, 165-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance with some initial upright posture, uses a short stride and a fairly big movement down and back with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires early but doesn’t always get his hips cleared to create separation, bat path is flat to slightly up through contact that produced a lot of line drives from gap to gap in BP.  Defensively, showed good hands and quick feet in the infield but did field it a little deep at times, played through the ball to lead into a loose and shorter arm through a ¾ slot, throws were accurate and firm. Solid all-around player.

Ryan Wells, SS/RHP, Eagleville, 2020
60 Time: 7.18, Position Velocity:  IF-81, Exit Velocity: 80
5-foot-10, 150-pound, RHH hits from a wider and even stance with some slightly higher hand positioning to begin, uses a pretty generic stride with a lowering and a pushback of his hands to get loaded, lower half does provide a wide and strong base and creates some solid separation by firing his back hip, swing plane is slightly up through the zone and provides some drive and lift, peppered left field with barreled line drives.  Defensively, showed solid hands and above-average footwork in the infield, played to and through the ball but could get a little smoother, exchange leads to a short arm action through a near over-the-top slot, firm throws have good carry and accuracy across the infield. 2020 to watch.

Braedon Melton, 2B, Arlington, 2017
60 Time: 7.15, Position Velocity:  IF-74, Exit Velocity: 83
6-foot-1, 190-pound, RHH hit from the same wider and even stance we saw from him at the Unsigned Senior Games back in September, hands seemed to be a little lower and slightly more relaxed, short stride and a subtle movement back with his hands gets him loaded, lower half was a little more active and cleared his hips better, bat path was much flatter through contact, more pop to pull side.  Defensively, showed good hands and fluid footwork in the infield, played through the ball very well, exchange used a glove pat at times put led to a short arm action through a high ¾ slot. Solid unsigned senior. 

Brandon Tucker, SS, Portland, 2019
60 Time: 7.65, Position Velocity:  IF-78, Exit Velocity: 75
5-foot-9, 188-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, played through the ball more aggressively than in the past and stayed under control, exchange is pretty clean and leads to a short arm action through a high ¾ slot.  

Tucker White, 2B, Lexington, 2018
60 Time: 6.98, Position Velocity:  IF-79, Exit Velocity: 79
5-foot-7, 160-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance with quiet initial hand placement, uses a short and early stride with a subtle move back with his hands to get loaded, lower half spins to get through and usually provides good balance, swing plane is slightly downhill through contact, at his best when he stays middle.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork in the infield, could have played through the ball with more momentum toward 1B, exchange led to a short arm action through a ¾ slot.

J.D. McCord, SS, Dyer County, 2020
60 Time: 7.47, Position Velocity:  IF-70, Exit Velocity: 75
5-foot-10, 155-pound, LHH hits from a taller and open stance and begins with his hands nice and relaxed, uses a very abbreviated little knee lift and a smooth stride with a slight movement back of his hands to get loaded, lower half gets his backside through but could provide more leverage with a wider base, bat path is generally flat through the zone but top hand can get a little strong, uses a line drive approach to all fields.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and average footwork in the infield, could’ve played through the ball with some more momentum, exchange includes a glove pat and lleads to a short arm action through a high ¾ slot.

Tanner Parmely, SS/RHP, McNairy Central, 2020
60 Time: 7.56, Position Velocity:  IF-70, Exit Velocity: 74
5-foot-8, 165-pound, RHH hits from a slightly wider and even stance with some very high initial hand positioning in his stance, uses a sudden and short stride with a movement down back with his hands to get loaded, lower half spins to clear his hips but doesn’t generate much torque, bat path is pretty flat with some lift at the end but gets armsy through contact, did barrel up.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork in the infield, could’ve built a little more momentum playing through the ball, exchange occasionally used an extra step, short arm action through a near over-the-top slot.