By Matt Byrd
PBR Tennessee

The East Tennessee Fall Prospect Games event took place on Sunday, October 25 and afforded players from around the state the opportunity to showcase their abilities in a combination showcase/game play event. There were many solid performances turned in, including some by players attending their first PBR event who opened some eyes. The complete statistics and top statistical performers from the event were previously posted. You can CLICK HERE to view that information.

The following is a look at the Team Royal position players who participated in the event. This is position analysis only. Those position players who also pitched at the event will have their pitching performance featured in a subsequent article.

Middle Infielders

Dalton Langston, 2016, Knoxville Halls, 2B
The 5 foot 9, 185-pound prospect posted a 7.68 60 time and had an 82 mph position velocity across the infield (his best to date). Defensively Langston has short arm action, some accuracy on throws, good arm strength, soft hands, fluid footwork, quick exchange, plays through the ball, and has natural second base instincts. Offensively, Langston shows some bat speed from the right side and had a 82 mph exit velocity off the tee (best to date). Langston hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride, uses his lower half, has good to average balance, aggressive approach, level path that can get long on pitches away, is a line drive type hitter. He went 1 for 4 during game play. Langston is a high-energy type player.

Tanner Johnson, 2017, Walhalla(SC), SS
The 5 foot 11, 162-pound prospect posted a 7.19 60 time and had a 73 mph position velocity across the infield. Defensively Johnson shows short arm action with a ¾ release, accuracy on throws, average arm strength, average hands, fluid footwork with good lateral movement, clean exchange and gets rid of the ball quickly. Offensively, Johnson shows average bat speed from the right side and had a 66 mph exit velocity off the tee. Johnson hits from a balanced setup, has a long stride, uses his lower half, shows overall average balance, level swing path, and is a line drive type hitter. Johnson went 0 for 3 during game play.

Parker Stinnett, 2018, Powell, 2B
The 6 foot 1, 165-pound prospect posted a 7.52 60 time and had a 72 mph position velocity across the infield. Defensively Stinnett shows short arm action with a ¾ release, some accuracy on throws, average arm strength, average hands, has room to improve quickness of release and working through the baseball. Offensively, Stinnett shows average bat speed from the left side and had a 73 mph exit velocity off the tee. Stinnett hits from a balanced setup with a slight leg kick involved, uses his lower half, has good overall balance, good approach with the ability to use all fields, level swing path that triggers from chest level. Stinnett has good hands at the plate and went 1 for 4 during game play. He will be a 2018 guy to keep an eye on as he continues to develop and get stronger.

Riley Phillips, 2018, Lookout Valley, 2B
The 6 foot 2, 150-pound prospect posted a 7.13 60 time and had a 74 mph position velocity across the infield.  Defensively Phillips shows long arm action with an over the top release, some accuracy, average arm strength, average hands, good lateral movement, long exchange, and shows some athletic ability. Phillips showed below average bat speed from the right side and had a 67 mph exit velocity off the tee. Phillips hits from a balanced setup with a big leg kick involved, has a level path but will cut his swing short at times, line drive type hitter shows a pull approach. He went 0 for 3 during game play and his offensive game should continue to evolve as he fills out his lanky frame.

Brent Percell, 2016, Daniel Boone, SS
The 6 foot 1, 180-pound prospect posted a 7.92 60 time and had a 71 mph position velocity across the infield. Defensively Percell shows short arm action with a high-3/4 release, some accuracy, average arm strength, average hands, clean exchange. Offensively, Percell shows average bat speed from the right side and had a 70 mph exit velocity off the tee. Percell hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride, gets his lower half involved some, has good overall balance, short swing path, and is a line drive type hitter. Percell went 0 for 3 during game play.

Corner Infielders

Bryce Hodge, 2017, Knoxville Halls, 3B
The 6 foot 1, 195-pound prospect posted a 7.33 60 time and showed his best arm strength to date at 79 mph across the infield. Defensively, Hodge shows short arm action with a high-3/4 release, accuracy on throws, average arm strength, soft hands, fluid footwork with athletic corner actions. Offensively, Hodge shows fast bat speed from the right side and had a 93 mph exit velocity off the tee. Hodge hits from a balanced setup with a leg kick involved, drives the barrel through the zone with good lower half torque, has good overall balance, good approach, level swing with extension, showed off his power with a BP home run to left field. Hodge went 2 for 4 during game play. He projects as a middle of the order bat at the next level.

Dean Malenda, 2016, Daniel Boone, 3B
The 6 foot 2, 200-pound prospect posted a 7.57 60 time and had an 81 mph position velocity across the infield. Defensively, Malenda shows long arm action with a high-3/4 release, some accuracy, above average arm strength that plays well across the infield, moves well laterally for size. Offensively, Malenda shows average bat speed from the right side and had a 74 mph exit velocity off the tee. Malenda hits from an open setup and squares up with a short stride, hands load back and drop at trigger, has raw strength in swing, showed a mid to opposite field approach. Malenda went 0 for 3 during game play.

Graham Duke, 2019, Cornersville, 3B
The 5 foot 10, 179-pound prospect posted an 8.16 60 time and had a 79 mph position velocity across the infield.  Defensively, Duke shows short arm action with a high-3/4 release, some accuracy, above average arm strength for age that plays well on the left side of the infield, playable hands. Offensively, Duke has above average bat speed for age from the right side and had an 80 mph exit velocity off the tee. Duke hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, has a short swing path with some extension through contact, creates occasional lift with swing with a pull approach.

Dalton Jones, 2017, Sequoyah, 1B
The 5 foot 9, 190-pound prospect posted an 8.03 60 time and had a 68 mph position velocity across the infield. Defensively, Jones shows short arm action, accuracy on throws, below average arm strength, average hands and footwork around the bag. Offensively, Jones has average bat speed from the right side and had a 79 mph exit velocity off the tee. Jones hit from a balanced setup with a leg kick involved, uses his lower half, has good balance, aggressive approach, level path, is a line drive type hitter with fluid rhythm.  Jones went 0 for 3 during game play.

Catchers

Shaddon Peavyhouse, 2017, Unicoi County, C
The 6 foot 2, 170-pound prospect posted a 7.48 60 time and had a 74 mph position velocity from behind the plate (77 at previous event). Defensively Peavyhouse shows short arm action with a quick release, consistently accurate throws, average arm strength, soft hands receiving the ball, footwork stays online but has room to be quicker, has a clean exchange and had  2.06-2.09 pop times. Offensively Peavyhouse  posted a 77 mph exit velocity off the tee, hits from an open setup, has a short stride, gets some use out of his lower half, mid to opposite field approach and does a good job of taking the outside pitch the other way, Peavyhouse went 1 for 4 during game play.

Will Gladson, 2018, Dobyns-Bennett, C
The 5 foot 8, 170-pound prospect posted a 7.90 60 time and had a 75 mph position velocity from behind the plate. Defensively Gladson  shows short arm action with a fairly quick release, has some accuracy on throws, above average arm strength for age, soft hands receiving the ball, footwork stays online with room to be quicker, had 2.03-2.12 pop times. Offensively Gladson has above average bat speed from the right side and had an 81 mph exit velocity off the tee. Gladson hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride, shows some looseness in hands, uses his lower half, shows average overall balance, aggressive approach at the plate, level swing path, pull type hitter. Gladson  went 0 for 3 during game play. He is a class of 2018 player to keep an eye on.

Outfielders

Tony Curry, 2017, Roane County, OF
The 6 foot 1, 170-pound prospect posted a 7.56 60 time and had an 82 mph position velocity from the outfield. Defensively Curry shows long/loose arm action with a high-3/4 release, some accuracy, good arm strength, fluid footwork, clean exchange, plays through the ball, and shows solid outfield instincts. Offensively, Curry shows average bat speed from the right side and had a 79 mph exit velocity off the tee. Curry hits from a balanced/wide base, has a short stride, shows flashes of hand quickness on inner-half pitches, has average overall balance, aggressive approach at the plate, level swing path with a pull approach. Curry went 0 for 3 during game play making contact in each at bat.

Bryce Woody, 2017, Roane County, OF
The 5 foot 11, 170-pound prospect posted a 7.08 60 time and had an 86 mph position velocity from the outfield. Defensively Woody shows shorter/quick arm action from a high-3/4 release, some accuracy, good arm strength with life and carry, fluid footwork with athletic actions. Offensively Woody shows average bat speed from the right side and had a 79 mph exit velocity off the tee. Woody hits from a slightly open setup, has a mid-length stride, shows average overall balance, has a level path but drops his hands at times, is more of an opposite field type hitter. Woody went 0 for 3 during game play.

Stokes Needham, 2018, Knoxville Webb, OF
The 6 foot 1, 175-pound prospect posted a 6.94 60 time and had a 71 mph position velocity from the outfield. Defensively Needham shows short arm action, some accuracy, average arm strength, soft to average hands, fluid footwork but needs to get quicker, clean exchange, plays through the ball, and has natural instincts. Offensively Needham shows average bat speed from the right side and had a 76 mph exit velocity off the tee. Needham hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride, uses his lower half, has average overall balance, aggressive approach at the plate, level path, fluid rhythm, and is a line drive type hitter. Stokes went 1 for 4 during game play with a double.

Brantley Darnell, 2016, Chuckey- Doak, OF
The 6 foot 2, 180-pound prospect posted a 7.07 60 time and had a 74 mph position velocity from the outfield. Defensively Darnell shows short arm action with a high-3/4 release, some accuracy on throws, average arm strength, has room to be more aggressive in playing through the ball. Offensively Darnell shows average bat speed from the right side and had a 79 mph exit velocity off the tee. Darnell hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride, shows some looseness in hands with an aggressive approach at the plate, level swing path with some length on occasion, shows a pull approach. Darnell shows good overall strength at the plate and had an impressive round of batting practice. Darnell went 0 for 3 during game play.