Adam Akin
Director of Scouting

The 2016 PBR Tennessee East Tennessee Prospect Games took place on Sunday, September 4 at Thomas Stadium on the campus of East Tennessee State University and included a position player workout, followed by two 6 inning games. 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 pitcher that was assigned to the Black Team in Sunday’s action.

 

Tyler Shaver, SS/RHP, Jefferson Co, 2018
Max FB: 84, FB: 82-84, CB: 69-71,
5-foot-9, 150-pound, RHP was the most athletic and projectable pitcher at the event, used an athletic motion and good rhythm throughout his delivery, worked quickly and with good tempo, got his front hip loaded well at the top of his leg lift and made an aggressive move toward the plate with an in-line or very slightly closed stride, finishes with some momentum still headed toward the plate,  longer arm action is impressively quick and whips through his release from a high ¾ slot.  Fastball was kept down and showed the ability to produce both hard cut and/or run through the zone, curveball was very sharp and showed some powerful 11/5 action at the plate.

Ben Joyce, RHP, Farragut, 2018
Max FB: 82, FB: 81-82, CB: 66-67, CH: 78,
6-foot-1, 166-pound, RHP showed an ability to really pitch by commanding the zone and getting ahead in counts, pitched with confidence and solid tempo, gathers with his whole body at the top of his leg lift and attacks the plate with an aggressive stride that stays in line, follows through well and lands with a balanced base, long and pretty loose arm action comes through a high ¾ release with some conviction.  Fastball showed hard run all the way through the zone and was spotted up a number of times, curveball displayed 11/5 shape with some late bite to it that had some guys chasing, changeup was a decent change of pace and died a little at the plate.

Jacques Gillespie Taylor, RHP/3B, Greeneville, 2019
Max FB: 81, FB: 79-81, CH: 69, SL: 64-66
6-foot-0, 210-pound, RHP uses an athletic and quicker motion that can sometimes seem a little bit rushed, up-tempo rocker step and leg lift don’t produce the full load they are capable of, stride leg comes down quickly and in a slightly closed position, would benefit from a longer stride, finishes pretty well balanced with a slight lean toward 3B, shorter arm action stays fairly loose and comes through a ¾ slot.  Fastball seemed heavy and showed some slight run through the zone, slider had some gradual 10/4 shape and moved at a consistent pace, changeup was simply a change of pace. 

Derick Junker, 2B/RHP, Blackman, 2017
Max FB: 82, FB: 78-82, CB: 72-73, CH: 74,
6-foot-0, 160-pound, RHP threw exclusively out of the stretch and used a quicker and athletic movement toward the plate, leg lift gets his front side closed but opens back up a little soon, stays very much aligned throughout his delivery and lands in that same manner, finishes nearly straight up and down with his trail leg landing closer to 1B, longer arm action comes through a high ¾ release point. Fastball stayed mostly straight with some occasionally slight run through the zone, curveball showed 11/5 shape, and his changeup was a decent change of pace and can be thrown for strikes.

Matthew Stubblefield, RHP, Bearden, 2018
Max FB: 81, FB: 76-79, CB: 64-65, CH: 67,
5-foot-11, 170-pound, RHP uses a very slow and methodical motion to deliver pitches, consistently builds up to a quicker final movement toward the plate, leg lift only gets to around waist level and doesn’t built up too much momentum because of its slow tempo, strides in line and finishes in a balanced position most of the time, short arm action comes through a high ¾ release that can look a little stiff.  Fastball stayed mostly straight with occasionally very slight run, curveball had 11/5 shape and changeup showed fade down in the zone. 

Blaine Robinson, RHP/OF, Morristown Hamblen  West, 2019
Max FB: 78, FB: 74-78, CB: 68-69,
5-foot-11, 160-pound, RHP threw completely out of the stretch in an attempt to stay collected and consistent, stays tall through his leg lift and approach to the plate, strides and lands in a closed position, doesn’t always get out over his front leg and had some trouble getting the ball away from righties at times, finishes and follows through toward the 1B side, long arm action comes through a high ¾ slot.  Fastball stayed mostly straight but showed some occasional sink at the end, curveball showed 12/6 shape and was a good change of pace in bigger situations.

Sam Simonson, LHP, Mount Juliet, 2019
Max FB: 76, FB: 72-76, CB: 68-69,
6-foot-1, 140-pound, LHP threw exclusively out of the stretch, stayed very still and controlled throughout his motion and delivery toward the plate, leg lift comes straight up as he keeps his shoulders level toward the plate, strides and lands slightly closed as he approaches the plate, usually finished balanced but occasionally showed some fall toward 3B, arm action was relatively short through a high ¾ slot.  Fastball stayed pretty straight through the zone, breaking ball had a decent amount of movement with 1/7 action.   

Riley Church, 1B/OF/LHP, Maryville, 2018
Max FB: 74, FB: 71-74, SL: 60-62
6-foot-1, 160-pound, LHP uses a smooth motion with good rhythm to build up some momentum toward the plate before his release, hands work in unison with his lower body and put him in a good spot to succeed, leg lift is fluid and gets his front hip loaded well, stride leg looks like it will land closed but opens at the last second to finish in line and produce a well-balanced follow through, controlled arm action comes through a high ¾ slot.  Fastball was typically straight and his slider showed some sweeping 2/8 action across the zone and was thrown for strikes.