By Chris Fuller
PBR Tennessee

The first of our two Preseason Preview events took place at Showtime Spots Academy in Franklin on January 18, and there were several solid performances turned in. Complete stats and top statistical performers were previously posted shortly after the event. CLICK HERE to view that information.

The following is a look at the group of corner infielders who attended the event. This is position analysis only. Those corner infielders who also pitched at the event will have their pitching performance featured in a separate article.

Zane Denton, 3B, Ravenwood HS, 2019
5-foot-11, 180-pound switch-hitter hits from a balanced, athletic, and slightly open stance from both sides of the plate and uses a steady load of his hands and a small leg kick to engage his lower half at the beginning of his swing, really explodes his hips and showed an optimal swing path that will produce a lot of power and an increase to his already impressive 87 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Defensively, looked a little mechanical and should learn to trust his athleticism a little more, but does possess very reliable hands and a quick exchange and release from a high-3/4 arm angle that produced a 74 mph position velocity across the infield.  Denton also ran a 7.53 60-yard dash and was one of the most impressive young players we’ve seen in some time and will surely be regarded as a high-level prospect in the 2019 class.

Zach Sharber, 3B, Ravenwood HS, 2017
6-foot-3, 204-pound right-handed hitter hits from a tall and balanced stance and uses a slight leg kick and some rhythmic hand movement to initiate his swing, lower half fires very well and has no trouble clearing his hips, uses a pretty flat bat path and some uphill extension at the end of his swing to produce some very impressive power potential and an 87 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Defensively, showed efficient footwork and very good hands at the 3B position, utilized a clean exchange and a short arm action to produce some accurate throws across the infield at 79 mph.  Sharber showed us a lot at this event and continues to establish himself in the 2017 class.  Also ran a 7.70 60-yard dash.

Jack Sisk, RHP/1B, Ravenwood HS, 2018
6-foot-3, 220-pound right-handed hitter hits from an athletic and slightly open stance and uses a leg kick and a fairly long stride to engage his lower half, fires hips well and uses good rhythm throughout his swing, a slightly uphill swing path and some very good extension produce significant bat speed and power that suggest a much higher exit velocity than the 78 mph he registered at this event.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork, but played through the ball well, used a very long arm action and an over the top release to produce an 81 mph position velocity across the infield.  Sisk showed very well and proved to be a high level two-way prospect in the 2018 class.

Gage Gregory, 1B, Goodpasture Christian, 2017
6-foot-4, 225-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance and uses a short toe tap stride and subtle hand load to initiate his swing, good use of a powerful lower half helps to create a strong swing, short and downward swing path generate a lot of low line drives, over rotates at times, good bat speed and strength combined to produce an 87 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Defensively, displayed average hands and feet but knew his way around the bag, used a high-3/4 arm slot to get the ball across the infield at a 73 mph clip after utilizing a long, clean transfer. Gregory could improve upon his 8.09 60-yard dash but showed some good signs of improvement and has potential to hit for power at the next level.

Andrew Winningham, 1B/3B, Franklin HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 190-pound left-handed hitter hits from a very balanced stance, small and quick leg kick and a smooth and subtle wrap combine to provide a solid load position, does a good job firing his lower half, will glide a little bit from time to time, short swing and low line drive approach come from a fluid rhythm that produced an 81 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Ran a 7.65 60-yard dash.  Defensively, played a solid 1B and showed experienced footwork around the bag, some accuracy from a ¾ arm slot was also prevalent from 3B, long arm action and a 71 mph position velocity across the infield.

Ryan Lyle, 3B, Goodpasture Christian, 2017
6-foot, 180-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced and upright stance and uses a slight hand load and a conventional stride to get himself going, showed a short swing with a level bat path through the zone, line drive hitter with average bat speed that produced a significantly improved 81 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Defensively, showed average hands and decent footwork in his approach to the ball, worked through it well and utilized a clean transfer and long arm action to produce a very accurate 76 mph position velocity across the infield from over the top.  Lyle also ran a 7.90 60-yard dash.

Baylor Jones, 1B, Grace Christian, 2019
5-foot-10, 175-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced and upright stance and uses a short stride and pushes his hands back to constitute his load, does okay with his lower half, gets out over his front foot at times which causes occasional stiffness, showed a 71 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Ran an improved 7.88 60-yard dash and played a very solid 1B.  Steady hands and good maneuverability around the bag are certainly positives in Jones’ game, uses a clean exchange and long arm action from a high-3/4 arm action to produce a 76 mph position velocity across the infield (74 at previous event).  As he matures, Jones could show improvements in a lot of areas that would make him very intriguing as he has a solid foundation to work from.

Drew Webb, 1B, Madisonville North Hopkins (KY), 2017
5-foot-11, 234-pound right-handed hitter hits from a balanced stance and utilizes a short stride and a simple hand drop and wrap to constitute his load, lacks some lower half involvement but showed a quick, short, and level swing in producing an 75 mph (81 at previous event) exit velocity off the tee, very handsy swing.  Showed solid hands and maneuverability around the bag on the defensive side, short exchange and arm action led to a 75 mph position velocity from an over the top release point.  Webb also ran a 7.58 60-yard dash.