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By Matt Byrd
TN Director of Scouting

The Preseason All-State Showcase took place on February 7 at Showtime Sports Academy in Franklin and proved to be the most talented group of players we have assembled since we began running events in the state in August.

The following is a look at the catchers who participated in the event broken down by class. Top to bottom, this group was very solid with many players who have the potential to play at the next level.

class of 2015 catchers

Matthew Dudas, R/R, Ravenwood HS, 2015, C
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound catcher ran a 7.03 60 yard dash time and had a 78 mph position velocity, Defensively Dudas showed good arm strength and soft hands, received the ball well and had 1.96-2.04 pop times, Dudas showed natural instincts and had a clean exchange. At the plate Dudas hit from a balanced setup with a leg kick involved, showed good balance and bat speed, is a gap to gap type hitter with power potential, had an 88mph exit velocity off of the tee, athletic catcher with good upside both offensively and defensively.

John O’Dwyer, R/R, Father Ryan HS, 2015, C
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound catcher ran a 7.06 60 yard dash time and had a 75 mph position velocity, Defensively O’Dwyer had  2.00-2.06 pop times , showed good arm strength and quick footwork, had short arm action, showed a clean exchange with quick instincts. At the plate O’Dwyer hit from a balanced setup with a short leg kick involved, showed good bat speed with an 89 mph exit velocity off of the tee, showed average balance and gap to gap potential, O’Dwyer has an aggressive approach at the plate with some next level power potential.

Hunter Malone, R/R, Munford HS, 2015, C
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound catcher ran 7.68 60 yard dash time and had a 76 mph position velocity, Defensively Malone had  1.97-2.07 pop times, showed quick footwork and natural instincts, average receiver, solid arm strength.  At the plate Malone has an athletic setup, big load back with front foot, showed average balance and average bat speed, likes to pull the ball and has a tendency to wrap his bat at times, has an aggressive approach, Malone had a 82 mph exit velocity off of the tee.

class of 2016 catchers

Jackson Greer, R/R, Knoxville Central HS, 2016, C
The 6 foot 3, 195-pound catcher had a 60 yard dash time of 7.54 and a 78 mph position velocity, Defensively Greer had a 1.84-1.94 pop time, showed good lateral movement and blocking ability , had good footwork but needs to improve on receiving the ball on the corners, had good arm strength. At the plate Greer hits from a balanced setup with a long stride, showed fast bat speed and had an aggressive approach, is a gap to gap type hitter with power potential, showed average balance and has a tendency to pull the ball, had a 85 mph exit velocity off the tee.

Clayton Keller, R/R, Houston HS, 2016, C/1B
The 6 foot 2, 205- pound C/1B ran a 7.77 60 yard dash time and had a 74mph position velocity across the infield and 73mph position velocity behind the plate, Defensively in the infield Keller showed soft hands and fluid footwork, had natural instincts. Behind the plate Keller had a 1.97-2.10 pop time, received the ball well and had a high setup, can work on getting rid of the ball quicker. At the plate  Keller hit from a balance setup with a short stride, showed fast bat speed with an aggressive approach, had good balance and fluid rhythm, has potential to be a power type hitter, had a 92mph exit velocity off the tee, showed some projectable power.

Cody Gentile, R/R, White House HS, 2016, C
The 6 foot , 145-pound catcher ran a 7.97 60 yard dash time and had a position velocity of 68 mph, Defensively Gentile showed natural instincts and a clean exchange, Gentile recorded  2.14-2.21 pop times. At the plate Gentile hit from a balanced setup with a slight leg kick, showed good balance, average bat speed with a good approach, line drive type hitter, offensive game will improve on as he gets physically stronger.

class of 2017 catchers

Philip Clarke, L/R, Christ Presbyterian Academy, 2017, C
The 5 foot 10, 175-pound catcher ran a 7.22 60 yard dash time and had a position velocity of 75 mph, defensively  Clarke showed good receiving skills and arm strength, had natural instincts and a clean exchange, Clarke had  1.96-2.08 pop times. At the plate Clarke had an open setup with a leg kick involved, showed good balance and good bat speed, Clarke is a gap to gap type hitter who shows some power already, had an exit velocity off the tee of 87 mph, showed good projectability and is a guy to keep a close eye on with potential to be a very good left-handed hitting catcher at the next level.

David Russell, R/R, Gallatin HS, 2017, C/SS
The 6 foot 1, 175-pound Catcher/Infielder ran a 7.42 60 yard dash time and had a position velocity of 82 mph from the infield and 77 mph from behind the plate. At the plate Russell has an open setup with a long stride, showed good balance and fast bat speed with an aggressive approach, shows power potential. Behind the plate Russell had 2.01-2.09 pop times, received and blocked the ball well but had a high setup. In the infield Russell showed soft hands and fluid footwork, had accuracy on his throws and showed good arm strength, Russell needs to improve on his overall speed and lateral quickness, showed good projectability.

Shaddon Peavyhouse, R/R, Unicoi Co HS, 2017, C
The 6 foot 2, 170-pound catcher ran a 7.48 60 yard dash time run and had a position velocity of 77 mph, defensively Peavyhouse had  2.01-2.09 pop times with good arm strength, did a good job receiving the ball, handled high-80’s velocity well. At the plate Peavyhouse  hits from an open setup and has a short stride, has average bat speed and showed an opposite field approach in his round of batting practice, had an exit velocity off the tee of 80 mph.

Carson Carroll, R/R, Independence HS, 2017, C/3B
The 6 foot, 185-pound C/3B ran a 8.05 60 yard dash time and showed 78 mph position velocity from the infield and a 75 mph position velocity from behind the plate, Defensively behind the plate Carroll had 2.01-2.13 pop times, showed good skills receiving, blocking, and had a clean exchange. In the infield Carroll showed soft hands and natural instincts, needs to improve on his footwork and working through the ball. At the plate Carroll has an open setup with a short stride, showed average bat speed with a 77 mph exit velocity off of the tee, has a short and compact stroke that produces line drives with gap to gap approach.

Parker Piskos, R/R, Henry Co HS, 2017, C
The 5 foot 11, 178-pound catcher ran a 7.16 60 yard dash time and had a position velocity of 75 mph, at the plate Piskos has an athletic setup with a slight leg kick, shows above average bat speed, was aggressive at the plate and is a line drive type hitter, Piskos has a tendency to drop his hands at times which causes him to get under the baseball at times, Piskos had a tee exit velocity of 88 mph. Defensively Piskos had  2.03-2.14 pop times , did a solid job at receiving the ball, pop times have room to improve with quicker footwork.  Piskos should continue to develop as he continues to get bigger and stronger.

class of 2018 catchers

AJ Green, R/R, Bolton HS, 2018, C
The 5-foot-9, 155-pound catcher showed good athleticism, ran a 6.91 60-yard dash, had a position velocity of 71 mph from behind the plate. Hits from a balanced stance with a long stride, wraps bat in load creating some length to swing, level swing path, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, 79 mph exit velocity off the tee. Defensively, has a quick exchange and release, above average arm strength for age, 2.02-2.11 pop times, solid footwork, athletic prospect and one to follow from 2018 class.