Adam Akin
Director of Scouting

The 2016 Future Games were held at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana on August 4-6 and played host to the top uncommitted talent in the 2018 and 2019 classes throughout PBR’s 25+ state coverage.  College coaches from some of the biggest programs in the entire country were once again in attendance and looking heavily for the group of guys that will make up their next recruiting class.  Team Tennessee was composed of players that have shown very well at previous PBR showcases, as well as players that came highly recommended by scouts and/or high school and summer coaches throughout the state.  On Thursday, our position players completed a pro style workout, followed by game play on Friday and Saturday.  Below is a list of our right-handed pitchers and some of the highlights from their performances.

Right-Handed Pitchers

Corey Mitson, 5-10, 160, RHP, Tipton-Rosemark, 2018
Corey was the hardest thrower for Team Tennessee at the 2016 Future Games, as he sat 85-87 and touched 88 a number of times in his two innings of work.  Although smaller in stature, he has a quick arm and gets through his sharp and late-breaking 69-71 mph curveball very well.  In Mitson’s two innings, he allowed two singles and recorded two strikeouts, without surrendering a walk or a HBP.  He did allow two runs, although they were both unearned because of the three errors made behind him.  Corey is already a very polished pitcher and will only continue getting better.

Travis Odom, 6-1, 160, SS/RHP, Blackman, 2019
Of all the things Travis did to impress at the 2016 Future Games, his performance on the mound was certainly one of the best.  Odom’s fastball sat 84-86 and touched 87 a couple of times with some occasional late cut.  His loose arm action that also produced 90 mph throws from shortstop shows a lot of promise and room to grow.  Odom throws a lot of strikes with all four of his pitches and does a very good job of staying ahead in the count and putting pressure on the hitters.  Odom allowed no runs on one hit, while striking out two in his inning of work. 

Corey Wilson, 5-11, 160, RHP, Houston, 2018
Corey is a bulldog on the mound and pitches with the kind of mentality you want in a big game.  His mechanics are very repeatable and is usually a guy that fills up the strike zone from the first pitch on.  As the first pitcher on the mound for Team Tennessee at the Future Games, it took Wilson a couple of hitters to really get settled in.  After walking the first two hitters, Corey retired the next six guys that came to the plate.  He completed his two innings of work having given up no runs on no hits and two strikeouts.  His fastball sat 83-86 and showed an above average breaking ball for strikes.

Jett Jackson, 6-2, 155, RHP, Dickson County, 2019
Jett was certainly one of the highest ceiling pitchers that took the mound for Team Tennessee at the 2016 Future Games.  As he is only a 2019 graduate, Jackson still has plenty of time to grow and develop and is already beginning to impress.  With one of the loosest arms you’ll see, Jackson shows a ton of potential and a very high ceiling.  Sitting 83-85 with a 66-68 mph curveball, he’s already headed in the right direction.  Jackson allowed no runs on one hit and recorded two strikeouts in his two innings of work.

Jake Rucker, 6-2, 170, SS/RHP, Pope John Paul II, 2018
As stated in his position player assessment, Jake put together one of the most impressive overall performances of the weekend.  Along with his offensive prowess and his defensive abilities, Rucker is one of the top uncommitted 2018 pitchers in the state of Tennessee.  His smooth and loose arm action translates from playing shortstop and helps to produce fastball velocity from 83-86 and will touch 87 every now and then.  However, it’s really his breaking ball that has the potential to set him apart.  When it’s thrown correctly, Rucker can snap off a slider at 77-79 that is pretty devastating.  Although he gave up two runs in his inning of work, his stuff was sharp and he certainly turned some heads.

Camden Sewell, 6-3, 165, RHP, Cleveland, 2018
Camden came in as one of the more highly touted players on Team Tennessee’s roster.  Having shown well at a previous PBR event and recent summer outings, Sewell drew a lot of attention.  He struggled to find the strike zone early, but recovered and ended up only allowing one hit and striking out three in his two innings of work.  Sewell did walk a few and allowed two runs, but all of that was in his first inning. His loose and whippy arm action provides some tight run and sink to his 85-87 mph fastball and makes himself very hard to square up.  His 77-79 mph slider is certainly a strike out pitch when he wants it to be.  Camden’s wiry frame will soon begin filling out and he will certainly be someone to see. 

Elijah Pleasants, 6-4, 160, OF/RHP, Rossview, 2018
On the mound, Pleasants came out of nowhere to leave the Future Games as one of the highest ceiling arms available.  His combination of height and athleticism, along with his wiry frame, Elijah was able to draw a lot of attention to himself throughout the weekend.  Originally scheduled to throw only one inning for the weekend, it was requested of us by multiple PBR cross-checkers to allow him to throw one more inning on Saturday, so that everyone could see him again.  His long and loose arm action produced an 84-86 mph fastball and a potentially devastating curveball at 63-67.  Pleasants will receive a lot of attention over the next few months.

Matthew Steidl, 6-4, 170, RHP, Pope John Paul II, 2018
Matthew had the best outing of any of Team Tennessee’s pitchers, throwing two innings without allowing a single baserunner.  Hitters went 0-6 with two strikeouts against Steidl, as his long and rangy arm action really reaches toward the plate and forces his 84-86 mph fastball to get on the hitters quickly.  Steidl stayed very balanced and consistently worked ahead in the count.  His 68-70 mph curveball was a little slower than we’ve seen in the past, but it was also a lot more affective and more consistently thrown for strikes.  His frame and physical makeup suggest that he will fill out and will continue to gain velocity and add some more movement on his stuff. 

Brad Grenkoski, 6-3, 185, OF/RHP, Farragut, 2019
As noted in his position player analysis, Brad was one of the youngest players in the entire event, having just turned 15 in the middle of the summer.  With that being said, his length and athleticism are already standing out and simply add to the potential that his arm already shows.  Grenkoski threw one inning and allowed two runs and two hits, while an error was made that cost him a run.  His fastball sat 80-83 and touched 84 a couple of times with a little bit of run and his curveball stayed at 69 throughout his outing.  Brad comes from a baseball family, as his father and grandfather both played at an extremely high level.

Trey Oglesby, 6-3, 220, RHP, Carter, 2018
Trey took the mound in game one of the weekend and was almost immediately put in a bad spot by our defense.  He threw strikes and attacked the zone, but two errors were made in the first six at bats, causing him to pitch much longer than he should have had two.  He ended up allowing two runs in his two innings of work, but got out of jam with a double play and a lazy ground ball out.  Oglesby’s fastball was a little down from what has been seen out of him in the past, as he sat 79-83 with a 69-70 mph curveball.  If Trey can continue to develop and loosen up his arm action this offseason, look for him to have a very impressed season in 2017.

Jack McLaughlin, 6-4, 175, RHP, Father Ryan, 2018
Jack is one of the more polished uncommitted pitchers in the 2018 class, as he is consistently able to paint the corners with his fastball.  Although he gave up one walk at the Future Games, it was to the first hitter he faced.  McLaughlin’s fastball sat 83-85 and was complimented by a 66-69 breaking ball.  He is one of the rare high school age kids that uses a changeup effectively and on a consistent basis at 71-73.  McLaughlin gets a good shoulder tilt before heading home, which allows him to hide the ball a little longer when heading to the plate.  He gave up one run on two hits and recorded two strikeouts in his two innings of work.