Top Prospect Games Pitcher Evaluations Day 2, Team 4 (Black)

By Adam Akin
Director of Scouting

The 2016 PBR Tennessee Top Prospect Games took place on Tuesday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 15 and included a position player workout, followed by three 9 inning games each day. Players were afforded the opportunity to showcase their abilities to the PBR Tennessee staff and many college coaches in attendance. The following is our evaluation of every pitcher that was assigned to the Black Team in Wednesday’s action.

RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS

Jake Holloway, RHP/OF, Battle Ground Academy, 2017
Max FB: 85, FB: 80-84, CB: 72-73, CH: 74-75,
5'11, 180-pound, RHP  uses and smooth and gathering motion to load up at a high point before driving toward the plate to deliver his pitches from a high ¾ - over-the-top arm slot, good use out of his lower half gives him stability throughout the delivery that helps him in every area, arm action begins with just a reaching back of the hand and finishes loose through release and his firm finish over his front leg, “tall and fall” pitcher really uses the downward momentum from his motion to keep the ball down in the zone and tumbling.  Fastball tried to bear down on righties but didn’t show a lot of consistency as far as velocity goes (anywhere from 80-85 from pitch to pitch), curveball showed 12/6 action that either hung or had some sharp bite with swing and miss potential.  Holloway proved to be the hardest thrower on the Black team at the time of the Top Prospect Games.

Cameron Hansen, RHP, Hendersonville, 2019
Max FB: 83, FB: 81-83, CB: 64-66, CH: 70,
6'3, 200-pound, RHP proved to be one of the most polished pitchers in the entire event by working with good tempo and a smooth and efficient delivery, Hansen delivered pitches with a loose arm action through a high ¾ - over-the-top angle and was able to fill up the zone with all three pitches, leg lift and stride stay in line and transition smoothly into his plant and release, could certainly get more use out of a strong lower half that could add velo and some movement.  Fastball showed some very slight run but was kept low in the zone throughout his outing, Hansen was able to hit the low and outside corner to a righty more consistently than most high school pitchers, curveball showed 11/5 action and was thrown for strikes in any count. Hansen showed well and certainly seems to have some considerable upside.  

Alex Butler, RHP, Baylor, 2018
Max FB: 81, FB: 78-81, 69-72 Slider
6'0, 155-pound, RHP uses a somewhat conventional motion with some rhythm and a progressive build up to his release through a high ¾ delivery, long and fairly loose arm action makes for a clean delivery when combined with good use of his lower half and a balanced finish, good alignment assists Butler in maintaining good control and an ability to throw both pitches for strikes.  Fastball was thrown with conviction, located well, and showed a little bit of sink through the zone, breaking ball didn’t show a lot of movement but was very sharp and affective when located down in the zone.  Pitchability and maturity on the mound are certainly strengths of his.

Zach Joyce, RHP, Farragut, 2018
Max FB: 80, FB: 77-80, 68-70 Slider
5'11, 160-pound, RHP showed a very polished approach on the mound and utilized a very controlled delivery throughout, high leg lift led to good alignment in his stride toward home plate and a walk through of a finish, somewhat long arm action is achieved by reaching back with the ball and staying loose throughout his over-the-top delivery.  Fastball showed consistency and although it stayed fairly straight, it was located down in the zone and away from most hitters, breaking ball showed some different movement from time to time but was at its sharpest when thrown firmly and with 10/4 action. Joyce didn’t work with the fastest tempo, but saw good results and continuously kept hitters off balance.

Tyler Flynn, RHP, Tipton Rosemark Academy, 2018
Max FB: 81, FB: 78-81, CB: 66-70,
6'1, 165-pound, RHP has a pretty strong and athletic build on the mound and uses some good action in his motion to deliver pitches from an over-the-top arm slot, showed a long arm action and one of the longest follow-throughs in the event,  reasonably high leg lift and some good shoulder tilt lead to a downward angle on his pitches, alignment stayed directly toward the plate until a little bit of a drift toward first base at the end.  Fastball stayed relatively straight but did possess that downward angle that encourages ground balls, curveball showed some gradual 11/5 action but was loopy when up in the zone.

Bailey Etheridge, 2B/RHP, John Overton, 2017
Max FB: 81, FB: 79-81, CB: 72-74,
6'2, 165-pound, RHP uses some lanky movements in his motion to deliver pitches from a short and somewhat stiff arm action through a high ¾ slot, very small rocker step leads to a high leg lift that takes his left foot away from his body, stays tall throughout his entire delivery and finishes against his front leg, straight stride toward home plate finishes with a little fall toward first base.  Fastball was kept down in the zone and showed some very slight and occasional run, curveball showed good 11/5 action, although it didn’t have a ton of break.  Some added strength and flexibility could go a long way for Etheridge on the mound.

Dylan Bryant, C/RHP, Silverdale Baptist Academy, 2018
Max FB: 77, FB: 74-77, CB: 66-67,
5'10, 185-pound, RHP uses some good initial movement in his motion to build to a quick and sudden release of the ball through a short and simple arm action, head stays very still through delivery as he uses a lot of arm, reasonably loose finish is cut off from time to time by his short arm action, release point comes  from an over-the-top slot that he likely gets from catching, good alignment with both his upper and lower half allow him to throw a lot of strikes although many were up in the zone, finished balanced and in good fielding position.  Fastball stayed pretty straight and didn’t have much action coming into the zone, curveball showed gradual 11/5 movement and was mainly used to mix up speeds.

Jacob Hoffman, 3B/RHP, The King's Academy, 2018
Max FB: 75, FB: 74-75, CB: 64-66,
6'0, 175-pound, RHP uses some good rhythm and showed consistency in the movements throughout his motion on the mound, takes a look down while making his rocker step and quickly looks back at his target to refocus, never quite gets his front side closed off during his leg lift and ends up avoiding a lot of use he could be getting from his lower half, long pre-release arm action surprisingly ends with more of a short and cut-off finish, hardly bends his back at all and falls slightly to the first base side of the rubber.  Fastball stayed straight and was left up in the zone a few times, curveball showed some gradual movement but was typically hanging. 

Camden Dickens, OF/RHP, Notre Dame, 2018
Max FB: 76, FB: 74-76,
5'10, 140-pound, RHP uses a methodical motion as he uses his rocker step to gather himself and establish a good anchor with his right foot, nearly coming to a stop to achieve it.  Leg lift leads into a slightly open stride that helps him clear his hips and deliver pitches to the plate from a short and almost pushy arm action, lower effort delivery allows him to stay balanced and only showed a slight fall toward first base on most finishes.  Fastball was seemingly the only pitch he threw, as every pitch registered between 74-78 mph, stayed fairly straight and didn’t have a whole lot of action on it.  

LEFT-HANDED PITCHERS

Austin Kasick, LHP, Grace Christian Academy, 2019
Max FB: 83, FB: 78-81, CB: 68-71, CH: 71-72,
5'11, 160-pound, LHP showed a funky delivery in which he seemingly just turns his body throughout his rocker step and stays very tall until exploding toward home plate, pretty conventional leg lift leads into an awkward stride toward home plate, strides directly toward the plate and finishes very balanced and stable over his right leg, long and athletic arm action comes through a high ¾ angle.  Fastball showed some really sharp run that comes late in the zone and on the hands of hitters and was also thrown for a lot of strikes, breaking ball was a sweeping slider with some 2/8 action and had quite a few hitters weak in the knees, changeup was a good change of pace and showed some late fade. Kasick pitched with good tempo and had a strong presence on the mound.   

Blane Harris, LHP, Grundy County, 2018
Max FB: 75, FB: 70-74, CB: 65-72, CH: 62-63,
6'0, 145-pound, LHP uses some rhythm in his delivery that uses a quick leg lift and stride to reach down the hill, strides across his body and makes it hard for himself to get out and through his off-speed pitches and to get his fastball in on a righty, stays tall throughout delivery and could get much more use out of his lower half, follow through is controlled but falls slightly toward 3B.  Long arm action through a ¾ slot helps him to get occasional run on his fastball, curveball showed a wide range of velocities and some 1/7 action but was hung a couple of times, changeup was straight but was used as a good change of speed with good arm speed.