Uncommitted Upperclass Showcase: Quick Hits

The PBR Tennessee Fall Uncommitted Upperclass Showcase took place on Sunday, September 27th at Rose Park in Nashville. The event featured nearly 50 uncommitted prospects from the 2021 and 2022 classes as they try to find a collegiate home.  Below, we break down ten prospects that stood out at the event.  

Prospect Notes (Alphabetical)

Connor Bartley, OF/RHP, Brentwood, 2022
First look at the 6-foot-3, 185-pounder, but Bartley looks to be an impact player on both sides.  Athletic, lean frame with great projection.  Offensively, tall, slightly open setup with controlled tempo.  Great bat speed (Avg: 73.6 mph via Blast) and rotational acceleration to go with line drive/gap-to-gap power.  Good runner (7.18) and arm strength from the OF (86 mph).  On the bump, quick, loose arm that works up to high 3/4 slot.  Good downhill plane on FB at 81-84, T85 with some spin (2255 rpm max; 2147 rpm avg). Threw FB with intent, attacking the zone.   Struggled locating SL at 70-73, but shows nice 11/5 action and some future projection.  Flashed CH at 74-77 as third offering with decent deception. 

Merik Carter, 2B/RHP, Rockvale, 2022
6-foot, 155-pounder put together a good summer with Blurprint baseball, as a skilled lefty stick at the top of the order. Lean, wiry frame with good projection.  Tall, relaxed open stance with moderate leg kick and consistent timing for barreling up balls.  Shows some pop to the pull side with good bat speed and some projection as he adds strength. Defensively, solid up the middle as he can handle the glove with sneaky range (7.46 runner) and clean transfers.  On the bump, the right hander attacks the zone and throws multiple pitches for strikes.  FB sits 78-80 (T82 this summer) playing up with a high spin rate (Max: 2392 rpm via Trackman). Comes out clean of low 3/4 slot, creating a challenging tunnel off high spin breaking ball at 67-70 (Max: 2571 rpm).  Currently more CB with SL potential with velo uptick, but sharp 11/5 bite that has some swing n’ miss potential.  Showed some feel for CH as 3rd offering with arm side fade.  A step away physically/athletically, but a versatility two-way prospect, who can really spin it, handle the bat from the left side, and provide defensive flexibility. 

Harrison Freeman, 1B/LHP, Trinity Christian Academy, 2022
6-foot-2, 215-pound two-way prospect showed flashes of upside on both sides. Positionally, a well-rounded, lefty swinging first baseman.  Sturdy frame with present strength and some agility as runner (7.2-7.33 runner).  Tall setup with quick compact load with pull-side pop and knack for barrel.  Advanced bat speed (Avg: 76.4 mph via Blast) and strong rotational numbers.  On the bump, FB sat 82-84 with high spin and late life in zone (Avg: 2436 rpm Max: 2509 rpm via Trackman).  Offspeed took a step since this summer with more firm SL at 70-72 with feel for spin (Max: 2444 rpm).  

Brock Holley, RHP/3B, Dickson Co., 2021
5-foot-11, 160-pound uncommitted prospect put together a well-rounded performance.  On the bump, quick pace delivery with controlled intent and long arm action. Pounded the zone with FB at 84-86 (2161 max rpm; 20246 avg rpm). 11/5 action CB at 69-71, which showed flashes of being a nice breaking ball offering.  Developing more consistency, but threw it well to the glove side.  Also showed developing CH at 70-74 with good arm speed.  Positionally, slots at 3B with good arm strength and decent hands.  A bit stiff in the box, but some pull-side power and fly ball/line drive intent. Fringy position player to follow based on tools set, but some rising upside on the bump that may punch Holley’s ticket.  

Abbott Lawrence, 1B/3B, Goodpasture, 2021
6-foot-5, 220-pound corner infielder continued to showcase some high-ceiling power, hitting some towering tape measure long balls during his BP round. XL frame with present, proportional strength.  He dominated the Trackman leaderboards in exit velocity (Avg: 90.3 | Max: 106.4 mph) and distance (Avg: 309 ft | Max: 410 ft).  Balanced, controlled stance with great pull-side power, driving balls into the power alleys.  Excellent bat speed and good rotational acceleration to handle tougher pitching.  Defensively, slots as offensive first baseman with solid hands and defense at the corner.  

Jacob Lester, SS, Blackman, 2022
6-foot, 160-pounds middle infielder has a lean, athletic frame with projection.  Defensively, great hands and sound footwork process, leading to quick, clean transfers.  Solid runner (7.20) and improving arm strength to stay up the middle.  Balanced, tall setup with simple load and good bat speed.  Heavy dose of linedrives with some future projection in frame. 

AJ McLemore | OF/2B | Battle Ground Academy | 2022
5-foot-7, 145-pound utilityman flashed the versatility with a dynamic tool set.  McLemore blazed a 6.62 sixty over the weekend and looked to be a table setter at the plate.  Active batting stance with line drive approach and ability to put pressure on defenses.  Defensively, primarily an outfielder but showed decent hands and swift feet on the infield to provide some depth.  

Carson Mire | OF | Montgomery Bell Academy | 2022
6-foot-2, 170-pound; long lean frame with great projection.  The outfielder showed some great speed, logging a 6.88 sixty time at CBA Scout Day then followed it up with a 6.78 at Rose Park the next day.  Confident defensively with sound footwork and solid arm strength (83 mph).  Simple setup up at the dish, getting the foot down early, leading to consistent timing and hard contact.  Peppered a lengthy string of line drives to the pull-side.  

Jackson Underwood, OF/RHP, Riverdale, 2022
6-foot-2, 172-pound long, lanky frame with good projection.  At the dish, wide, crouched stance with some rhythm and solid bat speed.  Tries to do damage with his swing, getting some launch to the pull-side.  Defensively, slots as a corner OF with solid range and good, loose arm with some carry.  On the bump, pounds the zone while mixing three pitches.  FB sits 79-82, but plays up with promising spin data (2398 max rpm).  11/5 action breaking ball at 65-66 with decent bite and commanded for strikes.  Mixed CH at 72-74 with some fade from LHH as solid third offering.  

Archer Wong Shasteen, 2B/OF, Hardin Valley, 2021
5-foot-7, 140-pound utilityman has continued to show growth all-around.  The east TN sparkplug can play multiple positions, and has been an above average defender at 2B with good range and solid arm strength.  At the dish, finding more consistent barrels as a table setter and using speed (6.96 runner)  to put pressure on the defense. Balanced, athletic stance with simple load and improving bat speed.

Fall Uncommitted Upperclass Showcase

News | Roster | Leaderboards | Blast | Trackman |

More Content