Adam Akin
Director of Scouting

The 2016 PBR Tennessee Underclass Games took place on Tuesday, July 26 and Wednesday, July 27 and included a position player workout, followed by two 7 or 8 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 Roal Team in Wednesday’s action.

Tristan Carson, LHP, Fred J Page, 2018
Max FB: 83, FB: 81-83, 69-70 SL
6-foot-4, 185-pound, LHP begins his motion very slowly and under control and builds up his momentum for an aggressive movement toward the plate, starts very tall in his delivery and finishes very low after he gets down the mound and reaches his release point as close as he can toward the hitter, an athletic but violent finish comes from his closed stride and the force he uses to make sure he gets across it, fishes toward the 3B side, loose arm action comes through a ¾ slot.  Fastball was very heavy through the zone and showed a little bit of late run, slider swept through the zone with 2/8 shape and has the potential to be very sharp, changeup had some run but was hardly thrown.  Carson has a very high ceiling and will likely be a sought after recruit in the 2018 class.  He earned a spot on Tennessee’s Future Games team with his performance.

Zac Pearson, LHP, Siegel, 2018
Max FB: 82, FB: 81-82, CB: 65-66, CH: 71-72,
6-foot-5, 180-pound, LHP works with a good pace and uses a quick motion to attack the hitters on a consistent basis, sometimes looks to be rushing but stays repetitive and intact, Pearson gets closed early and strides in line with the plate to finish mostly balances with the occasional fall toward 3B, explodes aggressively toward the catcher with a loose and quick arm through a low ¾ arm slot.  Fastball showed some tight run and came through the zone with some zip, slider had 2/8 action and was very sharp when thrown correctly, changeup showed some fade.  Pearson attended the Underclass Games on just 2-3 days rest and earned himself a spot on Team Tennessee for the Future Games where he sat 82-84 and hit 86 on occasion. 

Cooper Reynolds, RHP/SS, Christ Presbyterian Academy, 2017
Max FB: 85, FB: 82-84, CH: 70-71, 67-68 SL
6-foot-1, 170-pound, RHP uses a slower and more deliberate motion with a pretty low effort delivery, stays tall throughout as he comes to a near pause at the top of his leg lift, certainly seems to have more in the tank, stays in line and finishes consistently balanced, shorter and quick arm action comes through a high ¾ release point.  Fastball seemed heavy and had some hard run through the strike zone that made it hard for hitters to create solid contact, Slider showed 10/4 shape and changeup was simply a change of pace for him to use.  Reynolds is athletic enough that he should continue to show gains between now and the time he steps on a college campus.

Garrett Schultz, OF/RHP, Ensworth, 2019
Max FB: 83, FB: 79-83, CB: 66-68, CH: 73-74,
5-foot-10, 160-pound, RHP uses a very up-tempo routine and delivery to keep an upbeat feel on the mound, uses good rhythm and pace in his motion and stays very much in line throughout, finishes balanced with an occasional recoil against his front leg, quick arm comes through a high ¾ arm slot very efficiently and with some good zip. Fastball was very similar to what he showed at the Top Prospect Games with some slight run and seemingly heavy through the zone, curveball was hardly thrown throughout this outing, changeup showed good run and fade away from lefties, had 2 K’s in his two innings. Schultz should continue to develop into an interesting prospect in the 2019 class.

Colin Jones, LHP, Evangelical Christian, 2018
Max FB: 79, FB: 77-79, CB: 61-64, CH: 69-70,
6-foot-5, 185-pound, LHP showed a long motion to go along with his long and lanky frame, takes his time and stays smooth to deliver pitches through a low ¾ arm slot, Jones uses a little bit of a hop at the top of his leg lift to add a little extra momentum toward the plate, strides slightly closed and falls just a little bit toward 3B on his follow through, long and loose arm action with minimal effort suggests there is plenty more in the tank for Jones.  Fastball showed some slight run and was thrown consistently for strikes, slider was a sweeper with 2/8 shape across the zone and can be thrown in any count, changeup was straight and a simple change of speed, struck out 3 hitters in his two innings of work.

Drew Bell, RHP, Martin Westview, 2019
Max FB: 78, FB: 75-78, CB: 64-68,
6-foot-0, 148-pound, RHP uses a very deliberate motion that begins very slowly and gains aggressiveness as he gets closer to release, very fluid and collected gather helps him get down the mound toward the plate, strides only slightly closed but finished very balanced and under control, long arm action that’s pretty loose comes through a high ¾ slot.  Fastball showed some slight run with occasional sink through the zone, curveball had good movement but was gradual with 11/5 action. Bell seems polished and will gain the velo he needs with age.

Hayden Layne, RHP/3B, Hendersonville, 2019
Max FB: 77, FB: 76-77, CB: 56-57,
6-foot-0, 175-pound, RHP sets up in a way most hitters aren’t used to with a sideways angle and uses a quick and fairly jerky motion that makes it hard to create timing, strides directly toward the plate and finishes balanced and in line a majority of the time, a shorter and someone stiff arm action was the same thing we saw at the Top Prospect Games, uses a high ¾ to over-the-top release point.  Fastball was mostly straight again but showed some slight run on a couple of occasions, curveball was much slower at this event than we had previously seen but still showed that 12/6 shape.

Justin Jones, RHP/3B, Northpoint Christian, 2019
Max FB: 78, FB: 74-78, CB: 63-67,
6-foot-2, 192-pound, RHP showed a calm presence on the mound and used a collected but sometimes a little stiff motion, starts tall and loose but gets a little boxy during his leg lift and will sometimes rush toward the plate on his release, strides in line with the plate and generally finishes balanced and in line, reaches out toward the plate with a bent over back on release, occasionally walks through his finish, longer arm action comes from a high ¾ to over-the-top slot.  Fastball was mostly straight with occasionally slight run, curveball showed gradual 11/5 action through the zone.

Steven Jarrell, RHP/OF, Mount Juliet, 2019
Max FB: 77, FB: 74-77, CB: 61-62,
5-foot-8, 155-pound, RHP uses some good tempo through his motion and does a good job of attempting to utilize his entire body with each pitch, gathers closed with a fairly high leg lift and gets a huge shoulder tilt before heading toward the plate, strides in line and almost always finishes balanced and intact with the occasional fall toward 1B,  long arm action can get a little rushed at times and comes through a high ¾ to over-the-top release point. Fastball stayed mostly straight and his curveball showed a good deal of gradual movement with 11/5 shape.

Chayton Gray, LHP, Independence, 2019
Max FB: 73, FB: 71-73, CB: 52-56,
6-foot-0, 135-pound, LHP uses a simple motion with a little rhythmic bump at the top of his leg lift to give himself some extra momentum coming home, lands slightly closed and falls a little toward 3B on his follow through, long arm action comes through a high ¾ to over-the-top release point. Fastball stayed pretty straight but has the ability to be kept down in the zone, curveball broke a lot but movement was very gradual with 1/7 shape.

Tucker Berry, RHP, Dickson County, 2019
Max FB: 72, FB: 70-72, CB: 62-63, CH: 62-63,
5-foot-11, 170-pound, RHP is a strong kid that uses a delivery that contains a lot of little movements throughout his motion that are hard to repeat consistently, gets a little muscly at times, stays in line with his stride but a high-effort release pulls him slightly toward the 1B side on his follow through, short arm action comes through a high ¾ release point. Fastball showed some slight cut while his curveball showed gradual 11/5 shape with a slowed arm action, changeup had trouble finding the zone.  Berry did strike out 4 hitters in his 2 innings of work.

Ryan Ragsdale, LHP/OF, Father Ryan, 2018
Max FB: 70, FB: 68-70, CB: 57-61,
5-foot-10, 175-pound, LHP throws completely out of the stretch and seems to like to keep things as simple as possible, a simple leg lift and stride toward the plate out of the stretch is an easy way to stay consistent and that’s what Ragsdale tries to accomplish, strides very slightly closed but is able to get out front without a problem, may want to add a slide step to his arsenal with men on base, simple arm action comes through a high ¾ arm slot.  Fastball stayed mostly straight and curveball showed 1/7 shape with gradual movement.