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Nashville Rising Stars ID: Quick Hits

April 9, 2024
Hunter Martin
TN Scouting Director

 

NASHVILLE, TN - The Prep Baseball Tennessee Nashville Rising Stars ID was held on Sunday, April 7th at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, TN. This event was an open event that consisted of players from the 2028-2029 classes from Volunteer state. Players went through an extended pro-style workout that included batting practice using Trackman, ran the 60-yard dash using Swift Performance, and much more. Pitchers were able to get numbers and metrics on TrackMan. There were some players who showed up and continued to build off of prior performances, but there were also some new names who jumped onto our radar with a strong showing at the event.

Continuing our post-event coverage for this event, we take a look at some of the standouts and top performers from the event.

Click HERE to view all position stats from the event.

 

QUICK HITS

Reid Bostic: A former #PBRJFG23 participant this summer, Bostic gave us our first look at the young middle infielder since July and man he did not disappoint. Simple timing and swing at the plate that lived with a dominant line-drive approach up the middle and to pull side, while also showing the ability to control the barrel for leverage to all fields. At 6 foot and 170 pounds, Bostic already shows some physicality with high waisted hips in the profile with plenty of room for added strength as he gets into a high school weight strength program. Was one of three players in attendance to average over 80 mph on average for exit velocity. The front foot shows a quick twitch turning on its toe to get everything started up the chain from there, shooting the hips, while staying inside the baseball really consistently. Defensively, arguably had the best round in the infield with soft hands and easy sinking of the hips to all sides of his body working to the ball. Led the entire group in arm strength with an 83 mph across the infield with on-line target throws. Showed real smoothness coming into the baseball with easy transferring actions. Carried over the ability to the mound where he was 2nd in the group at 81 mph, sitting 79-80 on the fastball with already quality spin on the 4-seam. High-level defensive actions that should continue to develop as he gets into high school and will be a fun one to watch as he matures. 


Grady Callaway: Grady arguably had one of the best all-around day’s giving us our first look at the Davidson Academy 8th grader since early last summer. At 5 foot 11 and 165 pounds, Callaway has a long and slim profile with plenty of room for added strength and muscle mass as he finishes out his middle school career. Showed the event best of the day with a 92 mph max exit velocity on a batted ball that traveled 355 ft on a 30 degree launch angle. The bat speed is present with quick accelerating actions manipulating the barrel in his hips and upper half. Plenty more power in the frame with a simple direct contact approach. Defensively, he also showed present arm strength with 75 mph throwdowns to second for an event best 1.94 pop time, while cruising in the low 2.00’s. Time will tell how good Callaway can be, but the floor is clearly there and someone that should be exciting to watch as he develops in his high school career.


Nate Simmons: Simmons is another former #PBRJFG23 participant coming in with a physically mature profile at 6 foot 2 and 210 pounds. Simmons standouts immensely in the box with a slightly crouched stance and relaxed hands that accelerate through the hitting zone with a knob-led path. He displayed really quality barrel awareness and balance getting his front foot down in time with slight uphill extension on his finish. Defensively, moves really well for being bigger at this stage in his development. Led the group with 4 batted balls out of the park with a max EV of 90 with a distance of 324 ft. Surely will continue to grow into his power as he matures into his high school career.


Carson Haney: Another former #PBRJFG23 participant, Haney comes in with an extremely athletic look with developed muscle in the lower half with strong quads that scream for more power/speed as he gets into his high school career. At 5 foot 9 and 155 pounds, he is extremely balanced in his weight distribution and can see him being 185/190 in a couple of years from now with quick moving feet and coordinated actions on the field. Showed quality pop with the bat, evident by a 91 max EV, while averaging out at 2nd for the group with an average EV of 82.2 mph. Arm strength is still developing but already has soft hands and an understanding of how to position his body to create good hops for himself. Versatile athlete that can play a multitude of positions that should aid him long-term on the profile. A fun player to watch and plays with a high-level of baseball awareness at a young age. 


Tyler Reynolds: A young 2028 grad class prospect, Reynolds continues to show maturity and ability with the barrel, as he had balls jumping off his bat when he was able to sequence everything together. Tied for the highest max EV at 92 mph, while showing just over 70 mph bat speed when we saw him a few months back in January. Listed at 6 foot and 160 pounds, Reynolds surely will continue to develop and should be able to produce 100 mph exit velocity as he gets into his high school career. Infield velocity came in right at 73 mph, showing that there is a lot of physical growth that is yet to happen and will be an intriguing prospect to follow along as he matures and comes into his body. 


Will Sloane: Sloane showed impressive athleticism at the plate, in the outfield and on the mound. Slim and longer frame at 6 foot and 180 pounds, Sloane should continue to grow in both height and physicality as he gets into high school, but comes in with an established base floor. Topping at 90 mph in terms of max EV, but was top 3 in batted ball distance at 320 ft of traveled distance. Creates a lot of steep loft as he can cut his swing off early without fully maximizing his full length extension, which should bode well for the amount of power available to him in the swing. Carried 79 mph in the outfield on easy transitions with on-line throws that carried plane to home. Had a really strong day on the mound where he led the entire group with an 82 mph 4-seam fastball with easy turnover of his hips, with impressive ability to already spin the ball. Showed feel for throwing 2 secondary offerings with distinct differential in terms of spin, shape and velocity, all while being able to throw strikes with every offering. Really liked him on the mound, where he should continue to develop in the next coming years. 


Daylon Gardner: Gardner was previously unheard of to us at Prep Baseball Tennessee, but initially caught our attention out of the gate with an insane time of 6.59 on his sixty yard sprint, something that is extremely impressive at such a young age. True athleticism in the field, albeit still somewhat raw defensively and at the plate with the bat. Showed an 87 max EV, while averaging out at 77 mph. Can get disconnected at times through the hitting zone and can spin off with his head, but shows promise displaying potential with the base floor metrics. Defensively, showed developing arm strength with 75 mph from right field to home, but can surely clean up the transfer portion, which should aid him in getting more accurate and harder throws to home. Impressive athlete that will be fun to watch as he matures in high school.


McClain Ridler: The 6 foot 1 and 160 pound left-hander showed some true two-way potential at Nashville Rising Stars with the versatility in the body and athleticism. At the plate, he displayed really good barrel awareness and accuracy, as he produced consistent hard line drives to all fields with a max exit velocity of 85 mph, while just leveraging out under 80 on average. Also showed smooth transitions in the outfield working to the baseball, without sacrificing momentum to carry easy power out of the arm on his throws to home with a max speed of 81 mph. Worked really well into the baseball, as well as turning his body with clean angles to attack the ball and transition into his throw. May have the most upside on the mound, where he sat 77-80 mph from the left-side with quality late arm-side run and ability to spin it effectively already. Already shows real promise with the changeup, generating quality run and strike-throwing ability. Will be a fun one to watch as he matures. 


Crew Chance: Chance comes in on the shorter side currently but should easily continue to lengthen out as he goes into the maturing process in his high school career. Plays with a lot of baseball talent around him with older family members being adequate ball players themselves, which should aid him as he develops. Already shows a quality understanding of barrel awareness and swing efficiency in the bat path that produced the highest average EV for the group at 83 mph, while topping 88 mph. He showed a consistent approach with hard line-drives up the middle and the other way. Should continue to fill out, but already shows present strength in the lower half and shoulders that will surely continue to produce high impact barrels on the ball. Also a strong runner at 7.27 in the sixty that should continue to creep into the 6.9 second range in the coming seasons. 


Brayden Greene: Green showed some ability on the mound with effortless arm speed and control of his hips with balance and easy moving actions down the slope. Still developing in terms of physicality, and is currently right where he needs to be. Sat 77-80 on the four-seam fastball, while topping 81 with decent spin, however shows true ability to get behind the baseball and spin it effectively with almost 18 inches on average of hop on the ball. Greene showed that he already has a lot of feel and ability to not only throw a slider, but spin it really well, with advanced RPM’s at 2400-2500 and over 10 inches of average horizontal sweep. The CH also showed true promise with advanced run at 18 inches on average and killed spin in the 1700’s. Really advanced feel for what he is doing on the mound, while also showing ability to command the strike-zone and screams for more projected velocity and ability down the line as he matures into the frame. Really high level arm that will be fun to continue to watch develop as he is still a 2029 and will have another year dominating middle school hitters. 

 

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