Max
Ferguson

2021 MLB Draft: A wiry, quick-twitch athlete at 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, Ferguson has plus speed and good base stealing instincts. He’s also a fluid defender and offers positional versatility with average arm strength and super quick feet. He’s able to throw accurately on the run and from all angles. A D1 Baseball preseason All-American at second base, he would also have little problem taking his talents to center field. Last spring, the left-handed hitter slashed .333/.462/.524 with nine stolen bases and served as the catalyst atop the Tennessee lineup. This spring his bat has taken a step back, finishing at a .253/.390/.461 line, but he continues to grind at-bats. He has a short and simple stride, stays behind the ball and extends through it well. However, most noticeable was his even more slender frame, resulting in reduced strength. This did not impact him on the defensive side of the ball, but in the batter’s box the reduced bat speed and lack of whip in his swing are apparent. Ferguson has shown much more bat speed in the past and should eventually cure what ails him and grow into more pop, but for now he’s more of a contact hitter with a selective approach. He’s also a fierce competitor who makes his teammates better and is the type of prospect who will grow on you as a scout after an entire weekend of evaluation.

A wiry, quick-twitch athlete at 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, Ferguson has plus speed and good base stealing instincts (13-for-17 stolen bases this season). He’s also a fluid defender and offers positional versatility with average arm strength and super quick feet. He’s able to throw accurately on the run and from all angles. A D1 Baseball preseason All-American at second base, he would also have little problem taking his talents to center field. Last spring the left handed hitter slashed .333/.462/.524 with nine stolen bases in 10 attempts and served as the catalyst atop the Tennessee lineup. This spring his bat has taken a step back with a .225/.386/.351 line, but he continues to grind at-bats and looked to be seeing the ball well against the Gators. He has a short and simple stride, stays behind the ball and extends well through it. However, most noticeable was his even more slender frame and resulting reduced strength. This did not impact him on the defensive side of the ball, but in the batter’s box the reduced bat speed and lack of whip in his swing were apparent. Ferguson has shown much more bat speed in the past and should eventually cure what ails him and grow into more pop, but for now he’s more of a contact hitter with a selective approach (20.1% walk rate). He currently leads the SEC in walks with 30. He’s also a fierce competitor who makes his teammates better and is the type of prospect who will grow on you as a scout after an entire weekend of evaluation.

A plus-plus runner with game-changing speed, Ferguson is an athletic, wiry-bodied prospect with a combo of speed, power and projection to his body type. He also offers much positional versatility with average arm strength. He’s projected to start at second base for the Volunteers, but would have little problem taking his talents to center field, or supplying plus defense at first base. At the plate his wrists are a separator. He can drive the ball for average to better raw power with a late flick of the wrist. Ferguson is also the type of prospect who will grow on you as a scout after an entire weekend of evaluation. He’s a gamer who plays to win. Likely a top three round talent this June, he has comparable tools, skills and body type to Gavin Lux (Dodgers).

Ferguson showed up at Tennessee as a skinny, projectable athlete whose greatest assets were his defensive versatility and competitiveness. He saw action at first base as a freshman, hitting .231/.390/.269 in 78 at-bats, and the Vols believe his defense at first probably helped the them win a couple of games in 2019. He’s capable of playing all four infield spots ably, but he settled in at second base as a sophomore, hitting .333/.462/.524 with nine stolen bases in 10 tries and serving as the catalyst atop the Tennessee lineup. A wiry quick-twitch athlete at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Ferguson has plus speed and outstanding base stealing instincts. He’s also a fluid defender all over the infield with plenty of arm strength. His lefthanded bat is developing quickly, and eventually he should grow into more pop, but for now he’s more of a doubles hitter with improving feel for the barrel and plate discipline. He’s also a fierce competitor who makes his teammates better — simply a winning ballplayer.

Tennessee recruit. Currently stands at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds with an athletic frame. Stood out at the plate where he showed bat speed from the left side with some pull side pop. Laced a ball into the right-center field gap to score two in the bottom of the third during the championship game. Heads up player with aggressive instincts, takes advantage of slower developing plays by taking the extra bag on the base paths.

Tennessee recruit. The twitchy athlete has a lean frame with present athleticism. He walked, stole two bases and had a double. The left handed hitter had a simple, compact swing and loose wrist. Leadoff type hitter at next level with a lot of ways to make an impact.

Tennessee recruit. The athletic, quick twitch outfielder showed a level short swing from the left side. He consistently found the barrel going 2-3 with two singles and ran a 4.38 on a groundout to first. He shows a lot of quick twitch actions and tracks the ball down well in the outfield. Overall he is very athletic with a feel for the barrel with a lot of upside.