Adam Akin
Director of Scouting



The 2017 PBR Tennessee Middle Tennessee Preseason Preview took place on Monday, January 16 at Showtime Sports Academy in Franklin, Tennessee and included a position player workout, followed by pitcher bullpens.  Players were afforded the opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of the PBR Tennessee staff, as well as a number of college coaches in attendance. The following is our evaluation of every corner infielder that was in attendance.

 

Greyson Birdsong, 3B/RHP, Ensworth, 2019
60 Time: 8.02, Position Velocity:  IF-75, Exit Velocity: 77
6-foot-3, 180-pound, LHH hits from a balanced and even stance with some very high hand positioning to begin, uses a smooth leg kick and stride with a fluid movement down and back of his hands to get loaded, lower half fires and drives his backside through the zone to create very good separation, bat path seems to come into the zone steeply but gets behind the ball well with some lift through contact, drove the ball in the air with far more authority than his 77 mph exit velo would suggest, current gap pop is impressive and could continue to develop.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork at the corner, has the ability to make all the plays but could improve quickness and confidence playing through the ball, arm action is long and loose through a ¾ slot.  

Elijah Brooks, 1B/LHP, Ensworth, 2019
60 Time: 7.66, Position Velocity:  OF-72, IF-69, Exit Velocity: 87
5-foot-10, 185-pound, LHH showed very much the same as we saw him at our Border Battle Games in the fall with some increased arm strength and exit velo, hit from the same balanced and even stance and continues to use that smaller and efficient leg kick to get his lower half engaged, swing plane didn’t show as much lift as we saw previously but was still able to find the barrel consistently, good bat speed produces gap power with a potential to add more in the next couple of years.  Defensively, moves well around the bag and showed hands around the bag, more athletic than most 1B, plays through the ball well and gets rid of the ball efficiently through a high ¾ slot with accurate throws. Pushing himself up the 2019 ranks.

Zane Denton, 3B/RHP, Ravenwood, 2019
60 Time: 7.23, Position Velocity:  IF-82, Exit Velocity: 90
6-foot-0, 185-pound, SHH continues to impress as one of the top players in the 2019 class with a similar approach from both sides of the plate, hitting from a balanced and slightly open stance with loose and relaxed hands, uses a smooth little leg kick and stride with a cocking of his barrel that moves his hands back with some rhythm to get loaded, lower half explodes from both sides of the plate and clears his hips to generate a lot of torque toward contact, bat path has continued to develop and flatten out earlier in his swing, stays behind the ball with a strong backside and drives up through contact to generate some serious gap power. Defensively, continues to get quicker on his feet and can certainly make every play at the corner when he plays confidently through the ball, arm comes through a high ¾ slot and produces firm throws across the infield.

Cole Harrison, 3B, Stewarts Creek, 2018
60 Time: 7.81, Position Velocity:  IF-72, Exit Velocity: 88
6-foot-0, 210-pound, RHH hits from a more narrow and slightly open stance with his elbows relaxed before the pitch, uses a leg kick and a longer stride with a drastic movement down and back with his hands to get loaded, lower half gets wide and balanced but doesn’t quite clear his hips through the zone, bat path is mostly flat through contact and only begins a little steep because of his tight grip of the bat, stays up the middle.  Defensively, shows decent hands and footwork at the corner, makes the plays but could get in a slightly better position when working through the ball, exchange can take an extra step and a glove pat at times, arm action is shorter through a high ¾ release point.

Paxton Hughes, 3B, Riverdale, 2019
60 Time: 7.50, Position Velocity:  IF-76, Exit Velocity: 83
5-foot-11, 170-pound, LHH hits from a wider and even stance with some athletic posture, stride is smooth and in rhythm with a subtle movement from his hands to get loaded, lower half comes through but doesn’t clear early enough to create separation and tends to drag his hands and times, bat path is often steep to the ball but has the ability to really drive the ball when he gets behind it, finds the barrel a lot.  Defensively, showed good hands and footwork at the corner as he fielded everything cleanly and with some rhythm, exchange sometimes took an extra step and a glove pat but led to a short arm action through a high ¾ angle.  

Baylor Jones, 1B/RHP, Grace Christian Academy, 2019
60 Time: 7.85, Position Velocity:  IF-80, Exit Velocity: 86
5-foot-11, 195-pound, RHH hits from a wider and athletic stance with even alignment, uses a short stride and an almost sudden movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires but brings his body forward and doesn’t quite get his hips through in time to create solid separation, bat path can begin a little steep but quickly flattens out through contact with some occasional lift, goes and gets the ball and showed an up-the-middle approach in BP.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and good footwork around the bag, moves well and played through the ball efficiently, exchange was usually clean and helped produce a shorter arm action through an over-the-top slot.

Mason Landers, 3B, Shelbyville Central, 2020
60 Time: 8.07, Position Velocity:  IF-76, Exit Velocity: 87
6-foot-0, 190-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and very slightly open stance with his hands relaxed near his arm pit and his elbows tucked down to begin, uses a short and early stride with a slight movement back of his hands to get loaded, lower half fires with some authority and can even over-rotate at times, stays tall through contact, swing plane is pretty flat but doesn’t quite achieve the extension he’s capable of.  Defensively, showed solid hands and good footwork at the corner, played through the ball smoothly and with rhythm, exchange is efficient and leads to a slightly longer arm action through a ¾ release point.

Lelan Lewis, 3B/RHP, Centennial, 2018
60 Time: 7.51, Position Velocity:  IF-73, Exit Velocity: 82
6-foot-0, 185-pound, RHH hit from a slightly wider stance than we saw from him at the Top Prospect Games but with the same even alignment, traded in his toe tap and stride for a smooth leg kick with better rhythm to get loaded, lower half gets his hips through and keeps him well-balanced, bat path is pretty flat through contact and provides some lift toward the end, has shown big strides his ability to barrel it up consistently.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork at the corner, could’ve played through the ball more smoothly to get some momentum headed toward 1B for his throws, arm action is short and comes through a nearly over-the-top slot.

Brandon Majors, 1B/RHP, Cane Ridge, 2018
60 Time: 7.58, Position Velocity:  IF-75, Exit Velocity: 84
6-foot-3, 200-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and mostly even stance with his hands loosely held just above his back shoulder, uses a pretty generic stride and a quietening of his hands to get loaded, lower half makes an effort to get through but often restricts his hips from getting cleared, gets tall and forward through contact and finish, bat path is short but strong and flat through the zone, at his best when he stays hard up the middle.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork around the bag, length allows him to make some plays, exchange takes a while to get to his longer arm action through a ¾ slot.  

Ethan Mealer, RHP/3B, Forrest, 2019
60 Time: 8.01, Position Velocity:  IF-80, Exit Velocity: 83
5-foot-11, 160-pound, RHH hits from a mostly balanced and slightly open stance with some taller posture, uses a pretty generic stride with a quietening of his hands to get loaded, lower half gets through but keeps him tall and forward onto his front leg at times, swing plane is usually steep through the zone but showed very good bat speed and the ability to elevate some pitches up in the zone, stayed hard up the middle.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and average footwork in the infield, could have played through the ball with more confidence as he seemed to stop his momentum in the middle, exchange sometimes took an extra step and led to a long arm action through a high ¾ slot. Throws were firm.

Kobe Pridemore, 1B/RHP, Trousdale County, 2020
60 Time: 8.52, Position Velocity:  IF-66, Exit Velocity: 82
6-foot-3, 185-pound, LHH hits from a balanced and even stance with some more upright initial posture, uses a generic stride with a lowering and push back of his hands to get loaded, lower half comes forward but struggles to produce much extra torque for him, bat path is generally pretty flat through the zone but he seems to keep the barrel above his hands, tends to hit the ball middle-oppo a lot but doesn’t cut loose.  Defensively, above-average hands and average footwork around the bag, made all the plays but could’ve been smoother through the ball, arm action was long through a high ¾ release point.

Kyle Spurlock, 1B, Sycamore, 2018
60 Time: 7.31, Position Velocity:  IF-79, Exit Velocity: 90
6-foot-0, 205-pound, RHH hits from a more narrow and upright stance with some pretty high hand positioning to begin, uses a longer stride and a very slight movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half usually gets his hips through but pulls his body forward with his stride and tends to be very tall with a straight back leg on contact, swing plane is steep into and through the zone because of how high his hands begin, generates very good bat speed but can come around the ball with his pull approach.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork around the bag, has the ability to make all the plays but could work through it more smoothly, exchange takes an extra step and leads to a slightly longer arm action through a high ¾ slot.

Matthew Swann, RHP/1B, Friendship Christian School, 2019
60 Time: 7.56, Position Velocity:  IF-74, Exit Velocity: 84
6-foot-2, 210-pound, RHH hits from a wide and slightly opens stance and begins with his hands tilting the barrel tightly behind his back ear, uses a short stride that gets him back to even and a movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half tries to get through but is cut off by his closed hips, swing plane is pretty steep and tends to produce a lot of low line drives and ground balls through the infield.  Defensively, showed average hands at footwork at the corner, made the plays but could’ve played through the ball more aggressively, exchange was clean and led to a generally short arm action through a high ¾ slot.

JD Usrey, 3B/RHP, Lebanon, 2020
60 Time: 8.25, Position Velocity:  IF-69, Exit Velocity: 76
5-foot-10, 172-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and mostly even stance with his hands in a relaxed position just behind his back shoulder, uses a generic stride with a subtle movement back of his hands to get loaded, lower half certainly gets through but can drift his hips and pull him tall at impact, bat path is a little steep into the zone but can quickly try to lift through the ball, hands can get flicky at times.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork in the infield, came to a stop upon fielding the ball a few times, exchange can be quick and leads to a short arm action through a high ¾ slot.