By Chris Fuller
PBR Tennessee

The first of our two Preseason Preview events took place at Showtime Spots Academy in Franklin on January 18, and there were several solid performances turned in. Complete stats and top statistical performers were previously posted shortly after the event. CLICK HERE to view that information.

The following is a look at the group of pitchers who attended the event. This is pitching analysis only. Those pitchers who also participated as a position player at the event had that performance featured in a previous article.

Pitchers

Sam Donato, RHP/OF, Father Ryan, 2017
6-foot-2, 165-pound righty uses a methodical motion and an athletic arm action to get significant tilt on all of his pitches, good use of his lower half and a loose arm from a high-3/4 arm slot with some effort involved showed a lot of promise, fastball sat 84-86 with some late run that could really get in on a righty, 11/5 curveball has some hard action that was late and sharp at 70-73 – a plus pitch, changeup stayed 78-79 and was a little erratic, but down in the zone.  Could improve the changeup, but has a lot to offer with his current FB-CB combo.  Good projectability as well.

Jack Sisk, RHP/1B, Ravenwood HS, 2018
6-foot-3, 220-pound righty uses a fluent motion with rhythm and some very good presence on the mound to deliver pitches from a slightly higher release point than the high-3/4 we had seen from him before, stays very controlled and balanced throughout, loose and quick arm action resulted in an 80-82 mph fastball that seemed heavy with some slight run, had a little trouble locating his curveball with some solid 11/5 break, but was able to keep it down at 64-67 mph, changeup for strikes showed some fade at 72-73 mph. Sisk projects to add some velocity in the very near future.  A potential high level two-way prospect in the 2018 class.

Chase Haley, OF/RHP, Creek Wood HS, 2017
6-foot, 170-pound righty used a choppy and unique motion with some funk to deliver pitches from a very high-3/4 arm slot, explodes toward the plate with a maximum effort delivery that jumps at the hitter, shorter arm action for a pitcher produces a fastball that was 81-86 with a lot of life and some hard run, curveball was thrown with good arm speed with short break and stayed between 69-73, changeup was a very good pitch and showed some late run and sink at 71-74.  Threw all pitches for strikes and has the ability to pound the zone with his fastball.  Quick arm and athleticism give Haley some good upside.

Luke Reno, RHP/1B, Christian Brothers, 2017
6-foot-4, 174-pound righty throws from a high-¾ arm slot with a long and loose delivery, fastball stayed mostly straight but touched 83 mph, lanky build helps the ball get on the hitter quicker than velo would suggest, curveball sat 64-66 and showed more of a 12/6 action than in past PBR events, threw CB for strikes, changeup stayed in the 72-73 mph range with some fade, but had trouble keeping it in the zone. Big time potential in Reno as his frame and athleticism leave you to believe there’s still a lot left in the tank. Two-way prospect, as well.

Kyle Brennan, SS/RHP, Centennial HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 160-pound righty uses a fluid and athletic motion and smooth arm action to deliver from his high-3/4 arm angle, uses regular effort and very good balance throughout, showed a fastball with some sink at 82-84 for strikes and a solid 11/5 curveball at 68-70 with some late bite around the zone, good changeup with noticeable run and some decent sink was kept low in the zone at 74-76. Seemed to have a great feel for the mound and an ability to fill it up with all three pitches.  Could become a very valuable two-way prospect in the 2017 class.

Elijah (Zeke) Lecomte, C/RHP, Creek Wood HS, 2017
6-foot-2, 165-pound righty uses a very tall delivery and over the top release to create a very prevalent downward angle on balls low in the zone where he sat 81-84, delivery was somewhat smooth and produced a long arm action that was hard to get a bead on, curveball was 62-65 with some occasionally strong 12/6 break, changeup around 72-73 stayed straight and was a little erratic.  Lecomte dropped down to a sidearm delivery and kept most of the velo on his fastball at 79-81 with very good run, also threw slider from the side that would sweep across the zone with a little bit of late break.  Could improve his follow through and finish, but has some potential, especially from the lower arm angle.

Parker Stinnett, 2B/RHP, Powell HS, 2018
6-foot-2, 170-pound righty uses a rhythmic delivery and a shorter but fairly loose arm action to deliver pitches from a high-3/4 arm angle, athletic kid with a good finish and quick arm, fastball sat 80-82 with some hard run at the end for some very sharp strikes, slows arm slightly on his 64-66 mph curveball, but had some good life with 11/5 action for strikes,  75-77 mph changeup fades away from lefties and sometimes out of the zone as he had a hard time being consistent with it.  Stinnett showed a presence on the mound and the athleticism to continue to improve.

Carson Simmons, RHP, Siegel HS, 2017
6-foot-3, 170-pound righty uses a rhythmic motion with some good tempo throughout his delivery, showed a high-3/4 arm slot and a loose and lanky arm action with some effort, athletic movement on the mound gets on the hitter quickly, fastball ranged from 78-81 mph, has the ability to put either late cut or run on his FB, curveball sat from 69-71 with tight spin and more of a 12/6 action than we had seen at a previous PBR event, changeup was anywhere from 72-76 with good arm speed and some solid run and sink in the zone. Simmons’ build and athleticism on the mound suggest continued velocity gains.

Collin Loose, RHP, Clarksville Northeast, 2017
6-foot-3, 172-pound righty uses a quick motion to deliver pitches from a high-3/4 arm angle, inconsistent tempo, quick but short arm action finished well, more use of his lower half could go a long way with improving velocity and consistency, some effort in a delivery that produced a straight fastball at 82-83 for strikes, curveball stayed between 66-69 mph and had some good 12/6 action on it, had trouble throwing strikes with his 78 mph straight change but used good arm speed,  slider was his best pitch at 68-70 mph with some sharp and late break.

William Huey, LHP, Columbia Christian, 2018
5-foot-11, 160-pound lefty uses a smooth and balanced motion with very good rhythm from a ¾ arm slot, throws across his body slightly, average arm speed with a long and loose delivery, regular effort arm with an athletic and balanced finish produced a 74-77 mph fastball for strikes, although we have seen him up to 79, 62-65 mph curveball showed some decent 1/7 action but will occasionally sweep,  changeup sat 63-65 at this event with some sink.  Pounds the strike zone efficiently.

Gavin Pulliam, C/RHP, Franklin HS, 2018
5-foot-11, 185-pound righty uses a deliberate and controlled motion in which he stays very tall until the very end of the delivery, long arm action from a very high-3/4 arm slot that stays pretty loose with some effort, falls off to glove side, straight fastball stayed between 79-81 mph and was kept around the plate, 70-74 mph curveball had some late 11/5 action and thrown with good arm speed for strikes, did a good job of making his changeup look like his fastball, coming in at 74-76 mph with some fade. Should see a little more velocity from Pulliam in the near future.

Skylar Stalcup, RHP/SS, Powell HS, 2018
6-foot-1, 168-pound righty uses a fairly long motion and a shorter arm action through an over the top arm slot, arm shows relative quickness, can get jerky toward the end of his motion that causes some inconsistencies but also a solid downward angle at the hitter. Fastball stayed between 76-78 mph but remained straight, showed a curveball with 10/4 movement at 66-69 and a changeup between 68-71.  Don’t be surprised to see Stalcup get into the lower 80s this spring/summer.

Jack Sensing, RHP, Dickson County HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 181-pound righty uses a consistent and almost mechanical motion and a short arm action to deliver pitches from a ¾ arm angle, stays balanced and finishes under complete control, fastball with some slight run stayed at exactly 81 mph for consistent strikes, tended to get around his 67-69 mph curveball at times leaving it up in the zone, changeup showed some good run and command from 71-73, strike-thrower.  Low effort delivery leaves room for some improvement to velocity.

Ben Gilliam, RHP, Homeschool, 2016
6-foot-2, 210-pound righty uses a very tall and upright motion and stays that way throughout his delivery, throws from a low-3/4 arm angle, reaches far back with the ball and uses a long arm action to somewhat sling the ball to the plate, fastball had some slight run but lacked consistency from 79-83 mph, curveball mixed between 11/5 and 10/4 movement with some late break for strikes and sat between 64-66, slows arm on his 73-74 mph changeup which showed some fade but had trouble staying in the zone.  Interesting prospect, as he is homeschooled.

Chance Beck, SS/RHP, East Robertson HS, 2017
6-foot-1, 180-pound righty uses a controlled motion with some fluent tempo to deliver pitches from a high-3/4 arm slot, somewhat of a drop and drive type delivery, falls to his glove side from time to time, long arm action with some effort produced a fastball from 75-77 in the zone, curveball sat 69-70 with good arm speed and some 11/5 action and stayed down, changeup was anywhere from 68-72 with occasional fade, cutter at 70-73 had some decent late movement, also dropped down to a sidearm angle for a few pitches without losing any velocity.

Hunter Davis, RHP/OF, Gordonsville HS, 2018
5-foot-8, 145-pound righty uses a quick and rhythmic motion with a lot of moving parts and some average arm action to deliver from his ¾ arm angle, regular effort and balance help him out, fastball mostly from 74-76 touching 78 for strikes was fairly straight, 11/5 curveball with late movement stayed around the zone between 65-67 mph, slowed arm on changeup at 70-72 with a little bit of fade, good slider at 69-70 with some hard movement.

Jaden Toliver, RHP, Northeast HS, 2017
5-foot-8, 150-pound righty uses a long, fluid, and rhythmic motion to deliver pitches from a high-3/4 arm action, long and loose delivery is very intriguing and gives him a presence on the mound, uses regular effort and makes an effort to stay under control, straight fastball from 73-76 was thrown for strikes, erratic curveball and changeup were thrown from 62-64 and 69-72 respectively, slider came in at a 61 mph clip.  A little more strength and consistency would go a long way for Toliver.

Lelan Lewis, RHP, Centennial HS, 2018
5-foot-11, 190-pound righty uses a methodical motion and a high leg kick in his delivery from an over the top arm angle, average arm speed and a somewhat short and stiff arm action showed a straight fastball from 74-76 that was a little erratic, 11/5 curveball showed some movement from 64-69 mph, 67-69 straight changeup stayed down.  Lewis could improve his tempo and some loosening up could help find the zone.

Jacob Davis, RHP, Wilson Central HS, 2016
6-foot-1, 160-pound righty uses a slow and controlled motion to deliver pitches from a high-3/4 arm angle, longer arm action and average arm speed produced a fastball that sat between 66-70 mph and stayed mostly straight, curveball showed 11/5 action and lived at 58 mph, straight changeup was thrown for strikes and between 63-66 mph.