By Adam Akin
Director of Scouting

The 2016 PBR Tennessee Top Prospect Games took place on Tuesday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 15 and included a position player workout, followed by three 9 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 position player that was assigned to the Navy Team in Tuesday’s action.

OUTFIELDERS

Keegan Westbrook, RHP/OF, Evangelical Christian, 2017
60 Time: 6.94, Position Velocity:  OF-83, Exit Velocity: 89
6'2, 195-pound, RHH hits from an athletic and slightly open stance, uses a short stride a smooth hand load to get himself into a strong load position.  Lower half fires very well and helps his hands get in a good position to stay through the zone for a long time, drives through the ball well and showed some pop in BP and produced a double and a triple in game play. Gap-to-gap hitter showed good bat speed all day and the ability to hit the ball anywhere on the field.  Defensively, shows average hands and decent footwork in his approach to the ball, works through it well enough and uses a long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot to produce some accurate throws with decent carry.  Certainly a hitter to watch in the 2017 class. 

Larry Hubbard, OF, St. George's Independent, 2017
60 Time: 6.78, Position Velocity:  OF-77, Exit Velocity: 85
5'11, 180-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance and uses a short stride and minimal movement in his pre-pitch load, hands simply push back an inch or two.  Does hit with his back side but stays a little too tall to allow lower half to help out, would benefit tremendously from some more involvement from his legs, does have good hands and gets through the ball well.  Had 2 hits, including a double and a stolen base in game play.  Defensively, shows quick feet and ability to work through the ball, uses a long arm action to release the ball from an over-the-top slot that gets some average carry.  Hubbard runs well and can cover a lot of ground in the outfield.

Lofton Cotton, OF/2B, Franklin, 2017
60 Time: 6.73, Position Velocity:  OF-83, IF-79, Exit Velocity: 83
5'10, 170-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance and uses a short step and subtle hand load and barrel tilt to get him ready to go.  Gets lower half involved, but does it just a little bit too late, causing hands to come through at the same time, minimizing separation.  Fairly flat swing path produces some low line drives in BP and helped him record 2 singles in game play.  In the outfield, works through the ball well and isn’t afraid to attack it, exchange is quick and uses a high ¾ release and a short arm action to produce some accurate throws with average carry.  In the infield, shows average hands with good range, doesn’t move through it quite as well as in the OF, exchange and release are quick.

Bryce Woody, RHP/OF, Roane County, 2017
60 Time: 7, Position Velocity:  OF-89, Exit Velocity: 79
5'11, 180-pound, RHH hits from a tall and slightly open stance and uses a short stride and a lengthy load of the hands to get himself loaded, uses a lot of weight shift and transfer throughout the swing, sways back on load and comes forward throughout his swing.  Lower half does get through, but overall a handsy swing, seemingly flicks at the ball on contact and doesn’t quite get all the way through it, does have the ability to hit the ball to all fields.  Defensively, fields the ball a little deep and doesn’t work through it quickly, was able to show off his arm strength using a long arm action through an over-the-top release, displayed very good accuracy with a lot of life on it.  Strong kid is athletic and played fluidly in the OF.

Spencer Glover, LHP/OF, Bearden, 2018
60 Time: 7.29, Position Velocity:  OF-73, Exit Velocity: 72
5'11, 158-pound, LHH hits from a wide a slightly open stance and uses a mini leg kick and pretty normal stride to get himself in hitting position, loads hands by pushing them back just a touch and tipping the barrel upwards. Tries to get lower half involved, but sometimes gets too wide and leans too far forward causing hands to move down toward the ball instead of staying in the zone and getting behind it.  Defensively, needs to work on being more aggressive and working through the ball in the outfield, uses a short and sometimes stiff arm action to get the ball in from a high ¾ arm angle.

FIrst basemen

Matt Young, 1B/LHP, Maryville, 2017
60 Time: 7.78, Position Velocity:  IF-71, Exit Velocity: 88
6'3, 215-pound, LHH hits from a wide and athletic stance, uses a leg kick and a decent size stride to get his lower body in position to hit, hands have a big load and a barrel tip to gain some momentum going into the swing.  Lower half fires hard but doesn’t always get through, bat path was good at times but became steep when he tried to do too much.  Showed some really good pop in BP and some power potential.  Defensively, shows soft hands and very good footwork around the bag, savvy 1B that knows how to play the game, accurate arm gets the ball where it needs to go through a ¾ arm angle.

Tarver Hayslip, 1B, Friendship Christian, 2019
60 Time: 7.37, Position Velocity:  IF-63, Exit Velocity: 75
5'11, 205-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance, uses a rhythmic stride and hand movement to constitute his load, lower half tries to get through but holds back just a touch when he gets too much weight going forward and leaning.  Bat path is pretty good, as he gets on plane early and stays in the zone very well, gets through the ball okay, but didn’t show a whole lot of pop.  Defensively, shows average hands and footwork in fielding the ball, short arm action was a little stiff with some accuracy.  Played a couple innings of OF in game play, but projects as a first baseman.

Graham Tulloch, RHP/1B, Brentwood Academy, 2018
60 Time: 8.38, Position Velocity:  IF-74, Exit Velocity: 85
6'4, 260-pound, RHH hits from a wide stance and uses a toe tap and stride along with quite a bit of hand movement to get himself going, hands end up in a good spot before swing starts.  Lower half glides and doesn’t quite create the torque you might expect, hands can drag through because of this and forces them to come through the zone on a downhill plane.  Big kid hit some low line drives in BP.  Defensively, shows average hands and footwork around the bag, good arm with some carry across the infield from an over-the-top release, arm comes from being a RHP.

Middle infielders

Thomas Wilson, SS/RHP, Bearden, 2018
60 Time: 7.23, Position Velocity:  IF-81, Exit Velocity: 87
6'1, 180-pound, RHH hits from a wide and even stance and uses a toe tap and stride and some rhythmic movement backwards with his hands to get himself loaded.  Lower half does well and keeps him very stable and balanced throughout the swing, strong lower body helps with bat speed, back elbow stays a little flared and causes him to be a little steep in his swing at times, did show the ability to drive the ball in the gaps.  Defensively, shows good footwork and soft hands from the SS position, slow exchange because of a pat or two on each throw, worked through the ball well and delivered some accurate throws to 1B from a high ¾ arm slot. 

Jack White, 2B, Father Ryan, 2017
60 Time: 7.27, Position Velocity:  IF-72, Exit Velocity: 69
5'11, 155-pound, LHH hits from an athletic stance with balance and has developed a leg kick since the last time we saw him, the leg kick and a simple load of the hands get him in position to hit.  Lower half is utilized, although we’d like to see him use more strength from his legs, swing stayed fairly flat through the zone and produced some line drives up the middle. Defensively, shows good hands and footwork in fielding the ball and transitioned clean into a quick release, would benefit more by continuing through his throw and using that momentum to add some carry, high ¾ arm slot helps his carry a little bit and was accurate with his throws.

Ben Willcoxon, SS/RHP, Sevier County, 2020
60 Time: 7.79, Position Velocity:  IF-74, Exit Velocity: 84
5'8, 165-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and slight open stance and uses a fairly conventional stride and some rhythmic hand movement to get loaded. Lower half doesn’t quite get through and holds him back toward the end of his swing and getting all the way through the ball, bat path is flat and enables him to get behind the ball and drive it around the field when he doesn’t sway too far forward.  Defensively, shows smooth and fluid footwork in working around the ball before fielding it, hands were sure but didn’t come through the ball every time, very good feel for the position. Advanced player for a 2020 graduate.

Sam Zettel, SS, Ooltewah, 2017
60 Time: 7.35, Position Velocity:  IF-74, Exit Velocity: 78
5'9, 145-pound, RHH hits from a tall and slightly open stance, uses a short stride and a subtle hand load to get himself going.  Lower half gets through but doesn’t get much separation, handsy swing but stays in the zone and does a good job of getting through the ball for some low line drives around the field in BP, needs to add strength to his frame.  Defensively, shows good hands and fairly fluid footwork, exchange stays clean and made very good throws to first base from a high ¾ arm slot, can get back on his heels a little bit, nothing flashy but seems to make all of the plays.

Jimmy Watson, RHP/2B, White House Heritage, 2019
60 Time: 8.06, Position Velocity:  IF-66, Exit Velocity: 69
5'8, 140-pound, RHH hits from an upright and slightly open stance, elbows start somewhat flared, uses a slight and quick leg kick and quite a bit of hand movement back to initiate his load.  Lower half doesn’t work very well as his right heel never really leaves the ground, swing path isn’t bad but is controlled by upper body movement and ends up coming through the zone a little stiff.  Defensively, shows average hands and fields the ball deep and on his heels, can’t work through the ball well from current fielding position, uses a couple of steps after exchange to gather and get off his throw from an over-the-top release.   

Third Basemen

Lelan Lewis, RHP/3B, Centennial, 2018
60 Time: 8.22, Position Velocity:  IF-74, Exit Velocity: 80
6'0, 180-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance and uses a short toe tap and stride and subtle hand movement to initiate his load, very little movement leading up to his swing. Lower half fires very well and puts him in a great spot to hit from, top hand dominant swing keeps the barrel above his hands at times, was able to get through a few, balls hit hard were pulled.  Defensively, shows average hands and footwork, fielding a couple of balls on his heels and had a hard time working through those, exchange is clean but takes a while to release the ball, uses a long arm action from an over-the-top arm slot, shows average arm strength with some accuracy.

Graham Elkins, RHP/3B, Knox Halls, 2019
60 Time: 8.51, Position Velocity:  IF-76, Exit Velocity: 79
5'10, 165-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance and keeps his hands low, uses a very short stride and some rhythmic movement with his hands to get loaded.  Lower half glides forward and holds his backside from really getting through the zone, starting with low hands helps him stay flat through the zone and hit a couple balls hard in BP.  Defensively, shows average hands and footwork in his approach to the ball, didn’t quite work through the ball like we’d like to see, exchange was long and led to a long arm action from an over-the-top release point, arm strength was okay.

Catchers

Joshua Rooker, C, Evangelical Christian, 2017
60 Time: 7.56, Pop Time: 1.85-1.94, Position Velocity:  C-74, Exit Velocity: 90
5'11, 180-pound, RHH hits from an athletic and slightly open stance and starts with his hands relatively high, uses a short stride actually takes his hands upward during his load.  Lower half fires hard and creates a lot of torque for the rest of his swing, bat path is steep because of how high his hands are coming from, bat speed is very good and was able to hit quite a few balls hard and showed some gap-to-gap power in both BP and by hitting a double in game play, strong kid.  Defensively, shows good hands and a quick exchange behind the plate, efficient release through a short arm action and an over-the-top delivery, good arm strength on a few accurate throws.  MIF was in front of the bag on a few of Rooker’s pop times.  Very good player in the 2017 class.

Knox Preston, C, Christ Presbyterian Academy, 2019
60 Time: 7.63, Pop Time: 1.87-2.25, Position Velocity:  C-74, Exit Velocity: 82
5'10, 180-pound, RHH hits from an athletic, balanced, and open stance and uses a strong and rhythmic stride and hand load to get himself in position to hit.  Lower half works well but starts a little late at times, when he gets separation his bat speed improves tremendously is able to really drive the ball, does a good job of using back side to get his barrel on plane and through the ball, has the ability to hit to all fields, some power may come later on.  Defensively, controls the game very well, shows good hands and a clean exchange to get rid of the ball through an over-the-top release, consistently accurate throws on the bag. Preston came up early on a few of his throws to second when recording pop times.  Good player that should continue to develop.

Ian Johnson, C, South-Doyle, 2018
60 Time: 7.63, Pop Time: 2.10-2.21, Position Velocity:  C-70, Exit Velocity: 83
5'11, 170-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance and uses a lot of movement throughout his load, a leg kick and some rhythmic hand movement get everything going, needs to start those things a little bit sooner to get maximum separation.  Lower half works very well and allows his barrel to get flat early in the swing and to stay behind the ball, hit a couple balls hard in BP.  Defensively, works well behind the plate and shows good hands, a clean exchange and a good release from over the top, very deliberate in his actions.  Adding a little strength would go a long way for Johnson.