Prep Baseball Report

Underclass Games: Team White Position Player Analysis



By Matt Byrd
Tennessee Director of Scouting

The PBR Tennessee Underclass Games took place on June 23 at MTSU and afforded players from around the state the opportunity to showcase their abilities in a combination showcase/game play event while attempting to establish themselves as a top young player. The following is a look at the Team White position players from the event. This is position player analysis only. Those players who also pitched for Team White will have their pitching evaluations featured in a subsequent article.

CLICK HERE to view the top statistical performers and stats for all players in attendance at the event.

Middle Infielders

Juan Carlos Delgado, 2017, Puerto Rico, SS
The 6 foot 1, 160-pound prospect posted a 4.37 home to 1st time and had a 71 mph position velocity across the infield. Defensively Delgado has soft hands, fluid footwork, quick to clean exchange, plays through the ball, showed loose arm action , some accuracy, average arm strength. Needs to work on improving his arm strength but has a shortstop’s body. Offensively Delgado shows average bat speed from the right side and had a 70 mph exit velocity off the tee. Hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride, shows good balance, uses lower half, has a good approach, fluid rhythm, is a line drive type hitter with gap to gap ability as he continues to get stronger. Delgado went 2-for-4 in game play with two singles.

Cooper Mays, 2017,Hickman County HS, 2B
The 5 foot 10, 165-pound prospect posted a 4.38 home to 1st time. Defensively Mays has playable hands, fluid footwork, natural 2B instincts, short arm action, accuracy on throws, average arm strength. Offensively Mays shows average bat speed from the left side and had a 77 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Mays hits from a balance/closed setup, has a short stride, maintains good balance, line drive type hitter with ability to use all fields. Mays went 2-for-4 in game play with two singles and a solid approach at the plate.

Nick Sanders, 2017, Lebanon HS, SS
The 5 foot 9, 160-pound prospect posted a 4.60 home to 1st time and had a 72 mph position velocity across the infield. Defensively Sanders had soft hands, fluid footwork, slower exchange, natural MIF instincts, average arm strength and accuracy on his throws. Sanders is a second baseman at the next level. Offensively Sanders has average bat speed from the left side and had a 73 mph exit velocity off the tee. Hits from a balanced setup , has a short stride, showed good overall balance, fluid rhythm, good approach, is a line drive type hitter. Sanders went 1-for-3 in game play with a single.

Corner Infielders

Elijah (Zeke) Lecomte, 2017, Creekwood HS, 3B/C
The 6 foot 2, 165-pound prospect posted a 4.66 home to 1st time and had a 79 mph position velocity across the infield and had a 75 mph position velocity from behind the plate. Defensively Lecomte showed good arm strength, fluid footwork, short arm action, average hands, clean exchange, natural instincts in the infield but can improve on playing through the ball more. Behind the plate Lecomte shows a short high-3/4 release, good job receiving the ball, good arm strength, had pop times of 1.97-2.09. Offensively Lecomte shows average bat speed from the right side and had a 76 mph exit velocity off the tee. Lecomte hits from a balance setup, has a leg kick involved, average balance, uses lower half well, has an aggressive approach, pull type hitter. Went  0-for-3 in game play.

Luke Reno , 2017, Christian Brothers, 1B/OF/RHP
The 6 foot 4, 174- pound prospect posted a 5.17 home to 1st time and had a 77 mph position velocity from the outfield, and 81 mph position velocity across the infield. Defensively Reno showed good arm strength, average hands, natural instincts, clean exchange with long arm action. Offensively Reno shows good bat speed from the right side and had an 87 mph exit velocity off the tee. Reno Hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride, good balance, aggressive approach, is a gap to gap type hitter with flashes of power. Reno has good overall strength at the plate. He went 0-for-3 in game play making contact at every at bat.

Jared Shemper, 2017, Christian Brothers, 1B/LHP
The 6 foot 1, 185-pound prospect posted a 4.88 home to 1st time and had a 76 mph position velocity across the infield. Defensively Shemper has soft hands, fluid footwork around the bag, average arm strength. Offensively Shemper shows some bat speed from the right side and had an 83 mph exit velocity off the tee. Shemper hits from a slightly open setup, has a short stride, good balance, uses his lower half, good approach, level swing path with a gap to gap approach. Shemper went 1-for-3 with a single in game play.

Outfielders

Alexander Lopez, 2015, Puerto Rico, OF/2B
The 5 foot 10, 155-pound prospect posted a 4.59 home to 1st time with an injured leg and had an 80 mph position velocity from the outfield and a 75 mph position velocity across the infield. Defensively Lopez shows overall soft hands, loose arm action from the outfield and short from the infield. Showed overall accuracy on throws, quick footwork, quick exchange, and plays through the ball well. Offensively Lopez had a 72 mph exit velocity off the tee. He hits from an open setup from both sides, has a short stride, uses lower half, good overall balance, good approach, level swing path and is a line drive type hitter. Looks comfortable from both sides but is probably more natural from the right side. Lopez went 1- for-3 during  game play.

Bryce Woody, 2017, Roane County HS, OF
The 5 foot 10, 165- pound prospect posted a 4.53 home to 1st time and had an 83 mph position velocity from the outfield. Defensively Woody has good arm strength, short arm action, some accuracy, clean exchange, quick footwork and plays through the ball well. Offensively Woody had 73 mph exit velocity off the tee. Woody hits from a balanced setup, has a long stride, fair balance, lower half can collapse at times, has an aggressive approach, strong/quick hands but drops his hands at times. Woody is a pull type hitter and went 0-for-3 during  game play.

Garret Hamilton, 2018, Knoxville Central, OF
The 5 foot 10, 150-pound prospect posted a 5.12 home to 1st time and had a 72 mph position velocity from the outfield. Defensively Hamilton has soft hands, fluid footwork, clean exchange, long arm action with high-3/4 release, average arm strength with accuracy. Offensively Hamilton has average bat speed from the right side and had a 75 mph exit velocity off the tee. Hamilton hits from a tall setup, has a long stride, gets some lower half involvement, level swing, opposite field approach. Hamilton went 2-for-4 during in game play with two singles.

Catchers

Carson Carroll, 2017, Independence HS, C
The 6 foot, 185-pound prospect posted a 4.87 home to 1st time and had a 78 mph position velocity from behind the plate. Defensively Carroll has soft hands,receives the ball well, has fluid footwork, has a clean exchange, short arm action and  good arm strength. Carroll showcased 1.87-1.94 pop times. Offensively Carroll has good bat speed from the right side. Carroll hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride, uses his lower half, has good balance, has an aggressive approach, is a gap to gap type hitter. Went 0-for-4 during game play making hard outs on a few occasions.

Angel Crespo, 2016, Puerto Rico, C
The 6 foot 2, 200-pound prospect posted a 5.12 home to 1st time and had a 77 mph positon velocity from behind the plate. Defensively Crespo brings a big presence behind the plate, receives well, soft hands, fluid footwork, clean exchange, short arm action, good arm strength, and accuracy on his throws. Crespo had a 2.00-2.18 pop times. Offensively Crespo had a 78 mph exit velocity off the tee from the right side. Crespo hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride, has room to improve lower half usage, has good balance, good approach, level path, quick hands, pull type hitter. Crespo needs to get more out of his lower half and you will see his power numbers take off. Crespo went 3-for-4 during game play with three singles.

Chase Phillips, 2018, St. Benedict at Auburn, C
The 6 foot, 165-pound prospect posted a 4.71 home to 1st time and had a position velocity of 72 mph from behind the plate. Defensively Phillips has soft hands, quick footwork, very quick exchange and release, short arm action, above average arm strength for age, some accuracy. Phillips had 1.91-2.03 pop times. Offensively Phillips has average bat speed from the right side and had a 74 mph exit velocity off the tee. He hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride, good balance, aggressive approach, and is a line drive type hitter. Phillips went 0-for-3 during game play making contact in each at bat. Phillips shows some projectability and will continue to improve his status as he gets physically stronger.

Gavin Pulliam, 2018, Franklin HS, C
The 5 foot 11, 178-pound prospect posted a 4.84 home to 1st time and had a 71 mph position velocity from behind the plate. Defensively Pulliam had  2.06-2.16 pop times, showed average hands, clean exchange, short arm action, some accuracy, solid footwork. Offensively Pulliam has average bat speed from the right side and had a 77 mph exit velocity off the tee. Pulliam hits from an athletic setup, has a long stride, average balance. Has good hands but has a tendency to drop his hands at times. Has some length in swing with a pull approach. Pulliam went 1-for-3 during game play with a single.

Ross Mckenry, 2018, Bearden HS, C
The 5 foot 10, 175-pound prospect posted a 5.28 home to 1st time and had a 67 mph position velocity from behind the plate. Defensively McKenry shows solid footwork, soft hands, receives well, smooth all around approach from behind the plate, clean exchange, short arm action, accuracy on throws. McKenry’s 2.21-2.31 pop times will improve with the development of additional arm strength. Offensively McKenry has average bat speed from the right side and had a 74 mph exit velocity off the tee. He hits from a balanced setup, has a short stride with a slight leg kick, has good balance, good approach, needs more extension on his swing, is a line drive type hitter. McKenry went 0-for-3 during in game play.