Adam Akin
Director of Scouting



The 2017 PBR Tennessee West Tennessee Preseason Preview took place on Sunday, February 12 at Houston High School’s baseball field in Germantown, 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 and college coaches in attendance. The following is our evaluation of every catcher that participated in the event.

 

Colin Truitt, C/OF, St. George's Independent School, 2018
60 Time: 7.39, Pop Time: 2.00-2.12, Position Velocity:  C-75, OF-82, Exit Velocity: 83
5-foot-9, 175-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and mostly even stance with some upright posture and quiet hands in a strong position, uses a smooth stride with a fluid movement down and back with his hands to get loaded, lower half is strong and controlled but can pull him a little forward at times, bat gets on plane early and stays flat through the zone, has the ability to really drive the ball to left field with some carry.  Defensively, showed good hands and footwork behind the plate with a quick release through a short arm action, throws were a little erratic but were firm when on target, showed versatility by competing in the outfield, as well.

Brennan Whitten, C, Ravenwood, 2018
60 Time: 7.40, Pop Time: 2.02-2.10, Position Velocity:  C-73, Exit Velocity: 85
6-foot-0, 185-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and open stance with some upright posture and slightly higher hand positioning to begin, uses a leg kick and stride with a cock of his hands and barrel to get loaded, lower half fires well but stays tall and can get stuck at times before totally clearing his hips, swing plane is mostly flat through the zone but can get a little steep on pitches kept down, strong frame, squares the ball up well and consistently toward the left-center gap.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and good footwork behind the plate, lower exchange could be quickened, arm action was short through an over-the-top slot. 

Sam Killebrew, C/OF, Houston, 2019
60 Time: 7.26, Pop Time: 2.13-2.27, Position Velocity:  OF-74, C-69, Exit Velocity: 76
5-foot-11, 175-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance with the bat beginning just above his back shoulder, uses a slightly longer and early stride with a slight lowering and pushback of his hands to get loaded, lower half is active with its width and ability to clear his hips with some torque, bat path is generally flat but can drive up through pitches left up in the zone, pull approach toward left-center.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork behind the plate, stood up straight, arm action is very short through a near over-the-top slot, showed versatility by competing in the outfield.

Paul Atkins, RHP/C, Henry County, 2020
60 Time: 7.65, Pop Time: 2.14-2.25, Position Velocity:  C-67, Exit Velocity: 75
5-foot-10, 170-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and slightly closed stance with quiet initial hand positioning, uses a short stride with a subtle movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half gets going when it should, but gets stuck from time to time, bat path is flat through the zone and can generate a little lift at the end of his swing, likes to stay up the middle.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork behind the plate, is a little open on release, arm action is short through a near over-the-top slot.

James Stanford, C, Harding Academy of Memphis, 2018
60 Time: 8.13, Pop Time: 2.18-2.31, Position Velocity:  C-70, Exit Velocity: 83
5-foot-9, 202-pound, LHH hits from a wide and even stance with slightly higher initial hand positioning, uses a short stride with a movement back of his hands to get loaded, lower half maintains its width but doesn’t quite clear his hips as his back foot holds him back at times, bat path was steep through the zone but could flatten out on pitches left up, does find the barrel well.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork behind the plate, arm action was short through an over-the-top slot.