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 corner infielder that participated in the event.

 

Shane Ptacek, 3B, Houston, 2018
60 Time: 6.98, Position Velocity:  IF-79, Exit Velocity: 82
6-foot-1, 203-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and slightly open stance with some more upright posture to begin, uses a long stride with a subtle movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires well but doesn’t get his hips fully cleared until after contact, bat path is mostly flat and can provide some lift on pitches up in the zone, at his best up the middle and driving toward the left-center gap.  Defensively, showed above-average hands and footwork at the corner, could’ve played more loosely through the ball, arm action is short through a high ¾ slot, throws were accurate. 

Ethan (William) Small, RHP/1B, Independence, 2019
60 Time: 7.60, Position Velocity:  IF-78, Exit Velocity: 86
6-foot-3, 230-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and slightly open stance with quiet hands to begin, uses an abbreviated leg kick with a longer stride and a subtle movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires aggressively and creates good separation but is still held back a little bit when trying to clear, swing plane is pretty flat through the zone but can get a little bit steep on balls kept down, strong build likes to drive the ball to left and left-center in the air.  Defensively, showed pretty sure hands and above-average footwork around the bag, moves well and can make the plays, a little bit of a glove-flipper, arm action is long through a near over-the-top slot.

Gehrig Rabun, 3B, University School of Jackson, 2018
60 Time: 7.47, Position Velocity:  IF-70, Exit Velocity: 86
6-foot-1, 215-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance and begins with his elbows tucked in, uses a pretty generic stride with a rather large push back of his hands to get loaded, lower half works but pulls him quite a bit forward and onto his front leg without total clearing his backside, bat path is flat to slightly up through contact, can drive the ball from gap to gap.  Defensively, showed decent footwork and above-average hands at the corner, made a conscious effort to play through it, arm action was a little stiff and short through a high ¾ slot.  

John Gibbs, RHP/1B, Collierville, 2018
60 Time: 7.29, Position Velocity:  IF-73, Exit Velocity: 84
6-foot-3, 190-pound, RHH has a long and lanky build and hits from a wider and even stance with higher initial hand positioning, uses a short stride with a slight and sudden movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half works but stays very tall and doesn’t create much leverage, bat path comes into the zone from a steeper angle but seems to flatten out around contact, likes to stay pull side.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork around the bag, stayed tall in his fielding position, arm action is short through a ¾ slot.

Riley Palmer, RHP/3B, Memphis University School, 2020
60 Time: 8.42, Position Velocity:  IF-76, Exit Velocity: 75
5-foot-11, 200-pound, RHH hits from a slightly wider and even stance with his hands pointing the barrel back slightly, uses a shift back with his body and a short stride to get loaded, lower half gets his hips through but glides forward to create a drift and a drag of his hands, bat path is steep into the zone and through contact, does seem to find the barrel.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork at the corner, could play through the ball more smoothly and with confidence, arm action was shorter through a high ¾ release point.

Hunter Tims, 1B, Sacred Heart of Jesus, 2017
60 Time: 8.21, Position Velocity:  IF-68, Exit Velocity: 82
6-foot-4, 240-pound, LHH hits from a slightly wider and slightly open stance with his hands in a good loaded position, uses a short stride and a quietening of his hands to get loaded, lower half gets his back hip through but pulls him a little tall and doesn’t maintain balance, bat path can be steep into the zone but is sometimes able to flatten out through contact, pull hitter.  Defensively, showed average hands and average footwork around the bag, caught himself a little flat at times, arm action is slightly longer through a ¾ release point.