Matthew
Tarr

True sophomore. 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame with clear strength, athletic build and round shoulders. Tarr will look to add depth to the already impressive Vols pitching staff, and he already showed flashes of success last spring with 19 strikeouts in 14.1 innings. The right-hander showcased a lively fastball at 91-93 mph, playing with life through the zone and over 2300 RPM. His slider has true plus potential, spinning over 2800 RPM with sharp slurvy action, 78-79 mph, though he struggled to command it in this look. He also flashed a fading changeup at 85-86 mph, playing with just over 13” of run.  

2022 Puma Classic: Athletic, two-way talent with a FB up to 94 on the bump. Sat 92. Combined heater with a high spin breaking ball up to 2800 rpm. Made it look easy during his one inning of work.

Added strength onto a 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame since our previous look, clear physicality in the lower half. Athletic drop-and-drive downhill pattern, repeats and finishes in a controlled posture. Shorter, compact arm action that works from a clean high ¾ slot, above-average arm speed, loose shoulder. Fastball sat 91-93 mph, averaged 2,398 rpm, mostly straight action and some feel for the zone; ball jumps out of the hand with late finish through the zone. Breaking ball is the separator. Played at 75-78 mph with sharp late break, downer action, averaged nearly 2,800 rpm and showed feel to locate it around the zone/for strikes. Also mixed in a changeup at 84-87 mph that played from a slightly lower release slot and averaged 16.4 inches of horizontal movement. Emerged as one of the event’s biggest winners as an area draft follow moving into the spring.

Verbally committed to Kent State.

Positional Profile: RHP/C. Was one of the biggest two-way winners coming out of the event.
Body: 6-1, 195-pounds. Compact, strong build.
Delivery: Athletic delivery, gets loaded into back leg well at balance point, drop and drive, strides in-line with the plate.
Arm Action: RH. Short/clean, high 3/4 arm slot.
FB: T91, 87-90 mph. Exploded out of the hand, generally straight with feel for the zone. T2295, 2241 average rpm.
CB: 76-78 mph. Sharp 11/5 shape, kept down in the zone, thrown with intensity. T2643, 2568 average rpm. 

Hit: RHH. Athletic, slightly open, short leg-lift timing trigger, hangs foot, maintains balance through contact. Fluid rhythm, compact swing, hands work directly to the ball, made consistent hard contact, especially to the pull-side.
Power: 100 max exit velocity, averaged 94.48 mph. 374’ max distance. Present pull-side power.
Arm: RH. C - 84 mph. Short, over-the-top arm action, throws flashed carry.
Defense: 1.97-2.18 pop times. Sure-handed, works to present pitches in and around the zone, quick out of the crouch.
Run: 6.91 runner in the 60. Athletic runner.

Positional Profile: C/3B
Body: 6-foot, 185-pounds. Strong, athletic frame.
Hit: RHH. Balanced, minimal load, short stride and stays balanced through contact. Simple quiet repeatable swing. Direct to the ball, natural lift at times, occasional hard contact to the pull-side.
Power: 92 mph exit velocity from the tee. Present strength in the barrel.
Arm: RH. C - 78 mph. Short arm action, over-the-top slot; Throws carry and played with accuracy at times.
Defense: 2.05-2.14 pop times. Squared setup, advanced footwork; quick, directional and light on his feet. Willing sound blocker.
Run: 7.37 runner in the 60. 

5-foot-11, 165-pound, athletically-built, catcher/infielder. At the plate, right-handed hitter, balanced, athletic setup, smooth load and short stride. Long bat path, works uphill at times, gap-to-gap approach and registered an 80 mph exit velocity from a tee. Defensively, behind the plate, agile blocker, clean transfer, short arm action, over-the-top slot and throws topped at 74 mph. Pop times ranged between 2.20-2.36. On the infield, plays tall through exchange at times, loose, quick arm and throws clocked at 78 mph. 7.63 runner in the 60.

Freshman. 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame, strong build with evenly distributed strength. Athletic mover with a simple delivery. Tarr lit up the radar gun with an event best 94.6 mph max velocity, sitting 93-94 mph throughout his ‘pen (T2512 RPM) with up to 13.9” of run and a max IVB of 16.4. His breaking ball sat 79-83 mph with an average spin rate of 2,896 RPM (T2971 RPM), flashing sharp 10/4 action with up to -22.3” of horizontal movement.