School’s out and guess what that means? We’ve got some traveling to do.
Despite the fact that Rocky Top is now stuck in my head for the inevitable future, I decided that a trip to Knoxville was worth it, especially with a talented Georgia team coming to town to face the top team in the country. Tennessee boasts a pretty special list of prospects for the next couple of years, including a stout crop for this year’s class. Sit back, relax, grab some popcorn (or a beer, I don’t judge) and enjoy some live looks from a very fun weekend in the mountains.
RHP Blade Tidwell
I like what Tidwell has done with his stuff, particularly the fastball. When I saw him last spring, the fastball struggled to miss bats on a consistent basis, leading to an abbreviated outing against Vanderbilt last April. This time around? The heater garnered a total of eight whiffs in a four-inning outing, including three in the first inning alone.
Tidwell started off sitting 94-97 MPH in the first inning and did a good job of holding that velocity throughout his outing, dipping down slightly into the 93-96 MPH range in the later innings. The slider was the best off-speed offering, a tight spinning breaker in the 82-87 MPH range with late bite and sweep and was landed consistently gloveside. He flashed a firm CH in the high-80s with some fade and a curveball with decent shape in the high-70s, as well. Everything comes out of a three-quarters arm slot with a quick arm and athleticism. However, I do have some reservations post-outing.
Since his return from the shoulder injury, he’s not gone into the fifth inning in any of his outings. His stuff also seemed to dial down a bit in the fourth inning as well. The command was off and on at times, especially if he wanted to strike out a batter with the heater as if he was overthrowing the ball. He threw 61% strikes, though the home plate umpire certainly squeezed him quite a bit, so I’ll ease off in that regard. If Tidwell can start holding his stuff deeper into outings and go deeper in games, which feels likely given the SEC Tournament starting next week, I feel as if Tidwell will be one of the first college arms off the board. He’s done a good job of revamping his arsenal and I’m interested to see how he progresses down the stretch for Tennessee.
RHP Jonathan Cannon
Going alongside Tidwell was a familiar name amongst the scouting industry, Jonathan Cannon. A draft eligible sophomore by age in 2021, Cannon went undrafted, saw time in the Cape Cod league last summer, and ultimately returned to campus with a new weapon in hand. That new weapon? A cutter that has been a game-changer for Cannon in 2022.
Cannon began the night throwing mainly his sinker, a mid-90s pitch that he was able to command across the plate well, as well as throwing in that new pitch in the cutter. The cutter sat 88-92 MPH and kept Tennessee guessing for a little bit, with late movement that made it tough to square up early. The pitch got up to seven whiffs before Tennessee began touching up his stuff in the fourth and fifth innings. He also threw a slider in the 81-85 MPH range, though did not utilize his change-up in the outing. Adding the cutter has added some oomph to an arsenal built for ground balls and it seems likely that Cannon will still have plenty of suitors late on Day 1, if not early Day 2 come July.
OF Drew Gilbert
Gilbert is about as fiery as a competitor you will ever come across in the college ranks. He’s truly evolved as a hitter at the plate, limiting the strikeouts and improving his walk rate from under 5% last year to 16% in 2022. He’s just a really fun player to watch and he’s been one of my favorites in this class for a while.
Gilbert’s approach at the plate is really impressive and he’s not afraid to turn on a heater when he’s ahead in the count. He uses the entire field to his advantage with a slappy swing, but he can tap into solid power and torch the ball. Originally a left-handed pitcher in high school, he’s got a cannon of an arm out in center field, where he’s been a dynamic defender, as well. He’s made highlight-reel plays thanks to his range and speed, not to mention he can let it fly with excellent arm strength and accuracy. Not to forget, he’s got a positive presence in the clubhouse. He’s certainly played his way into the first round this spring.
OF Jordan Beck
It certainly wasn’t a weekend to write home about for Jordan Beck. He went hitless throughout the series, walking twice and striking out five times. While it wasn’t a good weekend, I can still draw some positives about the player.
Beck’s physicality and athleticism really stand out. He’s shown in the past the prodigious power that he possesses, not to mention he’s a solid defender in right field with an arm that fits there, as well. But the main culprit will be the swing and miss in his profile, especially on the inner third of the plate. His long arms are going to hamper his ability to pull inside pitches and Georgia certainly beat him inside numerous times during the weekend. I still think Beck is one of the higher-end outfielders in this class and he’s still got a chance to go in the first round, but the hit tool is a project to work on and any team that selects him will have to work on shortening the arms and the swing.
INF Trey Lipscomb
Shoutout to Smitty for getting me hooked on super senior Trey Lipscomb. Lipscomb has really burst onto the scene this year with an explosive campaign, and he’s become a legitimate prospect in this class after barely getting any playing time prior to this spring.
Lipscomb’s bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline stood out, plus his power plays well to all fields, particularly his pull-side. He’s got plenty of bat speed from a quiet setup at the plate, a slight toe tap as the trigger. He’s also got versatility in the field, though most of his playing time has come at third base this year, where’s he’s at least an average defender with a solid arm to boot. He’s really blossomed as a hitter with his performance in arguably the toughest conference in college baseball this year and despite being a senior (he turns 22 in a couple weeks time), there’s a good chance he’s picked up at the beginning of Day 2 come July.
RHP Ben Joyce
The Volunteer Fireman. That’s it. That’s the blurb.
I’m kidding, there’s quite a bit to converse about when it comes to Joyce. Tony Vitello made him a starter against Georgia to rest the likes of Chase Burns and Drew Beam, both of whom have been vital pieces to Tennessee’s success this year, but don’t be fooled, Joyce is the definition of a guy who will fly through the minors as a flame-throwing reliever.
To start, none of the fastballs that Joyce threw were below 100 MPH. Yep, you read that right. Joyce really gets deep into his mechanics to generate this kind of velocity. The fastball itself is a two-seam demon, a bowling ball that he had decent command of to start, but at times the pitch got a bit roughed up. It’s a fringe dead zone heater, as our own Brandon Smith put it. It plays well down in the zone, but anything up and it’ll get hit. The slider has excellent sweep in the mid-80s with high spin, but it mostly landed in the opposing batter’s box to righties. Could they see it at first? No, but after an inning or two, hitters started to figure out that the command of it was not great. He flashed a change-up that’s also firm. While Joyce is a data freak, it’s hard to gauge where exactly he’ll go. Some have him first round, others have him second to fifth round. There’s not much of a resume this year, as Vitello doesn’t use him as much as you’d expect, plus he’s coming off injury. With his command, there are question marks to be answered there, too. At some point, there’s gotta be a line crossed when it comes to relying too heavily on data, and Joyce seems to be a prime victim of this. But enough ranting from me, Joyce likely goes somewhere in the top three rounds and could be in the majors before you know it.
RHP Chase Dollander
With the ranting over, now I can rave about someone. That someone is Chase Dollander, likely the best college arm available in next year’s class. A transfer from Georgia Southern, Dollander has erupted onto the scene with a dazzling arsenal with command and strike-throwing to boot.
Dollander’s delivery is easy and man, the arm speed is lightning fast. He held 94-97 MPH and touched 98 MPH early with a heater that generates whiffs aplenty thanks to excellent riding action. On the night, he had twelve whiffs alone on the heater, which is pretty absurd. He utilized his off-speed pitches well, primarily using a tight-spinning slider in the high-80’s and a change-up with fade that he has good feel for. He used his curveball early in counts, but it’s got good shape and could be something to watch with more development. Oh, and I forgot to mention he threw 73% strikes on the night and displayed solid command throughout. The lone blemish was a rocket line drive home run in the third. He’s a very fun arm to watch pitch and it’s hard to envision him not being above the likes of Christian Little, Patrick Reilly, and others in what appears to be a stacked SEC college arm demographic in 2023.
Quick Hits
Cole Tate - Tate was a man on a mission in Knoxville. While he’s missed time due to injury, the kid rakes. He six total hits on the weekend, blasting a low line drive home run off Dollander and showing off decent bat-to-ball skills. There is swing and miss present in the profile and he is a graduate student, but he’s shown enough to be taken late in this draft, or even be an undrafted free agent.
Chase Burns - As previously mentioned, Vitello gave Burns and Beam a weekend off from the rotation, but still got them action out of the bullpen in abbreviated stints. Burns take over for Dollander and came out firing 95-97 MPH bullets and showcased a nasty cutter/slider hybrid in the 88-91 MPH range that really caught Georgia’s offense off-guard early. His first inning alone had six whiffs on thirteen pitches. He’s back in the rotation now and will be a name to follow for the 2024 draft.
Others that impressed: Jack Gowen, Jorel Ortega, Blake Burke