SNAFU
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2011
- Messages
- 681
- Likes
- 2,391
37- Christian Moore 2B
Moore has led a loaded Tennessee squad that could see four to six players drafted on Day 1, with five hitters clubbing 16 or more homers by the end of the regular season. Moore went on a huge tear to finish the regular season, with six homers in his last seven games, and has shown power against pretty much all pitch types. It’s not a pretty swing with a super-wide setup and no stride, which makes me question whether the power will hold up with a wood bat, and in my in-person looks he struggled to pick up offspeed stuff. He’s a fringy defender at best at second and could end up in left field. The performance is going to push him into the first round.
43- Blake Burke 1B
Burke’s got great feel for the barrel with power to all fields. He has a pretty and direct swing that produces hard contact, and he does have an idea at the plate that you might not sense from his walk rate (8.7 percent). He goes after a lot of pitches just off the zone, but not pitches well out of the zone, so his overall chase rate — which treats those two things as equal — is misleading. Of greater concern is that he’s probably a DH, or at least someone who will need a lot of attention from coaches to improve his defense. The bat will profile at either spot but he’ll have a harder time being more than a regular if he’s DHing.
49- Dylan Dreiling OF
Dreiling makes excellent swing decisions and hits the ball hard enough for 55 power and what should be strong averages on contact, making up for his lack of speed or bigger power. He’s got a big stride to get more power from his lower half, so there could be an adjustment coming, as he’ll show power to almost all fields, but his hands can lag a little so his swing may not be as efficient as it could be. He’s a disciplined hitter who led the Vols in walks in the regular season. He’s a corner outfielder, probably staying in right.
53- Kavares Tears OF
That Volunteers lineup is just loaded, with Tears being one of five Vols bats likely to be drafted in the top three rounds. He might be the least disciplined hitter of the bunch, which could easily be a function of his inexperience (he had just 66 PA last year), but he makes up for it with plus raw power when he gets the ball in the air. He’s mostly played right field for Tennessee and is an average to tick-above runner who should at least get a shot in center, with right field the more likely long-term spot.
55- Billy Amick 3B
Amick has had a huge year for Tennessee but he’s more power than hit, with poor offspeed recognition and a huge tendency to chase stuff out of the zone, especially with two strikes. Amick transferred to Knoxville from Clemson and has played third base for the Vols, where he’s a fringy defender.
76- Drew Beam RHP
Beam is a four-pitch command right-hander with nothing plus but who throws a ton of strikes and can be effective as long as he has all of his pitches. I saw him struggle against Georgia because his changeup was much too firm that night. He’s 92-95 with his four-seamer and pounds the zone with it, and because it rides up it plays off the changeup and vice versa. He’s got an average curveball and a 55 cutter that may end up his best pitch in the long run. He’s also got a little more room to fill out and could find another gear of velocity on the four-seamer and the cutter. He’s a back-end starter type with a modest chance for something more.
Moore has led a loaded Tennessee squad that could see four to six players drafted on Day 1, with five hitters clubbing 16 or more homers by the end of the regular season. Moore went on a huge tear to finish the regular season, with six homers in his last seven games, and has shown power against pretty much all pitch types. It’s not a pretty swing with a super-wide setup and no stride, which makes me question whether the power will hold up with a wood bat, and in my in-person looks he struggled to pick up offspeed stuff. He’s a fringy defender at best at second and could end up in left field. The performance is going to push him into the first round.
43- Blake Burke 1B
Burke’s got great feel for the barrel with power to all fields. He has a pretty and direct swing that produces hard contact, and he does have an idea at the plate that you might not sense from his walk rate (8.7 percent). He goes after a lot of pitches just off the zone, but not pitches well out of the zone, so his overall chase rate — which treats those two things as equal — is misleading. Of greater concern is that he’s probably a DH, or at least someone who will need a lot of attention from coaches to improve his defense. The bat will profile at either spot but he’ll have a harder time being more than a regular if he’s DHing.
49- Dylan Dreiling OF
Dreiling makes excellent swing decisions and hits the ball hard enough for 55 power and what should be strong averages on contact, making up for his lack of speed or bigger power. He’s got a big stride to get more power from his lower half, so there could be an adjustment coming, as he’ll show power to almost all fields, but his hands can lag a little so his swing may not be as efficient as it could be. He’s a disciplined hitter who led the Vols in walks in the regular season. He’s a corner outfielder, probably staying in right.
53- Kavares Tears OF
That Volunteers lineup is just loaded, with Tears being one of five Vols bats likely to be drafted in the top three rounds. He might be the least disciplined hitter of the bunch, which could easily be a function of his inexperience (he had just 66 PA last year), but he makes up for it with plus raw power when he gets the ball in the air. He’s mostly played right field for Tennessee and is an average to tick-above runner who should at least get a shot in center, with right field the more likely long-term spot.
55- Billy Amick 3B
Amick has had a huge year for Tennessee but he’s more power than hit, with poor offspeed recognition and a huge tendency to chase stuff out of the zone, especially with two strikes. Amick transferred to Knoxville from Clemson and has played third base for the Vols, where he’s a fringy defender.
76- Drew Beam RHP
Beam is a four-pitch command right-hander with nothing plus but who throws a ton of strikes and can be effective as long as he has all of his pitches. I saw him struggle against Georgia because his changeup was much too firm that night. He’s 92-95 with his four-seamer and pounds the zone with it, and because it rides up it plays off the changeup and vice versa. He’s got an average curveball and a 55 cutter that may end up his best pitch in the long run. He’s also got a little more room to fill out and could find another gear of velocity on the four-seamer and the cutter. He’s a back-end starter type with a modest chance for something more.
