Photo credit: GreenvilleDrive.com

On Sunday, March 22 the Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout Tour stopped at Fluor Field in Greenville, SC — home of the Greenville Drive, Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Per their official website:

“Modeled after Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox; Fluor Field at the West End boasts its own “Green Monster,” a 30-foot high wall in left field, equipped with a manual scoreboard. The dimensions all around the outfield wall are to the same specifications as Fenway Park, including “Pesky’s Pole” in right field.”

The best runner of the day was 2015 2B Melvin Smith (Blue Ridge HS – Travelers Rest, SC), with a time of 6.96 in the 60 yard dash. Right behind him at 7.03 were 2016 C Hunter Cook (Faith Christian School – Summerville, SC) and 2015 OF/RHP Keaton Taylor (Belfry HS – Belfry, KY).

2015 OF/RHP Keaton Taylor

Keaton Taylor was also among a large group of pitchers to top at 81 mph. We saw him first in June 2012, at which time he ran 7.23. About six months later at Pirate City in Bradenton, FL he posted 7.13, and in June of 2014 he ran 6.69 — offering proof that history and trends are very important to consider when evaluating players.

At 7.12 was 2017 2B Brooks O’Brien (Riverside HS – Greer, SC), another great example of the importance of history and trends. In October 2011, as a middle schooler, he posted an 8.75 60 yard dash. In January of 2012 he posted 8.60, and by March 2014 he was all the way down to 7.15. In March 2015 he ran only slightly better at 7.12, but improved his arm strength and fielding ability by nearly a full grade on the Baseball Factory 10-70 Scouting Scale. He now has the makings of at least four solid tools, with only power yet to show — however, he is still only a high school sophomore with time to mature physically.

2017 RHP/OF Tucker Kuykendall

When we first saw 2017 RHP Tucker Kuykendall (Enka HS – Candler, NC) two years ago at Fluor Field, he threw his fastball between 73 and 75 mph and posted 8.25 in the 60 yard dash. Over the course of several events the last couple of years, we’ve seen his 60 yard dash steadily improve, while his fastball has bobbled a little but has generally been trending up.

At this workout, he ran 7.20 in the 60 yard dash and threw his fastball 80-81 mph. He touched 82 mph in January 2014, then dipped back down a little to 79 mph in July 2014 before moving back up into the low 80s in March of 2015. His arm works with looseness, and with his athletic ability and body control steadily improving he stands to continue his fastball velocity climb over the next couple of years.

2017 OF/RHP Chad Brown (Wade Hampton – Taylors, SC) was among the most talented all-around position players at the event. He stands a long and slender 6-foot-1 and 168 pounds with athletic proportions. He posted 7.12 in the 60 yard dash, and reached 78 mph with his fastball. His arm played better in the outfield than off the mound, where he was able to carry his throws to the target on a strong angle. A right-handed hitter, he showed the makings of a solid hit /power combination. He’s a little too pull-oriented now, but that isn’t all that uncommon for young hitters in a showcase type BP setting.

A pair of pitchers, one right-hander and one left-hander, touched 84 mph — the highest velocity turned in for the day.

2016 RHP Cameron Hall (Dorman HS – Roebuck, SC) stands 6-foot and 205 pounds, and threw his fastball in the 83-84 mph range. His arm action was loose and easy, and he maintained good rhythm through his delivery. His breaking ball had tight, short break into the low 70s, and he threw an upper 70s change to round out his secondary offerings.

2017 LHP Chad Jones (Thomas Sumter Academy – Sumter, SC) used his strong lower half to produce fastballs between 82 and 84 mph with late arm side life. His breaking ball was a mid 60s offering with flashes of tight spin and depth, while his change was a mid 70s work in progress.

Though he didn’t light up the radar gun today, 2017 RHP Jack Ponder (Enka HS – Candler, NC) may end up with the best future velocity of any pitcher in attendance. He has an athletic build with room to fill out at 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds, and featured a loose arm and the body control necessary to repeat his delivery. His fastball had late arm side life with notable downhill plane at 77-79 mph, and he showed flashes of two quality off-speed pitches. Given some time to mature physically he has potential to show significantly better stuff.

One year older and two inches taller at 6-foot-7 was 2016 RHP Jacob Corn (Landrum HS – Campobello, SC). His fastball was 78-81 mph today, and went with a trio of secondary offerings. His low 60s downward breaking curve appeared to be the farthest along, followed by a mid-to-upper 60s change and a low 60s slurvy breaking ball. He used the length in his frame to leverage the ball down to the bottom of the zone, and posted a respectable 7.22 in the 60 yard dash.

Though they were among the youngest players in attendance, 2018 grads C Colton Byars (Gaffney HS – Gaffney, SC) and RHP Jeremiah Stewart (Woodruff HS – Woodruff, SC) had good workouts.

A left-handed hitter, Byars featured a well-rounded set of tools — all of which are advanced for his age. His best measurable was a 2.12 pop time, which was only two hundredths of a second off the best of the day.

Stewart filled up the zone with a quality three-pitch mix. His fastball was 78-81 with arm side run from the low side of a three-quarters arm angle. His breaking ball was an upper 60s offering with sweeping break, and he showed some feel for his change.

2016 C Jared Patterson (Asheville HS – Asheville, NC) posted the low pop time of the day, with a 2.10. He was also among the leaders in raw velocity with a mark of 82 mph, and in bat exit velocity with a mark of 83 mph.

The top raw velocity was turned in by 2017 C/OF Jacob Brown (Wade Hampton HS – Taylors, SC) at 83 mph. Brown stands at 6-foot-2 and 163 pounds, and showed a well-rounded set of tools.

2017 2B/OF Matthew Ridley

The top bat exit velocity was recorded by 2017 SS/RHP Dawson Price (Wilson Hall HS – Sumter, SC) at 84 mph. Price was arguably the most capable two-way player at the event, as he showed off a large number of solid tools — though none quite stood out. He stands a solid and athletic 6-foot and 165 pounds, with enough instances of speed and body control to allow for future projection with the glove, the bat and on the mound.

A pair of 2017 graduates showed offensive potential to keep an eye on. 2017 2B/OF Matthew Ridley (Smoky Mountain HS – Sylva, NC) has the makings of a quality left-handed bat, and is a versatile defender capable of holding down 2B or LF. At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, 2017 1B Caleb Painter (Spartanburg Christian Academy – Boiling Springs, SC) has a chance for right-handed raw power to go with a solid glove.

The Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout Tour is rolling through all 50 states. Tryouts are held for players ages 12-14 and 14-18. Don’t miss your opportunity to Be Discovered.

Find an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout near you and register online or call (800) 641-4487.