Uncommitted Sr. Spotlight: Connor Tackley, LHP, Westhill HS

October 25, 2015

Dan Cevette
Director, New York

Name: Connor Tackley
High School: Westhill
Position: LHP
Grad Year: 2016

Scouting Reports
Unsigned Senior Showcase (October 3, 2015) Tackley stands 6-foot-0, 170-pounds with a nice pitchers build. On the mound he uses a slower leg lift, to a quick jump towards homeplate as he starts his arm circle. Front knee opens early, arm action is back and slings from a mid-3/4 slot – pulls his front side a little early. Lands on a stiff front leg, fastball ran arm-side topping 78 mph. Curveball backs up on him early at 64-67, changeup naturally fades arm-side at 68. He has made some improvements over the summer and arm strength is starting to come around, this is a huge winter for the CNY product.

Western New York Open (July 23, 2015) Stands at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, with an athletic body build. He ran a 4.89 Home to 1^st from the right-hand side. Defensively- In the outfield, he has a smooth approach through the ball, with smooth, soft hands, throws with a high 3/4 arm action, plays through the ball nicely and has accuracy on the target. His arm strength was at 72 MPH. Pitching- Connor uses a simple side step, balanced delivery, opens his hips a little early, needs to keep them closed before release. Arm action is fairly clean and loose, throws from a high 3/4 arm slot. His fast ball was (75-76). Curveball (61-64 MPH) had a 12 to 6 downward action and changeup (65 MPH) had a little late action. Offensively- At the plate his setup is relaxed and balanced stance, high leg kick stride, with a minimal back load. His hands are very compact, swinging on a level plane with long/full extension through the ball with a shoulder high finish through the ball. His exit velocity was 77 MPH. He is a player who shows potential to progress to the next level in college.

Beat-The-Heat Showcase (July 16, 2015) Stands at 6-foot-0, 170 pounds, with an athletic body build. Pitching-Connor uses a simple side step, balanced delivery, opens his hips a little early, needs to keep them closed before release. Arm action is fairly clean and loose, throws from a high 3/4 arm slot. His fast ball was (74-75…Max 76 MPH). Curveball (67 MPH) had a 12 to 6 downward action and changeup (68 MPH) had a little late action.

Outlook
We first saw Tackley back in July, and although his velocity was only 74-75, there were clear signs if he fixed some mechanical issues and started training hard, he would have a chance to play at the next level - not to mention he's left-handed. He's slowly getting better each time we see him, and has already notched three-mph onto his heater - a testament to his work ethic. There's still some mechanical issues with his hip opening up too early and cleaning up his arm-action that need to be a focus, but if he can make those adjustments and continue to train hard, his senior campaign should be an exciting one.

News On Tackely

Unsigned Sr. Showcase: Complete Player Analysis - Oct 22, 2015
Western New York Open: Complete Analysis - Aug 7, 2015
Beat-The-Heat Showcase: Complete Measureables - Jul 17, 2015