Prep Baseball Report

Fall Upperclass Games: Third Basemen Analysis


Phil Kerber
Georgia Scouting Director

PBR Georgia hosted its second annual Fall Upperclass Games on Sunday, November 8th at LakePoint Sports in Emerson, Ga. The event brought together just over 100 uncommitted prospects from the 2021 and 2022 class. Prospects participated in a pro-style workout before splitting up into teams for simulated gameplay. Today, we will continue the player analysis with a look at the third basemen.

Leading the way in this group is 3B Tyler Presnell (Cherokee, 2022). Presnell has a smooth left-handed swing that he uses to drive balls gap-to-gap with force (90.82 max exit, 350 foot max carry). He can also turn on pitches with power. What stood out offensively even more so was during game play. Presnell was able to slow things down and going opposite field while down in the count. He also made every play that came to him look easy.

Physical 6-foot-2, 200-pound 3B/RHP Charlie Siegel (North Paulding, 2022) follows. Siegel has big time power at the plate (94.84 max exit, 77.10 max bat speed). He aggressively looks to get his hands extended and elevate the ball pull-side. Even when he doesn’t get what he wants, he creates hard contact to all fields.

Keep reading to see who else made the top-5, and reports on the rest of the third basemen in alphabetical order.

Top Third Baseman Prospects

Tyler Presnell, Cherokee (GA), 2022
Positional Profile: 3B/2B
Body: 5-foot-11, 190-pounds. Athletically built with strength throughout, broad shoulders, lean muscle, more to come as he continues to mature.
Hit: LHH. Balanced setup, high back elbow with a barrel wrap, short load back, short stride, controlled action throughout, repeatable. Easy, repeatable swing, short to the zone, mostly level through, gets his hands extended and drives balls gap-to-gap, can also turn on pitches with power to the pull-side.
Power: 86 mph exit velocity from the tee. Big power potential, strong hands create bat speed.
Arm: RH.  INF - 79 mph.  Long, loose arm action, mostly high 3/4 slot, at-times will drop down to sidearm effectively, accurate with carry.
Defense: Plays through the ball with athletic actions, quick, clean footwork, fields out front, smooth glove, good body control.
Run: 7.43 runner in the 60. 

Charlie Siegel, North Paulding (GA), 2022
Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 6-foot-2, 200-pounds. Physical build, strength through, projectable.
Hit: RHH. Open setup, sits in stance with weight on back-side, low hands load back into a near arm bar, short stride, lower half carries momentum through.  Swing path is somewhat uphill through the zone, inconsistent timing, when on time the ball jumps off the bat to the pull-side, even when late, creates hard line drive contact to opposite field.
Power: 86 mph exit velocity from the tee. Big power potential, creates bat speed with strong hands.
Arm: RH.  INF - 86 mph.  Long, loose arm action, quick arm speed, 3/4 slot, throws are accurate and carry across the infield.
Defense: Creates a wide base when fielding, breaks down early, fields out front, funnels into midsection, packs on transfers while winding up.

Dylan Lanier, East Paulding (GA), 2021
Positional Profile: 3B
Body: 6-foot-0, 155-pounds. Lean, proportional build.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, hands smoothly load back, reverse toe-tap stride, good balance through finish, finishes on back-side. Swing path is long to the zone, level through, line drive contact middle/pull, when he gets his timing right flashed pull-side pop.
Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH.  INF - 88 mph.  Long, loose arm plays from a low 3/4 slot, throws carry.
Defense: Plays through the ball with smooth footwork, soft glove, clean on transfers, good body control, confident.
Run: 7.56 runner in the 60. 

Blayden Dannenberg, North Paulding (GA), 2022
Positional Profile: 3B
Body: 6-foot-2, 200-pounds. Projectable frame, lots of room to fill out and strengthen.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, hands load back from his shoulder to a near arm bar, short stride, finishes over the plate. Hit path is long to the zone, uphill through, looks to elevate and drive middle/pull.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee. Power potential with his size and swing.
Arm: RH.  INF - 75 mph.  Arm action is short to an over-the-top slot, accurate across the diamond.
Defense: Fluid footwork with long strides, good range side to side for size, feel for glove hand, clean on transfers.
Run: 7.58 runner in the 60.

Caleb Piland, Cherokee Bluff (GA), 2022
Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 6-foot-1, 170-pounds. Lean, athletic build.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, smooth rhythm as he rocks weight from front-side to back-side on load, short hand load, long stride, balanced finish. Swing path is level through the zone, line drive type hitter, used middle/pull.
Power: 87 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 78 mph. Long arm action, mostly high 3/4 slot, dropped slot to low 3/4 on balls to glove-side.
Defense: Breaks down early with a wise base, fields deep, packs the ball on transfers.
Run: 7.29 runner in the 60. 

Best of the Rest (Listed Alphabetically)

Noah Bennett, Pace Academy (GA), 2021
Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 6-foot-0, 205-pounds. Physical build, strong lower half, good athlete.
Hit: LHH. Wide setup, hands start back with a barrel wrap and deepen into an arm bar, heel lift stride, good balance.  Long barrel path to zone, short and level through, cuts himself off on finish, lets the ball travel, creates hard contact with strong hands middle/pull. 
Power: 88 mph exit velocity from the tee. Big power potential with more extension in swing.
Arm: RH.  INF - 77 mph.  Short arm action, comes out of a high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Breaks down early with a large base, fields out front, funnels towards mid section, clean on transfers.
Run: 7.36 runner in the 60. 

Tazwell Butler, St.Pius X (GA), 2021
Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 6-foot-1, 170-pounds. Lean, projectable build, lots of room to fill out.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, weight starts on back-side, shoulders uphill, hands start back and load into an arm bar, short stride, finishes on front side. Hit path is long to the zone, level through, creates hard live drive contact gap-to-gap, consistent.
Power: 87 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH.  INF - 84 mph.  Short, clean arm action, quick arm speed, high 3/4 slot, dropped slot on balls to glove side, accurate with carry.
Defense: Plays through the ball with smooth footwork, fields out front, clean on transfers.
Run: 7.52 runner in the 60.

Michael Carswell Jr, Woodward (GA), 2022
Positional Profile: 3B/1B
Body: 6-foot-1, 195-pounds. Strong, projectable build, high waist, thick lower half.
Hit: RHH. Open setup, smooth rhythm in high hands, drop on load, quick leg kick timing trigger. Swing path is uphill through the zone, looks to elevate and drive the ball to the pull-side.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity from the tee. Big power potential to pull-side when he gains extension, bat strength.
Arm: RH.  INF - 79 mph.  Arm action is long to an over-the-top slot.
Defense: Moves with short, choppy steps, fields deep at-times, long on transfers.
Run: 7.78 runner in the 60. 

Devin Chandler, Stockbridge (GA), 2022
Positional Profile: 3B
Body: 5-foot-9, 185-pounds. Medium sized frame, strong lower half.
Hit: RHH. Tall, open setup, short hand load as he brings the barrel vertical, short stride, finishes balanced. Easy effort swing, some quickness in hands, hit path is short to the zone, uphill through, gets extension and drives the ball middle/pull.
Power: 87 mph exit velocity from the tee. Power potential, 90.80 max exit velocity during BP.
Arm: RH.  INF - 74 mph.  Short arm action, some looseness, utilizes multiple slots.
Defense: Good pre-pitch movement, footwork can be flat when moving side to side, soft glove, athletic hands.
Run: 7.71 runner in the 60. 

Eli  Durnell, GAC (GA), 2021
Positional Profile: 3B
Body: 6-foot-2, 185-pounds. Long, physical frame, room for more.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, hands load back into a near arm bar, smooth rhythm in hands, short stride, finishes on back-side.  Barrel path is uphill through the zone, early timing, looks to get hands extended and elevate the ball pull-side with force.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity from the tee. Big pull-side power, strong hands create bate speed.
Arm: RH.  INF - 81 mph.  Long arm action to a mostly high 3/4 slot, dropped to a lower slot when fielding to glove-side.
Defense: Moves with short, flat steps, at-times fields deep, good feel for glove, packs on transfers.
Run: 8.14 runner in the 60. 

Luke Edmonds, Johns Creek (GA), 2022
Positional Profile: RHP/3B
Body: 6-foot-0, 180-pounds. Medium sized frame, proportional build.
Hit: RHH. Open setup, quick drop of the hands on load, short stride. Hit path is long to the zone, level through, rotational, line drive type hitter, mostly pull-side contact.
Power: 78 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 79 mph. Short arm action to a side arm slot, flicks the ball across the infield.
Defense: Breaks down early with short, flat steps, fields out front, long on transfers.
Run: 7.94 runner in the 60. 

Jamey McDaniel, Veterans (GA), 2022
Positional Profile: 3B
Body: 5-foot-9, 165-pounds. Strong upper half, medium sized frame.
Hit: SH. Balanced setup, high back side, little to no load, leg lift stride from left-side, leg kick timing trigger from right, good balance. Short swing, primarily a line drive pull-side hitter from both sides of the plate, elevated more from the right-side.
Power: 79 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 75 mph. Long arm action a low 3/4 slot.
Defense: Fluid approach footwork, solid range with short, quick steps, fields out front with a quick funnel to mid section, clean on transfers.
Run: 7.81 runner in the 60. 

Colin Mountjoy, Ringgold (GA), 2021
Positional Profile: 3B/SS
Body: 6-foot-1, 195-pounds. Strong, muscular build, broad shoulders, athletic.
Hit: RHH. Open setup, hands load into an arm bar, short leg lift stride, balanced, one-handed finish. Hit path is long to the zone, uphill through, early timing, quick hand speed, looks to elevate the ball, pull approach.
Power: 83 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 82 mph. Long, loose arm action to a high 3/4 slot, kept throws around target, good feel on the run.
Defense: Plays through the ball athletically, good body control, quick, smooth footwork, soft glove, quick transfers.
Run: 7.32 runner in the 60.

Jess Siniard, Houston County (GA), 2022
Positional Profile: 1B/3B
Body: 6-foot-0, 221-pounds. Strong, physical build
Hit: RHH. Wide setup, hands start back and deepen into an arm bar, reverse toe-tap stride, good balance through finish. Barrel path long to the zone, level through, looks to lift the ball, shoulders uphill, drives the ball pull-side when he gets extension.
Power: 83 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 70 mph. Arm action is long to a high 3/4 slot, some stiffness, plays better from first base.
Defense: Uses his large frame well to get in front of the ball, breaks down with short wide steps on approach, fluid around first base with footwork, clean on transfers, good body control.
Run: 8.04 runner in the 60. 

Trey Thomas, Bacon County (GA), 2021
Positional Profile: 3B
Body: 5-foot-9, 165-pounds. Medium sized frame, proportional build.
Hit: RHH. Open setup, deep hand load, short stride, good balance. Swing path is mostly level through the zone, mostly gap-to-gap contact, flashed pull-side pop.
Power: 87 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 87 mph. Long, loose arm action, full arm swing, over-the-top slot, arm works athletically as he effectively dropped slot on some throws, accurate with carry across the diamond.
Defense: Plays through the ball, attacks side to side, competent glove hand, clean on transfers.
Run: 7.57 runner in the 60. 

Ty Williams, Southwest Georgia Academy (GA), 2022
Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 5-foot-10, 200-pounds. Strong, wide frame.
Hit: RHH. Balanced lower half setup, shoulders start uphill, hands load back from shoulder, long stride, rolls open on stride leg. Barrel path is short to the zone, level through, creates line drive contact middle/pull, at-times with extension he drove the ball into left-center.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee. 90.82 max exit velocity during BP.
Arm: RH. INF - 72 mph. Arm action is short to a low 3/4 slot,  at-times dropped to a lower slot on balls to glove-side.
Defense: Plays through the ball, fluid footwork, mostly clean glove work, occasionally stabbed, clean on transfers.
Run: 8.18 runner in the 60.