Adam Akin
Director of Scouting


On Sunday, October 23, the Memphis Chicks held their first ever “Chicks Day” at The Ballpark at Jackson in Jackson, Tennessee.  The stadium usually plays host to the Double-A Jackson Generals of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The Chicks got together to perform a position player showcase with defensive work and an extended session of batting practice, followed by a 9-inning game.  Below is a round-up of some of the top performers from the event.

 

Corey Mitson, RHP, Tipton-Rosemark Academy, 2018
Mitson had a great summer and was even a member of Tennessee’s Future Games team in early August.  His arm is quick and he pitches with great confidence and tempo.  Corey threw 2 innings and didn’t allow any runs or hits, while striking out 1.  However, he did allow 3 walks, which is very uncharacteristic of him and isn’t an accurate representation of who he is as a pitcher.  Mitson sat 84-86 and touched 87 with his fastball that showed its typical run through the zone.  His curveball is still a high level pitch with a ton of 12/6 movement for strikes. 

Ty Wooton, SS, Harding Academy, 2017
A University of Arkansas-Little Rock commit, Wooton showed a vast amount of improvement since our event he participated in last winter.  He played a very smooth shortstop and displayed the ability to make every play at the position, while putting together a solid round of BP.  Ty also had the most impressive in-game performance, as he finished 4-5 with a double and an RBI.  He showed a short and strong swing that maintains balanced and produced line drive after line drive.  Wooton has soft hands and could likely play anywhere in the infield.

Barrone Porter, OF/2B, Houston, 2017
Porter produced what was likely the most eye-catching performance of the day.  The OF/2B is unbelievably athletic and although they didn’t run for a time, he certainly showed a natural ability to cover ground with his legs.  Barrone hit first and immediately grabbed some attention.  He showed an athletic and balanced swing with good involvement from his lower half and finished his final round with a home run over the towering wall in left field.  Porter showed great arm strength from the outfield, as well as smooth and quick hands in the infield. In game play, he put together a 2-5 game with a double, 2 walks, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs scored.   

John Bolton, SS, Memphis University School, 2018
Bolton produced as one of the most complete players at the event.  He started out his round of batting practice a little slow but finished with a very impressive final round that resulted in consistent line drives toward the left-center gap.  A balanced and solid approach at the plate is very similar to what you see from his teammate, Ty Wooton.  John didn’t necessarily stand out in his pre-game workout at shortstop, but made a ton of plays during the game that just can’t be made by the average high school infielder.  He has a ton of confidence and isn’t scared to play through any ball hit in his direction.  In game play, Bolton finished 3-6 with with a walk and 2 RBIs.

Parker Piskos, C, Henry County, 2017
Piskos showed some vast improvements in his game since we last saw him at one of our events in early 2015.  Behind the plate, he got rid of the ball much quicker and with more arm strength, as he popped a couple of throws at 1.97 to second base.  He also showed pretty good hands behind the plate and worked hard to keep the ball in front.  Parker’s round of batting practice showed some very good bat speed and an ability to drive the ball in the gaps.  He uses a lot of movement in the box but seems to barrel the ball consistently.  In game play, Piskos finished 1-4, including a missile at the shortstop, with 2 walks, an RBI, and 2 runs scored. He clearly brings a lot to a team and will continue to improve upon his game.

Jon Baldelli, RHP, Bartlett, 2017
A Christian Brothers University recruit, Baldelli was one of the top pitchers we saw from the Chicks on this occasion.  He is athletic on the mound and showed a quick arm when attacking hitters.  Jon’s fastball sat 81-83 with what seemed to be some occasional cut.  His breaking ball was very sharp with 11/5 to 10/4 shape and had the late movement you’d typically see from a slider. He threw 2 innings and allowed 2 silly runs, but didn’t allow any hits in his first inning and struck out 2 in his outing.  Baldelli has a chance to continue improving and become a steal for CBU.

Colin Truitt, OF/C, St. George’s Independent, 2018
Truitt has a solid build and is the kind of player you can see having the capability to play anywhere on the field.  He had a good round of batting practice and showed some gap-to-gap pop that came mostly from his upper body strength.  Colin stays tall in his swing could certainly get more involvement from his lower half, but still produces a good approach and gets through the ball very well.  Defensively, he probably projects as a corner outfielder and catcher at the next level and could be someone that adds depth to a program.  He Truitt showed an accurate arm from the outfield and produced pop times as low as 2.02.  In game play, he finished 3-6 with a double, a run scored, and 2 RBIs. 

Zach Gresham, RHP, Arlington, 2017
Gresham is an interesting pitcher, as he works from a sidearm slot that gives a very different look than most hitters are used to seeing.  His arm works quickly and is very loose with a seemingly natural motion.  Zach threw 2 innings and allowed 3 hits and 1 run, but struck out 2.  He was a little bit erratic and worked behind in the count more than he would’ve liked.  However, when his pitches were executed correctly, the hitters didn’t have much of a chance.  His fastball sat 78-80 but with a ton of run and from that sidearm angle.  Gresham’s slider was 70-71 with some very sharp and late 10-4 shape.  Definitely a 2017 prospect that could make an impact with a little growth and maturity on the mound.