Coach Phillip King at Franklin County High School is all smiles about his young team. The Tennessee coach is carrying a roster with eleven sophomores and eleven freshmen with only three seniors. Carrying such youth has its trials with some youthful mistakes, but watching them Saturday I was impressed with the talent on the field.
The young Franklin County Rebels are led by senior catcher Matt Arnold. Arnold showed solid defense behind the dish and some power in his bat. At present he is unsigned, but is sure to find a place to play in college next year.
Arnold is surrounded by a host of young players, but some of them caught my eye Saturday as players that could become top prospects in the near future. Two young infielders who caught my eye were sophomore John Tiedemann (3B) and freshman Chevis Hoover (SS). Both showed athleticism, soft hands and above average arm strength in the field. Another talent was sophomore outfielder Cody Hill who was impressive in the outfield with above average speed, athletic actions and an adequate arm, as well as a lot of pop in his bat. His stroke is nice and clean with bat speed and the ability to center the ball. He hit a towering home run over the centerfield fence that would have carry out on most college fields.
The pitching prospects that showed promise were sophomores James David Barnes (RH) and Brady Moss (LH). Barnes has a tall 6-4/185 frame that projects well with some speed in his arm. His mechanics were sound, but he struggled with his command largely due to timing in his lease point. Otherwise he showed a lot of promise. Moss is around 6-1/190 with a low 80's fastball and average off- speed for his age. His arm worked well and for the most part his mechanics were okay, but needs a little polishing. Both young guns have potential to get much better.
Another pitching prospect was Dylan Davis. Davis is a smaller, crafty southpaw who misses bats and gets a lot of ground balls. He works backwards off a nice breaking pitch and change up, then spots his fastball fairly effectively. He is the type pitcher that frustrates good hitters and wins games.
This group is one to follow closely the next few years. They are young and talented and can become top prospects in the southeast.
