Where Tennessee Baseball players are ranked in MLB.com's Top 250 for the MLB Draft

Tennessee Baseball has seven players ranked in MLB.com’s Top 250 for the MLB Draft, including five players in the top 66 of the rankings and six ranked 72 or higher. The MLB Draft begins Sunday at 7 p.m. Eastern Time on MLB Network and runs through Tuesday.

Here’s a look at where the Vols are ranked entering the MLB Draft:

No. 13 Christian Moore 

MLB.com Scouting Report: “Solidly built at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Moore looks to do damage with an aggressive approach. His mindset, bat speed and strength give him power that plays to all fields and 25-30 homer potential, and he works deep counts in search of pitches to drive and draws a healthy amount of walks. His right-handed swing can get overly long and he still chases too many pitches out of the zone, but he’s making more consistent contact in 2024.

“Though Moore’s big hacks lead to below-average run times out of the batter’s box, he can show solid speed once he gets going and looks to steal and take extra bases. He can make some fine plays in the middle infield but also can botch some routine ones and needs more defensive consistency. He played briefly at shortstop this year but his average arm strength means he’s probably more of a second baseman, and it’s possible that he could wind up in center field.”

No. 32 Billy Amick

MLB.com Scouting Report: “Amick has a quality right-handed swing and repeatedly barrels balls despite frequently chasing pitches out of the strike zone. His aggressive approach yields hard contact to all fields but does cut into his walk totals. His bat speed and strength create plus raw power that plays all over the ballpark and should translate into 20-25 homers per season.

“Amick has gotten the chance to man the hot corner for the Volunteers and looks like he’ll be able to stay there in pro ball. Equipped with below-average speed and quickness along with average arm strength, he’s a fringy to average third baseman who has looked more comfortable as he has gained more experience. He does have the work ethic to continue to improve but also may wind up at first base.”

No. 64 Drew Beam

MLB.com Scouting Report: “Beam would show flashes of three plus pitches in the past, but his stuff has played mostly average across the board in 2024. His best offering is a mid-80s changeup with fade and sink that works well with a fastball that operates at 93-95 mph and climbs to 98 with carry. He gets good depth on a low-80s curveball and also can mix in an upper-80s cutter to give hitters a different look.

“While Beam repeats his clean delivery well and provides regular strikes with all of his offerings, he isn’t missing a ton of bats. He limits the damage by generating a lot of groundball contact but his floor stands out more than his ceiling. He’s one of the safest bets in this Draft to make it as a big league starter.”

No. 65 Blake Burke

MLB.com Scouting Report: “Burke has an impressive combination of bat speed and strength and leverage in his 6-foot-3, 236-pound frame, which generate plus-plus raw power and consistently high exit velocities. His left-handed pop plays to all parts of the ballpark, and he has grown to realize that he can hit home runs without swinging for the fences. After striking out in 31 percent of his plate appearances as a freshman, he has increased his contact rates by becoming less pull-happy, though he’s still prone to chasing pitches out of the strike zone.

“While Burke has become more reliable at first base, he’s still a below-average defender with limited range. With well-below-average speed and subpar arm strength, he has no other defensive options. Despite his lack of quickness, he’s an opportunistic basestealer who will take advantage if opponents forget about him.”

No. 66 Kavares Tears

MLB.com Scouting Report: “Tears has a relatively flat left-handed swing but creates at least plus raw power with his wicked bat speed and strength, generating a lot of hard line drives that carry over the fence to all parts of the ballpark. After often looking helpless against non-fastballs in the past, he’s making better swing decisions and more consistent contact this spring. He shows the ability to put together quality at-bats and works walks when pitchers won’t challenge him.

“A physical athlete with an outstanding work ethic, Tears earns fringy to well-above-average grades for both his speed and arm strength. He’s slower out of the batter’s box and quicker once he gets going, though he’s not much of a basestealer. He has played mostly right field for the Volunteers, though some evaluators believe he could handle center field at the next level.”

No. 72 Drew Dreiling

MLB.com Scouting Report: “Dreiling has the chance to hit for average and power because he makes consistent hard contact to all fields. He drives the ball in the air while managing the strike zone, drawing plenty of walks and keeping his quick left-handed swing under control. After looking helpless against southpaws while going 0-for-16 against them in 2023, he has pounded them this spring.

“Dreiling has solid to plus speed once he gets going but still is learning how to use it. He isn’t aggressive on the bases and was so rough defensively that he mostly DHed as a freshman. He has improved as a left fielder but probably won’t be more than an average defender with a subpar arm and lacks the instincts for center.”

No. 242 AJ Causey 

MLB.com Scouting Report: “Causey succeeds despite a mediocre 89-91 mph fastball that peaks at 93 with run and sink but gets crushed if he’s not precise with his location. He banks heavily on a plus upper-70s changeup that fades and dives when it reaches the plate, keeping lefties in check and destroying righties. His slider is effective despite its mid-70s velocity because it has high spin rates and huge horizontal break, though it surprisingly gets a lot more in-zone swings-and-misses than it does chases. 

“Causey creates a lot of deception with a sidearm delivery that provides wiffle-ball action to his changeup and slider. He pounds the zone but will need to refine his fastball command to prosper against more advanced hitters in pro ball. He projects as more reliever than starter at that level, but his baffling secondary pitches and strike-throwing ability could help him move quickly.”