THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,627 MLB PLAYERS | 16,400 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,627 MLB PLAYERS | 16,400 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Story | 3/8/2018

Quick Take: Vanderbilt

Photo: Vanderbilt Athletics



Perfect Game College Player Database

During the season Perfect Game scouts will be traveling to some of the top series to watch the very best players in college baseball. Those observations, captured with both written notes and video, will be shared in the College Player Database as linked above, notes that can also be accessed on the players' individual PG profile pages. Throughout the season select reports will be shared in feature format to promote the players, the teams and college baseball as a whole.


 Vanderbilt Commodores

What Happened: Vanderbilt dropped two of three in the Shriners College Classic in Houston, losing in extras to Sam Houston State and 3-0 to Louisiana before getting the victory on Sunday over Houston. The Commodores got solid starting pitching and high-end individual bullpen performances, but the bullpen as a whole is responsible for the Friday loss to Sam Houston. With the exception of the Saturday shutout, Vandy's offense, highlighted by a whole mess of true freshmen, showed that they should be able to hit and hit well this season. 

Carrying Tool: Those freshman hitters. Vanderbilt's offense is built with freshmen up and down the lineup, with Austin Martin, Pat DeMarco, Jayson Gonzalez and Phillip Clarke all getting significant at-bats thus far. They, by and large, have exceeded expectations thus far, with all of them hitting at least .300 (Martin leads the pack at .405) and they've done a fair job of limiting strikeouts while also hitting for power along the way. If they can avoid any serious group-wide dropoffs as SEC play gets rolling along, they have a chance to help carry this team deep. 

Concerns: Starting pitching. While the stats on the surface look fine from the perspective of the Vanderbilt weekend rotation, just below the surface raises some concerns. While Drake Fellows was dominant in his start, both Patrick Raby and Chandler Day struggled a bit and had short outings, counting heavily upon a bullpen, that, while talented, also has some warts. For the Commodores to go deep into the postseason this year they will need that starting rotation as a whole to come together to go deeper into games. 

Best Player on the Field: J.J. Bleday. While he didn't stuff the stat sheet as a few others in Vandy's lineup did, the argument can be made that Bleday had the greater overall impact on the games, particularly their win, from the perspective of both offense and defense. Bleday was sterling in right field, making a pair of diving catches and a sliding third, all while hitting in the middle of the lineup and providing a big power presence, something Vanderbilt is missing since the departures of Jeren Kendall and Will Toffey of a year ago. 

Fearless Forecast: We'll see Vanderbilt's offense hit a bit of a lull during SEC play, but they'll be back in rare form by the tournament. Any time you expect major contributions from freshmen, regardless of the level of talent, there are likely to be some growing pains as the scouting report gets out on them. Vanderbilt's super frosh aren't likely to be immune to this, but they're also so talented that they may be able to stem the flow of it. The SEC will make adjustments to them, that much is for sure. Vanderbilt's season will likely be determined by how these freshmen are able to re-adjust back.  


Database Player Reports (11):

• J.J. Bleday
• Tyler Brown
• Chandler Day
• Pat DeMarco
• Drake Fellows
• Jackson Gillis
• Connor Kaiser
• Zach King
• Ethan Paul
• Patrick Raby
• Reid Schaller


Prospect Spotlight: Connor Kaiser, SS



As Vanderbilt's much-heralded freshman class gets off to a hot start, so have the Commodores, but it's Connor Kaiser who is likely to be the first Vanderbilt positional player off the board when the draft rolls around this June. Kaiser is a long, athletic-bodied shortstop who is definitively bigger than most at the position, fitting into the new-age sort of shortstop model, being tall with good athleticism but also good physical projection. He's got some strength to the build right now but he could end up out-growing shortstop altogether if he keeps filling out that physicality.

He's a solid average athlete with the necessary quick-twitch athleticism to play shortstop well at the collegiate level, but his professional home may be as more of a utility player who could handle some second and third base as well. The hands are quite clean in the middle infield and the side-to-side agility is pretty solid as well, especially for a player of his length, and he shows enough arm strength to handle the throws from deep in the 6-hole with no real trouble. 

Offensively, Kaiser is off to a hot start and is expected to be a steadying veteran presence in a lineup that features a good number of underclassmen. He has a mostly quiet approach, with a leg lift trigger and lower hand pinch load that can cause him to be a bit late creating separation, but he shows more bat speed this year than he has in the past and he has solid feel for timing to begin with, so the complexities of the hand load aren't a problem at this point. It's a compact swing online drive path, built for covering the plate well and using the whole field, and he shows solid extra-base pop as well. A mostly average runner, Kaiser will occasionally dig down the line in the 4.25 second range, which is above average, but he's likely to be pretty consistently an average runner long term. 

He's going to have to hit this year, and ideally hit for some power as well, as while he's been a good defender at Vanderbilt, when it comes to the draft, the offensive profile is a little light for much beyond rounds 4-5. He shows the ability to handle the bat and spray contact, but without some punch to that offensive profile he looks more like a potential utility guy at the big league level as compared to a starting shortstop. However, the early returns are encouraging, as he's shown more adept at making hard contact thus far this season while continuing to play steady defense.
Give us your feedback
College | Rankings | 9/15/2026

Top Incoming Freshmen by Conference
Article Image
Every conference at the D1 level has impact talent coming onto campus this fall and below we will see who is where, looking for the next program difference maker. America East Conference Rank Name Pos School HS City ST 1 Charlie Firth RHP Bryant St. Martin's Ottawa ON 2 Ryan Moreschi OF Massachusetts at Lowell Austin Preparatory Peabody MA 3 Will Margolies LHP Bryant The Cheshire Academy Trumbull CT 4 Dylan Zammit RHP New Jersey Tech Holmdel Holmdel NJ 5 Kam Street RHP New Jersey Tech Ocean City Brigantine NJ 6 Donald Lloyd C New Jersey Tech St. Augustine Preparatory Millville NJ 7 Jack Curtis 3B Maine Kingsmen Baseball Academy Castle Creek NY 8 Jacob Veloz OF Maine Mount St Charles Academy Lincoln RI 9 Nolan Gillis RHP Bryant Kimball Union Academy Surry NH 10 Chase McLaughlin 3B UMBC Northeast Pasadena MD 11 Matthew Chirumbolo RHP Maine Salisbury Harwinton CT 12 Tobey Bajda RHP Bryant...
Read More
College | Recruiting | 9/14/2026

Class of 2026 Recruiting Rankings

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 9/14/2026

Coastal Fall Battle of the Carolinas Notes

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Deacon Hensley (2028, Zebulon, NC) stands at 6-foot-0, 165 pounds and is a left-handed hitting and throwing right fielder. Lean frame with good athleticism and additional strength likely to come with maturity. Compact swing with quick hands and good feel for the barrel. Relaxed setup with good bat speed through the zone. Good balance in the box with a direct path and solid contact skills. Hensley went 3-for-3, scoring three runs and hitting a double. Great day at the plate. Colt Funderburk (2027, Lancaster, SC) stands at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds with an athletic frame and present strength. Bats and throws left-handed. Physical hitter with a compact swing, good bat speed, and the ability to drive the ball with authority. Good pitch recognition with a disciplined approach. Quiet lower half with a controlled load and good balance. Funderburk went 2-for-4 with one double and two RBI. Cameron...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 9/14/2026

PG Athletes Raise North of $138,000 in August

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME ATHLETES RAISE OVER $138,000 FOR CHARITABLE PARTNERS THROUGHOUT MONTH OF AUGUST   Sanford, Florida (Monday, September 14, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that its August premier events raised a combined $138,422 for children's hospitals and charitable organizations, with 1,112 total supporters contributing across five showcases. Since 2016, Perfect Game athletes have raised over $1.8 million for various charitable causes and organizations. The annual fundraising initiative, which runs in conjunction with several of Perfect Game's marquee events each year, gives players, families and fans the opportunity to support...
Read More
College | Recruiting | 9/14/2026

Top 500 Fresh Arrivals on Campus

Article Image
It's that time of the year where the freshmen around the country start arriving on campus. Regardless of level, here are the top 500 names to make it to their school for the 2027 season.  Rank Name School High School City ST 1 Archer Horn Stanford St. Ignatius College Prep San Mateo CA 2 Noah Wilson Vanderbilt McCallie School Ooltewah TN 3 Logan Schmidt Louisiana State Ganesha Aliso Viejo CA 4 Blake Bowen Oregon State JSerra Catholic Riverside CA 5 Cole Koeninger Tennessee Keller Keller TX 6 Joseph Contreras Vanderbilt Blessed Trinity Cath Alpharetta GA 7 Bo Holloway Vanderbilt Nolensville Nolensville TN 8 James Clark Duke St. John Bosco Riverside CA 9 Malachi Washington Louisiana State Parkview Stone Mountain GA 10 Brady Harris Florida Trinity Christian Academy St. Augustine FL 11 Grayson Willoughby Kentucky Trinity Louisville KY 12 Jorvorskie Lane Jr. Arkansas Grapevine Fort Worth...
Read More
Draft | Story | 9/11/2026

PG Draft: Potential Risers Into Top 50

Michael Albee
Article Image
We are in the early stages of the 2027 cycle and there is still plenty of time for players to make significant jumps up the board. While our current Top-100 provides an early look at the class, several players just outside that group have the upside to make a run at becoming Top-50 pick by next July. With that in mind, each member of the draft team each selected one college player and one prep player they believe could make the jump into the Top-50 over the course of the spring. These are the names to keep an eye on as the 2027 draft picture continues to develop. Joey’s Picks:   Jake Cueto (27 FL) goes oppo πŸ’£ on a mid-90s LonL heater. Performing at a very high level, hitting .464 with 5 homers. Excellent hit/run combo and here comes the juice! #PGHS #Miami commit @Florida_PG pic.twitter.com/g4gtml81mm — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) April 1, 2026 Prep: OF, Jake...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 9/9/2026

PG Wood Bat Fall Kickoff Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Evan Thompson (‘29, AZ) showcasing the all-fields power with this ground rule double the other way. Immense power upside. Really fun offensive profile #FallKickoff https://t.co/l551KirUOf pic.twitter.com/QW0AIeg59g — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) September 7, 2026 Evan Thompson (2029, Gilbert, Ariz.) put on an offensive clinic throughout the weekend, going 8-for-13 with three extra-base hits. He capped off his MVP performance with a walkoff home run to take home the championship. Thompson is one of the premier players in the 2029 class. A fluid left-handed stroke consistently finds barrels. There is all fields power present that will only continue to develop further. It would not be a surprise if Thimpson ends up the top ranked player in the class when it is all said and done.  Chase Fillman (2028, Goodyear, Ariz.) put together a loud summer circuit and...
Read More
Draft | Story | 9/8/2026

What Profiles Are Valued Most at Top of Draft

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
The landscape of the MLB Draft continues to evolve each and every year. What teams value at the top of the draft can change based on the strength of a particular class, shifts in player development philosophy, and, perhaps most importantly, the way organizations evaluate risk and upside. Some trends are subtle, while others become impossible to ignore when viewed across multiple years. For this study, I set out to answer one question: What player profiles do teams value at the top of the draft? To answer it, I analyzed the Top-100 picks from each of the last six drafts (2021-2026). That gives us 600 total selections to examine and provides a large enough sample to identify both the profiles that have remained consistently popular and those that have gained or lost significant ground. The data was broken down by position, handedness and level to create individual player profiles. While...
Read More
General | General | 9/7/2026

First Look: Class of 2031 Rankings

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Read More
Draft | Story | 9/7/2026

Chubb Jones Jr. Enrolls Early

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Harry Chubb Jones Jr. is getting an early start on the next chapter of his baseball career. The Perfect Game All-American announced Sunday that he will enroll early at the University of Alabama, giving the Crimson Tide an early addition from one of the more intriguing two-way prospects in the 2027 class. See y’all at The Joe! πŸ‘πŸΎπŸ‘πŸΎπŸ‘πŸΎ pic.twitter.com/Kn0T0mJxq7 — 6._.chubbjones (@chubb_hitter) September 6, 2026 Jones, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound SS/RHP from Georgia, was ranked No. 39 in the 2027 class and came in at No. 83 on the initial Top-100 2027 Draft Board. Chubb Jones Jr (‘27 GA) smokes this one the other way for an RBI single & we’re all level in the 6th. Adv bat speed, impacts w/ authority to all fields #PGAAC@PG_Georgia pic.twitter.com/FZ46IvYVp1 — Dick’s Sporting Goods All-American Classic (@PGAllAmerican) August 16, 2026 The McEachern...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.