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Draft  | Prospect Scouting Reports | 12/9/2024

PG Draft Spotlight: Nate Snead

Tyler Kotila
Photo: Nate Snead
Nate Snead
Position:  RHP
Height:  6-2
Weight:  212
Bats/Throws:  R-R
Birthdate:  March 16th, 2004
High School:  South Milwaukee
City, State:  South Milwaukee, Wisc.
College Team: Tennessee




Frame/Delivery/Arm Action

 Snead is a 6-foot-2, 212-pound starter’s frame with much to like about the frame/build. There’s athleticism that shows when it comes to his abilities as a mover. It’s clear there’s strength in the lower half as well, as he utilizes it in his move down the slope. He starts squared to the plate from the wind-up, sidesteps into the leg lift, and rides downhill. The hands start at the face and move down to the belt as he gets into the leg lift, moving back upward into a good and athletic position to ride the slope downhill. From the stretch, it's a very similar move as he gets into peak leg lift, starting squared and working into a quick leg lift and making his move through it. There’s some coil to the midsection, and he gets the lower half engaged and pushes down the slope with good force. The arm action is full, working with a clean takeaway and generating some extension working downhill. He throws from a three-quarters arm action, with a clean path working through it. He gets to a lower release height that allows him to challenge hitters, averaging 5’4”-5’6” on the sinker/4-seam. Pair that with the arm speed that he possesses, and it makes for a unique operation on the mound that will certainly garner decision-makers' attention this spring. 

Arsenal/Pitch Mix

 Snead’s got a really fun arsenal that showed success in 2024 for the Vols en route to their National Championship. The fastball has a sinker profile up to triple digits and holds the mid- to upper-90s. It has a good sinking life to it and allows him to create issues for righties and control the lower half of the zone. The fastball spins in the 2,200s on average with good shape and is a pitch he’s learned to command well with the arsenal. He’ll throw it for strikes and can locate the pitch well.

He has a quality slider in the mix, showing a little bit of horizontal and more of a gyro-shape to it; the pitch works in the mid- to upper-80s spins up above 2,400 RPMs. The shape shows a tighter look to it at times, but it will also get more 10-4 shape and sharp biting action to it as well. It’s the secondary pitch in the arsenal and one that he will use as a put-away pitch. It garnered a 37.2% whiff rate last year, and it will be a pitch he relies upon once again in 2025. He can land it for strikes as needed, giving him another weapon against quality SEC talent. 

The big piece of Snead's arsenal is the cutter. It’s the pitch that is newer to his repertoire but one that bridges things together, and it’s a pitch he uses for a lot of his success. The cutter works into the low-90s, and he can reach back to hum it in there into the mid-90s at times, but he mostly works in that 90-91 mph range. The pitch spins above 2,400 RPMS and has tight-cutting action to it. As noted, it’s newer to the arsenal, and I’d expect him to utilize the pitch more in ‘25 after the success he had with it in ‘24, throwing it for strikes and inducing north of a 35% whiff rate on it. 

Snead has a changeup as well, working the upper-80s, with good pronation and arm-side tumble to it. He creates good action for it and can get that fading depth that plays well off the sinker. It further improves the arsenal and gives him more to throw at hitters. Finally, Snead has a curveball in the mix that he seldom uses but is a pitch he can throw as needed. The pitch spins above 2,600 RPMs with a bigger shape and 12-6 to 11-5 depth to it. It’s not as quality of a pitch as the slider, and he throws it significantly less than the slider, but it's another offering he can utilize as part of a 5-pitch mix. 

Abilities/Traits To Like

Building off of the arsenal part above, Snead controls his arsenal well. He has learned to control the zone and compete in and around the zone to attack hitters. He had 25 walks to 59 punchouts over 71.2 innings of work in 2024 for the Vols. With an arsenal like this, being able to locate pitches and induce the swing-and-miss, he will be able to succeed. He transferred in from Wichita State after his freshman year and took to the Vols' staff well. There’s good bat-missing ability here, and it helps his profile, but it could also be improved to settle in as a starter—something he’s expected to do in 2025. I keep going back to the arsenal here, but it certainly feels like there’s a lot to like, especially with an offseason of training and improvements heading into his junior campaign. The pitch shapes are of high quality and play off of each other well, especially with the use of the cutter in 2024. It will only help him if he blends this arsenal further this spring. On top of that, Snead’s athleticism and abilities as a mover on the mound are quality, and they give him an upside as a prospect.

“The Buzz”

Looking back at 2024, the buzz was around Snead’s cutter. This year, the buzz could be even more real. He’s someone that has some eyes on him going into the spring. After a good campaign in the Vols' bullpen last year, he can jump into the rotation and emerge as the team’s best starter if everything clicks. He was up to 101 mph on the fastball as a reliever and might settle as more of a mid-90s starter, dialing things back for a start, but that’s okay. The buzz could be real around Snead if he goes out and shows that the arsenal has taken further strides. A 1.30 WHIP could be improved from last year, limiting contact and finding more ways to miss bats. But with his arsenal, I’d expect that to be a legitimate possibility. 

Summation

I’m bullish on Snead and expect improvements in his development from 2024 to 2025. I believe there should be an expectation that he can settle into a starter’s role for the Vols this year. I like the arsenal a lot and while I’d like to see him miss more bats, the whiff rates last year on his primary offerings were quality. If he can miss a few more bats and pick–up more swings and misses, it's easy to see why Snead will attract high-round draft interest heading into the spring. He’s someone who offers upside at the next level, and 2025 will be an opportunity to build off of what he’s shown so far. There was a lot to like in 2024 and some things to clean up, and if he continues to progress, there’s a lot to dream on.
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