Tennessee Baseball: Two Vols Land in ESPN’s Top-50 Draft Prospects, One Commit Gets Honorable Mention
As the college baseball season gets into full swing, the Tennessee Volunteers are on many people's radar. Whether it be SEC favorites, College World Series predictions, or MLB Draft prospects, Tony Vitello has done a great job keeping Tennessee and its players relevant at every level.
ESPN uses the Future Value (FV) system as a scouting scale to rank and analyze college baseball's best. This system grades on a 20-80 scouting scale and breaks down college athletes' current value into a single number value. Typically, a below-average major leaguer will grade at 50, and an above-average player will grade at 60. This can affect draft stock, trade value, and possibly how quickly a player moves through the minor leagues. There's a lot more depth to the FV system, and you could read Fangraphs' explanation of the system that they have been using the FV system since 2018.
The highest ranking a college baseball prospect can have is 50 FV. ESPN has four players in this tier, including former Vol and now Wake Forest Demon Deacon Chase Burns. The next tier is 45+ FV, which places players in the middle of the 50 FV and 45 FV tiers. The first Tennessee player on the list falls in the 45 FV tier.
21. Drew Beam (21.4), RHP, Tennessee
Drew Beam. Drew Beam. player. RHP. Tennessee. 21. 21. Drew Beam. . . 534
Tennessee right-handed pitcher Drew Beam is the highest-ranked Vol on the list. Beam falls in the 45 FV tier and ranks 21st overall. That would immediately place Beam in the top 15 of every MLB team's top prospect list and in the top 10 of a majority of MLB team's pipeline.
The Junior from Murfreesboro, TN, was an All-American in 2023, a Freshman All-American, SEC Freshman of the Year, a 2024 Preseason All-American, and Preseason All-SEC First Team, and on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. Beam is a premier player on the Vols roster. He's pitched in three games so far and has a 2-0 record with a 2.16 ERA to start the year.
39. Billy Amick (21.7), 3B, Tennessee
Billy Amick. 3B. . 39. 39. Billy Amick. Billy Amick. player. Tennessee. 534.
The Volunteers' third baseman is the other player who made ESPN's top 50. Billy Amick falls in the 40+ FV tier, right below Beam and the 45 FV tier. Amick transferred in from Clemson this past year, and his power highlights his ranking in the top 50. In a few years, he could be a strong bat for a major league club.
The Junior from South Carolina was an All-American in 2023, a 2024 Preseason All-American, and on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. He's batting .390 to start the year with seven home runs and 18 RBIs after the season's first month.
Tegan Kuhns (19.2), RHP, Gettysburg Area HS (PA), Tennessee commit
Tegan Kuhns. . Tennessee Commit. Tegan Kuhns. player. Tegan Kuhns HM. HM. 534. . RHP
The other player to receive an honorable mention has yet to step foot on Rocky Top. Tegan Kuhns is a right-handed pitcher from Pennsylvania and could join Vitello's Vols this Fall if he does not get drafted too early in the MLB Draft.
Next. How to Watch Tennessee Baseball Throughout March. How to Watch Tennessee Baseball Throughout March. dark
Tennessee is off to an 11-1 start after sweeping their weekend series against Bowling Green at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Beam, Amick, and the Vols look dominant early in the season, with their only loss to Oklahoma in 10 innings. Tennessee has one more weekend series against Illinois before opening SEC play at Alabama.