Six Vols, five signees, among updated MLB Pipeline’s Top-150 Draft Prospects

On3 imageby:Eric Cain•04/24/24•

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As Tennessee continues to mow through its 2024 campaign, several players have taken center stage for the Vols as the program is once again a national contender. Thanks to the good efforts this season and in the past, six Tennessee Vols – and five 2024 signees – have been listed among MLB Pipeline’s updated Top-150 draft prospects that was unveiled Wednesday evening.

In fact, all six that were mentioned rank inside the top-100 with third baseman Billy Amick leading the way at No. 15. Infielder Christian Moore is next at No. 52 while right-handed hurler Drew Beam is listed at No. 57. Outfielder Kavares Tears is next at No. 64, first baseman Blake Burke checks in three slots back at No. 67 and Dylan Dreiling rounds out the Vols on the list, coming in at No. 81.  

All four of Tennessee’s position players on the list are hitting well above .300 at the plate with 10+ home runs this season through 41 games.

Amick, who transferred from Clemson following an All-American sophomore campaign, has picked up right where he left off in his first season in Knoxville. Despite missing eight games while recuperating from having his appendix removed, the third baseman clocks the fourth-highest batting average (.347) and is tied for third on the squad with 38 runs batted in. Amick has smashed 14 homers, including two on Tuesday against Western Carolina, and logged a grand slam against Ole Miss back in March.

The infielder has also proven he can play a more than serviceable third base, having committed only four errors at the hot corner.

Moore is on fire for the Vols at the moment, leading the team with 19 homers with an incredible 13 round trippers in Southeastern Conference play. The second baseman is hitting over .400 in 18 conference games, .373 on the season and has driven in 47 runs, which ranks second on the team. The athlete can play all across the diamond, as he started at shortstop for the Vols during the opening weekend of play in February, but could project as a corner outfielder at the next level.

The slugging second baseman holds the program record with 46 career home runs and is five away from tying the single-season home run record for Tennessee.  

Beam is the model of consistency on the mound for Tennessee, having logged at least five innings in eight of his 10 starts on the season. He’s registering a team-high 55.2 innings on the mound in 2024 while compiling a 5-1 record and 3.40 ERA to date. The former All-American and SEC Freshman of the Year spent the past two summers with USA Baseball, and he’s logged 49 strikeouts to just 12 walks on the season while pitching in game two of the weekend three-game series.   

Finally healthy, Tears has found a spot in the everyday lineup for the Vols during his redshirt-sophomore season. The outfielder is hitting an impressive .380 at the plate with 14 home runs and 37 RBI through 40 games. He logged a 20-game hit-streak earlier in the season and has walked a team-high 30 times. Primarily in right field, Tears has proven to be a serviceable centerfielder for the Vols at times this season.  

Burke has turned his draft stock around with an incredible bounce back junior season after bursting onto the scene in 2022 with 14 homers in only 95 at-bats. With improved defense at first base, Burke has saved countless errors with his slick glove and has found confidence at the dish with a team-best .412 average on the season and 4.16 clip in conference play. The junior is tied for second in the country with 20 doubles and has smashed 14 homers with 38 RBI on the year so far. Burke is second behind Moore in the Tennessee career home run tally, blasting 44 homers during his time in Knoxville.

The first baseman is currently riding a 31-game hit-streak (longest in program history) and has reached base safely in 39-straight games.

Drieling is a draft-eligible sophomore and has solidified himself as one of the more dangerous bats in the conference after a part-time role as a true freshman for the Omaha Vols. The left-handed hitter leads the team with 48 runs driven in and has hammered 15 home runs on the year, including seven inside league play. Dreiling has improved his play in left field this season and will only get better the more he plays.    

Current Tennessee (2024) signees who show up inside the top-150 include: RHP Tegan Kuhns (No. 59), RHP Anson Seibert (No. 76), shortstop Ty Southisene (No. 99), INF Arnold Abernathy (No. 122), SS Manny Marin (No. 145). Former Tennessee right-handed pitcher turned Wake Forest transfer, Chase Burns, checks in at No. 7 on the list.

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