2017 Sunbelt League Top Prospects — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Michael Livingston

Sunbelt League Top Prospects

Michael Livingston, rhp, Sunbelt (Sr., Young Harris)

Coleman Williams, rhp, Norcross (So., Duke)

Tucker Maxwell, of, Norcross (So., Georgia)

Hunter Caudelle, rhp, Gwinnett (Jr., Georgia Gwinnett College)

Zach Keenan, rhp, Atlanta (Fr., Middle Tennessee State)

Postseason Recap: The Sunbelt league champion series was not a stressful one this year as the Sunbelt Patriots swept the Atlanta Crackers 2-0 in the three-game series. The Patriots won the deciding game by a 13-5 margin, but it was not without an early struggle. Sunbelt jumped out to a 2-0 lead courtesy of Austin Pharr’s (Columbus State) seventh home run but fell behind in the bottom of the third as the Crackers put up four runs. From then on it was all Patriots. Series MVP Eriq White (Alabama State) iced the series with a three-run bomb in the seventh to give the Patriots a lead they would not give up. They tallied four in the eighth and one more in the ninth. Ryan Wesley tossed seven innings to earn the win.

1. Michael Livingston, rhp, Sunbelt (Sr., Young Harris)

Livingston is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound righthander with a loose, smooth delivery. He works from a three-quarters arm slot with a fastball in the 89-91 mph range. He has more control than command, finding the zone consistently and flashing decent two-seam action with his fastball. He walked just six batters to 43 strikeouts in 38.1 innings this summer. His offspeed is a bit raw at this point, but he gets decent break on both pitches. His changeup sits 79-82 mph with occasional run. The best of his secondary pitches is his breaking ball, which he delivers from 83-85 mph, with more of a horizontal action.

2. Coleman Williams, rhp, Norcross (So., Duke)

A fastball in the low 90s and a sturdy 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame give Williams a nice ceiling should he be able to hone his pitches consistently. His high-energy motion causes him to get wild at times, but the natural run on his fastball is hard to ignore. He also brings a curveball and a slider in his arsenal, both raw. Given his violent motion, and sharp offspeed, Williams might be in line for a reliever role down the road. He threw just four innings for the Blue Devils as a freshman in the spring.

3. Tucker Maxwell, of, Norcross (So., Georgia)

Maxwell is athletic and shows some twitchiness at the plate. He packs a good bit of power into his 6-foot, 180-pound frame but loses consistent contact by trying to lift the ball. He has improved upon that some over the last few months, getting a more contact-oriented swing and batting .260/.438/.301. He showed strong plate discipline this summer, evidenced by his 21-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In the field he showcased his powerful arm, with average range on fly balls.

4. Hunter Caudelle, rhp, Gwinnett (Jr., Georgia Gwinnett College)

Caudelle is a big righthander, standing at 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, and he delivers a heavy fastball in the 88-90 mph range. He has a bit of a jerkier motion but is still able to consistently repeat and find the zone. His changeup comes in at 79 mph and fades off a good bit, making it a weapon against lefthanded hitters. In his motion, he falls off to the right a bit but recovers well and fields his position. Caudelle dominated with the Tide, striking out 27 to seven walks in 12 innings and allowing no earned runs.

5. Zach Keenan, rhp, Atlanta (Fr., Middle Tennessee State)

Keenan is raw at this point, but with his 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame and athletic ability, he has a lot of room to grow. His fastball has been in the mid-upper 80s, and coaches praised his control of it this summer. He mixes speeds well, keeping hitters off balance. He had a strong showing with the Crackers as a rising freshman, going 4-1, 2.04 and striking out 50 to eight walks in 44 innings this summer.