Future Big League Hopefuls Put In Work - Tucker Kuykendall

With all 30 Major League teams already actively reporting to Arizona and Florida after resting from the rugged 162+ game 2013 season, I thought it would be a good opportunity to look at how much work is involved for young players striving to hear their name one day announced over the Public Address System in one of Baseball’s Iconic Stadiums.

One such future big-league hopeful is Tucker Kuykendall, a 15 year old from Candler, NC. A typical week training for Tucker includes two separate hour-long batting practices, private pitching sessions focusing on both velocity and technique twice a week and a strict regimen of strength and conditioning at The Diamond Mine under the tutelage of Darin Chaplin and SuperFit™ Guru Carlos Perez. Tucker also is a member of The Diamond Mine travel teams (both 16-under and 18-under) which showcases talent at weekend tournaments across the Southeast.

Kuykendall played in approximately 115 games in 2013, beginning in mid-February (much like Spring Training) with tryouts, his school season, travel ball and showcase events. His total will very likely surpass that in 2014 with the additional exposure of Baseball Factory Showcases and a heavy travel schedule.
His dedicated work ethic is already paying dividends. Tucker is already garnering attention from NCAA Division I programs and in July 2013 was the only 14-year-old selected from the Under Armor National Tryout camp in Greenville, South Carolina to attend the Cape Cod Select Training & Competition sponsored by The Baseball Factory™.

Even more recently Tucker was named one of 44 Baseball Factory Rookie All-Americans selected for a Showcase Tournament in Auburndale, FL where Kuykendall received a Top 10 Evaluation after a 4 Inning, 7 Strikeout combined no-hitter to lead his team to the Tournament Title at 3-0. 

Scouts in attendance were highly impressed by Tucker’s command of 4 Division 1 quality pitches including a developing cutter that baffled opposing batters, an 11/5 curveball that scouts called the best pitch they saw all weekend and a consistent 82 MPH fastball.

 One scouting report read “Tucker is a big RHP with a tremendous upside on the mound. He has 4 pitches including a fastball with late life, curve ball with an 11/5 shape, change up with good sink, and a developing cutter. He works quickly on the mound and has a good rhythm. His arm action is fluid and he gets good extension. He has good mound presence and knows how to pitch. Tucker will be a quality pitcher at the next level.”

The Baseball Factory™ is a major scouting and recruitment affiliate for Baseball America and is sponsored by athletic wear super company UnderArmour®. The Baseball Factory™ has helped more players compete at the college baseball level than any other organization in America. 

A few facts about the impact of The Baseball Factory™ on the collegiate and major league levels include

1. 99% of Division I college baseball programs have at least one Baseball Factory alum on its roster.

2. 1 of every 4 players from the 2013 College World Series is an alumnus of The Baseball Factory™.

3. Over $1 Billion in college scholarships have been acquired for players involved in Baseball Factory Showcase.

4. 1 of every 4 players MLB draftees have come through The Baseball Factory™.

5. 4,500+ Baseball Factory players have been selected in the MLB draft.

6. 350+ Baseball Factory alumni have gone on to play in the Big Leagues including All Stars C.C. Sabathia, Jose Bautista, Roy Halladay, Mark Teixeira, Zach Grienke, Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander and David Wright just to skim the surface.

7. Baseball Factory Alumnus has accumulated 71,963 Major League hits, 9,208 Major League HRs and 35,654 RBI's offensively and on the mound have won 2,434 Major League games, Struck out 32,761 Major League batters and Pitched over 42,638 innings in the Major Leagues while accumulating over 3.75 billion dollars in salaries.

You may view professional evaluations and additional video at Tucker’s Baseball Factory Page at http://members.baseballfactory.com/player/74690/

Kuykendall is currently a freshman at Enka High School.