Vols' breakout star Lipscomb lands with Nats

WASHINGTON -- The first three seasons were about patience. The final one was about performance.

Before third baseman Trey Lipscomb, 22, would become the Nationals’ third pick (No. 84 overall, third round) in the 2022 Major League Draft on Monday, he would have to bide his time at the University of Tennessee playing behind a pair of future Draft selections.

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“The fact that a kid that hadn’t played a whole lot and then finally gets an opportunity and runs with it, I think that speaks a lot about how this guy’s wired,” Nationals assistant general manager and vice president of scouting operations Kris Kline said.

From 2019-21, Lipscomb appeared in 37 games (12 starts) and took just 69 at-bats as Andre Lipcius (‘19 third round, Tigers) and Jake Rucker (‘21 seventh round, Twins) saw the majority of playing time.

Once he earned the starting role his senior year, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound infielder from Frederick, Md., made the most of the moment. He slashed .355/.428/.717 with a 1.145 OPS in 66 games (251 at-bats). Lipscomb led Tennessee with 89 hits, 84 RBIs, 22 home runs and 180 total bases. He also tied for a team high with 68 runs.

“His ability to be out in the field and play every day, things started to blossom for him,” said Nationals assistant director of amateur scouting Mark Baca.

Lipscomb’s RBI total ranked fifth nationally and first in the SEC. In the conference, he finished first in extra-base hits, second in slugging percentage, second in total bases, fourth in homers and fourth in runs.

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Among his senior year accolades were First Team All-SEC, First Team NCBWA All-American, NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy finalist, Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, SEC Tournament All-Tournament Team and Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll.

“He put up huge numbers,” Kline said. “[He] started out the year like that and never let off the gas pedal.”

Lipscomb entered the Draft ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 136 prospect. He was lauded by the Pipeline crew for exhibiting patience at the plate while consistently connecting for hard contact that can deliver to all fields. On the defensive end, Lipscomb was noted for having a solid arm and quick reactions, along with room to improve his footwork and instincts with more experience.

“One thing you recognize with him is that the swing’s a little different, but he absolutely has the knack for centering the baseball,” Kline said. “[You’re] looking at a kid that’s got a chance to hit for some power and play a solid third base.”

Lipscomb has an overall scouting grade of 45 on a 20-80 scale: hit 50, power 50, run 45, arm 55, field 50.

“For somebody that hasn’t played as much as he had, he sure looks advanced and confident,” Kline said. “And he does the one thing that he’s going to need to do in the big leagues, and that’s hit -- and he knows how to do that.”