By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Director – Illinois/Wisconsin

The Mailbag is a feature which allows readers to ask our scouting directors any questions they wish about high school baseball in their state. Whether it’s about possible state title contenders, top prospects, recruiting, etc. your questions will get put into our “Mailbag” via the ask.fm app and our scouts will answer your questions through Twitter (@PBRWisconsin) and Facebook.

This week's top questions center around what recruiters look for, upcoming 2017’s and more from around the state of Wisconsin.

To submit a question about Wisconsin high school baseball to the PBR scouting staff simply follow the link HERE. Also if you have a burning question about the national landscape of high school baseball or draft specific questions you can send them to National Supervisor Nathan Rode HERE.

Top Questions of the Week

What do u think about Janesville Parker and the rest of the Big 8 this season?

The Big 8 has always been a very solid conference which has been dominated by Sun Prairie and Middleton in recent years. I think both Janesville teams will be improved, Parker has a lot of returning contributors which should improve on last year's 8-18 record.

Who are some of the 2017 grads you have your eye on so far?

We saw several at the Milwaukee Preseason ID. C Jamie DeWitt, LHP Ben Dragani, RHP Nolan Rebernick, C Garret Gilbert and RHP Jacob Lindeman are just a few high follows in the early going. We hope to unveil even more at the Madison Preseason ID.

What are the chances of a switch hitter getting ranked in the top 10 for his class? A good bat from both sides, speed on the bases, a good arm and excellent awareness

That's a vague description of a prospect. Those are all good traits but there's a lot more that goes into ranking a player.

Any surprising newcomers that weren't on the radar at the showcase on Sunday?

Yes. There were many players that we haven't seen yet that were in attendance and impresses our scouting staff. We are hoping to start rolling out analysis sometime next week.

What do you think of 2016 grad Aaron Steinhoff?

I got to see him last spring in the playoffs and he has a really quick arm. Not the prototypical long/tall pitchers frame but his arm works really well. We will see him this weekend at the Feb 9 Milwaukee Preseason I.D. and get some more updates on him.

Do you think Sun Prairie can make it 3 in a row?

Absolutely. They have a solid group of returners and some young guys that I hear coming up the ranks that will have an impact.

What do scouts/coaches look for in a 2016 pitcher?

Regardless of graduating year most coaches/scouts are looking for long athletic pitchers who have athletic arms and can command the zone with multiple pitches. If a 2016 pitcher has these traits and is hovering around the mid 80's for a RHP he is probably going to get a few recruiters knocking on his door.

What do you think of Brown, Schmitt and Acker? Do you expect them to play D1 ball?

All three are very talented players. As I've said before the 2016 class in Wisconsin is very deep compared to previous classes and I would suspect there to be many D1 commits.

Who is the best all-around non-committed player in the 2015 class?

I would have to say OF Doran Turchin from Oak Creek. He's strong, physical, shows a big bat, runs well and has a great arm. He also showed he could throw it from the mound earlier this fall at the Labor Day Challenge.

Any advice for a ranked unsigned senior at this point in the recruiting process? Is it still beneficial to attend one of the Preseason ID's or should he search elsewhere for more exposure?

At this point the Unsigned Senior Showcases will probably be the best to attend because there will be plenty of coaches looking for talent. However performing extremely well at a Prospect ID will produce similar dividends because any top prospects will get substantial publicity on the website, as well as performing in front of college coaches and PBR scouts in attendance.

What would you rather see? A catcher who can really hit, but not run; or a catcher who can't hit all that well, but runs a sub 7.0 60 yard dash? Assuming they both were solid defensively, which one would be a more projectable college player?

For a catcher the number one tool asked of them would be to play defense. Handling pitchers and controlling the game is a catchers number one job. After that the hit tool will play over any other tool. There is always a spot for a guy that can hit and plenty of other spots on the field to put a guy that can really hit.

What position is scouted more out of Wisconsin?

I don't think there is a specific position scouted out of Wisconsin more than any other state. Typically your pitchers, shortstops and catchers are most often recruited.

What do you think about the competition in Division 3 and 4 schools?

The WIAA breaks schools down into divisions for a reason. Obviously the D1 and D2 schools will have better overall talent because they have a bigger pool of kids to choose from. Not saying that there aren't talented players at the D3 and D4 levels they are just fewer and far between.