Prep Baseball Report

Wisconsin's Class of 2016 Rankings Updated and Expanded



By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Director – Wisconsin/Illinois

The Class of 2016 in Wisconsin has some of the deepest high end talent that we have seen in the state. There are legitimately 10 guys that could have the No. 1 spot any other year in the state, making this one of the best classes we have seen in the state.

With so much talent so close together and the jumps that players are making it was only a matter of time before we saw a new No. 1. After sitting in the two spot since August, SS Gavin Lux (Indian Trail) leapfrogged SS Justin Lavey (Tremper) into the No. 1 spot. Lux has grown both taller and added muscle while still looking like he has a long way to go before he reaches his body’s potential.

C Ben Rortvedt (Verona Area) has been on a terror this winter and his performance at the Milwaukee Preseason I.D. was nothing short of spectacular. Rortvedt left handed bat and vastly improved catching skills landed him firmly in the No. 2 spot in the state.

With so much talent at the top of this list LHP Jack Eagan (Wautoma) was only able to jump one spot to No. 4 after making a four mph velocity jump since last year. Eagan’s 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame sat 86-88 mph with excellent secondary stuff to go with it. Right behind Eagan is RHP/OF Cyrillo Watson (South Milwaukee) who put on a show in February. Watson was 95 mph from the outfield and sat 85-87 mph on the mound with a devastating changeup.

RHP Matt Hamilton (Oak Creek) made a huge climb into the top ten after going 86-88 mph this winter and showing feel of three pitches. At 6-foot-2, 190-pound Hamilton has the typical athletic pitchers frame. Along with Hamilton, Appleton North’s RHP/3B Taylor Borchers made a significant jump into the top 25 after a strong showing in the Madison Preseason I.D.

RHP Tyler Becker (Menomonee Falls) was the highest new addition to the rankings at No. 14 after expanding to 75 players. Becker touched 85 mph with a long arm action and aggressive secondary stuff. Becker was one of 35 new prospects in the rankings which also included SS/RHP Grant Frazer (Oconto), SS Ben Carew (Kimberly), 1B/RHP Cody Link (Edgewood) and RHP/3B Alec Marsh (Reagan College Prep) inside the top 30.

Here’s a look at the Top 10 Class of 2016 Rankings

Rank Name State School Class Pos Commitment
1 Gavin Lux WI Indian Trail 2016 SS Virginia Tech
2 Ben Rortvedt WI Verona Area 2016 C
3 Justin Lavey WI Tremper 2016 SS Louisville
4 Jack Eagan WI Wautoma 2016 LHP
5 Cyrillo Watson WI South Milwaukee 2016 OF Illinois
6 Dominic Clementi WI Hartland Arrowhead 2016 OF Michigan
7 Matt Hamilton WI Oak Creek 2016 RHP
8 Nathan Brown WI Arrowhead 2016 RHP
9 Ryan Schmitt WI Arrowhead 2016 RHP
10 Ty Weber WI Menomonee Falls 2016 RHP Illinois

CLICK HERE for complete Class of 2016 Rankings.

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