Prep Baseball Report

Midwest Premier Super 17 (Member): Top 15 Prospects


By: Diego Solares
Area Scout, Illinois & Missouri

Last weekend, the PBR Tournaments staff held the Midwest Premier Super 17 tournament at the Creekside Baseball Park in Parkville, Missouri. This event featured 40 teams from across the Midwest that valiantly competed for a chance at the tournament’s crown.

For a look at all the teams, and rosters, that participated in this event, click HERE.

We started to dive deeper into the tournament itself as this week has gone on, selecting an all-tournament team, which you can find HERE.

Today we’re turning our attention to prospect status, as our scouting staff has compiled a list of 15 top prospects that stood out amongst a loaded crop of names, which you can find below.

We’ll do more as the weeks roll on with this tournament, so be on the lookout for that, but for now read up on 15 names that really popped to our scouts at the Super 17. 

TOP PROSPECTS

Ryan Anderson RHP / Minooka , IL / 2024

One of the few 2024 prospects from last week, Anderson more than fit in with the older crowd, starting with a 6-foot-6, 188-pound stature on the mound. Anderson pitched twice for Rhino, running his fastball up to an easy 89 mph and sitting in the upper-80s throughout. He’s a fluid downhill mover that controls his body exceptionally well for his size and will also throw in a short wrinkle slider in the mid-70s. Expect Anderson’s velocity to tick up as he continues to physically mature, further raising an already high ceiling as one of the top names in the Midwest’s 2024 group. 

Brayden Bakes OF / Huntley, IL / 2023

Bakes ascent over the last few weeks started at the PBR ProCase - Midwest, where he was arguably the top follow in attendance, and parlayed over to a strong showing at Creekside last weekend. Built at a chiseled 5-foot-10, 180-pounds, Bakes punished baseballs off his left-handed barrel and tied for the tournament lead in home runs with three. He’s always been one of the toolsiest athletes in Illinois, running a 6.45 60 and reaching exit velocities north of 101 mph, but Bakes has started to translate those tools into success on the diamond. Committed to Wichita State, he’s firmly an arrow-up name in the Midwest’s 2023 MLB Draft cycle. 

Seth Benes RHP / Liberty-Wentzville, MO / 2023

A recent Indiana commit, Benes showed his usually impressive stuff in a brief outing for the St. Louis Prospects last weekend. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-handed pitched at 86-90 mph with his fastball and showed polish for his secondaries, something we’ve become accustomed to seeing from him at this point. Benes, who’s physical stature and family pedigree on the diamond make for a relatively high future on the hill, is one of the top arms in Missouri’s 2023 group.

Thomas Burns RHP / Hortonville , WI / 2023

Burns turned in another stellar performance for Hitters on Saturday night, punching out 11 batters in a complete game effort against a quality opponent. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Sun Devils’ recruit came out hot, sitting 90-91 mph early with his fastball before settling in at 86-88 mph. Burns showed a more firm mid-to-high-70s slider with two-plane break and landed a bendy curveball for strikes in the low-70s throughout his outing. One of the top arms in Wisconsin, Burns appears to just be scratching the surface of what his ultimate upside on the mound could be. 

Drew Deremer RHP / Millard West, NE / 2023

Deremer displayed perhaps one of the highest ceilings of any prospect last weekend, standing at a highly projectable 6-foot-3, 190-pounds. The former PBR Future Games participant reached as high as 92 mph with his fastball, pitching at 89-91 mph with relative ease throughout his operation. He turned to a breaking ball with more gradual action as a change-of-pace offering, relying mostly on that aforementioned heater during this look. Committed to Iowa, Deremer has one of the higher ceilings in Nebraska’s 2023 class and is ranked inside the top-10 at the moment. 

Cal Fisher SS / Deerfield, WI / 2023

Fisher’s status as a top prospect in the Midwest’s 2023 class is well documented, and he flashed those skills throughout the weekend with his GRB Rays squad. Fisher jumped all over a firm upper-80s fastball for an opposite field triple on Saturday, flying around the base paths in the process. He’s a savvy, sure-handed defender on the infield dirt that’ll stick up the middle in the long run, too. Fisher is currently the third-highest ranked prospect in Wisconsin’s incoming senior group and he’s committed to Notre Dame. 

Zachary Kwasny 3B / Lincoln-Way East, IL / 2023

The first of three uncommitted prospects on this list, Kwasny flat-out dominated for Top Tier Americans in relief on Saturday evening. He ran his fastball up to 90 mph multiple times, sitting at 87-89 mph with downhill tilt created from a high release point. Kwasny landed a low-70s curveball for strikes in any count and commanded a 72-74 mph changeup around the lower third of the zone throughout his outing. His mentality on the mound is worth mentioning, as Kwasny has long been known to our staff as a bulldog-type that attacks hitters with confidence. At a lanky 6-foot-5, 220-pounds, Kwasny could comfortably add quality mass onto his frame over the next few years and see an even greater uptick in his stuff. He’s one of the top prospects in the Illinois’ 2023 class that’s still on the market.

Wil Libbert LHP / Blair Oaks , MO / 2023

Fresh off a dominant spring campaign for Blair Oaks, Libbert’s outing last weekend was a loud one. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound southpaw bumped his fastball up to 90 mph from a deceptive slot, sitting at 86-89 mph throughout his outing. He spun a handful of sweeping breaking balls in the low-70s at 2,300+ RPM that flashed above-average action and looked to be particularly effective against left-handed hitters. Libbert is currently a top-100 prospect nationally for the 2023 class and the third-ranked name on Missouri’s board. He’s committed to Missouri. 

Keenan Mork RHP / River Falls, WI / 2023

We had heard positive reports on Mork coming out of western Wisconsin after he dominated for River Falls this spring in one of the Badger State’s top conferences. All of that proved true when the 6-foot-2, 190-pound uncommitted incoming senior came out hot in his start, pounding the zone with an 89-92 mph fastball. Mork’s arm speed and conviction allow him to rip off a swing-and-miss slider at 77-79 mph, equating to a loud two-pitch mix conducive to missing bats at the next level. An arrow-up prospect, Mork’s talents on the hill likely take him off the market sooner rather than later. 

Weston Rouse LHP / Fort Gibson , OK / 2023

A top arm in Oklahoma, Rouse brought his hulking 6-foot-7, 230-pound frame to Creekside last weekend with the Sandlot. He owns an upper-80s fastball and an advanced low-70s breaking ball, both of which he’ll throw around the zone for strikes. It’s typically difficult for high schoolers of Rouse’s physical stature to repeat their delivery, but it’s something that he’s comfortable doing at an advanced rate. Committed to Oklahoma State, Rouse’s sky-high ceiling on the mound is indisputable.

Case Sanderson 1B / Nevada R5, MO / 2023

Sanderson’s status as an upper tier left-handed bat in Missouri has become evident to our staff over the last calendar year and he did nothing but cement that at the Super 17. Sanderson juiced a few loud balls off the barrels throughout the weekend, including two monster home runs in a playoff win for Marucci Midwest. The second of those two came in a clutch spot, as it ultimately gave his team a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Standing at a physically built 6-foot-2, 200-pounds, Sanderson looks like a middle-of-the-order masher at the next level. He’s committed to Nebraska. 

TJ Schuyler C / Antioch, IL / 2023

Schuyler showed out as arguably the top two-way performer of the entire event. He’s a quality defensive backstop behind the plate with equally impressive offensive skills from the right-handed batter’s box. Schuyler thumped some balls at the Super 17, showing off an improved, more controlled swing that’s starting to elevate the baseball with authority on a consistent basis. He hopped on the mound and showed our scouts upper-80s velocity with his fastball with his usual sharp swing-and-miss slider at 75-76 mph. What Schuyler ultimately becomes at the collegiate level is yet to be seen, but he’s more than capable of performing on either side of the ball once he gets to Indiana. 

Cole Selvig RHP / Regis, WI / 2023

Selvig’s start on Saturday was a brief two-inning stint, yet the Texas’ recruit showed some of the weekend’s loudest pure stuff in that span. His fastball sat exclusively at 90-92 mph and he showed advanced feel for a sinking changeup in the low-80s. The separator for Selvig, and something he’s greatly improved over the years, will ultimately be his ability to spin his slider for whiffs out of the zone. It’s a pitch that has some desirable metrical characteristics to do so, and it’s clear that he’s grown more comfortable throwing it as his career has progressed. Selvig is one of the top prospects in the entire state of Wisconsin, regardless of class.

Shea Wendt RHP / Blair, NE / 2023

There was plenty of buzz surrounding Wendt entering the Super 17 and he certainly didn’t disappoint, exceeding our expectations in the process. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Creighton commit recorded the weekend’s hardest fastball, producing low-90s heat that topped at 94 mph from an ultra-quick arm. Wendt’s fastball exploded into the zone, playing with flat four-seam ride out of his hand. He mixed in a handful of mid-70s curveball with sharp spin off a high arch throughout his outing as well. A former PBR Future Gamer, Wendt looked the part of a high-follow arm in the Midwest’s 2023 MLB Draft cycle

Jack Williams OF / Bixby, OK / 2023

There’s no shortage of juice with Williams, who’s loud tools matchup against any pure athlete in the entire country. He’s a 6.75 runner in the 60 that reached an absurd 105.3 mph max exit velocity this winter, while also topping at 88 mph from both the outfield and on the mound. Williams flashed his tools on the tournament’s first night, crushing an opposite field blast that finally landed right as he rounded first base. The aggression and ferocity he generates at the plate for his 6-foot-4, 210-pound stature is eye-popping, and he’s absolutely one of the most intriguing uncommitted follows from the tournament. 


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