With the high school baseball season in flux, we’re going to take some time today to highlight some of the top statistical performers who shined at preseason showcases so far in 2020. With so much talent enjoying break-through winters, we’re splitting up our ‘Winter Winners’ post into two parts: position players and pitchers. We’ll focus today on the arms who stuck out in the past few months, now that the winter showcase circuit has ended, following Sunday’s event in Madison.

Most, if not all, of the prospects you’ll find below are uncommitted. Given their performances at various events prior to WIAA’s since-postponed Opening Day, we believe these names below would have continued to trend way up en route to landing a place to play at the next level.

Of course, there’s still so much hanging the balance – from the amateur, collegiate, to professional levels – but these prospects below deserve to have their fair share of the platform and spotlight after breaking out these past few months.

 PBR Wisconsin’s ‘Winter Winners’ from the mound repping the 2021 class:

JUNIOR ARMS

The junior class is set to receive the next rankings update at Prep Baseball Report, both on a national and local level. Our national 2021 rankings will be updated on Monday, so stay tuned there, and our in-state junior board will follow on Tuesday. Many of the names we’re remarking on below will be expanded on next week, but here are some quick highlights regarding their performances at events from January to March.

RIGHT-HANDERS

+ Two of our biggest ‘Winter Winners’ came from Sunday’s showcase in Madison: uncommitted RHPs Bryce Leedle (Markesan) and Jason Starr (Sun Prairie). Both were up to 89 mph, though Leedle’s offspeed is further along, especially his sharp and tight curveball. Starr has the lean, strong 6-foot-1 frame worth continuing to follow. Both are trending up big headed into the spring and summer. 

+ Highlighted as Wednesday’s ‘Video Spotlight’ our homepage this week, Waukesha South’s Eli Hoyt (uncommitted) can be described as one of the winter’s biggest head-turners of 2020. In our looks, which first came at the start of 2019, Hoyt looked like an interesting two-way type because of his obvious athleticism. He’s an above-average runner – clocking in at a 6.89 in the 60-yard dash last July – with a feel to hit from the right-handed box. In February, Hoyt really reversed his profile when he showcased a live arm, up to 88 mph, with feel to spin a tight breaking ball with hard downer action of a 12/6 plane. He’s one prospect we were particularly looking forward to seeing in live game action – so hopefully we won’t have to wait long before that happens next.

+ RHP Tyler Hug (Waukesha West; uncommitted) was teammates with Meyer at the PBR Future Games over the summer and he, too, enjoyed an uptick in stuff this winter. Unlike Meyer, Hug remains on the market and uncommitted – though he’s trending up big. At the West MKE I.D., Hug tossed one of the day’s most polished bullpens, showing an ability to spot corners with his heavy 87-88 mph (touching 89) fastball, while dropping his sharp 11/5 breaking ball under the zone consistently, mixing in a power sinking change. Hug has proven to be a stand-out in other sports, particularly in track, which helps underscore the athleticism he brings to the mound. He’s becoming an interestingly uncommitted name to know in the state’s 2021 class.

Tyler Hug (2/16/20)

+ Our West Milwaukee I.D., is where Hoyt burst through, but it also hosted several others names who have earned mentions on this ‘Winter Winners’ list. Next up: RHP Noah France (Union Grove; uncommitted). This uncommitted junior gets the most out of his live 5-foot-9 frame, generating serious arm speed to produce a fastball that sat 87-89 mph with hard arm-side run. He throws his offspeed with the same kind of ferocity, though he’s still harnessing his slider/change combo’s command, but there’s swing-and-miss action to them both. Still, France has some one-of-a-kind traits on the mound and he stood to gain a lot from a productive spring at Union Grove. Another arm we’re excited to see next in a live game atmosphere.

+ Brillion RHP Aaron Rice (uncommitted) offers some serious upside as a 6-foot-3 athlete who was up to 87 mph over the weekend. He works in rhythm from a steep angle to home. There’s some big projection here that we’re looking forward to checking back in on this summer.

+ Oak Creek, in particular, had several standout performances over the winter, including RHP Tyler Gall (uncommitted). He sat 84-86 mph earlier this month with hard arm-side action showing the ability to manipulate a couple different kinds of breaking balls, both of which he could locate. He was one of the true pop-up performers of the winter.

Tyler Gall (3/1/20)

+ Another Union Grove righty on the up this winter is Isaiah Cerfus (uncommitted) who was up to 87 mph over the weekend with still-developing, though aggressive, offspeed.

+ We got our first look at Kimberly’s RHP Thomas Ellisen (uncommitted) on Sunday and it was a good one. He sat 81-85 mph and is built at a noteworthy 6-foot-3, 180 pounds. We’re hoping we get to see Ellisen feature on a new-look Papermakers squad this spring.

+ The latest Tomah name to know is RHP/C Evan Long (uncommitted) with long, lanky levers at 6-foot, 181 pounds. He was up to 85 mph last weekend, up from his 81 mph high produced in front of our staff last summer.

+ Wisconsin Lutheran junior RHP Mason Ruh (uncommitted) looks leaner, at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, with the same loose, whippy arm. At the South MKE I.D., he topped a personal PBR best at 87 mph with aggressive offspeed, especially the slider that flashed sharp lateral action.

+ RHP Alex Windey (Wrightstown; uncommitted) is another physical follow in the state, at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds. At the start of March, he was sitting in the mid-80s, up to 86 mph, with an aggressive slider and straight change.

+ Milton looked like a program to watch this spring, so hopefully we’ll see them in action some time soon, and RHP Evan Jackson (uncommitted) looked set to head the staff. He’s a competitive 5-foot-10 righty who was up to 84 mph last Sunday with a power breaking ball.

+ Iola-Scandinavia has an impressive one-two punch atop its staff, especially for a D-4 program. RHP Marcus Jaworski (uncommitted) made his first-ever PBR appearance on Sunday and was up to 85 mph from a lanky 6-foot-3 build, making him a name-to-know moving forward.

+ Big 6-foot-3 righty from New Richmond, James Schutte (uncommitted), creates low-80s velocity with easy effort from a lower slot that helps generate regular run on the fastball. He also has a feel to spin an above-average breaking ball and his changeup features similar run/fade action from that same low slot.

+ RHP Eric McLevige (Janesville Craig; uncommitted) looks like an on-the-rise late-bloomer in the state’s 2021 class. He has the size – listed at 6-foot-4, 187 pounds – and was up to 85 mph at the South MKE I.D. McLevige creates downhill tilt from a high front-side, sitting more regularly in the 81-83 mph range that should allow him to continue growing his 12/6 breaking ball into a swing-and-miss offering.

Eric McLevige (3/1/20)

+ Hudson’s RHP Owen Anderson (uncommitted) landed on our radar at our Eau Claire event last summer and took a step forward this winter, reaching an 86 mph high in Waukesha. At a strong, sturdy 6-foot-1, 196 pounds, look for Anderson to further refine his raw arm strength and go-to offspeed the next time he takes the mound.

+ A year ago at this time Waukesha South’s RHP Jordan McNello (uncommitted) was sitting in the mid-to-upper 70s and he leaped into the low-80s this winter, topping 84 mph at the West MKE I.D. His fastball has notable sink and he has the feel to spin a breaking ball that flashes bite.

+ Lanky, 6-foot-2 Martin Luther righty Brady Hoppert (uncommitted) sat 80-83 mph in his ‘pen at the South MKE I.D. with the ability to mix in a breaking ball that features big depth and feel.

+ RHP Noah Reeves (Indian Trail; uncommitted) is a young looking junior with thin and long levers, listed at 6-foot-1, 151 pounds. He has a loose arm and could come into more velocity in the near future, so we’ll keep a closer eye on him when baseball finally picks back up. He was up to 82 mph at the start of March with room to grow and add significant weight.

SOUTHPAWS

+ We’ll kick off our lefty analysis with one of the few committed prospects on this list: LHP Tommy Meyer (Wauwatosa East), a Northern Illinois recruit. Meyer has been a high-upside follow for awhile now and it helped earn him an invite to Team Wisconsin’s roster at the PBR Future Games last summer and eventually a commitment to NIU. He took his game to another level at the start of March, however, when he was up to 88 mph with an excellent 12/6 breaking ball combined with feel for a changeup that flashed some late arm-side action. It was clearly a very productive offseason for Meyer.

+ De Pere’s Wyatt Fischer (uncommitted) is a loose, long-levered lefty who’s demonstrated a real feel to pitch on multiple occasions. He was up to 84 mph at the Fox Cities I.D., showing a solid feel for three and ability to land this mix for strikes.