Finally, and after a busy winter showcase circuit, we’re updating the state’s Class of 2022 Rankings. This sophomore class is looking increasingly like an historic one in Wisconsin’s baseball history, with some premium talent at the top making national waves and depth that extends through the 70 ranked names, and even living just outside them.

Throughout the rest of the week, we’ll be taking a magnifying glass to this class, and we’re starting that process today by combing over the top-10 names on the list and any notable updates gleaned from performances this past winter.

THE TOP-10

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Michael Lippe	WI	Whitefish Bay	2022	OF	Louisville
2	Gavin Kilen	WI	Janesville Craig	2022	SS	Louisville
3	Mitchell Voit	WI	Whitefish Bay	2022	RHP/INF	Michigan
4	Will Vierling	WI	Homestead	2022	C	Louisville
5	Brendan Strenke	WI	Turtle Lake	2022	RHP	Iowa
6	Keegan Knutson	WI	Milton	2022	3B/INF	South Carolina
7	James Duncan	WI	Arrowhead	2022	OF	Illinois State
8	Ryan Karst	WI	Brookfield East	2022	RHP
9	Tristan Ellis	WI	Greendale	2022	SS/2B	Purdue
10	Rory Fox	WI	Catholic Memorial	2022	INF/RHP

+ OF Michael Lippe (Whitefish Bay; Louisville commit) looks stapled to the top spot for the foreseeable future. His elite physicality makes a rapid first impression and he added and carved muscle to his frame without cutting into his athleticism and twitch. Lippe’s raw bat speed is explosive, generating big, natural bat strength. In our looks in 2019, Lippe had a tendency to shoot balls into the right-center gap and to the opposite way – a good problem to have – but in March he showed an ability to connect for more pop to his pull-side when the pitch location necessitated it. As a 6.82 runner, Lippe ranges well in the outfield while still possessing center field upside at present, though he has plenty of arm (95 mph high to home) to seamlessly slot into right field long-term. He’s the No. 36-ranked prospect in the country for these reasons and looks like he might take the No. 1 spot in the state through the entirety of his prep career.

Michael Lippe (3/1/20)

+ It had been awhile since we’d seen Janesville Craig’s Gavin Kilen, another Louisville recruit, at a PBR showcase until he attended our South MKE I.D. There, the shortstop demonstrated the same kind of premium actions and tools that had him so high on our rankings to begin with. He’s an uber easy and smooth defender with a rhythmic and confident approach from the left-handed batter’s box. His quick and soft hands on defense, paired with natural arm strength that played athletically across at 88 mph, are the separators here and what should keep him near the top of the state rankings as he continues on through high school.

Gavin Kilen (3/1/20)

+ At No. 3 on the board, RHP/INF Mitchell Voit (Whitefish Bay; Michigan) is one of the state’s most impressive athletes – and he’s also one of the youngest within this 2022 class. Within the last year, Voit has made serious strides on the mound and was up to an easy 89 mph just at the start of March. Quick and clean come to mind when you think of his arm action, and it jumps through the zone with some blooming feel to control and command his big velocity. Voit has also begun to unlock his offspeed, a sharp curveball that he consistently landed under the zone at our March event, and an aggressive changeup thrown at arm speed. The Michigan recruit is also a 6.87 runner with twitchy hands and innate bat strength, and the athleticism and obvious arm strength to patrol the hot corner.

Mitchell Voit (3/1/20)

+ We saw the top-ranked catcher in the class, Will Vierling (Homestead), who’s another Louisville commit, at our Fox Cities event in March where he looked like an improved defender. His catch-and-throw to second was cleaner and quicker, with a strong arm. His overall defense will help him improve on his prospect stock, because he’s a natural from the left-handed batter’s box with a keen eye and advanced approach that complement his power profile and his inherent feel to hit.

+ We last saw RHP Brendan Strenke (Turtle Lake; Iowa) in July 2019 where he was up to 88 mph in a live-game setting with an above-average breaking ball. He harbors an impressive and athletic skillset, with a clean, quick, and loose arm that generates advanced velocity through the zone. This time last year, he showed above-average feel for his offspeed, and we’re looking forward to seeing how his feel to pitch has progressed since late last summer.

+ Keegan Knutson (Milton), a South Carolina commit, is one of the most competitive at-bats in the state, with a knack for the game that helps him gel all over the infield. His athleticism and natural instincts on defense should allow him to fit on the left side of the diamond long-term, but he could thrive at second base, too. Either way, he’s an asset on defense while he persistently barrels up line-drives to all fields.

+ Arrowhead’s James Duncan dealt with an injury to his lower half that shelved him for much of 2019 but he didn’t miss a beat when he returned in the fall and he ultimately earned a commitment to Illinois State. In 2018, he looked like a future impact left-handed bat with the athleticism to become a gifted first baseman, but he’s continued to ascend athletically and it’s allowed him to stick to a corner outfield spot. Wherever he’s playing on defense, Duncan’s bat is going to carry him. In the fall when we saw him last, he showed mature traits at the plate with a smooth and fast bat that creates some power potential to go along with his gap-to-gap approach.

+ The top-ranked uncommitted prospect on the state’s 2022 board, currently, is RHP Ryan Karst (Brookfield East), who possesses some of the best arm strength in the class – easy, heavy fastballs that should bowl over opposing bats. In February, Karst sat in the 86-89 mph range with feel for the zone, mixing in a work-in-progress breaking ball and a changeup that tunnelled especially well with his four-seamer. Karst is also a special athlete, underscored by a 6.79 mark in the 60-yard dash despite his 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame.

Ryan Karst (2/16/20)

+ Rounding out the top-10 are a pair of middle infielders: Tristan Ellis (Greendale; Purdue) and Rory Fox (Catholic Memorial; uncommitted). Ellis is another competitive member of this 2022 class who grinds out at-bats from the left side with a swagger. He’s a smooth defender with instinctive actions and range that help him project to fit at shortstop, too. While we weren’t able to catch Fox yet in 2020, we’re confident the highest-ranked uncommitted position player on our board is blooming into one of the state’s best. Fox has some two-way upside, showing an interesting three-pitch mix last July with mid-80s velo and the makings of swing-and-miss offspeed. He’s also another smooth defender with middle infield actions who swings an easy, quiet lefty bat. He demonstrates a composed confidence on both sides of the ball and we’re eager to see it again this summer.

Click HERE for a look at the complete Wisconsin Class of 2022 Rankings. And be on the lookout tomorrow, Thursday, when we dive into the prospects who climbed up the rankings inside this update.

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