Prep Baseball Report

Wisconsin 2019 Rankings Updated


By Andy Sroka & Steve Nielsen
Wisconsin Staff

The offseason has officially arrived. The MLB postseason is over, we hosted our final showcase of 2018 on Oct. 21, and most major fall prep tournaments are behind us. So, with that, it’s time for us to gander at the updated Wisconsin Class of 2019 Rankings.

We’ve had ample opportunities to update our 2019 rankings since July. Our national team has seen the state’s top prospects at events across the nation, like at Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif. The Wisconsin staff has also hosted a number of key showcases showcases since mid-July and has attended several high-profile regional fall tournaments over the course of the last few months, too.

It was time to compile, share notes and update and expand the state’s 2019 class board to a top-150 prospects.

The state’s top overall prospect, LHP Connor Prielipp (Tomah; Alabama commit), leaped to the No. 1 spot on the board for the first time in the July update and only further cemented his place in the top spot since. The 6-foot, 155-pound lefty has committed to Alabama since we last updated the class rankings. He represented Wisconsin at Area Codes where our National Supervisor Nathan Rode got the chance to see him. There, Prielipp was sitting 89-92 mph with his fastball and unleashed his trademark sharp, downer curveball that recorded spin rates above and beyond 3,000 rpm – which is in elite territory even by Major League standards. The state’s top-ranked senior has been a swing-and-miss machine with some of the best raw stuff in the Midwest. He checked in at No. 60 on Rode’s most recent High School Draft 100 board.

TOP 10 TABLE

RANK   NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Connor Prielipp
WI Tomah 2019 LHP Alabama
2 Jack Washburn WI Webster 2019
RHP Oregon State
3 Drake Baldwin WI Madison West 2019 C Missouri State
4 Nathan Stevens WI Waunakee 2019 C Arkansas
5 Jack Krumbach WI Madison Memorial 2019
OF Xavier
6 Hunter Rosenbaum WI Webster 2019 RHP West Virginia
7 Xavier Watson WI South Milwaukee 2019 SS Illinois
8 Drew Lechnir WI Kimberly 2019
OF Central Michigan
9 Dan Blomgren WI Janesville Craig 2019
SS Michigan
10 Zach Lechnir WI Kimberly 2019 SS Central Michigan

 

As for the prospect back in the No. 2 spot, RHP/OF Jack Washburn (Webster; Oregon State), he’s had a quiet past few months but that doesn’t take away from the resume he’s built for himself to get to this point. The reigning PBR Wisconsin Player of the Year had an incredible season for his high school, where he and his younger brother helped Webster win its program’s first-ever state title. At the prestigious PBR ProCase in July, Washburn quickly retired all five of the batters he faced but also revealed to us that he might have two-way aspirations, too. He demonstrated some serious power to his pull side. The strength he’s been adding over the past year isn’t only helping him on the mound, clearly.

We have a new No. 3 in this update. Catchers Drake Baldwin (Madison West; Missouri State) and Nathan Stevens (Waunakee; Arkansas) have swapped spots. The two have been neck and neck on the rankings virtually since 2016, though this marks the first time Baldwin has ranked higher. While Stevens has been making the high-profile rounds along the national circuit this late summer and early fall, Baldwin has quietly gone about his business to prove he has just as good a bat as the prolific Stevens, and is an above-average receiver behind the dish who continues to get better.

Drake Baldwin (7.10.18)

The next few spots remain unchanged. At No. 5, OF Jack Krumbach (Madison Memorial; Xavier) continues to be among the toolsiest prospect in the state. RHP Hunter Rosenbaum (Webster; West Virginia) remains at No. 6 with his upper-80s fastball, steep 11/5 breaking ball, and ability to work in and around the plate.

Infielders occupy the No. 7, 9, and 10 spots: SS Xavier Watson (South Milwaukee; Illinois), SS/3B Dan Blomgren (Janesville Craig; Michigan), and Zach Lechnir (Kimberly; Central Michigan). Their strengths and weaknesses are varied: Watson has a balanced, all-around game; Blomgren is an athletic, advanced defender with keen eye in the batter’s box; and Lechnir, making his top-10 debut, keeps improving his game, providing a spark in both the lineup and in the infield.

Zach Lechnir (7.10.18)

At No. 8, up a spot since debuting on the top 10 in July, is OF Drew Lechnir (Kimberly; Central Michigan, Zach’s twin brother. Since we last checked in on the Lechnir twins, they have made a commitment to play next fall at Central Michigan. They were the two highest-ranked seniors in the state without a commitment but next year they’ll be headed to Mount Pleasant where they figure to help contribute to a program with a new head coach for the first time in 16 years.

Stay tuned for additional coverage regarding the latest Class of 2019 update, including newcomers to the top-250 board as well as some of the group’s biggest risers.

CLICK HERE for the complete Class of 2019 rankings.

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