Prep Baseball Report

Wisconsin Class of 2022 Rankings: Just Missed


By Andy Sroka
Staff Writer, Associate Scout

On Tuesday, the PBR Wisconsin team updated the state’s Class of 2022 Rankings for the first time, after unveiling the first edition of the board back in early September. Well, a busy fall allowed us to accrue enough intel to update and expand the board by 20 prospects, doubling it. Early indications are this sophomore class has the makings of becoming a memorable one. The talent runs extremely deep, through the top-40.

On Wednesday and Thursday, we introduced you to the 20 new faces on the rankings. We detailed the 10 primary position players who debuted in this update here, and covered the 10 pitchers debuting here.

For now, here are 13 names you need to know who only Just Missed our most recent rankings update.

AROUND THE DIAMOND

Diego Ceballos OF / Fond du Lac, WI / 2022

Situated next to Jalen Gellings (also on this list) in CBT’s lineup, Ceballos went 5-for-10 at Badger State with a simple and smooth left-handed swing with a middle-of-the-field approach. He has some footspeed, too, and it works well on the basepaths and in the outfield.


N.J. Elias INF / OF / Verona Area, WI / 2022

We’ve seen Elias several times in 2019, both in the showcase setting as well as live game action, and what we’ve taken away is his natural infield actions. He looks the part of an up-the-middle infielder who plays with bounce. He also swings a level right-handed bat with bat speed prone to solid line-drive contact. Elias could help Verona put together a big spring.


Jalen Gellings INF / C / Campbellsport, WI / 2022

Gellings is a strong-bodied right-handed hitter who showed well at the plate this summer. He operated as CBT Wolfpack’s run-producer over the summer and even slugged a home run over Waunakee’s left-center fence as part of the Badger State Battle. 


Bjorn Pressler SS / 2B / Eau Claire Memorial, WI / 2022

Another prospect who performed in front of our staff all summer long, Pressler is a strong 6-foot athlete with a disciplined approach from the right-handed batter’s box. With loose wrists, above-average bat strength, and a whippy barrel. On defense, he has sound footwork and soft hands that give him the potential to stick up the middle on the infield long-term.

TWO-WAY POTENTIAL

Austin Baker INF / RHP / Eau Claire Memorial, WI / 2022

Pressler’s high school and travel ball teammate, Baker, also pieced together a productive summer from both the plate and the mound. If Pressler was playing second, Baker was often occupying shortstop, if he wasn’t pitching. He swings a loose right-handed bat with fast hands that help him square up the barrel with consistency. Baker’s also a high IQ defender and moves well laterally on defense. On the mound, Baker has a quick and clean arm action that help him sit in the upper-70s with ease, touching 80 mph, with some feel for his offspeed. 


Grant Beth OF / LHP / Catholic Memorial , WI / 2022

Beth is a really strong 5-foot-11 prospect that help his all-around tools stand out. As a left/left prospect, Beth’s arm strength on the mound, up to 81 mph in October, makes him an instant follow. He also spins off an tight, if currently inconsistent, breaking ball, that could be swing-and-miss in the future. At the plate, he topped 90 mph at the exit velocity station with a loose lefty bat, and he plays his game with a quiet aggression.

FOLLOW THESE ARMS

Caden Capomaccio RHP / INF / Notre Dame Academy, WI / 2022

At a lean, wiry 5-foot-11, Capomaccio generates some arm strength for his frame and sat 80-82 mph at a dominant start back at The Rock for one of our summer tournaments. The fastball features sink and run, with jump, and he throws a slider in the low-70s with feel and bite, and adds a similarly sinking change that is more than just a change-of-pace offering.


Ethan Cole LHP / OF / Winnebago Lutheran Academy, WI / 2022

Cole is a 6-foot, high-waisted southpaw with a clean and easy arm that works in the upper-70s, who we last saw at the Underclass Games in Chicago in July. He has feel for his running fastball and he complements it well with his 1/7 curveball that has solid bend and he can drop it in and beneath the strike zone, too.


Thomas Harper RHP / Wauwatosa East, WI / 2022

Harper is the younger brother of Thomas, a UW-Parkside commit, and shares his huge frame, already standing in at 6-foot-3. He’s long and lean and has already been up to 81-82 mph with some slight sink, all while mixing in a solid breaking ball and changeup, an arsenal he’s already locating well, especially for his size.


Max Martin RHP / Franklin, WI / 2022

Franklin has some underclass reinforcements on the way and Martin is among them. At the PBR Midwest Fall Championships, Martin sat 79-81 mph with a quick arm. He’s a 5-foot-11 athlete with live, twitchy actions that play especially well on the mound.


Matthew Mueller LHP / Brookfield Central, WI / 2022

The younger brother of Mitch Mueller, a tall righty committed to Winona State, has a lot of similarities to his older brother, like his large frame, 6-foot-1, though he’s left-handed and sat 79-80 mph back at a camp in the fall. Loose and easy arm action generating some downhill tilt on the fastball with a big, slow curveball and straight change.


Cristiano Ramirez RHP / 3B / Muskego , WI / 2022

If there could have been a No. 41-ranked prospect on our 2022 rankings, it’s possible it would have been Ramirez. The Muskego righty is a wiry athlete with an easy and repeatable motion on the mound. His fastball jumps with a lively finish through the strike zone, and he sat 80-81 mph back in October. Ramirez also mixes in a tight-spinning breaking ball and fading change, both with swing-and-miss potential. He could have fit in the two-way player section, with some solid actions on defense and at the plate, but his arm clearly has the higher upside, right now.


Carter Tower RHP / Oconomowoc, WI / 2022

Tower literally towers over batters, at 6-foot-4, 150 pounds. At the Underclass Games in Chicago, he was up 79 mph with sink and feel, coming at batters from a tough angle with some looseness out front from a ¾ slot with a slurve-y breaking ball. His size and present stuff is certainly worth following this winter and next spring.


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