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Wisconsin Class of 2022 Rankings: Risers

September 15, 2021
By: Diego Solares
Staff Writer, Associate Scout

With the summer circuit officially coming to an end and the fall transition beginning, an overhaul to the 2022 rankings was overdue. We previously updated the Wisconsin 2022 rankings and expanded our list to 150 prospects, which you can find HERE.

Today, we'll shine some light on those that made significant jumps in our rankings that were previously on our board. As the week rolls on, we’ll make a note of newcomers to our rankings, as well as spend some time highlighting a handful of ranked prospects that are still uncommitted.

+ Both LHP Christian Oppor (Columbus; uncommitted) and RHP Brayden Marks (Elkhorn; Bradley) were mentioned inside our initial top-10 update story, but the duo of arms did rise up a handful of spots on this updated board. Oppor now occupies the third slot in the state, and is up to 184th nationally, while Marks jumped up 10 spots to ninth overall, sitting at 433rd nationally.

INSIDE THE TOP-50

+ Jumping up in emphatic fashion, largely in part to a strong spring and summer, is RHP Caden Capomaccio (Notre Dame Academy; Minnesota). Previously at the 27th spot on our list, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Capomaccio rose up to 12th overall in the state’s current senior class. He’s extremely athletic on the mound with impressive arm strength, topping at 92 mph with his fastball this summer and typically sitting in the 88-91 mph range. Capomaccio’s arsenal also consists of a swing-and-miss slider that he confidently throws with conviction, as well as a fading changeup thrown at arm speed. He could potentially play an impactful role for the Gophers sooner rather than later in his collegiate career.


+ Another hard-nosed, competitive player that can impact the game in multiple facets that rose up this list is INF Ian Choi (Indian Trail; Butler), who’s now up to the 18th spot on our board. Choi represented Team Wisconsin at the PBR Future Games back in 2020, committing to Butler shortly afterwards. He’s a highly athletic up-the-middle athlete with advanced speed that translates both on the bases and in the infield. Choi’s bat-to-ball skills and comfort working to all fields is advanced with top-of-the-order potential certainly a possibility at the next level. He’s sure-handed up the middle with the foot speed to stick there on defense, too. Choi represents one of the most well-rounded skill sets in the state.


+ Another former PBR Future Games participant rising up this list, now occupying the 19th overall spot, is OF Jonathan Kim (Brookfield Academy). A recent Michigan commit, Kim’s athleticism aids him in providing multi-facet impact worthy contributions on the diamond. He’s a 6.59 runner in the 60-yard dash and his foot speed is evident when you watch him play, whether it be out of the box or in the outfield. There’s sneaky pop attached to his left-handed barrel and he too owns advanced bat-to-ball skills for his age, making consistent contact while working to all fields with ease. There’s obviously a lot to like with Kim and the Wolverines are certainly getting a quality player once he makes it to Ann Arbor.


+ OF Carson Hansen (Pewaukee) dominated the WIAA season offensively, earning PBR All-State First Team honorees while helping lead the Pirates to the state playoffs. He continued that power surge into the summer travel ball circuit, ultimately committing to Wisconsin-Milwaukee not too long ago. Built at a physical 6-foot-3, 200-pounds, Hansen’s left-handed swing is engineered to do damage, naturally elevating the baseball through contact with easy juice to the pull-side. He’s another high level athlete that we’ve seen run a 6.79 in the 60-yard dash and produce impressive Blast Motion numbers in regards to his hand and bat speed metrics. His size, present raw power, and athletic profile all equate to a potential high-octane contributor for the Panthers at the next level. 


+ Up a couple spots from his previous ranking is RHP Carson Klaus (Adams Friendship), who’s an athletic 6-foot-1, 192-pound right-hander that’s still uncommitted. Klaus showed well at our Madison Preseason I.D. earlier this winter and put together an impressive spring season with the Green Devils as well. He attended our Top Prospect - Milwaukee showcase in July and struck out the side during his lone inning of work, showcasing an impressive three-pitch mix. Klaus has bumped his fastball up to 88 mph in our looks, sitting at 85-87 mph with definite feel for the zone. His arsenal consists of a sharp breaking ball thrown at a 2,450+ RPM average and he also owns an advanced feel for a fading changeup that’s especially effective against left-handed hitters.

(7/13/2021)


+ LHP Willard Peterson (Evansville; Evansville) has made significant strides over the last calendar year, improving his arsenal tremendously and rising up into the top-30 on our board. A strong, broad-shouldered 6-foot-3, 230-pound southpaw, Peterson’s spin profile is unique compared to his peers. He’s bumped his fastball up to 88 mph with a peak spin rate north of 2,500+ RPM in front of our staff and we also saw him flip in a low-70s slurvey-type breaking ball north of 2,750+ RPM at this year’s Badger State Battle. An increase in velocity and feel for the zone combined with this type of spin profile gives Peterson a relatively high ceiling at the next level.

+ LHP Kale Hopke (Amery) committed to North Dakota State after an impressive performance on the mound at The Rock this summer and he’s climbed more than 40 spots on our rankings, now occupying the 29th spot. A strong, sturdy 6-foot-1, 210-pound southpaw that also stars on Amery’s wrestling team, Hopke sat at 85-87 mph throughout his outing that averaged 2,300+ RPM, too. His slider appears to be his go-to secondary pitch, working especially well against left-handed hitters at 77-78 mph from a similar arm slot than his fastball. Hopke looks the part of a competitive, strike-throwing southpaw at the next level.


+ LHP/1B Aaron Jungers (Madison Memorial) climbed up over 30 spots in this update, largely in part to an impressive spring season with the Spartans that seemingly translated throughout the summer. A strong 6-foot, 185-pound athlete, Jungers offers true two-way potential at the next level. We’ve seen him up to 87 mph on the mound, typically at 83-86 mph with his fastball, with feel to land a low-70s curveball for strikes and the capability to spot a changeup at the knees, too. Offensively, Jungers swings a quick right-handed bat with loose, repeatable barrel feel that has consistently produced throughout the calendar year. He’s amongst the top uncommitted prospects in Wisconsin’s current senior class.


+ Another huge winner from this summer circuit, who impressed in multiple PBR events throughout our calendar, was RHP/SS James Vargas (Arrowhead). Still uncommitted, Vargas is a strong 5-foot-10, 192-pound athlete with easy, low-effort arm strength and sat exclusively at 86-89 mph at The Rock, holding velo throughout a dominant start. Vargas also threw a fading changeup at arm speed for strikes and did the same with his breaking ball, landing it in the zone. He also doubles as a quality infielder, working comfortably up the middle for Arrowhead on the dirt with some juice attached to his right-handed stroke as well.


+ Yet another major uncommitted riser, up nearly 50 spots from our previous update, is OF Remmi Sweet (Union Grove). A strong, highly athletic 5-foot-10, 175-pound prospect, Sweet is an impact runner with elite foot speed that plays both on the bases and in the outfield, getting the absolute most out of it with one of the state’s highest motors. He consistently hit each time we saw him, both in the spring and summer, with a feel for working across the yard on a line drive plane. Sweet’s defensive prowess in center field and improved hit tool make for a relatively complete profile that’s still on the market.


+ INF/RHP Dylan O’Connell (Eau Claire Memorial) played a pivotal role in the Old Abes’ state playoff run and a strong showing at the Top Prospect - Milwaukee event helped shoot him up our board, now sitting at 40th overall. O’Connell is built at a proportionally strong 5-foot-10, 175-pounds with athleticism to pair, as he ran a 6.76 in the 60-yard dash this July. He owns a fairly loud skill-set on the diamond, barreling his best ball up at 101 mph in BP and throwing an event-high 89 mph across the infield. Those skills translate well in game, where O’Connell regularly produced loud contact off the barrel when we saw him throughout the WIAA Playoffs and at this year’s Badger State Battle. He offers some two-way potential as well, bumping his fastball up to 88 mph and featuring a sharp breaking ball with swing-and-miss spin off an 11/5 plane.

(7/13/2021)


+ A former PBR Future Games participant, INF Camdin Jansen (Racine Lutheran) tacked on muscle and strength over the off-season, significantly enhancing his all-around profile on the diamond when doing so. Now built at a chiseled 6-foot-2, 190-pounds, we saw Jansen perform against quality competition this spring, working gap-to-gap and on the barrel with present bat speed to pair. He’s a quality defender on the infield, likely profiling as a sure-handed third baseman at the next level. Jansen recently committed to Central Michigan and is up to 41 overall on this new update.


+ LHP Vincent Gohlke (New Berlin West) has seen a pretty significant uptick in stuff over the last calendar year that’s ultimately culminated in a recent commitment to Illinois-Chicago. He’s a well-proportioned 6-foot-1, 190-pound athlete with room for added strength, particularly in the lower half, that was up to 89 mph at the PBR National Championship in July, sitting 86-87 mph. We saw Gohlke turn in a dominant outing at The Rock, striking out eight batters in three innings, largely in part to a slurvey-type low-70s breaking ball that works from a deceptive window.


+ C/1B Alec Campbell (Milton) enjoyed a loud, power-driven spring with the Redhawks and the 6-foot-2, 200-pound uncommitted backstop certainly offers impact upside at the plate. Up six spots to the 50th spot on our board, Campbell’s bat has flashed easy gap-to-gap power in the past, doubling one deep off the left field wall at Grand Park in our most recent look. His catch-and-throw behind the plate looked improved at the Top Prospect - Milwaukee event in July as well, topping at 79 mph with accuracy around the bag.


MORE NAMES-TO-KNOW

+ A 6-foot-6, 200-pound athlete, RHP Benjamin Lee (Amherst) enjoyed a successful spring season as the ace of the Falcons’ pitching staff and showed well in a few looks for us throughout the summer. Still uncommitted, Lee is up a few spots to the 52nd spot on our board with untapped upside attached to his frame. He’s been up to 87 mph for us, typically settling in anywhere between 83-86 mph with his fastball. Lee’s go-to secondary pitch is a sharp breaking ball with depth that he’s capable of landing for strikes, as well as locating it below the zone as a chase pitch.

(7/13/2021)


+ Uncommitted OF Wyatt Jensen (Luck) cracks the state’s top-60 prospects, up nearly 50 spots from his previous ranking. He’s a strong 5-foot-10, 180-pound high level athlete with loud tools that translate on the diamond. Jensen’s hand and bat speed, as well as his rotational acceleration, metrics all grade out as upper tier metrics. He’s a 6.83 runner in the 60-yard dash with easy juice off the barrel, a level right-handed stroke, and an arm that’s topped at 88 mph from the outfield.

(6/21/2021)


+ Rising nearly 20 spots to 74th overall after quality looks during the WIAA season and at The Rock, C Cade Milton (Notre Dame Academy) is a muscular 5-foot-11, 175-pound backstop that’s still uncommitted. He’s flashed loud gap-to-gap contact off the barrel when we’ve seen him hit, typically penciled in towards the middle of his team’s lineup. He works well behind the plate with flexible hips, athletic feet, and sure wrists that present the ball well.

+ OF Charlie Marion (Franklin) recently committed to Madison JC and the 6-foot, 175-pound left-handed hitter has routinely hit in front of our staff. It’s a smooth left-handed stroke that stays flat through the zone with an innate comfort to pepper line drives to all fields. 

+ OF Grant Beth (Catholic Memorial) was a spark plug for the Crusaders all season, helping lead them to the D2 state playoffs and he’s now up to 80th overall on our updated board. He’s a highly athletic 6-foot, 175-pound left/left prospect with 6.72 speed in the 60-yard dash that’s flashed wiry bat strength off the barrel, both in showcase setting and games. We’ve also seen Beth up to 84 mph on the mound from the left side with feel to spin a slider, too.

(7/13/2021)


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