Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Wisconsin Class of 2023 Rankings: Update

April 22, 2022
By Andy Sroka & Diego Solares
Wisconsin Staff

This past winter carried us up and down the state and allowed our staff to receive updated looks at this talented Class of 2023. Today, we’re unveiling a new-look top-25 that features a ton of Wisconsin’s best uncommitted juniors, who are in the midst of playing their penultimate spring season prior to a critical summer on the horizon. We’ll break down our latest looks at these players, while highlighting those uncommitted winners who should be gathering a ton of attention the remainder of this spring, and into the summer.

THE TOP-10

+ Firmly occupying the No. 1 overall spot in the state’s Class of 2023 rankings is RHP Dylan Questad (Waterford; Arkansas commit), who’s actually still trending upward in all aspects after a productive offseason that translated into spring success. At 6-foot, 192-pounds, Questad’s arm strength has always been advanced, but the Razorback commit reached a new level in front of our staff earlier this week. In his first start of the spring against rival Westosha Central, Questad pumped his fastball up to 96 mph, holding 94-95 at times, while settling into the low-90s. He’s greatly improved the shape on his high-70s breaking ball, now featuring more sharp, downer spin with dual-plane break. Questad also mixed in a hard-running changeup in the mid-80s, adding yet another option to his high-octane pitch profile. Questad’s trending upward at the right time and looks the part of a true MLB Draft follow in the Midwest’s 2023 class. 

+ Slotted right behind Questad is INF Ethan Hindle (Arrowhead; Kentucky). The 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior made waves throughout last year’s circuit, hitting at each stop and catching the attention of multiple members of our staff in the process. He was a major winner at the PBR Future Games, leading Team Wisconsin at the plate as one of the event’s top offensive performers. Though his advanced feel to hit is Hindle’s carrying tool, his athleticism on the infield and improved capabilities on the dirt have enhanced his all-around profile. He’s a high IQ, versatile player capable of impacting the game in multiple ways and should be a stable contributor for the Wildcats at the next level.

+ INF Cal Fisher (Deerfield; Notre Dame) remains at No. 3 overall, whose pedigree is intact, considering he’s never been outside the top-three in any of our individual 2023 updates. Fisher’s bat-to-ball skills standout and he’s flashed special offensive abilities throughout his brief prep career, including leading the WIAA in home runs last spring with 10. Fisher rotated across the infield on a talented Cincinnati Reds Scout team last fall, showing capable of handling multiple spots on the dirt defensively. We’re expecting to see another loud offensive outburst from Fisher with the Demons this spring.

+ Recent Arizona State commit RHP Thomas Burns (Hortonville) remains No. 4 overall on our up-to-date board. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound right-hander emerged a winner from last summer’s Future Games and carried that momentum into the fall, as well as through the offseason. Burns attended our South Milwaukee Preseason ID in early March, where our staff had this to say about him:

“Coming off an all-league hockey performance, Burns looked every bit the part of the type of prospect we saw last summer and fall. Standing at 6-foot-4, 195-pounds, Burns possesses long levers and an upside hack in his hips. Working a simple, and directional move down the mound, Burns delivers from a high slot with a large shoulder tilt. His fastball reached a peak of 91 mph on his hardest bullet, sitting at 89-90 on the day with control and smaller vertical misses. He owns the kind of fastball that misses a lot of barrels and looks to have a usable mid-90s upside with 20 inches of vertical break already in play. His curveball has made large improvements year over year, at 17 inches of vertical break, and 13.5 inches of sweep, all while working off the same plane as his fastball. The changeup picks up an effective 12 inches of horizontal break, and comes in considerably faster than the curveball… ”

Thomas Burns (3/6/22)

+ Rising up one spot to No. 5 overall on this list is RHP Cole Selvig (Regis; Texas). Selvig helped lead Eau Claire Regis to the D3 state playoffs last spring and rode some of that momentum into a productive summer circuit. The 6-foot, 192-pound Longhorns commit starred this winter at the Madison Preseason ID, showing out as one of the event’s top arms. Our scouts had this to say about his performance there:

“... Selvig has been trending up and his uptempo drop-and-drive delivery matches the intensity at which he pounds the zone. He showed the ability to command the fastball at 88-90 mph, topping at 91. The breaking ball flashed sharp action while working on an 11/5 plane, almost slurve-like at times, but he was able to repeatedly control it. His changeup has advanced feel and flashed plus arm-side action at times with a convicted arm stroke.”

Cole Selvig (3/13/22)

+ Coming in at No. 6 overall is MIF Jack Counsell (Whitefish Bay; Michigan), who may own the most advanced bat-to-ball skills in the entire state, regardless of class. Counsell’s emergence as an upper-tier prospect began at the Future Games, carried over to the fall, and has been on complete display thus far into the WIAA season. He continues to make quality contact at a high clip, driving the ball with more authority off the barrel in our most recent looks. There’s plenty of room for Counsell to add mass onto his 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame and doing so would unlock a higher offensive ceiling, especially given the consistency in which he finds the barrel. A 6.65 runner in the 60-yard dash, Counsell’s athleticism and actions have him poised to stick up the middle moving forward, likely carving out a home for himself at second base. Still, he’s one of the state’s elite hitters and could stand to move up this list as his high school career continues. 

+ Sticking to No. 7 overall, C Evan Gustafson (Altoona; Oregon State) still owns one of the highest ceilings in this entire class. A 6-foot-2, 185-pound backstop, Gustafson shined at the Future Games in August, standing out as a high-end performer on a successful Wisconsin squad. We haven’t seen him since the fall, though he’s been contributing to his high school’s undefeated start to the spring so far this season, and here’s a quick nugget from the last time we updated the state’s 2023 board: 

“Since committing to the Pac-12 powerhouse, Gustafson continues to stir attention and excitement as one of the top backstops in the region – complemented by an advanced left-handed-hitting skill set. He boasts gap-to-gap power in his wing and there’s more untapped potential in there, especially should he add muscle onto an impressive 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame. He showed a disciplined approach at the plate throughout the Future Games, rarely chasing out of the zone while leading Team Wisconsin in walks… ”

+ SS Alexander Alicea (St. Thomas More; Louisville) is up two spots on the state rankings following an excellent performance at the South MKE ID. Alicea is an elite up-the-middle defender – and has been ever since we first saw him, regardless of age – and his barrel accuracy from both batter’s boxes has helped him climb a couple spots on the state board. Our notes from his March workout:

“Alicea started his day by burning a 6.52 with great short range acceleration. In the box, he showed us his typical display of barrel accuracy. With minimal movement, and a knob-to-ball entry, he grooved backspin liners around the field. Also, notably adjusting to lower pitches from both sides with ease. In the field, his elite defense was on display, traveling low to the ball with a keen sense for setting up hops, and capturing right to left momentum with consistency. Alicea possesses the quickest transition speed from fielding to throwing by an impressive margin, and firing accurate bullets with carry across the diamond.”

Alex Alicea (3/6/22)

+ As a physical 6-foot, 215-pound backstop, Thomas Curry (Arrowhead; Missouri) occupies the No. 9 spot on our board. Curry wields one of the loudest right-handed bats in the class, blistering baseballs off his barrel on the regular, both in BP and during gameplay. He regularly squares up mid- to upper-90s exit speeds to all fields, into the triple-digits frequently, as his right-handed bat strength has become his calling card. He wields advanced arm strength from out of the crouch, too, and his overall game has been reportedly trending up this winter, which is something we’re eager to investigate for ourselves this spring.

+ OF JT Kelenic (Catholic Memorial; Grand Canyon) jumps into the top-10, and he possesses immense upside within his highly projectable 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame. We saw Kelenic last month at the South Milwaukee Preseason ID, where he showed improvements in all aspects of his game, particularly at the plate. Our scouts had this to say about him following that event: 

“Kelenic is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound long-limbed athlete. His batting practice round was reflective of his growth this winter, showing easier pop than ever with simple, controlled swing actions. He utilizes strong hands to deliver the barrel with violence and now, more than ever, produces consistent contact quality with easy elevation. His outfield round displayed more of his athleticism while throwing 90 mph on his max bullet with carry through the target and not dipping below 88 on any of his five throws. His stock is trending up and moving in a promising direction.”

J.T. Kelenic (3/6/22)

MORE 2023 UPDATES

+ OF Caleb Karll (Madison West; Ohio) wields a strong 6-foot-1 stature with sneaking athleticism that contributes to his keen barrel accuracy from the right-handed batter’s box. That profiles as an impact-maker in a corner spot at the next level, and we’re due for an updated look at the Ohio recruit some time this spring season, hopefully.

+ Though he’s still slotted at No. 12 overall, OF Ryan Drumm (Edgewood; Butler) certainly remains a follow prospect in this class. in this class. He’s a high-end athlete, running a 6.59 in the 60-yard dash at the Madison Preseason ID this winter while carrying strength attached to a 5-foot-11, 192-pound frame. We got our updated look at Drumm at March’s Madison ID, where he took one of the loudest rounds of BP throughout our Preseason ID series. He repeatedly produced hard contact – averaging 94.6 mph off the barrel – while peaking at 99.3 with ease and bat speed throughout. Drumm’s arm strength ticked up a bit as well, topping out at 91 mph from the outfield.

Ryan Drumm (3/13/22)

+ Holding his ground at No. 13 in this update, C Dominic Kibler (New Berlin West; Kent State) made waves at the PBR Future Games for his smooth left-handed stroke and he committed to the Golden Flashes shortly after the event. He’s built a reputation as one of the state’s top pure hitters, coupled with a low swing-and-miss rate, and he makes his contact count. Perhaps our biggest takeaway from Kibler thus far into 2022 is the strides he’s made behind the plate defensively. His catch-and-throw skills are much improved, having popped as low as 2.00 during his workout at the West Milwaukee Preseason ID, logging a 1.97 to second in a game against Pius XI earlier this spring. Sticking behind the plate with how advanced of a hitter he is makes Kibler’s all-around profile much more valuable at the next level.

UNCOMMITTED TARGETS

Garrett Kay OF / RHP / Waterford, WI / 2023

OF/RHP Garrett Kay (Waterford Union) is one of our biggest risers in this update, climbing up seven spots to No. 14 overall. Kay’s quickly making a case for himself as a top left-handed hitter in the state, regardless of class. It’s a flat, clean path to contact and he excels at staying on plane, working to all fields with ease. He’s always on the barrel in our looks, standing out at The Rock Complex last week, and turning on a high-80s fastball in a tough left/left matchup on Tuesday for an opposite-field double. He boasts explosive arm strength, reaching as high as 93 mph from the outfield at our events and reportedly bumping his fastball into the high-80s this winter. Kay is currently the top uncommitted prospect on our board, though he may not be on the market much longer.

Brayden Olson 3B / RHP / Saint Croix Falls, WI / 2023

Another winner from our Preseason ID circuit is uncommitted RHP/INF Brayden Olson (St. Croix Falls), who climbs three spots and now sits at No. 15 overall on our board. Olson’s status as a high level prospect in this class started last spring, where he put together an impressive statline on both sides of the ball while nearly leading St. Croix Falls to the D3 state playoffs. Since last spring and his journey through the PBR Future Games, Olson recently exploded at the Fox Cities Preseason ID in February, coming away from the event as the top prospect in attendance, ranked by our staff. His report from that event, found below:

“Olson is a relaxed, athletic mover with lots of leverage throughout the delivery… appears taller than he’s listed (6-foot-1), and you can see his efforts this offseason to improve his measurements across the diamond. Olson possesses easy arm speed, and plenty of upside left to grow into. His stuff on the mound has the makings of a very tough starter’s profile, with natural throwing instincts that appears to be sustainable long-term, utilizing a long loop momentum capture while delivering from a 5-foot-9 average release height. He’s turned himself into a high motor worker with a large deck of pitch design options for the savvy pitching coach at the next level. As his velo continues to steadily rise here in mid-February, it’s easy to expect this sleeper to make some noise in 2022 and beyond, even as a position player. In the box, he stands tall and strides from open to square. Relaxed throughout his moves, and quality feel for the barrel entering the zone. Olson showed some pull-side pop that was representative of his top notch spring numbers in ‘21, reaching a max exit speed of 94.9 mph and the farthest average batted distance (287 feet), with a 340-foot best. He’s also a quality defender on the dirt with the same powerful arm that helps shape a profile at the hot corner, perhaps.”

(3/20/22)

Presley Wachowiak RHP / Brookfield East, WI / 2023

From Milwaukee Preseason ID: Quick Hits (3/23): “The former PBR Future Games participant showed an uptick in stuff in this look, touching 91 mph with his fastball three times. Wachowiak landed his 73-74 mph curveball for strikes at an above-average rate and he threw his changeup around the zone as well at 75-76 mph from a lower arm slot, on average, than his fastball. At 6-foot-1, 195-pounds, Wachowiak remains one of the state’s top uncommitted juniors.”

(3/19/22)

TJ Hauser RHP / INF / Appleton East, WI / 2023

From the Green Bay Preseason ID: Quick Hits (2/28): “... greatly impressed our staff at the Fox Cities Preseason ID, namely for his work on the mound where he sat 88-89 mph with a high-spin slider featuring swing-and-miss break, as well as an effective changeup that tunnels well, thrown at arm speed. [At the Green Bay Preseason ID], Hauser’s pitch mix measured out similarly, though he threw all three pitches for strikes more consistently this time around. His round of batting practice in Green Bay was also much louder, and he demonstrated barrel feel while averaging an 87.0 mph exit speed with a 94.0 high from the left-handed batter’s box. Hauser carries high projectability as a 6-foot-1, 175-pound two-way prospect, though his future looks particularly promising on the mound. He’s among the top uncommitted 2023s in Wisconsin entering this spring.”

(2/12/28)

Vidal Colon INF / C / University School of Milwaukee, WI / 2023

From Milwaukee Preseason ID: Quick Hits (3/23): “... just elevated his profile to a whole new level. His bat has always outweighed his defensive capabilities on the infield, but our first look at him defensively behind the plate might change some minds on that. His body type fits the position well at a strong and compact 5-foot-10, 198-pounds and all of previous infield experience translates well also. He’s clearly an above average athlete and moved better than most backstops we’ve seen this winter. His arm strength also carried over at 80 mph out of the crouch resulting in event best pop times of 1.87-1.94. If this is a permanent switch for Colon there’s no doubt he’ll continue to improve with reps.”

(3/19/22)

Camden Kuhnke INF / RHP / Hortonville, WI / 2023

Kuhnke must’ve had a diligent offseason, because he enhanced his metrics effectively across the board, though he looked especially more polished from the mound at the Milwaukee ID in late March. There, Kuhnke sat 88-90 mph with a general ease, and he attacked the strike zone with three pitches. More on his two-way profile within the Milwaukee Preseason ID: Quick Hits (3/23): “6-foot-2, 205-pound two-way infielder from Hortonville who offered well on both sides of the ball. After clocking a 6.93 in the 60-yard dash, Kuhnke showed well in the box. He averaged near 88 mph exits as he drilled balls around the field as far as 350 feet. Then moved to his infield session and showed off a strong arm (90 mph) across the diamond. From the mound, Kuhnke posted one of the day's best fastballs (90.0 mph), a short wrinkle curveball, and a low-spin changeup to round out the mix.”

(3/19/22)

MORE ON-THE-MARKET FOLLOWS

+ While RHP Keenan Mork (River Falls) did not attend a PBR event in between updates, he’s reportedly ticked up in stuff immensely, and his early season results at River Falls reflect just that. He’s become a high priority prospect to see this spring, as he has the room to climb demonstrably farther up this board, if those reports are accurate.

+  RHP/INF Noah Dreier (Brookfield Central) remains uncommitted, and he added a little more velocity in the offseason, all while keeping up his innate feel for spinning a tight, sharp breaking ball. He climbed to an 88.7 mph high at the Madison ID, and his curveball and slider each spin at rates that surpass the 2500 rpm mark.

Noah Dreier (3/13/22)

+ LHP Ben Berkhof (Hudson) is one of the more intriguing arms in the state, and he’s one you might not be familiar with just yet. Last summer, Berkhof was up to 85 mph at an Eau Claire-area event with a raw, work-in-progress feel to spin a breaking ball. He attended PBR Minnesota’s Preseason All-State event at the end of March, and it’s laudable how far his progress with the curveball has come – he’s increased its spin and velocity, which has generated much greater swing-and-miss type action. While there’s still some room for improvement there, it’s come a long way and it’s crafted a bright future for him – because he checked nearly every other box already. He’s a physical 6-foot-3, 190-pound southpaw with an aggressive fastball that sat 86-88 mph at that same Minnesota event. The fastball has long possessed whiff traits by itself, with noteworthy hop and rise through the zone. Now ranked at No. 25 overall in the state, there’s even more room for the Hudson prep lefty to grow.

Ben Berkhof (3/20/22)

For a complete look at the state’s updated Class of 2023 rankings, click here. We expanded the board by 30 spots, reaching a top-125 in total.

RELATED CONTENT