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Wisconsin Mailbag: Top Questions of the Week

January 10, 2014

By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Director – Illinois/Wisconsin

The Mailbag is a feature which allows readers to ask our scouting directors any questions they wish about high school baseball in their state. Whether it’s about possible state title contenders, top prospects, recruiting, etc. your questions will get put into our “Mailbag” via the ask.fm app and our scouts will answer your questions through Twitter (@PBRWisconsin) and Facebook.

This week's top questions center around the verbal commitments of sophomores as well as how Jeren Kendall made his rise up the draft boards.

To submit a question about Wisconsin high school baseball to the PBR scouting staff simply follow the link HERE. Also if you have a burning question about the national landscape of high school baseball or draft specific questions you can send them to National Supervisor Nathan Rode HERE.

Top Questions of the Week

What is your opinion of the high school sophomores making verbal commitments? How do you feel about the three from Wisconsin that verbally committed?

The recruiting process has really sped up in recent years and it almost seems that verbally committing sophomores are becoming a normality. I would suggest that players do have to be careful and do their homework on the programs that they are receiving interest from. Obviously the three from Wisconsin are highly touted prospects who have received a ton of interest from multiple programs and all three seem to have put in the research and made decisions that fit them and their future beyond baseball.

Who do you think is the top catcher currently in the Wisconsin 2014 class? Most projectable in the future?

Colin Butkiewicz. His a highly athletic catcher with a really projectable frame. He needs to clean up some of his receiving fundamentals but hits from both sides and has a big time arm.

With seven returning starters... is Appleton West your "DarkHorse" for the FVA? If not, who is?

Yeah the only problem is they lost two D1 players. One of which was drafted in the 16th round. I don't see that level of talent on this year's squad.

What do you know about the 16 Wisconsin Elite Travel Team? And who on their roster should we be watching?

I haven't got the chance to see them play as team yet but I've seen a few players on their roster like Nick Schrader and Jake Hall. I plan on seeing them this summer and can give a better answer on their full roster then.

Seems to me that Jeren Kendall really jumped up draft boards after his play out west this past summer. Many top WI players don't seem to do this for what I'm sure is financial reason, but is this a necessary requisite if a player wants to be considered among the elite high school talent?

Most of the events that Kendall played in this summer such as Area Code Games and Tournament of Stars you have to be selected to play in. Not just anybody gets the opportunity to play in these events and generally Wisconsin does not have the level of talent required to play in some of these high level national events. So the reason few Wisconsin prospects play in these events is not necessarily the finances but more of the talent level on the national landscape.

Interesting response to the Jeren Kendall question. Are you suggesting that Wisconsin does not have the talent of some of the southern states, or just that it isn't as well identified or developed?

Both. It’s not a secret that the best players in the country come from warm weather states. I bet you could look at any MLB roster and the majority of their players come from warm weather states.

Who is going to win the Rock Valley North this season?

Jefferson should repeat as conference champs. They have a lot of returning talent from last year's club.

How are Lodi's chances to repeat as D2 champs?

As good a chance as anybody elses. Losing Donnie Manke is a big loss but Fred Manke should pick up right where he left off and tally a lot of wins on the mound for Lodi.

Which of the four teams that won state has the best chance at repeating?

I think I would have to go with Oconto. Only lost two seniors and have a lot of experience coming back.

When do you feel that JUCO is a good route to take? Always or only in certain situations?

JUCO is a good route to take and often overlooked. Obviously every player's situation is different so I couldn't really speak to that. For some JUCO is not the best route, but I would not rule out going the JUCO route if you are receiving interest there.

Greater metro conference... Thoughts on Oak Creek and Franklin? Should be a battle don't you think?

It’s a very competitive conference, the best in summer baseball in my opinion. I would expect OC to be very good. Franklin lost two good arms last year but should have the depth to fill those voids.

How valuable is a two-seam for a right handed pitcher? Sitting low-80s?

I think a two-seamer is incredibly valuable regardless of your velocity. A 2-seam fastball gives the hitter a different look, especially in hitters’ counts it’s always an advantage to be able to go to something other than the straight fastball.

For the most part, PBR only gives exposure to big names. The only reason for PBR "combines" is to find or expose the best kids. You just make money off the rest. What are your thoughts on that?

The PBR showcases give players of all ages and ability levels the platform to showcase their skills in front of scouts and recruiters that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to do so. Yes we do try to find the best kids because that is what scouting/recruiting is, finding the best talent available and finding talent that might not otherwise be discovered. There are a ton of kids out there with the ability to play at the next level that just do not get recognized, and through our events we try to bring these kids to the forefront and publicize their attributes through our website. We cover players of all ability levels, from the high draft picks to the D3 walk-ons and our daily content proves that.

What sophomores and juniors will be making a jump in the rankings?

It’s difficult to say who will be making jumps in the rankings, it’s completely up to the player. If the player gets better he moves up. There are some guys that have higher ceilings than others but it’s impossible to tell when or if they will reach that potential.

What are your thoughts on the recent UW-Stout commits Gale, Sorensen, and Steinmetz?

Stout has done a nice job of getting some early commitments. All three are good players, I especially like Steinmetz and think he has a chance to contribute right away.

When are the Midwest Future Games and who gets to go?

The Midwest Future Games will be held the first weekend in August this year and it will be the top uncommitted 2016 graduates from each state that the PBR covers.

How does Bay Port look for the upcoming season?

Bay Port lost a lot to graduation - the Neuville brothers, Frieder and Kallin all will be tough to replace but they have a solid crop of 2015's including Klein, and Hock on the mound. Baier put a good year together and was solid in the playoffs but there are a lot of numbers to replace left by those graduating seniors.

If you live in Milwaukee and can't make the Milwaukee Preseason ID, could you still go to the Madison one?

Yes. Players can go to any showcase that fits their schedule. Both showcases will be the exact same format. The names of the events are simply where they will be held.

Who are going to be the best pitchers in the Bay Conference this year in your opinion?

Alex McIntosch (Hotonville), Brendan Meissner (West De Pere) and Jack Collins (Denmark) are three of the better pitchers in that I have seen in that conference.

What are your thoughts on playing legion baseball versus a travel team for a player that has graduated and will be playing in college the next year?

To be honest with you I have never been to a legion game. I know legion is fairly popular in Wisconsin, but it is just not recruited/scouted that highly. Now if you are already committed to a college I guess it would just depend on the level of competition you feel that you are getting.

What do you think of Jack Bredeson the 2015 right handed pitcher? Could he be a high level recruit?

He has a unique ability to hide the baseball very well. We've seen him up to 86 mph at the end of last summer with a heavy fastball that proves tough to elevate for hitters. With more polish to his secondary pitches there is no reason why he couldn't be.

What do you think about Oak Creek's pitching staff?

Solid staff. Got to see Doran Turchin on the mound this fall topping out at 88mph, strong arm should add to their depth. Makarewicz and Sustachek should be two of their top arms.

Any knowledge on names of players you've heard of from the 2017 class?

We've gotten tips on a few names in that class but haven't seen a whole lot yet. We expect to see quite a bit at the Preseason ID on Feb 9 as well as the one on March 16.

Top three baseball teams in the Classic Eight Conference?

Tough to say, Arrowhead has a ton of talented players but many of them will not play for their high school. It's tough to make any predictions on summer teams, but Kettle Moraine and Muskego should be solid, Mukwonago could be in the mix too.

When do rankings come out for summer ball?

Probably right before the season starts. Preseason rankings could be tough as we will have to track down which players will be playing for their high school and who will play travel baseball instead.

What do colleges look for in a pitcher?

Arm strength is a big part of it. Overall athleticism and projectability are also major factors. Colleges need to see upside out of a pitcher, if they can't see enough for them to believe that a pitcher will get any better than it will be hard to recruit them. For guys that might already meet the above criteria - showing the ability to get swing and misses in the strikezone. If you can prove that you can get a high rate of swing and misses without having to expand the strikezone, that's a plus for you.

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