PBR At The Rock 13/14U: Five to Follow - Infielders

The first PBR at The Rock Championships of the summer took place from May 31 to June 2 at The Rock Sports Complex in Franklin, WI. Dozens of the best 13U and 14U teams in the entire Midwest competed in front of the PBR Wisconsin team over the weekend.

Shortly after the tournament’s end, the team compiled an in-depth analysis on some of the weekend’s top performers. You can find those notes here. As well as daily rundowns of the three-day highlights.

Day 1 Quick Hits
Day 2 Quick Hits
Day 3 Quick Hits

This is a four-part series where the top performers at each position (C, INF, OF, P) from the tournament will be highlighted. Below are some of the top infield performers listed in alphabetical order from this past weekend. We decided to select six infielders to highlight due to the plethora of young players that showcased their talents throughout the weekend. 

INFIELDERS 

Alexander Alicea, SS, St. Thomas Moore, WI, Hitters Baseball, 2023
Switch-hitting shortstop who filled the leadoff spot in the Hitter’s lineup on Sunday against Naperville Renegades American and went 2-for-3 with two singles. Alicea is a premium defender who exhibits all of the essential traits to stick to shortstop at the next level and beyond. He consistently fields the ball in rhythm, with smooth and soft hands, an ultra-quick exchange, and an arm that is accurate while throwing on the move. He’s a true switch-hit type but looks a little more natural in the right-handed batter’s box. He’s the ideal top-of-the-order type, with his patient approach and advanced knowledge of the strike zone, which complements his plus speed. He’s a spray-type at the plate with quality barrel control, capable of barreling baseballs into the gaps, too. Alicea is constantly looking to get on base by any means necessary in order to impact the game as quickly as possible.

Cal Fisher, SS, Deerfield, WI, GRB Rays 14U Green, 2023
5-foot-10, 155-pound shortstop. One of the better right-handed hitters in the state’s class. Balanced approach, loose hands, barrel aware. Ball jumps off the bat at contact, gap to gap approach. Went 2-for-3 in game vs. Lou Collier/DBA with two plus contacts off the bat. High baseball IQ, gets excellent reads on the basepaths. Arm carries well across the diamond, easy defender, showed well on the infield.

Max Henneman, SS/RHP, Oak Creek, WI, PTA Cardinal, 2023
Shined in Franklin on Saturday. That could be something the local high school will have to get used to, considering Hennemann looks like he’ll be joining rivals Oak Creek in the fall. He’s a left-handed-hitting middle infield prospect who spent the day setting the table for his teammates, as they got off to a quick 3-0 lead. He’s already demonstrating an elite defensive feel and athleticism for his age. Hennemann has a knack for making the hard plays look easy, showing advanced arm strength and actions for his age, and it plays short and over-the-top with carry. At the plate, he showed above-average bat speed and strength, and was also able to speed up and around the basepaths. Most notably, he crushed a triple into the right-center gap, offering up the potential of some pull-side pop if he’s able to add some strength to his 5-foot-10 frame as he continues to grow and mature. Looks the part, smooth rhythmic swing, middle of the field approach. Hard line drive base hit to center and hard line out to center field. Game 2: hard fb, 11/5 bb, works quick, high ¾ slot. Scattered 6 hits in 5 innings of work. Fastball ranged from 70-72 mph, while flashing a curveball at 64 mph. Produced soft contact on majority of pitches put in play.

Eason Hurd, SS/RHP, Ashwaubenon, WI, GRB Rays Green 13U, 2024
5-foot-7, 135-pound two-way prospect with some projection. Hurd helped propel GRB Rays Green 13U to a 17-1 win over Fox Valley Freedom by blasting a two-run homerun over the left field wall. He finished the game 4-for-4, collecting four RBIs, and also added two doubles and a single to his line as well, all of which came off the barrel hard. Hurd showed an advanced approach for his age, hitting from a tall/open stance with a leg kick trigger. He has a pull-side approach with some power potential. On the mound, Hurd side steps into a high leg kick, working level and on line to his target. Compact arm action from a high ¾ slot, and his arm speed is quick for his age. Fastball sat 69-73 mph working downhill with a slight, occasional run. Showed some early feel for a tight curveball with 11/5 shape, 64-65 mph.

EJ Kuster, 1B, Greendale, WI, PTA Cardinal, 2023
Tennemann’s teammate EJ Kuster(Greendale, 2023) provided the middle-of-the-order punch for PTA Cardinal 14U. The right/right first baseman was aggressive in the batter’s box on Day Two and it led to two hard-hit doubles, both pulled into the left-center gap – and one actually looked like it had to juice to clear the fence off the barrel. Kuster’s big 6-foot-2 frame helps him create some leverage at the plate, leading to some power potential from the right side. Projectable plus body, athletic lanky, rocket 2b to left. Reached on an error, double to left field where he picked up an rbi and a walk. Shows an aggressive approach throughout the game and produced hard contact when he got his pitch. Game 2: smoked a double over the center fielder’s head, shows an aggressive approach for his age.

Dawson Peterson, 1B/RHP, Riverdale, IL, Quad City Hitmen Elite, 2024
One of the top overall performers of the weekend, regardless of age. Combined to go 8-for-11 in his team’s four games with five doubles, two walks, and never struck out. 6-foot, 220-pound two-way prospect with thick, large, strong frame. Right-handed hitter with advanced traits in the box. A measured approach, swings at strikes, waits out pitchers. Hits from a tall/balanced setup, simple load with controlled leg hang trigger. Short and ultra-quick path to the ball, loose and strong hands. Bat is long through the zone and geared to make hard gap-to-gap contact – and maybe even all-fields-type of power one day as he keeps growing and progressing. He consistently barreled balls all weekend with an elite quality of contact. Peterson also started the Hitmen’s first game on Saturday and struck out seven batters in three innings of work and actually earned a save later in the day. His fastball reached a top speed of 77 mph, and sat between 72-76 mph. His curveball sat between 57-60 mph with a 12/6 shape, while his changeup’s velocity ranged between 63-64 mph and he was mostly able to maintain his typical arm speed. Peterson filled up the zone with all his pitches, especially his fastball, as he threw 71 percent of his pitches for strikes. His final line on the mound, in two appearances: 4 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, BB, 9 K, SV.

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