Kenosha Preseason I.D.: Quick Hits

PBR Wisconsin’s first event of 2019 was held over the weekend on Jan. 25 at Fielder’s Choice Training Academy, the Kenosha Preseason I.D., from Kenosha, Wis. Approximately 50 prospects made it to the showcase, from both Illinois and Wisconsin, and we’ll begin our event coverage today by sharing some of our instant analysis.

Today, we’ll quickly share with you the event’s biggest winners, some sophomores and juniors to keep an eye on, and more.

We’ll continue our coverage tomorrow by laying out the top statistical performers from the showcase. And, in the next couple weeks, we’ll publish reports on each of the prospects who made it out to Kenosha last Saturday.

Below, you’ll find notes and highlights on more than a handful of the day’s best performers.

ON-THE-RISE JUNIORS

• Visiting us on Saturday all the way from La Crosse Central, LHP Dylan Lapic was among the most anticipated prospects we were looking forward to seeing, attending his first PBR showcase. Lapic is ranked inside the state’s top-100, but he’s already done enough to boost himself up the board upon our next update. He’s built at a lanky 6-foot-2 with broad, square shoulders. His fastball sat in the low-80s on Saturday with hard run and sink that works well in conjunction with his changeup. Lapic has some feel to spin a breaking ball, too, but he’ll work on tightening it up in his junior spring to create more swing-and-miss action with it. In all, Lapic’s size and present stuff already has him pegged as one of the top available lefties in the state’s 2021 class, with room to grow.

• Arguably the day’s best overall performer, RHP/INF Sawyer Smith (Shoreland Lutheran, 2021) has taken a big step forward on both sides of the ball. Smith took an impressive round of BP from the left side with his 6-foot-2, 167-pound frame. He’s got lively hands and long loose levers that generate whip through the zone and made consistent gap to gap contact. Defensively he showed just as well if not better with soft hands, the rangy defender has a plus arm for his age as well, topping 86 mph from across the infield. On the mound he showed a low 80’s fastball that jumps out of his hand and excellent feel and conviction for his changeup.

• 2B/SS Nicklas Williams is a part of a dynamic up-the-middle duo at Union Grove, with senior star T.J. Manteufel (Bradley commit), as a top-60-ranked junior himself, he put together a statistically impressive day on Saturday. He’s a strong, physical athlete and it translates to his swing. Williams topped 89 mph at the exit velocity station and was also 85 mph from across the diamond.

• It appeared as if OF Anthony Gross (Catholic Memorial) had a productive offseason, adding some muscle to his 5-foot-8 frame without losing the twitch and speed that was important to his overall game. He plays with a physical burst that’s evident in his hustle out of the box and his loose right-handed bat. His athleticism and footspeed should fit neatly into the outfield and his arm strength topped the event’s charts, too. Add him to an ever-growing list of names to know on this year’s Catholic Memorial squad.

• Last year, from Illinois, a Crystal Lake South prospect was among the day’s biggest winners. Well, that same high school provided us with another name to alert our PBR Illinois colleagues of: Nate Freeze. Built at an athletic and projectable 6-foot-2, Freeze swings a loose, fast switch-hit bat that looks similar from both sides. He took reps from both the infield and outfield and demonstrated above-average actions with a strong arm.

AN EYE ON WILMOT

• We came into the day well aware of Leo Falletti – a top-100-ranked junior in the state who’s been a staple of Wilmot’s program since he was a freshman – but Saturday marked our first look at Falletti’s younger brother Marco (2023) and provided us with another glimpse at junior teammate Jack Vozel. At the showcase, Leo showed more of his fast right-handed and his rhythmic timing and strength helps him barrel baseballs consistently and for hard line drives. As for Vozel, he started for Wilmot last spring as a sophomore and looks prepared to contribute even more so as a junior, with above-average bat strength and strong arm.

• The freshman Marco Falletti bears a resemblance to his older brother, physically, with strength in his 5-foot-10 frame, he’s a live, actiony defender who is still raw on the infield, but the athleticism could translate almost anywhere on the diamond. Meanwhile, the strength inside both his bat and arm is advanced, especially for a freshman.

SOPHOMORE STAND-OUTS

• We anticipated another good look at Illinois sophomore RHP/INF Ethan Clark (Lakes Community), and we got it. While Clark carries with him some position player traits, including some surprising pop for a lanky, thin 6-foot-2 athlete, he’s a particularly exciting prospect on the mound. His long levers work really well from the rubber and elevated his velocity by a few ticks, topping out at 84 mph on Saturday. The ease in which his loose arm works is what’s especially intriguing about Clark.

• A raw but tantalizing athlete, Union Grove’s Remmi Sweet continues to be a follow in the state’s ‘22 class for his exciting toolset. He’s a twitchy runner with a fast bat that can produce some hard exit velocities and not just for his age. He’ll need to work on polishing his premium tools as he prepares for his sophomore season with the Broncos, but Sweet has some intriguing upside.

• From Arrowhead, OF Jayce Weber continues to trend in the right direction inside the state’s 2022 class. There’s some bat speed in his right-handed swing that works off a mostly level plane on a slight incline, with extension through contact. He’s an athlete and he runs well with the tools and actions to competently roam the outfield.

• A.J. Finco (Home School) was the top-ranked sophomore from Wisconsin in attendance. His durable 5-foot-10, 193-pound frame helps him leverage consistent hard contact from the right side, which helped him produce one of the day’s best exit velos (91 mph). Finco showed some improvements behind the plate too.  

• Racine Horlick’s 2B/SS T.J. Williams is an energetic athlete in a 5-foot-4 build who plays at a fast pace. His actions on defense – soft hands, quick feet, and range – are some of the best in his class right now, and he gets the most out of his compact left-handed swing, while maturity and strength will help his bat in the long run, he’s presently a singles spray hitter that shows the ability to control the barrel and keep the baseball on a line.

• RHP/INF Cristiano Ramirez (Muskego) was maybe the first name left off our latest edition of the Wisconsin Class of 2022 Rankings. He’s an athletic 6-foot-1 and his frame looks right at home on the mound. His breaking ball is a true separator, a tight sharp curveball at 74-76 mph it acts late and sharp on an 11/5 plane. He pairs it with a convicted changeup and a 82 mph fastball to complete his repertoire. 

NEW UNDERCLASSMEN

• Oconomowoc graduated some of its best everyday starters from last year’s squad, and they’ll look for prospects like Tristan Ott (2022) to fill the gaps. Luckily for the Raccoons, Ott looks prepared to take on that role. On Saturday, he looked like a future middle-of-the-order slugger, swinging a strong, fast right-handed bat that should be able to generate some of the runs lost inside Oconomowoc’s lineup this season. Ott’s strong lower half on his 6-foot, 180-pound frame is what helps him unlock bat strength in the left-handed box and his athleticism and strong arm should help him fit just fine in either outfield corner.

• Ivan Jake (Tremper, 2022) is a hulking 6-foot-2, 215-pound left/left first baseman who showed some promise. The Tremper sophomore showed feel around the bag with natural actions and a strong pull side approach at the plate.

• Bradford sophomore Austin Loberger is a right-handed arm worth noting. He was up to 80 mph on Saturday from a loose ¾ slot with feel to spin a breaking ball and he also added a straight change thrown at arm speed that tunnelled well off his running fastball.

• INF Chris Calico (West Salem) may have been the most impressive freshman of the day. The West Salem product is a 5-foot-8, 145-pound infielder with all the actions to stay in the middle of the diamond. His hands play soft with exceptional footwork for his age, playing light on his feet and through the baseball. Offensively, he’s a gap-to-gap line-drive bat who shows loose hands and an ability to spray to all fields. The same advanced hands he demonstrates on the infield, translates into the batter's box, too.

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