Wisconsin 2019 Rankings: Risers
July 20, 2018
This past week we launched an updated version of our Class of 2019 rankings. We dissected the class’ top-10 prospects on Monday and examined the group’s newcomers after that, leading up to today, a look at the players trending up the board.
Overall, more than 10 prospects within this most recent update watched their rankings considerably rise and we’ll take a closer look at those names in this post, beginning with LHP Adrian Montilva (Madison East). No player in the most recent update saw a more dramatic boost to their rankings than Montilva, rocketing up from a rank in the 80s all the way to a spot within the top-30. The lefty demonstrated an uptick in velo and his fastball most recently sat in the 84-86 mph range. The velo jump meshes well with his already repeatable delivery and interesting offspeed, perfectly explaining Montilva’s 50-plus spot leap.
Adrian Montilva (8.22.17)
The state’s top-ranked second baseman, Marcus Cline (Fall Creek), showed us tons of versatility early this spring at the Madison Preseason I.D. event. Cline took reps from the infield and the outfield and looked sound in either spot, highlighting his athleticism and baseball acumen. His growing into his wiry frame and it shows in the batter’s box, where he’s displayed bat speed and a short, quick path to the ball. He climbs over 30 spots all the way into the top-20 in this update, even a couple places above Montilva.
For RHP Luke Hansel (Union Grove), his seven-spot climb is significant because it takes him into the top 20. Now the No. 3-ranked right-handed pitcher, Hansel remains uncommitted and is continuing to get better on the mound. His fastball mostly lives in the mid-80s and has been up to 88 mph but it’s his curveball that’s helped him get this far up the board. The breaking ball has been an outpitch for him and it’s become an authentic swing-and-miss offering he’s demonstrated command for.
Another lefty has taken an enormous jump up the boards, too: Jace Kressin (Menomonie). Up over 30 spots since the last update, Kressin’s live arm and 6-foot-3 frame has helped him deliver on an uptick in velocity, taking his fastball to the mid-80s range. He throws a tight, hard breaking ball that can be a go-to for him as he further matures and develops.
Jace Kressin (6.18.18)
Joining the aforementioned names on this list of risers are: RHP Riley LeTourneau (Brookfield East), RHP Trent Turzenski (Burlington), LHP Tyler Denu (Mount Horeb), OF Cody Tostrud (Bradford), RHP Nevin Wall (Holmen), C Sam Rogers (New Lisbon), and RHP Darren Dionne (Peshtigo).
CLICK HERE for the complete Class of 2019 rankings.