Wisconsin Class of 2023 Rankings: Winter Update
December 10, 2021
In the near future, our national team will be updating the country’s top-500 overall rankings within the Class of 2023. Today, we’ll be sharing our notes on the top of the class and the players who used this past fall to work their way up our state rankings and ultimately land spots on the PBR national board.
Learn more about the top juniors in Wisconsin with up-to-date findings on their most recent performances. Stay tuned next week, as we continue to break down the state’s 2023 board.
THE TOP-10
+ No. 1, RHP Dylan Questad (Waterford Union; Arkansas): No surprises here. Throughout the fall, Questad has produced consistent “stuff,” with regular impressive performances. Rolling over elite travel lineups, and making the low-90s look easy. Small improvements through the intensive development window would put Questad firmly in the national professional prospect conversation.
+ No. 2, INF Ethan Hindle (Arrowhead; Kentucky): After jumping into the top positional spot on the board this summer, Hindle sustained high-end offensive performance for multiple teams at a number of prominent events in the fall. He continues to meet high expectations. We hope to see sustained offensive success, and we expect to see improvement to the glove and arm as the top ranked position player in Wisconsin’s ‘23 class.
+ No. 3, INF Cal Fisher (Deerfield; Notre Dame): Touted infield prospect Fisher has enjoyed a fruitful 2021 cycle. After leading the state in home runs for Division-4 Deerfield, he produced while playing an age level up for his travel program, something he’s done throughout his prep career. This fall, he rotated around the infield with an incredibly talented Cincinnati Reds Scout Team roster. There were a number of moments at the plate that flashed those there-it-is moments. Fisher remains an intriguing prospect out of Wisconsin, and we expect to see another standout spring for him.
+ No. 4, RHP Thomas Burns (Hortonville; uncommitted): Perhaps the most impressive rise during the fall period belongs to Burns, a 6-foot-4 righty from Hortonville. While many have noticed his potential upside throughout the year, few projected how fast he’d mature into a reliable starter. With a future uptick to his velocity – already having reached a 91 mph high in the fall – and improvements to the effectiveness of his offspeed, Burns has the ability to jump even further up the conversation. It could be argued he’s one of the top 20 uncommitted arms left in the class going into the spring.
+ No. 5, INF Jack Counsell (Whitefish Bay; uncommitted): Jumping into the top-five in this update is a reliable late-bloomer: Jack Counsell. Currently standing 5-foot-11, 167 pounds, Counsell has made eye-catching progress since lacing up for Team Wisconsin at the late summer’s PBR Future Games. He possesses high-end baseball specific speed, including a great first step, plenty of range, and a baserunning tool that projects to be effective at the next level. Not only do his feet provide slump-less pressure, so does his bat. Perhaps the most consistent barrel accuracy in the state, and growing into some pull-gap slugging as this is written. Now pairing his gap-to-gap/line-drive repeatability with exits as high as 98 mph traveling up to 380 feet – still listed at just 167 pounds. Defensively, he’s currently seen as a second baseman with a quality clock, angles, and improving arm strength going into the winter. For the adventurous developer, it could be reasoned that the arm and glove could transition to the left side with a bit of time to build up to the expectation. The answers to his questions are shipping NDA and arriving soon.
Jack Counsell (7/28/21)
MORE NATIONAL NOTES
+ No. 7, C Evan Gustafson (Altoona; Oregon State): 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. Gustafson could further rise up this board as his high school career continues.
+ No. 9, OF Caleb Karll (Madison West; Ohio): While Karll retains the No. 9 spot on our state board, he’s also done enough to create more national interest in the meantime. Deemed one of the biggest winners of the Future Games, Karll has an offensive skill set that he can call a carrying tool. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound right-handed hitter comfortably covers the entire plate with advanced barrel feel to all fields. He took one of the Midwest’s loudest BP rounds at the Future Games’ workout portion and translated that juice to gameplay, homering in his first at-bat of the event. Karll’s sneaky athleticism, and advanced Loden Agility testing scores, suggest he’s more than capable of sticking in a corner outfield spot in the long run. He should eventually slot into the middle of the Bobcats’ future lineup.
For a full look at the state's 2023 rankings, click here.