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Wisconsin Class of 2024 Rankings: Update

August 23, 2023
By Wisconsin Staff

Today, as part of Prep Baseball Report’s rankings week, our PBR Wisconsin staff is unveiling an updated set of rankings for the incoming class of seniors after an eventful spring and summer.  

Highlighted in the story below is an analysis of some of the top-15 prospects within Wisconsin’s 2024 class. Throughout the next couple of weeks, we’ll continue to break down the rankings update, shining light on newcomers and notable risers to cap off the summer of 2023.

AT THE TOP OF THE CLASS

JD Dix SS / Whitefish Bay, WI / 2024

Rankings, PBR Wisconsin: No. 1

Alabama Commit. Dix is once again staying atop our state rankings in this update; he has held the spot for the entirety of his prep career and it’s one that he could maintain until its conclusion. Crowned a state champion at the end of the spring and now, in a month’s time, the Whitefish Bay product will represent the state at the PBR All-American Game near his hometown at Milwaukee’s American Family Field, adding yet another accolade to his ever-expanding resume. The middle infielder possesses premier athleticism which he applies to the shortstop position as a smooth moving defender with easy range and easy arm strength across the diamond. Offensively, a switch-hitter, Dix has shown to not only make quality contact with the baseball, but has also added strength, allowing him to hit for power more often. With even more room to add in his 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame, there is no telling how high Dix’s ceiling truly is, as he looks the part of the next high-end shortstop to come out of Wisconsin.

Jack DeTienne RHP / Verona Area, WI / 2024

Rankings, PBR Wisconsin: No. 2

Xavier Commit. After multiple eye-popping performances across the summer circuit, DeTienne finds himself slotted in at No. 2 in this update and ranked as the No. 1 pitcher in the state’s senior class. For good reason, DeTienne presented the most electric arsenal within the pool of prospects in the state, highlighted by hitting 96 mph with the fastball numerous times. It was emphasized at the Area Code Games just a couple of weeks ago, where the right-hander illustrated his two quality traits: arm speed and arm talent. With that, the velocity continues to increase, and in while his curveball now sits in the low-80s, featuring a sharp breaking action. It gives him a go-to offspeed pitch, in addition to throwing low-to-mid-80s changeup at arm-speed and intent, a pitch that he locates at the bottom half of the zone. DeTienne made the most of his summer in a big way, priming him for a stellar fall and senior season.

(8/8/23)

risers inside the top-10

+ Producing at a high rate has been the key trait for OF Logan Dunn (Wautoma; Missouri State), who’s been one of the state’s top talents for some time, and he now finds himself at No. 4 in this update, which is up three big spots from the winter’s update. Dunn is a twitchy athlete who is listed at a strong 6-foot, 185-pounds. A left-handed hitter, Dunn boasts a quick and loose stroke with a knack for finding the barrel and driving the baseball, something that he does constantly in front of our staff. His swing also plays with high-end bat and hand speed metrics, averaging 76.2 mph and 24.4 mph respectively at a showcase earlier this year. Defensively, the outfielder has the ability to stick in centerfield due to his efficient routes and the ability to effectively read the baseball off the bat, along with his arm strength that has been up to 91 mph in previous looks. Dunn’s work throughout the summer has been noteworthy, establishing himself as a top-of-the-order bat and lockdown defender on any team. 

+ RHP Kyle Alivo (St. Thomas More; Iowa) has been an arrow-up prospect for over a year and he make yet another climb in this update, this time into the top-10 overall. Listed at 6-foot-1, 168 pounds, Alivo boasts some of the best arm talent in the state. An athletic mover on the mound with a loose and whippy arm, Alivo is confident in four pitches that each generate swings and misses. A carry fastball that has been up to 91 mph in front of our staff, highlighted by above-average spin rates, averaging an efficient 2,324 rpm spin rate with carry/run traits. The former PBR Future Games participant also throws a mid- to upper-80s sinker that plays with depth and hard running action. Off of his multiple fastballs, he throws two offspeed pitches: A changeup and a slider. The changeup has turned into a real weapon with considerable depth and running action that he is comfortable throwing in game, and it’s helped expand his confidence in opposing left-handed batters. He presents similar confidence with an upper-70s slider, one that’s flashed sharp horizontal action. A diligent worker who continues to improve with each passing season, Alivo might still have another gear he can access after his final prep offseason.

Kyle Alivo (6/26/23)

ELSEWHERE at the top

+ 3B/SS Brock Lulewicz (Muskego; Wichita State) maintains his spot at No. 3 in our newest update, as the infielder has continued to put up quality numbers throughout the spring and summer, both at the plate and defensively. Lulewicz has continued to add strength to his frame, standing at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds. It allowed him to hit for more power at this stage of his career, as the left-handed hitter always had quality bat-to-ball traits, and he has now paired that with the ability to produce more extra-base hits. On the defensive end, Lulewicz has plenty of arm for the left side of the infield, and he’s a sure-handed defender with on-field IQ that plays on both sides of the ball. His arm strength (89 mph), paired with above-average speed, elevates Lulewicz’s athleticism and baseball skill set to an even higher level. The Wichita State commit made the most of his summer and remains one of Wisconsin’s best all-around prospects.

+ RHP/INF Noah Wech (Manitowoc Lincoln; Oklahoma State) is another prospect who turned in quality work throughout the late spring and summer, as the 6-foot, 187-pound athlete continues to progress on the mound. Wech has strength present throughout his body, as he gets into his legs to throw a low-90s vertical fastball. He reached 92 mph in our most recent look, settling in the upper-80s throughout a lengthy start. His primary pitch is lively, and it should earn whiffs inside the zone on its own. Wech complements the four-seamer with a sharp, short breaking ball and fading changeup. All three pitches freeze batters and generate swings and misses, as Wech repeats his delivery consistently to dominate opponents. As he continues to polish his craft on the bump, he has established himself as a producer on the offensive end too. Neither part of his game should be overlooked as a high-end 2024 graduate. 

+ RHP Nolan Buss (Arrowhead; Kansas State) is another power right-hander who has continued to add even more to his already impressive prospect stock. He got a late start to the spring, but when he arrived, he overpowered down the stretch for Arrowhead, throwing more strikes than ever before which allowed his unique pitch profile take over from there. Buss’ funky delivery enhances his overall profile, too, as he delivers the ball with some cross-fire, working closed down the mound while releasing it at an average height of 4.7 feet. Generally, it’s difficult for pitchers who release the ball from that height to generate vertical action in addition to the natural arm-side movement it produces, but Buss is an exception. He showed this most recently at the Eastern Wisconsin Open earlier this week. Standing at a strong, but still projectable 6-foot, 190-pounds, Buss ran his fastball all the way up to 93 mph and sat strictly 91-92 throughout the duration of his ‘pen while averaging nearly 15 inches of induced vertical break, as well as 12-plus inches of horizontal movement. The pitch profile is, again, made even more difficult to oppose as a hitter given the way he moves down the mound, and it should keep him earning swings and misses consistently if he can continue to attack the zone with it.

Buss’ secondaries aren’t just change-of-pace offerings either. His slider works sharply off the opposite plane as the fastball, while maintaining that same low average release height. The changeup projects to be especially effective too, matching that release point while producing late, darting sink/run, 86-87 mph. Control over this mix has been Buss’ main knock, which is understandable given its uniqueness, but he also made progress in that regard in 2023, and it keeps him as one of the state’s most interesting pitching prospects headed into the fall.

+ The recently committed OF/1B Jackson Brewer (Homestead; Columbia) slots in at No. 7 following a strong spring and summer, after he finished as a member of PBR Wisconsin’s Second Team All-State and he kept on producing in the summer. Brewer continued to elevate his play throughout the summer circuit, as he impressed during the Super 17 at Creekside, showcasing easy power and sneaky speed around the basepaths. With a physical 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame, Brewer generates quality bat speed resulting in high EVs, ranging in the upper-90s, as our staff witnessed in the winter. His fastest 60-yard dash time is 6.75 seconds, a trait that has taken his game to the next level, offensively and defensively. Brewer naturally extends doubles into triples and runs down fly balls in the outfield, a new position added to his game. The left-hander’s production has been noteworthy for a substantial amount of time now, as he enters his final season of prep baseball in the near future. 

+ RHP Nate Langbehn (D.C. Everest; Wichita State) emerged as one of the more flawless arms to come out of the spring, finishing with 0.16 ERA and 91 strikeouts against some of the best competition in northern part of the state. Standing at a long 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Langbehn foreshadowed his dominance at the Madison Preseason ID in March, showcasing a complete arsenal, highlighted by a low-90s fastball. The lively pitch gets on hitters quickly, and is complemented by a changeup and curveball. Each pitch induces swings and misses, summarized by the high-spin curveball, averaging 2,268 rpm with sharp break. The mature right-hander handed Stevens Point Area, a top team in Wisconsin, their lone loss of the regular season, emphasizing the impact Langbehn can make on any team. Injuries limited Langbehn’s work in the summer, but the Wichita State commit will be back in 2024 possessing true starter traits as a reliable pitching prospect.

+ MIF Eddie Rynders (Wisconsin Lutheran; Kent State) has long been one of the state’s top talents and his performances throughout the entirety of 2023 were no different. Starting in the winter, Rynders was arguably the top performer at the talent laden Milwaukee Preseason ID. There he showed up boasting a more filled out 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame which added even more juice to his smooth, yet aggressive left-handed bat. Even with his added strength, Rynders was still an athletic and bouncy defender at the shortstop position, and he paired it with a strong arm that was up to 88 mph; that trait points to him sticking on the left-side of the diamond long term. This was just the start of Rynders’ successful junior campaign as he then went on to star on his Wisconsin Lutheran squad, a team who was inside of our Power 25 Rankings for a number of weeks, to a 20-5 season and won Conference Player of the Year honors as well. Then across the summer circuit, Rynders has continued to flat-out dominate seemingly everywhere he went. Since the inception of these 2024 rankings, Rynders has been a name who has been inside of the top-10, and this update is no different as he is still amongst the top talents the Badger State has to offer.

ARROW-UP SENIORS

+ MIF Eddie Peters (La Crosse Aquinas; Xavier) stands at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds with strength throughout his frame while boasting more room for additional growth. The right-handed hitter plays under control at the plate, with a smooth and easy stroke that generates elite bat speed (82.4 mph max) and whip through the zone that allows him to drive line drives across the field with his power favoring the pull-side. A smooth moving defender with soft and sure hands with improved actions that now looks like he can stay at shortstop long-term to go along with an accurate arm across the diamond. Peters has always been a performer in front of our staff and has a high offensive ceiling that makes him a fun and enticing prospect to watch as he finishes his prep career.

+ LHP Tannis Lange (Waukesha South; Ohio State) has been one of the state’s top pitching prospects for some time now. Maintaining his spot at No.12 after a strong summer which he capped off with a 11 strikeout performance at the 17U National Championship at LakePoint. Standing at a strong 6-foot-3, 185-pounds with long levers with room to add even more strength to his frame. Lange is a fluid and athletic mover on the mound and has continued to add velocity across each look. Now running his fastball up to 89 mph that rides through the zone with 15’ of IVB on average and 17’ maximum. His go-to offspeed pitch is his low-70s curveball that flashed sharp sweep in the past that he uses to steal strikes. To round off his three-pitch-mix Lange throws a fading changeup that he throws at armspeed. Lange looks to continue his dominance as he finishes his prep career.

+  RHP Avery Duncan (Notre Dame Academy; Dallas Baptist) created a lot of buzz over the past year showing off an improved three-pitch-mix featuring some of the best arm talent in the state. Standing at an athletic 6-foot-2, 183-pound frame, Duncan is able to translate his athleticism to the mound as a fluid mover from a low-effort delivery with a whippy, quick arm. Duncan is able to run his fastball up into the low-90s, featuring some natural arm-side life and lift in the zone. In previous looks Duncan’s curveball looked to be one of the better breaking pitches in the state, thrown hard in the upper-70s with sharp sweep that he is able to locate in the zone and it has been an effective chase pitch as well. Rounding off his arsenal is a mid-80s changeup with running action that is still developing. Duncan possesses some of the most intriguing combination of arm talent and upside where it would not be surprising to see another uptick in his stuff as he goes into his final prep season.

+ Click here to view Wisconsin's Class of 2024 rankings in full.

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