Wisconsin Class of 2026 Rankings: Update
December 6, 2023
Today, as part of Prep Baseball Report’s Class of 2026 rankings week, our PBR Wisconsin staff is unveiling an updated set of rankings for the class of sophomores after a small, but eventful, fall.
Highlighted in the story below is an analysis of some of the top-15 prospects within Wisconsin’s 2026 class. Throughout this week, we’ll continue to break down this rankings update, shining a light on the newcomers and notable risers in the class as we head into the offseason.
AT THE TOP
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Dominic Santarelli 1B / St. Joseph, WI / 2026
Rankings, PBR Wisconsin: No. 1
Louisville commit. After earning the top spot in our summer rankings update, Santarelli maintains that spot in this update. As just a freshman, Santarelli put together a remarkable spring and summer. After headlining a talented Kenosha St. Joseph’s squad, Santarelli shined across the summer circuit seemingly everywhere he went. It is not exactly unclear why he has garnered as much attention as he has, since he is already one of the state’s top power threats regardless of class. His approach is certainly advanced, too and he pairs it with a quick left-handed bat that can do damage to all parts of the field in any count. His defensive capabilities are notable as well, even at first base, where he is a sure-handed and athletic mover who takes pride in being an advanced defender. It is not surprising to see Santarelli be an early commit to Louisville as he features a truly advanced skill set at the plate. (PBR at The Rock HS Invitational; 4/21/23) |
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Ben Kuglitsch SS / RHP / Muskego, WI / 2026
Rankings, PBR Wisconsin: No. 2
Florida State commit. Kuglitsch may boast one of the state’s highest ceilings inside of his lean 6-foot-2, 165-pound frame and stays at the No. 2 spot in this update. Offensively, he swings a quick and simple right-handed bat that has already created exit velocities in the mid-90s before. This hit tool excels, especially in game as we saw throughout the spring where Kuglistch was a key piece for a talented Muskego squad despite being just a freshman. His defensive prowess is nothing to sell short either as he is an athletic and advanced defender up-the-middle, pairing it with a big arm that has already been up to 89 mph across the infield in our looks. His tools with the glove are certainly impressive and it looks like he has all the making of sticking on the left-side of the infield in the long run, too. His aforementioned arm strength is also noteworthy on the mound and it should only get better. He doesn’t just have a strong arm; he is an athletic mover with a real feel to pitch and is just scratching the surface of what his ultimate ceiling on the bump could be. During his freshman campaign, Kuglitsch proved to be a high-end talent both in the Midwest and nationally; and he now looks to be a main contributor on a talented Muskego squad in the spring. (PBR at The Rock HS Invitational; 4/22/23) |
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Calvin Moreau SS / RHP / Monona Grove, WI / 2026
Rankings, PBR Wisconsin: No. 3
Moreau is another athletic two-way prospect at the top part of this updated rankings board. Built at an athletic 6-foot-3, 170-pounds, Moreau is an advanced athlete as he has marked 60-times as low as 6.61 before. At the plate, Moreau takes controlled and simple right-handed swings to the ball with the ability to spray line drives all over the field. On the mound, the ceiling may even be higher for him, where he is an easy and athletic mover. Moreau delivers his mid-80s fastball with controlled aggression, playing with over 17” of vertical break on average. His offspeed pitches aren’t just change of pace offerings either, as he is able to deploy a 2,300+ RPM curveball in the low-70s and a deceptive, mid-70s changeup, too. Moreau was one of the many prospects inside the top part of this list that didn’t just earn valuable varsity experience as a freshman, but excelled. He too looks to be a key piece this spring for the Silver Eagles as he returns as one of the top sophomores in the state. |
ROUNDING OUT THE TOP-10
+ RHP/3B Caleb Johns (New Berlin Eisenhower, 2026) is a competitive and confident sophomore inside of the state and he maintains the No. 4 spot in this update. On the mound, his competitiveness is apparent, and he backs it up with an advanced feel for his three-pitch arsenal. Johns is armed with a low-to-mid-80s fastball from an athletic and repeatable delivery. He has also shown feel for a sharp 11/5 breaking ball and a fading changeup, too. While Johns was kept off the mound for a chunk of the year, his left-handed bat made noise throughout the spring and summer. After earning first-team all conference honors for New Berlin Eisenhower, he continued to do more of the same in the summer where he was a consistent power threat in the heart of his travel teams lineup. Now after an award winning freshman campaign, Johns seems primed to build off of it as he heads into his second year at the prep level.
+ Staying at No. 5 in this update, MIF Jake Cummins (Milton, 2026) is one of the state’s premier defenders up-the-middle, and not just for his age. On the infield, he has long shown an advanced skill set with the glove, moving athletically to the ball and making even the toughest plays look easy. His short and quick right-handed bat has continued to trend in the right direction too. He doesn’t try to do too much at the plate, and he plays his role as a top-of-the-order bat as he has the ability to spray line drives to all parts of the field. Once he reaches, Cummins creates havoc on the basepaths and more often than not, getting into scoring position after swiping some bags. Still, Cummins is a young prospect, but his floor is already high and he looks the part of the next high-end infielder coming out of Wisconsin.
(South Milwaukee Preseason ID; 3/5/23)
+ RHP/1B Brett Biondich (Kettle Moraine Lutheran, 2026; Texas Christian commit) is another prospect with some big time upside on both sides of the ball. Listed at a 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, Biondich swings a free and aggressive right-handed bat, and has shown off well above average power potential, too. His upside on the mound may even be higher. He features a ultra-loose delivery, moving athletically down the mound to deliver fastballs up to 86 mph with over 15” of carry and nearly a foot of run on average. He spins his curveball at an advanced rate, too, over 2,500 RPM on average and works off of a 11/5 plane. He rounds out his three-pitch mix with a late fading changeup in the high-70s with nearly 18” of horizontal movement on average. Biondich is certainly a tooled-up prospect inside of the state’s talented 2026 class so it is not surprising to see Biondich be an early Texas Christian commit.
+ One of the class's best athletes, OF Matthew O’Grady Jr. (Badger, 2026) stays at the No. 7 spot in this update. O’Grady is fresh off a strong season on the gridiron which saw him earn First Team All-Conference honors for Division 2 State Champions, Lake Geneva Badger. His athleticism is advanced, as he has marked 60-times as low as 6.86 in our looks, and has reached a top speed of 19.9 mph, so it is not surprising to see him shine on the football field. His twitchy right-handed bat has also added some juice over the past couple of looks, and he has consistently shown the ability to lace line drives to both gaps. His aforementioned athleticism is apparent in the outfield also, as he is an easy mover and pairs it with a strong arm that certainly will stick in the outfield at the next-level. Overall, O’Grady looks to have all the makings of a very bright member of the state’s young and talented 2026 class.
+ OF Ezra Liggon (Madison Memorial, 2026) is a long-limbed 6-foot-4, 175-pound athlete and he stays at No. 8 in this update. His smooth left-handed swing has shown the ability to spray line drives to all parts of the field in the past, and as he continues to mature his frame, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more power shortly follow. His athleticism is also noteworthy as he is a 7.25 runner despite his extra-long limbs and he is also one of the state’s top basketball prospects, too. The upside is tremendous for Liggon, and he has continued to assert himself as a top-10 prospect in the state’s current sophomore class.
+ Across a couple of looks this fall, SS/3B Winston Alonso (Reedsburg, 2026) continued to prove to be a high-end prospect in the state’s 2026 class. Starting at the PBRT Grand Park Fall Championships; here is what our staff had to say regarding his performance there: “...swings a twitchy left-handed bat that utilizes the entire field and despite playing against competition a year older, he finished the weekend with three hits, while taking a number of quality at-bats. Defensively, Alonso is an athletic mover at the shortstop position with sure-handedness and certainly looks the part of a lockdown defender at the next-level.”
(PBRT The Rock Fall Championships; 9/24/23)
In the week that followed Alonso, yet again impressed our staff, this time at the PBRT The Rock Fall Championships; here is his report from that weekend: “...features one of the smoothest swings in the Wisconsin ‘26 class. The Sophomore stands at a more filled out 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame with athleticism to pair. During Sunday’s game, Alonso was all over the barrel, tallying two hits while working mostly to the middle of the field. He also showed quality actions around the infield with the ability to play the left side. Alonso is a must-watch bat come spring time. Currently ranked No. 9 in the state’s 2026 class.
+ After shooting up to the No. 10 spot in our update following the summer, RHP/OF Cade Minatto (Indian Trail, 2026) maintains his top-10 spot in this one. The right-hander is a clean and athletic mover on the bump, pairing it with a quick arm that has rushed his fastball up to 87 mph already, while ranging in the mid-80s in extended looks. His arm speed allows him to rip off mid-2,000 RPM breaking balls with tight 11/5 action. Oppositely, he kills spin on his fading changeup at an effective rate, to put the finishing touches on his intriguing three-pitch mix. Minatto has also shown some intrigue at the plate, where he takes quick hacks from the right side and has also flashed some power in our looks, especially to the opposite field.
MORE NAMES AT THE TOP
+ One of the highest ceilings in the state is brought by 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-hander Tyson Grulkowski (Muskego, 2026). Grulkowski is an athletic mover on the mound with simple and repeatable mechanics. Out of a lower and deceptive ¾ slot, we have seen Grulkowski run his fastball up to 83.2 mph with above-average spin and carry traits. Off of that, he is also able to spin in two different breaking balls, a slurvey curveball in the high-60s and a tight, sweeping slider in the low-70s with over 2,600 RPM on average. His changeup is a promising point of development, flashing fade with late sink in our looks. Grulkowski is also a noteworthy prospect with the bat in his hands. At the plate, he produces a well-sequenced swing that already has mid-90s pop in it and he pairs it with quality barrel awareness, too.
+ RHP/INF Chance Ruby (Wilmot Union, 2026), who made his rankings debut in our last update, stays the No. 12 spot in this one. Ruby is another athletic two-way member of the state’s sophomore class and he certainly offers a high ceiling on both sides of the ball. In our looks, Ruby has produced fastball highs of 85 mph from an athletic and simple delivery. He has also shown feel for a sharp, low-70s breaking ball that projects as an out pitch, if it is not already one. His abilities on the other side of the ball are noteworthy as well. His right-handed swing is simple, and he pairs it with innate bat-to-ball skills that have already shown to be some of the class's best. Overall, Ruby is an authentic, budding two-way prospect and has been on a meteoric rise throughout the year - and this could just be the start.
+ RHP Mason Schmidt (Somerset, 2026) is another high-upside arm towards the top of this updated rankings board. After bursting onto the scene over the summer after an electric outing that saw him run his fastball up to 86 mph, Schmidt was a winner from recent PBR Minnesota scout day in October. There, Schmidt showcased similar velocity, sitting in the low-to-mid-80s with his fastball that averaged over 15” of horizontal movement. There he also featured a pair of breaking balls; the first being a low-70s curveball with more traditional 11/5 qualities and the second a tight slider in the mid-70s. Rounding out his four-pitch mix was a heavy changeup with 20” of run at its peak, adding even more to his already impressive repertoire.
(PBR MN Scout Day-MN Blizzard; 10/8/23)
+ Much like his twin brother, the aforementioned Ezra, INF/RHP Caleb Liggon (Madison Memorial, 2026) is a lean 6-foot-4, 170-pound projectable prospect. Caleb, a right-handed hitter, takes smooth and controlled hacks at the ball with the ability to spray line drive contact all over. He is also a high-end basketball prospect which make sense to why he is a quick-footed infield defender, depsite his long frame. On the infield, Liggon is an athletic and clean mover with sure-handed actions that have the ability to stick on the left side of the infield in some capacity. His upside is also obvious on the mound where he is a simple mover with feel for a quality three-pitch mix. His fastball projects as it spins at an above-average rate and also features over 18” of vertical break at its peak. His 11/5 curveball and fading changeup both also provided quality offspeed offerings, and should only get better.
+ This fall, MIF Aidan Kolb (Hartford Union, 2026) was a top performer across a couple of looks; here our staff’s takeaways following the PBRT Grand Park Fall Championships: “...is a 5-foot-9, 155-pounder with quick hands in the right-handed box and he pairs it with legitimate bat-to-ball skills, too. In Hitters’ four games of the week, Kolb tallied a hit in each of those, and on Sunday he broke out for a 3-for-3 performance with one RBI. Defensively, Kolb manned the shortstop position for a majority of the weekend and he displayed sure-handed actions that are certainly well-above average given his age.”