Fox Cities Preseason ID: Quick Hits
February 15, 2022
On Feb. 12, PBR Wisconsin hosted its latest event along the 2022 winter showcase circuit, the annual Fox Cities Preseason ID at Players Choice of the Fox Cities in Appleton, Wis. Nearly 50 players made it out to this event, providing us with updated looks and a new list of players to follow in Wisconsin in an area that continues to help us add myriad new names to follow this spring and summer.
Today, we’ll be highlighting the players who stood out in Appleton within this Quick Hits piece. Stay tuned throughout the week as we continue to break down the in-depth metrics measured at this event, with the help of our tech partners TrackMan, Blast Motion, and Vizual Edge.
QUICK HITS
SPRING FOLLOW LIST
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Brayden Olson SS / RHP / Saint Croix Falls, WI / 2023Olson is a relaxed, athletic mover with lots of leverage throughout the delivery. He’s grown taller since the 2021 PBR Future Games, and has filled into a much more physically imposing stature. He appears taller than he’s listed (6-foot-1), and you can see his efforts this offseason improve his measurements across the diamond. Olson possesses easy arm speed, and plenty of upside left to grow into. His stuff on the mound has the makings of a very tough starter’s profile, with natural throwing instincts that appears to be sustainable long-term, utilizing a long loop momentum capture while delivering from a 5-foot-9 average release height. He’s turned himself into a high motor worker with a large deck of pitch design options for the savvy pitching coach at the next level. As his velo continues to steadily rise here in mid-February, it’s easy to expect this sleeper to make some noise in 2022 and beyond, even as a position player.
In the box, he stands tall and strides from open to square. Relaxed throughout his moves, and quality feel for the barrel entering the zone. Olson showed some pull-side pop that was representative of his top notch spring numbers in ‘21, reaching a max exit speed of 94.9 mph and the farthest average batted distance (287 feet), with a 340-foot best. He’s also a quality defender on the dirt with the same powerful arm that helps shape a profile at the hot corner, perhaps. |
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TJ Hauser RHP / INF / Appleton East, WI / 2023Listed at a highly projectable 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, with lean and long levers, Hauser was one of the winners exiting the Fox Cities-area showcase on Saturday. He’s an athletic mover with a fluid gap-to-gap left-handed swing, but it was on the mound that Hauser looked most impressive on this day. Hauser sat 88-89 mph throughout (88.9 max) on a fastball that he delivers from a high, over-the-top slot that leaves his hand at over six feet high, on average, with some heavy traits. His best secondary is a slider, 70-72 mph, that he throws aggressively with projectable spin metrics behind it, captured at 2,516 rpm on average, with depth – and he tunnels a firm changeup well to serve as a viable third pitch. Hauser has arm speed, athleticism, and size that combines for an interesting follow headed into the spring.
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Alex Vander Loop RHP / 1B / Kimberly, WI / 2024Built at a strong 6-foot, 185 pounds, the Kimberly sophomore right-hander was among the day’s biggest winners after sitting 82-84 mph in his ‘pen and then reaching back-to-back 85 highs with his final two pitches. Vander Loop’s fastball features some run that comes out of a lower slot, as one of the lowest average release heights in attendance (5.1 feet). His slurve-type breaking ball, 62-65 mph, also averaged the largest horizontal action of any curveball in attendance, at -18.0 inches. His fastball and sweeping curve play well off each other, and there’s a usable changeup here to round out a follow three-pitch mix.
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Eli Pantzlaff 1B / Waukesha West, WI / 2023In October, Pantzlaff produced one of the best rounds of batting practice at a PBR Wisconsin showcase. On Saturday, he demonstrated offseason gains by averaging an exit speed of 90.5 mph from the right side, which led the event, and his best batted-ball left the bat at 98.4 and traveled 361 feet, which were also the highest measurements in each category at Appleton. Pantzlaff’s rotational acceleration, per Blast Motion, was recorded at 21.3g on average, which trailed just one other player at the event and it helped underscore his potential to contribute to the middle of a lineup at the next level, even in a first base-only profile. |
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Trevor Vande Hey RHP / OF / Wrightstown, WI / 2025Vande Hey emerged as a follow name in the state’s 2025 class, boasting a proportionally strong 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame and running a 7.03 in the 60-yard dash early on in his workout. He drove the baseball with noticeable strength to all fields, particularly for his age, reaching a max exit velocity of 97.6 mph and averaging 89.9 mph off the bat throughout his round. Vande Hey’s furthest batted ball landed at an estimated distance of 356 feet, which too is an impressive power number for the current freshman. On defense, he threw from a high slot with solid arm strength and carried through the target, topping at 84 mph from the outfield. We had heard some positive reports about him throughout the off-season and he certainly impressed our scouts.
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Ian Dohms 3B / RHP / Menasha , WI / 2024Built at a strong 5-foot-11, 210-pounds, Dohms handled the bat well in the box. He was the only player in attendance to generate a 100 percent sweet spot metric reflective of high skill barrel control, posting an average exit speed of 86.6 mph with a max of 91.5 mph, per TrackMan. He swung up to 71 mph barrel speed and drove balls from an early to plant hitting position. On defense, Dohms made a direct advance to the ball with stiff hands in receiving. He possesses solid body control for a strong and thick frame. On the mound, he delivered from a ¾ slot, using a deeper pocket and a shorter arm action and also ran his fastball up to 82.4 mph, pairing it up with a 2,100 rpm slider with 12 inches of sweep, and a fading changeup. |
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Caden Popp MIF / RHP / Appleton North, WI / 2023Popp is a quality athlete that moves well with strong proportions, showing that athleticism off early by running a 6.95 in the 60-yard dash. In the box he utilizes a moderate leg kick from a narrow setup, generating high intent swings as high as 81.5 mph barrel speed through the zone. On the dirt, he throws from a high 3/4 slot with carry, is accurate to his target, and owns a feel for the different plays around the infield. Popp completed a strong all-around workout by hopping on the mound and pumping his fastball in the low-80s with a 2,300-plus rpm curveball to pair. |
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Evan Olson C / Appleton East, WI / 2022Made a solid impression this weekend. Defensively, he popped as low as 2.09 with 76 mph throwing velocity out of crouch. His footwork was well organized and properly aligned through the target. He possesses a reliable and fundamental mitt, and looks to be a catcher that can handle quality arms. In the box, he worked his way up to 75.8 mph barrel speed and 90 percent sweet spot contact quality. His swing had a polished inside-on top style that provided some of the most consistent ball flight throughout the early Wisconsin Preseason ID showcase circuit. If you’re on the market in search of an uncommitted senior catcher, look no further than this Appleton East backstop. |
MORE NAMES TO KNOW
+ OF/RHP Mitchel Meinke (Westfield Area, 2023) emerged as an interesting 6-foot-2, 180-pound follow from this event. He was an athletic mover in the box with a flat swing and utilizing the whole field with solid bat speed. He attacked the inside half of the baseball with his swing repeatedly, and left the impression of a player with a feel for what he's trying to do. On defense he made very aggressive advances to the ball and gathered quickly behind the ball, delivering a downhill throwing action from a higher slot with carry at an 83 mph max.
+ The catcher from Denmark, Rheis Johnson (2023), played a role for the defending Division 2 state champions, catching the attention of our scouts ahead of his junior spring. He boasts a sturdy 5-foot-11, 195-pound frame with clear strength and is a multi-sport athlete. Behind the dish, Johnson popped as low as 2.12 and was up to 78 mph out of the crouch. In the box he setups with a stock wide and crouched stance, delivering the barrel with aggressive rotation and a repeated firing position. He swung a relatively flat path that stayed in the zone through impact and generated backspin flights that favored the pullside with barrel speed as high as 74.5 mph.
+ An arrow-up name in the junior class after the fall circuit, MIF Landen Lozier (Notre Dame Academy, 2023) appeared to have added strength and continued to grow into his frame in this recent look. He clocked one of the day’s fastest 60-yard dashes (7.08), starting his workout out strong. The left-handed-hitting middle infielder made an aggressive attack to the baseball and shot the ball through the middle of the field repeatedly. On the dirt he traveled low to the ball and worked from right to left gathering momentum and maintaining hop adjustability throughout. He showed quality body control and actions as we’ve seen multiple times from him to this point.
+ C Dimitry Edmunds (Appleton West, 2025) was one of the more interesting athletes in attendance and caught our attention early on in the day after running a 6.91 in the 60-yard dash. The 5-foot-7, 170-pound backstops best pop clocked at 2.13 seconds to the bag. His feet worked well and his overall operation flashed intrigue, especially should he add arm strength throughout his high school career. In the box he made simple moves from a wide setup and an up-down stride. His swing was grounded throughout his moves, and his strong handle actions produced backspin to all fields. He’s added himself onto our radar after a quality all-around showing.
+ OF/RHP Ryan Csida (Kimberly, 2023) is an athletic two-way follow, especially for his size, listed at a lean and high-waisted 6-foot-2, 175 pounds. He ran a 7.28 on what appeared to be a slower track and reached an 81 mph high on the mound with the frame to add strength to, which could lead him to become a late-bloomer prospect to know of in the state, as the year rolls on.
+ RHP Carter Kriewaldt (Freedom, 2023) is an athletic prospect, listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, and he sat in the low-80s from the mound on Saturday with a fastball that showed some carry traits through the zone.
+ Consider RHP Ethan Peters (Hortonville, 2023) an under-the-radar arm to follow. In a slight 5-foot-11, 145-pound frame, Peters was able to sit 79-82 mph on his fastball that particularly projects, given his fluid and clean arm action. It averaged 18.3 inches of induced vertical break and, as he matures and adds strength, could really jump in the not-too-distant future. Peters also showed the budding feel to spin his curveball with above-average action, giving him another reason to monitor his progress over the coming year.
+ Speaking of projectable fastballs, RHP/INF Lucas Miller (Denmark, 2023) is worthy of a follow. Following in his brother’s footsteps, Brennen (2021; College of Lake County JC), Miller has a lean and athletic 6-foot build and he delivers the ball efficiently and with a fluid arm path that suggests a jump in velocity as he develops in his junior year. Up to an 81 mph high, Miller’s fastball spun at 2,252 rpm on average, which led the event, and he released at 6.8 feet down mound, measuring as the farthest average extension at the Fox Cities ID. His ability to spin translates to his curveball as well, which similarly projects as he gains the confidence to throw it more authoritatively, already featuring some noteworthy horizontal action.