Prep Baseball Report

Southern Wisconsin Open: Infielder Analysis


By Wisconsin Staff

On Oct. 19, the PBR Wisconsin team hosted its annual fall showcase, the Southern Wisconsin Open, at STiKS Academy where 60 high school-level prospects participated in the final Wisconsin showcase of 2019.

Immediately following the showcase, we posted some rapid analysis inside our Quick Hits post and then dissected all of our measured data in our Statistical Analysis.

Today, we continue to roll out our position-by-position analysis with the day’s infielders. We’ve ranked the top-10 below, including recent Notre Dame commit Benjamin Loyd (Tremper), who’s one of the top juniors in the state. But, even outside of Loyd, this group was very talented and was headlined by its youth. Of the 10 most, were sophomores and there was even a freshman in the mix. Bay Port sophomore Theo Zeidler earned high-follow status for his size and feel to hit. Muskego’s Crisitano Ramirez had a great two-way showing and came away as another name to know inside our state’s budding 2022 class.

In case you missed it, we covered the day's catchers and outfielders earlier in the week. For reports on each of the infielders who made it out to our final showcase of the year, continue reading on below.

Top Infield Prospects

1. Benjamin Loyd, Tremper (WI), 2021 (Notre Dame)
Positional Profile: SS/2B
Body: 6-foot, 150-pounds. Tall and athletic.
Hit: LHH. Athletic stance. Very comfortable in the box. Smooth, weight back load with a short stride, uses lower half. Excellent balance throughout. Fast bat speed, level bat path with extension through the zone. Line drive approach with the ability to hit to all fields. Excellent rhythm.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee. As he bulks up, he projects to develop the ability to hit for power and average.
Arm: RH. INF - 82 mph. Loose arm action. Quick release from the high 3/4 arm slot. Showed arm strength with life and accuracy across the diamond, has the arm strength to play shortstop at the next level.
Defense: Soft hands, smooth, active and fluid footwork, efficient actions. Quick clean exchange, advanced actions on slow roller.
Run: 7.19 runner in the 60. 

2. Theo Zeidler, Bay Port (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: SS/RHP - Zeidler is projected to be a high follow in the 2022 Wisconsin class.
Body: 6-foot, 170-pounds. Tall, projectable frame.
Hit: RHH. Starts tall and open. Loads weight back with a slight bat wrap. Short stride, uses lower half well. Good balance throughout, above average bat speed. Slight uphill bat path with extension, gap to gap approach with power. Fluid rhythm
Power: 88 mph exit velocity from the tee. Consistent hard contact in BP,
Arm: RH. INF - 82 mph. Short high 3/4 arm slot. Quick and strong release with some carry.
Defense: Above average hands. Uses efficient footwork to put body in a good position to get the ball across the diamond. Maintains athletic actions throughout.
Run: 7.39 runner in the 60. 

3. Colin Dailey, Cedarburg (WI), 2021
Positional Profile: 2B/SS On the rise junior who showed improvements across the board to his game.
Body: 5-foot-10, 160-pounds. Athletic frame, carries lean strength.
Hit: RHH. Open stance, subtle toe tap stride, gets to even, smooth loading action, maintains good balance. Loose hands, level path with some length, showed feel for the barrel with some pull side tendency.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 85 mph. Loose arm action, plays athletic from multiple slots and on the move, natural high 3/4 slot and showed carry across the diamond. Above average arm strength.
Defense: Athletic defender, played well on the move, hands works in front slightly right of center, works at the waist and shows ability to play through the baseball.
Run: 7.34 runner in the 60. 

4. Cristiano Ramirez, Muskego (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: RHP/3B
Body: 6-foot, 165-pounds. Lean lanky frame, projectable.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance, slightly closed athletic, leg kick trigger, smooth loading action, good balance. Level path, gap to gap contact, loose long levers create bat speed.
Power: 80 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 77 mph. Short high 3/4 slot, efficient release, live loose arm action that plays athletically on the move.
Defense: Soft hands, actions play loose and free, feet work through the baseball, flashed range.
Run: 7.75 runner in the 60. 

5. Ethan Hindle, Arrowhead (WI), 2023
Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 5-foot-11, 147-pounds. Athletic frame with some length that projects.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance, slightly crouched setup, short stride, loads hands back, good balance through contact. Line drive hitter, found barrels regularly, level path, hits in rhythm, loose easy hitter.
Power: 79 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 70 mph. Loose arm action, 3/4 slot, accurate across the diamond.
Defense: Soft hands, above average glovework, feet work well, plays through the baseball.
Run: 7.36 runner in the 60. 

6. Aiden Haney, Catholic Memorial (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: SS/2B
Body: 5-foot-7, 145-pounds. Small and athletic.
Hit: RHH. Slightly open, athletic stance. Smooth load with a short stride. Uses lower half well and maintains good balance.  Fast bat speed with an uphill swing. Showed gap to gap hard contact consistently. Displayed a fluid rhythm and was comfortable in the box.
Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee. Displayed hard contact and power for his size and age. As he continues to grow and increase his strength, he projects to be a solid top of the order hitter.
Arm: RH. INF - 70 mph. Short arm action coming out of a high 3/4 arm slot. Used a lot of effort to get the ball across the field.
Defense: Soft hands with quick footwork. Showed a long exchange to generate the power to get the ball across the diamond. As he continues to age, this projects to quicken. Plus fundamentals are visible, strength will develop.
Run: 7.25 runner in the 60. 

7. Emiliano Ramos, Arrowhead (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 5-foot-11, 184-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance, slight pre pitch rhythm, hands load back with quick leg kick trigger. Strong fast hands, creates loose bat speed, path has some length and gets hard barrelled contact.
Power: 91 mph exit velocity from the tee. Above average pop off the bat, showed juice to both gaps.
Arm: RH. INF - 77 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 slot, played accurate across the diamond.
Defense: Hands play out front while feet work through the baseball, third base profile, hands works clean on exchange.
Run: 7.68 runner in the 60. 

8. George Seaman, West Bend East (WI), 2021
Positional Profile: 3B
Body: 6-foot-1, 170-pounds. Tall and lanky. Projectable frame.
Hit: LHH. Tall balanced stance. Loads hands back with slight bat wrap. Short stride. Showed average bat speed with a level path. Line drive hitter showed consistent pull side hard contact and flashed power.
Power: 89 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 80 mph. Long arm action with high 3/4 release. Average arm strength with consistent accuracy.
Defense: Fields the ball with high body position. Showed average hands and slightly above average actions up the middle.
Run: 7.79 runner in the 60. 

9. Carson Flugaur, Franklin (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 5-foot-11, 160-pounds. Lean lanky frame.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance, short toe tap trigger, hands load back with slight drop, average balance. Short path, hands inside the baseball.
Power: 75 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 77 mph. Plays out of 3/4 slot with some carry, athletic arm action.
Defense: Sits low on the baseball with wide base, reliable hands, defense showed as one of his best tools.
Run: 7.60 runner in the 60. 

10. Owen Arndt, Little Chute (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: SS/2B
Body: 5-foot-9, 160-pounds. Lean wiry build, squared shoulders.
Hit: RHH. Tall setup, slightly open stance, hits in rhythm, leg kick stride, loads hands back. Loose swing, level path, gap to gap approach with line drive contact.
Power: 82 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 69 mph. Loose arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Feet move quickly on the infield, sets up to play through the baseball.
Run: 7.22 runner in the 60.

Best of the Rest (Listed Alphabetically)

Jacob Archibald, Brookfield East (WI), 2021
Positional Profile: 1B
Body: 5-foot-11, 230-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Starts in a slight crouch with a slight arm bar load. Short leg kick. Short stroke. Flashed pull side contact.
Power: 80 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: LH. INF - 57 mph.
Defense: Two-hand gather, fields from the ground up in the middle of his body.
Run: 8.12 runner in the 60. 

Adam Bretsch, Marquette University (WI), 2021
Positional Profile: 3B
Body: 5-foot-10, 170-pounds. Strong and thick lower half
Hit: RHH. Tall, slightly open stance. Smooth and short hanging leg kick. Flashed above average bat speed. Uphill bat path with a high finish. Front foot rolls over slightly on follow through.
Power: 88 mph exit velocity from the tee. Flashed gap to gap contact.
Arm: RH. INF - 74 mph. Long, high 3/4 release. Average arm strength with accuracy.
Defense: Works towards the ball and fields it out front. Showed average hands and a clean exchange.
Run: 6.86 runner in the 60. Above average runner. Short and quick strides.

Mitchell Crawley, Muskego (WI), 2021
Positional Profile: RHP/SS
Body: 6-foot, 165-pounds. Lean lanky frame.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance, short stride, hands load back. Loose hands, works with ease, fast bat on level path, gap to gap approach.
Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 77 mph. High 3/4 slot, long arm action, played accurate.
Defense: Long actions, plays with two hands, out front, center of the body.
Run: 7.12 runner in the 60. 

Ryder Derouin, Wisconsin Lutheran (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: SS
Body: 6-foot-1, 145-pounds. Tall proportional frame.
Hit: RHH. Tall stance with high hands. Front foot is angled in. Has a high leg kick and sinks slightly into his load.  Showed average bat speed with a short but level path. Line drive hitter. Showed some inconsistent rhythm. Flashed hard contact when actions were on time.
Power: 76 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 73 mph. Short and stiff arm action coming out of a 3/4 slot. Some inconsistent accuracy with average arm strength across the diamond.
Defense: Hard hands with a slow exchange. Showed some good actions on balls to his glove side.
Run: 7.89 runner in the 60. 

Dylan Dux, Menomonee Falls (WI), 2023
Positional Profile: SS/3B
Body: 5-foot-9, 140-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Tall stance with high hands. Has a very short stride and crouches into a minimal load.  Short in/out bat path. Hands drag through the zone causing late oppo contact. He did flash some hard contact to the opposite field.
Power: 69 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 66 mph. Long 3/4 arm slot release. Showed some carry and accuracy.
Defense: Fields the ball out in front of his body. Showed average hads and a slow clean exchange. Displayed a slow 2-shuffle footwork sequence. Fundamentals are present, as he grows into his body, should be able to eliminate the shuffles and still get the ball across the diamond with strength.
Run: 7.69 runner in the 60. 

Aaron George, Waukesha South (WI), 2023
Positional Profile: SS/2B
Body: 5-foot-6, 148-pounds. Small and thick lower half.
Hit: RHH. Tall set up with weight shift and arm bar load. Shoulders angled up and hands drop during load as well. Uses a short leg kick stride.  Flashed average bat speed during his uphill swing. Flashed consistent contact from his line drive approach.
Power: 81 mph exit velocity from the tee. The freshman projects to gain more control of his swing with age and strength.
Arm: RH. INF - 69 mph. Long high 3/4 release. Flashed some accuracy with average arm strength.
Defense: Fields the ball out in front and in the middle of his body. Gets his body in good position to throw to first with pre-fielding actions.
Run: 7.87 runner in the 60. 

Cade Honkamp, Brookfield East (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: 2B/3B
Body: 5-foot-9, 155-pounds. Athletic and proportional frame.
Hit: RHH. Tall balanced stance. Front foot turned in slightly. Shows a bat wrap load and flashes some lower half explosion. Showed slightly above average bat speed. Level bat path. Fluid rhythm and sprayed consistent hard contact.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 72 mph. Long 3/4 arm action. Showed some accuracy with average arm strength. Accuracy is affected by a rotational load/release.
Defense: Displayed average hands. Slow exchange with long and heavy footwork.
Run: 7.92 runner in the 60. 

Andrew Jung, Arrowhead (WI), 2023
Positional Profile: RHP/3B
Body: 5-foot-11, 200-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance, loads hands back, simple approach, short minimal stride, partial lower half. Level path, creates occasional line drive.
Power: 73 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 68 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Plays with two hands, work out front on routine play.
Run: 8.44 runner in the 60. 

Tyler Jung, Arrowhead (WI), 2021
Positional Profile: RHP/3B
Body: 6-foot, 185-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance, short leg kick stride, slight bat wrap load, good balance through contact. Line drive contact, path worked short at times, sprayed contact pole to pole.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 76 mph. High 3/4 slot, played accurate across the diamond
Defense: Hands played together out front, two hands, clean exchange, gets tall on exchange at times.
Run: 7.95 runner in the 60. 

Payton Kramer, Neenah (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: SS Showed good actions in the field. Look for him to only improve with age.
Body: 6-foot, 165-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance. Moves hands back to create an arm bar load. Short leg kick stride with flashes of using his lower half.  Hands drag slightly. Level path with an opposite field approach. Has a fluid rhythm throughout.
Power: 82 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 79 mph. Short and loose arm action. Comes out of a high 3/4 slot. Flashed accuracy across the diamond.
Defense: Showed average hands. Fluid footwork with a quick and clean exchange. Showed athleticism in the field especially on the slow roller where he showed plus body control and a clean release.
Run: 7.29 runner in the 60. 

Michael Maloney, Pulaski (WI), 2021
Positional Profile: C/3B
Body: 5-foot-8, 188-pounds. Compact build, wide shoulders, strong lower half.
Hit: RHH. Wide base, slightly open and crouched, short toe tap stride.  Long level path, gets into lower half, rotational through contact.
Power: 80 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. C - 73 mph. INF - 73 mph. Short, over the top arm action, quick release out of the crouch at times.
Defense: Showed best behind the plate, replaces feet out of the crouch. Infield actions profile at a corner, two hands secure the baseball, high motor actions.
Run: 7.57 runner in the 60. 

Jacob Melendrez, Little Chute (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: RHP/SS
Body: 5-foot-7, 155-pounds. Compact frame.
Hit: RHH. Balanced stance, slightly open, athletic setup, loads hands back with long stride to contact. Loose hands creates bat speed, line drive gap to gap contact, found the barrel regularly, above average bat speed for his age.
Power: 78 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 77 mph. Long over the top release. Showed average arm strength with accuracy across the diamond.
Defense: Actions and feet work together, plays through the baseball showed soft hands, middle infield profile.
Run: 7.69 runner in the 60. 

Corey Plahuta, Muskego (WI), 2021
Positional Profile: 1B
Body: 6-foot, 190-pounds.
Hit: LHH. Balanced stance. Loads hands back with a slight arm bar. Long diving leg kick and a hard landing. Showed average bat speed with a level path. Gets front foot down early and finishes with high hands. Flashed pull side hard contact.
Power: 85 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: LH. INF - 80 mph. Long over the top arm action. Showed slightly above average arm strength with accuracy.
Defense: Average hands with a long shuffle release/exchange.
Run: 7.65 runner in the 60. 

Payton Roth, Shorewood (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: 2B/3B
Body: 5-foot-10, 165-pounds. Lanky.
Hit: LHH. Wide balanced set up. Minimal load with a short stride. Good balance throughout. Showed average, and flashed above average bat speed. Uses a level path and a line drive approach.
Power: 78 mph exit velocity from the tee. As he grows into his body, he should be able to use his proportional frame to generate more power from the left side.
Arm: RH. INF - 68 mph. Long high 3/4 release. Showed average strength with accuracy across the field.
Defense: Uses good footwork to get his body into position before the ball gets on him. Showed average hands with a clean exchange.
Run: 7.73 runner in the 60. 

Alex Star, Brookfield Academy (WI), 2022
Positional Profile: 3B
Body: 5-foot-8, 154-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced approach with short stride. Drops hands down and back to load. Flashed average bat speed and hard contact to the pull side. Swings with a level path.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 77 mph. Long high 3/4 arm action. Showed average arm strength and consistent accuracy across the diamond.
Defense: Average hands and footwork. Showed slightly above average range. Has room for growth regarding playing through the ball.
Run: 8.09 runner in the 60. 

Derek Steinbrenner, Menomonee Falls (WI), 2023
Positional Profile: SS/2B Great athleticism for his age. His plus defense projects to only improve with age, as he grows into body and gets stronger.
Body: 5-foot-8, 130-pounds. Small frame
Hit: RHH. Hits from a tall stance. Loads back with a simple leg lift stride. Shows good balance throughout. Flashes lower half use.  Has a simple, repeatable swing. Swings with a level bat path and shows average bat speed to the ball. Showed a line drive, middle oppo approach. Showed slightly above average barrel control, especially for his age.
Power: 67 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 72 mph. Short high 3/4 arm action. Flashed carry and had plus accuracy across the diamond.
Defense: The athletic middle infielder flashed soft hands. Showed quick feet and a quick/clean release. He plays low to the ground and had good actions in all directions of the diamond.
Run: 7.75 runner in the 60. 

Tyler Torkelson, Tomah (WI), 2020
Positional Profile: SS
Body: 6-foot-2, 180-pounds. Tall and lanky projectable frame.
Hit: RHH. Tall open stance. Minimal load. Uses a short leg kick. Showed average bat speed with an in/out bat path. Has a gap/gap approach and flashed slight hard contact.
Power: 80 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 76 mph. Short and loose arm action coming out of a high 3/4 arm slot. Flashed slight carry.
Defense: showed average hands with slow but fluid footwork. Fields the ball deep.
Run: 7.48 runner in the 60. 

Ben Wilson, St. Mary Catholic (WI), 2021
Positional Profile: 1B/RHP
Body: 6-foot-1, 220-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Open stance, short leg lift stride, smooth subtle hand load. Level path with length, creates gap to gap contact.
Power: 84 mph exit velocity from the tee.
Arm: RH. INF - 75 mph. Long arm action, over the top slot, played with accuracy.
Defense: Hands played center of body, showed feel around the bag and large catch radius.
Run: 8.30 runner in the 60.

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