Wisconsin 2017 Rankings Updated

April 5, 2016

By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Supervisor – Wisconsin/Illinois

The spring season is underway and it’s that time of year again when we update the state’s player rankings. Last week Prep Baseball Report’s 2017 Overall Rankings were updated and today we dig into Wisconsin’s junior class. We’ve expanded the rankings to 100, adding more than fifteen new prospects to the list. Many of these names you will see bursting onto the scene this spring as they get their first taste of varsity action, while several others have been doing it since their freshman year.

CLICK HERE for complete 2017 Wisconsin Rankings.

Unlike the 2016 class which is top heavy with position players, this 2017 class is loaded with high end arms. The top of the 2017 class stayed relative unchanged. LHP Augie Mihlbauer (Mukwonago) headlines the group, Mihlbauer jumped in the overall rankings this spring as he showed an even more improved arsenal this winter. An easy 88-90 mph fastball with a plus potential changeup and continually improving breaking ball. RHP Nathan Burns (West Bend West) has the most polished repertoire in the class. Burns has a complete pitchers makeup and a high ceiling to go with it. Both LHP Ben Dragani (Catholic Memorial) and RHP Jacob Lindemann (Burlington) improved their stock this winter as well making big jumps in the overall rankings. Dragani showed the velocity this winter that everyone knew was in the tank, and Lindemann showed better command with his low 90’s heater.

RANK	NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
1	Augie Mihlbauer	WI	Mukwonago	2017	LHP	Texas Christian
2	Nathan Burns	WI	West Bend West	2017	RHP	Oregon State
3	Ben Dragani	WI	Catholic Memorial	2017	LHP	Michigan
4	Jacob Lindemann	WI	Burlington	2017	RHP	Wichita State
5	Troy Hickey	WI	Wilmot Union	2017	LHP	Oklahoma State
6	Ryan Bader	WI	Mukwonago	2017	LHP	Northwestern
7	Jack Blomgren	WI	Janesville Craig	2017	SS
8	Zach Clayton	WI	Oconomowoc	2017	SS	Oregon State
9	Ryan Hoerter	WI	Indian Trail	2017	RHP
10	Griffin Doersching	WI	Greendale	2017	1B

Other action inside the top ten saw LHP Ryan Bader (Mukwonago) jump three spots as he too made a jump in fastball velocity touching 88 this winter. One of the bigger jumps in the rankings and new to the top ten is Indian Trail RHP Ryan Hoerter. Hoerter has been a high ceiling prospect on our radar for some time now, and we’ve seen his best stuff on multiple occasions this winter. Hoerter’s fastball has now sat in the 85-88 mph range with the ability to touch even higher. His breaking ball is sporting swing and miss action and on one occasion this winter in a controlled scrimmage I saw him run through eight of the top prospect in the state, striking out seven. Hoerter is definitely the best available pitching prospect in Wisconsin's 2017 class, and I wouldn’t expect that to last long as he is sure to garner a ton of interest this spring.

On the offensive side, Zach Clayton (Oconomowoc) and Griffin Doersching (Greendale) showed some of the biggest bats in the state this winter. Clayton swings a big bat and is a physical athlete who still shows raw upside in his game. Doersching, one of the top power bats in the Midwest proved that records are made to be broken. Posting the best exit velocity the Prep Baseball Report has ever seen, across all 30 states, at 110 mph, beating his previous best of 101 mph.

SS Jack Blomgren (Janesville Craig) is clearly the top defender in the class, Blomgren has all the tools to stick at shortstop at the next level and play it at a high level. Coming off of an ankle injury in basketball this winter, the reigning state champ's SS is the top available position player in Wisconsin and should be able to step right in to any middle infield at the next level.

The expanded rankings saw 21 new additions and several rising stocks, which we will continue to cover this week, in the meantime CLICK HERE for complete 2017 Wisconsin Rankings and stay tuned for more coverage this week.