Prep Baseball Report

Wisconsin 2020 Rankings Updated


Steve Nielsen
Scouting Supervisor - Wisconsin/Illinois

The WIAA season is here, and we’ve already released the updated 2019 rankings and Power 25 team rankings, now it's on to the 2020 player rankings. With this class kicking off their junior seasons, there are many names on this list that will be earning their first varsity letters, and likely providing huge dividends to their teams. We’ve expanded our list to 85, meaning there are 10 new additions that we will touch deeper on in the coming days.

AJ Vukovich (East Troy) remains atop Wisconsin’s 2020 class. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound infielder didn’t do much to help or hurt his cause this winter as he was busy tearing up the hardwood for East Troy. Vukovich is poised for a crucial summer ahead when his draft standing begins to come into focus. Vukovich will likely be the prized invite from Wisconsin to many of the summer’s high-end events.

Throughout the winter we’ve held several Preseason I.D. events and many of the top prospects in the state showed off their winter gains. RHP Tyler Chadwick (Marshall) holds on to the second place spot, he didn’t show the explosive velocity that he did at the PBR Future Games, but his pitchability looks to be trending up and looked effortless in doing so. LHP Ryan Stefiuk (Green Bay Preble), a Vanderbilt commit, looked ready to lead the Hornets back to Fox Cities Stadium. Stefiuk showed some of the best all-around secondary stuff, still maintaining his upper 80’s fastball, touching 90 mph.

RANK   NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 AJ Vukovich WI East Troy 2020 3B Louisville
2 Tyler Chadwick WI Marshall 2020 RHP West Virginia
3 Max Wagner WI Green Bay Preble 2020 3B Clemson
4 Joe Hauser WI Waunakee 2020 SS  
5 Ryan Stefiuk WI Green Bay Preble 2020 LHP Vanderbilt
6 George Klassen WI Port Washington 2020 RHP Purdue
7 Luke Fox WI Catholic Memorial 2020 LHP Duke
8 Michael Seegers WI Home School 2020 SS Iowa
9 Will Semb WI DePere 2020 SS Iowa
10 Jake Berg WI Bay Port 2020 C Jacksonville


As a prospect inside the top 20, any jump in the rankings is notable, which is why Joe Hauser’s (Waunakee) eight-spot climb from No. 12 to No. 4 is significant. At the Madison Preseason I.D. event at the start of March, Hauser’s two-way abilities were evident. He showcased one of the easiest bullpens of the day, sitting 88-90 mph with feel and polish for three offspeed pitches – a difference-maker at his age. The feel he has for two separate breaking balls, in addition to a sinking changeup with real swing-and-miss potential, gives Hauser arguably the best four-pitch mix in the state. On top of his gifts from the rubber, Hauser also has a smooth and easy glove fit for the left side of the infield and a right-handed bat with gap-to-gap pop.

He’s already off to a hot start during the spring season for the reigning Division-1 champs Waunakee, homering on Wednesday to walk off his old team. This eye-catching, all-around profile makes him one of the top uncommitted prospects in the entire region.

 

Joe Hauser (3.10.19)

RHP George Klassen (Port Washington) made some dramatic arm action adjustments, and it showed in his most recent PBR outing. Not only did he show his best velocity to date, sitting 90-92 mph, but the bite and feel for his curveball put him in an entirely different category. For good measure he proved he likely has more upside in the tank, running a 6.69 and throwing a PBR Wisconsin record, 98 mph from the outfield.

SS Michael Seegers (Homeschool) put on a show at the South Milwaukee Preseason I.D. Seegers proved he’s a next level shortstop with extremely confident hands and a plus arm across the diamond. Most notably, his offensive game looks to be trending up, as he looks bigger and stronger leading to easier hard contact.

 

Michael Seegers (3.3.19)

After a 12-spot boost in the November update, RHP Will Semb (De Pere; Iowa commit) is on the rise yet again. He’s up from No. 16 to a top-10 ranking after today’s update because of the demonstrable strides he’s made on the mound. His bullpen at the loaded Madison showcase was probably second only to Hauser’s when it comes to ease and polish. There, he pounded the zone with three quality pitches, including a fastball that sat 88-91 mph and touched 92 mph. His secondary stuff also flashed plus; a hard, aggressive breaking ball and a power changeup. Again, like Hauser, Semb has the premium athleticism that’s shown us two-way capabilities, but his arm has begun to separate itself from the rest of his tool set.

 

Will Semb (3.10.19)

And with so much movement up and around the top 20 of this 2020 class, C Jake Berg’s (Bay Port; Jacksonville) represents one of the steady constants in this class’ top-10 rankings. He remains at the No. 10 spot in this update despite the shake-up around him. He was another top-ranked prospect who made it out to the Madison showcase a few weeks back, and he showed our staff his natural hit tool from the left side with some above-average pop. He’s also a sound defender who’s shown us sub-2.00 pops in the past.

Stay tuned in the coming days as we continue breaking down Wisconsin’s Class of 2020 rankings. We’ll touch on the eight prospects making their rankings debuts, the highest risers within the top 85, as well as a post highlighting the players who just missed the board.

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