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Wisconsin Class of 2020 Rankings: Newcomers

August 6, 2019
By Andy Sroka
Staff Writer

Just last week, we unveiled our latest update to the state’s Class of 2020 rankings. Yesterday, we spotlighted the prospects inside the class who have taken the biggest steps forward over the summer in our Risers story. Today is reserved for the class rankings’ debutants, the prospects earning a ranking for the first time ever. 

It was a loaded summer – from showcases to tournaments at The Rock Sports Complex – and the circuit provided the PBR Wisconsin staff ample opportunities to see the players below who have made a splash, a big enough one to find themselves on the rankings as Newcomers.

NEWCOMERS

+ No prospect is debuting on this board higher than OF Avery Owusu-Asiedu (Waukesha West; uncommitted). Owusu-Asiedu, as well as his STiKS Academy teammate mentioned in-depth yesterday, Dylan Nevar, have been shredding the baseball this summer. Owusu-Asiedu has long been an interesting tooled-up prospect with an alluring 6-foot-4, 200-pound build. Now, he’s sharpening his toolset and it’s all coming together in-game. He slugged a couple of no-doubt bombs at The Rock in July and he’s also showcased the arm strength from right field. And Owusu-Asiedu is also a 6.88 runner, and it plays in the outfield and on the bases. He’s a really good all-around athlete, especially for his size. He debuts on the state’s 2020 board at No. 33, with even more room to rise.

+ RHP Mitchell Mueller (Brookfield Central; uncommitted) shut out a ranked Wauwatosa East team, 1-0, back in May and it was clear he had some premium stuff that was going unrecognized, by us anyway. Unranked then, Mueller is up to No. 50 today in his debut on the 2020 board. That start, specifically, earned him an invitation to the summer’s Top Prospect - Milwaukee event where he was the same – very good. The lean, lanky 6-foot-2 right-hander sat 84-86 mph with a methodical motion that lulls hitters to sleep because the fastball jumps and clearly gets on, and surprises bats in the box.

Mitch Mueller (7/16/19)

+ OF/LHP Jack Leverenz (Lake Country Lutheran; uncommitted) is a physical, strong two-way athlete, and that raw strength plays well off the barrel in the left-handed batter’s box. He’s a sub-7.00 runner and that above-average speed works well in the outfield, too.

+ Going back to last month’s Top Prospect - Milwaukee event, one of the day’s biggest winners was Jaden Werner, a middle infielder from Crivitz. He’s a natural, athletic defender with a strong arm, so he looks like a good bet to continue fitting into the shortstop role at the next level. At the plate, he’s a strong left-handed hitter with barrel feel and even showed some pop to his pull-side. It was a good look at a player really rising among his peers, culminating in a debut on the 2020 board nearing the end of the summer circuit.

Jaden Werner (7/16/19)

+ Two other Top Prospect - Milwaukee standouts to know: uncommitted RHPs Danny Perdzock (Milwaukee Lutheran) and Sam Scarlato (Indian Trail). Perdzock sat in the 82-84 mph range and touched an 86 mph in-game, and his big 6-foot-6 frame suggest there could be more there. Either way, his feel for two different breaking balls and a changeup really sets him apart from other righties around his rank on the 2020 board. Speaking of feel, Scarlato can really fill it up. His mid-80s fastball plays up because of his ability to locate, but he backs it up with a 12/6 breaker that can he drop beneath the zone and a sinking changeup thrown at arm speed. These are two pitchability right-handers to watch in this class making their debuts on the rankings in this update.

+ LHP Johnny Kelliher (Waukesha North; uncommitted) is a 6-foot-4, high-waisted pitching prospect with comfortable projection. We saw him pitch very well for STiKS Academy at the Badger State Battle at the start of July, sitting 79-82 mph while mixing in a breaking ball that flashed tight bite, 69-70 mph. The combo of present stuff and his size help make him a name to watch as he enters his senior season.

MORE NEWCOMERS

+ RHP Adam Diedrich (Hilbert)
+ RHP Brad Katte (Cedar Grove-Belgium)
+ 1B Jason Brulport (Tremper)
+ LHP Addison Hocheaver (Badger)
+ INF Sean Menzel (Cedarburg)
+ OF/LHP Grady Gorgen (Mineral Point)
+ INF Ben Coons (Kimberly)
+ 1B Anthony Pogodzinski (Eau Claire North)
+ LHP Gavin Vrana (Wisconsin Lutheran)

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