2,075 MLB PLAYERS | 14,476 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
High School  | General  | 3/2/2023

Midwest Region Preview

David Rawnsley     
Photo: Nazzan Zanetello (Perfect Game)
High School Preview Index

Regional Previews: Florida | Georgia | Pacific | Deep South | Texas | Southwest | Coastal | Mid-Atlantic | Northeast | Ohio Valley

States Represented: KS, MO, OK, AR, NE, IA, WI, MN, SD, ND



Although they have two PG All-Americans in infielder Nazzan Zanetello and right-hander Dylan Questad, the strength of the Midwest Region appears to be in their underclassmen.  The 14-player team features six juniors and a sophomore, including the top ranked pitcher in the 2024 class in Kansas right-hander Anson Seibert and the top ranked overall prospect in the 2025 class in Oklahoma third baseman Ethan Holliday.  In fact, the Region would have two of the top three 2025 prospects if Iowa middle infielder Sean Gamble wasn’t now attending IMG Academy in Florida.

Missouri’s Liberty North High School is the only school in the Region in the PG Pre-Season Top 50 National rankings, checking in at 34th overall.  The Eagles are led by senior two-way, multi-sport standout and Arkansas signee Tate McGuire and a strong junior class led by shortstop Trey Snyder (Tennessee commit) and catcher Bo Jonas (Oklahoma commit).

C –  Ty Waid (Sr., Arkansas HS, Ark.)
 Waid had an outstanding late summer and fall on the PG circuit and is currently ranked 80th overall in the 2023 class.  He has the athleticism and tool set to stay behind the plate defensively and proved his offensive potential by being named the Top Offensive Player at the WWBA World Championships after hitting .556-1-10 with four doubles in seven games.

1B – AJ Evasco (Jr., Lincoln East HS, Neb.)
 Evasco is a 6-foot-5, 210-pound left-handed hitter with huge power potential, perhaps the best power potential from the state of Nebraska since Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm was a prep standout in Omaha.  He hit .324-4-31 as a sophomore at Lincoln East High School and is committed to Kansas State.

MIF – Camden Kozeal (Sr., Millard South HS, Neb.)
 Kozeal was named the Nebraska Player of the Year as a junior after hitting .420-5-35 for Millard South High School, then stood during the fall for the USA 18U Junior National Team, especially for his left-handed bat.  He is signed with Vanderbilt.

MIF – Nazzan Zanetello (Sr., Christian Brothers HS, Mo.)
 Zanetello dominated everywhere he played last summer and fall, including being named a PG All-American, the only position player from the Midwest Region thus honored.  The Arkansas signee was named the MVP at the MLB Breakthrough Series and then came back to hit .429-1-9 with 11 runs scored and five steals for the USA 18U Junior National Team in the fall.

3B – Ethan Holliday (So., Stillwater HS, Okla.)
 Holliday is much further advanced physically than his older brother, 2022 first overall pick Jackson, at the same age and is the number one ranked prospect in the 2025 class in the current PG rankings.  The left-handed slugger hit .362-11-60 as a freshman at Stillwater High School, with many of those RBI being his brother.

OF –  Slade Caldwell (Jr., Valley View HS, Ark.)
 Caldwell is a very quick twitch outfielder and the 10th ranked overall player in the 2024 class.  The left-handed hitter is a very high performance player and hit .500-9-48 with 61 runs scored as a sophomore at Valley View High School and is a career .456 hitter with 60 stolen bases in 78 games in his PG career, which includes appearances at the 2020 13U Select Festival and 2021 14U Select Festival.

OF – Ashton Larson (Sr., St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Kan.)
 Larson is a sweet-swinging left-handed outfielder and the topped ranked senior in the state of Kansas.  A 6.74 runner with the instincts to play center field, Larson is signed with Louisiana State.

OF – Cole Eaton (Sr., Elkhorn South HS, Neb.)
 Eaton is one of the most tooled up outfielders in the 2023 class, with a 6.43 sixty and a 99 mph throwing arm from the outfield, both from the 2022 PG National Showcase.  He hit .350-4-27 for Elkhorn South High School last spring and is signed with Tennessee.

LHP –  Adam Hachman (Sr., Timberland HS, Mo.)
 A 6-foot-5, 210-pound left-hander, Hachman has topped out at 95 mph at PG events and has been up to 98 mph at other times to go with a curveball and changeup.  He made very good progress through the summer and fall with his fastball command and looks poised for a big spring.  As a junior, Hachman went 2-1, 0.59 with 49 strikeouts in 27 innings.

LHP – Blake Larson (Jr., Dowling Catholic HS, Iowa)
 Larson hasn’t had much national exposure as he’s continued to play summer Iowa high school baseball but has an electric arm and is ranked as the top left-handed pitcher in the 2024 class in the latest PG rankings.  The 6-foot-3, 175-pound TCU commit has topped out at 96 mph on his fastball and also features an upper 70s slider.

LHP - Kash Mayfield (Jr., Elk City HS, Okla.)
 Mayfield is a very advanced and projectable left-hander with a 6-foot-4, 185-pound build.  He was absurdly dominant at three high level PG events in 2022, striking out 40 hitters in 16 innings and issuing only two walks, an extension of his spring season where he went 9-1, 0.92 with 101 strikeouts.  He’s topped out at 90 mph and has outstanding command of a mid-7s curveball and fading change up.

RHP – Dylan Questad (Sr., Waterford HS, Wisc.)
 Questad is the only PG All-American on the Midwest Region’s junior dominated pitching staff.  The Arkansas signee has a four-pitch starter’s arsenal with both a curveball and a slider but relies heavily on a fastball that will top out at 96 mph with lots of riding life at the top of the zone.

RHP – Anson Seibert (Jr, Blue Valley Southwest HS, Kan.)
 Seibert is the highest ranked right handed pitcher in the 2024 class, checking in at sixth overall nationally.  He has an intimidating 6-foot-8, 230-pound build and a very low effort delivery that promises lots of strikes.  His fastball works in the 91-95 mph range to go with a plus low 80’s slider.

UT –  Joey Oakie (Jr., Ankeny Centennial HS, Iowa)
 Oakie is a primary right-handed pitcher who works in the 90-94 mph range with his fastball and is a strike thrower with the pitch while striking out 48 hitters in 23 PG innings in 2022..  A right-handed hitting corner infielder, Oakie also led the 2022 PG Spring League in hitting last year with a .615 average.


Midwest Region Top Tools

Best Hitter for Average: Slade Caldwell (Jr., Valley View HS, Ark.)
 As one can tell by his high school and Perfect Game batting averages, Caldwell has always hit, combining advanced barrel skills with 6.5 speed and a quick jump out of the left-handed batter’s box.  He was noticeably stronger at the 2022 PG National Underclass Showcase in late December and could be primed to add more power to his already high average talents.

Best Hitter for Power: Ethan Holliday (So., Stillwater HS, Okla.)
 Ty Waid or AJ Evasco might have more present power but it’s only a matter of time and some mature muscles before Holliday surpass them.  His long-term power projection is pretty much top of the scale and it might not be too far into the future.

Best Runner: Nazzan Zanetello (Sr., Christian Brothers HS, Mo.)
 Slade Caldwell may have a quicker first step than the long-legged 6-foot-2 Zanetello but Zanetello gets the edge on him over distances, including a 6.44 sixty time at the 2022 PG National Showcase.

Best Defensive Catcher: Eli Small (Sr., Elkhorn South HS, Neb.)
 Small is an outstanding all-around athlete with the tools and arm strength to play all over the field and has the potential to become a plus defensive catcher in the future.  Combining Small’s arm strength (85 mph from behind the plate, 95 from the outfield, 92 off the mound) with teammate Cole Eaton’s gives Elkhorn South two of the best throwers not only in the region but in the country.

Best Defensive Infielder: Cal Fisher (Sr. Deerfield HS, Wisc.)
 Fisher continues Wisconsin’s steady run of polished middle infielders as the Florida State signee excels on both sides of the baseball.  He is very sure handed defensively with outstanding footwork around the ball and a quick release on his throws. 

Best Defensive Outfielder: Cole Eaton (Sr., Elkhorn South HS, Neb.)
 Eaton’s physical tools really play well in the outfield and will enable him to be a standout whether it be with his range in center field or his big arm strength in right field.

Best Defensive Arm: Nazzan Zanetello (Sr., Christian Brothers HS, Mo.)
 Zanetello has a 93 mph hose from the infield but has also gone out to the outfield and thrown 98 mph.  He has the type of overall defensive ability that enables him to play all over the field at a high level.

Best Fastball: Adam Hachman (Sr., Timberland HS, Mo.)
 In a region of hard throwers, Hachman’s ability to hit the upper 90s stands out, especially as a taller left-hander. 6-foot right-hander Dylan Questad’s mid-90s heater plays up despite his relative height because of its impressive riding life up in the zone.

Best Off-Speed Stuff: Anson Seibert (Jr, Blue Valley Southwest HS, Kan.)
 Seibert hasn’t developed a full repertoire of off-speed pitches yet but his slider stands out as the best single off-speed pitch in the Region.  He commands and tunnels the pitch exceptionally well and his 6-foot-8 height and reach helps the pitch play up.

Best Pitchability: Kash Mayfield (Jr., Elk City HS, Okla.)
 Mayfield’s ability to mix his pitches and get swing and miss on his curveball and change up is already well established.  Wait until he fills and inevitably adds more velocity to his 90 mph fastball.

Best Multi-Sport Athlete: Camden Kozeal (Sr., Millard South HS, Neb.)
 Kozeal doubles as Millard South’s quarterback and middle linebacker when not on the baseball field, although he did miss the first month of the football season last fall playing for USA Baseball.  He threw for 1,813 yards and 18 touchdowns in eight games while also running for 638 yards and eight more scores.  Oklahoma outfielder Morgan Pearson enrolled early at Colorado to play football for the Buffalos, where he is a three-star linebacker.  Iowa junior shortstop Jack Miller is a standout on the basketball court, where he averaged 26 points a game this winter with a high of 50 points.
PG Special Events
Travel, Lodging, Entertainment
PG Partners
Recommended
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2024 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.