In
the weeks leading up to the draft, Perfect Game will be providing a
detailed overview of each state in the U.S., including the District
of Columbia, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. These overviews will
list the state's strengths, weaknesses and the players with the best
tools, as well as providing mini-scouting reports on all Group 1 and
2 players.
Wisconsin State-by-State List
Wisconsin
Overview:
Competitive
Division III Schools Help Define the State's Baseball Success
Wisconsin
has no prospects this year that are projected to factor into the
first 10 rounds of the draft. Consequently, most of the focus has
been on the success of individual teams, notably a fierce rivalry
that continues to grow between two state Division III powers.
Wisconsin-Stevens
Point and Wisconsin-Whitewater have consistently assembled the most
competitive programs in recent years, and the two teams squared off
in the semi-finals of the Midwest Regional, with a berth in the NCAA
Division III World Series on the line.
Whitewater
knocked off Stevens Point, the regular season champion in the
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, earning its fourth
appearance in eight years in the D-III World Series, played annually
in Grand Chute, Wis.
Two
other Wisconsin colleges, Carthage and Ripon, also qualified for
post-season play at the Division III level, and participated in the
Central Regional. Carthage fell one game short, or else a second
Wisconsin team would have been in the field at the national
tournament.
Madison
College, formerly known as Madison Area Technical College, also
enjoyed its share of success this season, and advanced to the
National Junior College Athletic Association Division II World
Series. It’s the second consecutive year that the school achieved
that feat.
The
state's only Division I school, meanwhile, Wisconsin-Milwaukee,
advanced to the Horizon League tournament as a No. 3 seed, but never
seriously threatened to win the event, unlike a year ago when the
Panthers won the conference crown, securing a berth in the NCAA
tournament.
Despite
success among some of the state’s more prominent college teams, few
Wisconsin players elevated their games enough to become factors in
the draft.
Wisconsin-Stevens
Point outfielder Cody Koback and Madison College righthander Joel
Effertz are two of the state's notable prospects, but both are more
likely to be selected in the middle rounds.
Koback
had a big 2011 season as both an outfielder and starting pitcher,
hitting .424 with eight homers, while stealing 16 bases. On the
mound, he went 6-1, 3.26 ERA. His future is as a hitter, and he
responded nicely this season after playing in only nine games a year
ago because of an elbow injury. He doesn't have a standout tool, but
is a solid athlete across the board.
Righthander
Joel Effertz, a Wisconsin high-school product who played his freshman
year in college at Arizona, picked up where Tyler Jones (now at
Louisiana State) left off a year ago at Madison Tech. As the team’s
staff ace, Effertz propelled the Wolfpack into the D-II World Series
by striking out 18, a career best, in the deciding game of the
regionals. On the season, he is 7-4, 3.13.
Other
notable performers at the college level who stand an outside chance
of being drafted include Whitewater's Jeff Donovan, who excelled both
at the plate (.390, 21 doubles, eight home runs) and on the mound
(10-0, 3.38). The 6-foot-5, 210-pound lefthanded hitter also led the
school's football program to a Division III championship in football
in 2009 as the team's starting quarterback.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee
righthander Chad Pierce, another former quarterback, was recently
named the Horizon League pitcher of the year. He was 6-3, 3.07
entering the conference tournament.
At
the high-school level, Wilmot Union High's Brendon Hayden may be the
best prospect the state has to offer. With his projectable 6-foot-5,
200-pound frame, scouts are more interested in Hayden’s live arm
than his bat. His fastball has touched the low-90s, and there is room
for more velocity as he continues to mature, but he may need to be
convinced that his future is brighter as a pitcher to gain the
experience necessary to improve.
A
pair of righthanded pitchers, Marquette High School's Nolan Peterson
and Oshkosh West's Tyler Willman, round out the high-school players
given the best shot of being drafted in the middle rounds. A
converted catcher, Peterson has shown improved arm strength and was
recently up to 90 at Perfect Game's Pre-Draft Showcase. Willman
screams projectability with his tall, lanky build, and he also has
flirted with the 90-mph mark.
Two
Wisconsin natives who should cause a stir in the 2012 draft are
Jacksonville University prospects Adam Brett Walker, a first baseman,
and Dan Gulbransen, an outfielder. They project to go in the early
rounds, with Walker a candidate for the first round. Bradford High
outfielder Nathan Mikolas, the state’s top-ranked high-school
junior, could also sneak into the top 10 rounds on the strength of
his powerful lefthanded swing.
Wisconsin
in a Nutshell:
STRENGTH:
NCAA Division III teams.
WEAKNESS:
High-end prospects.
OVERALL
RATING (1-to-5 scale): 1.
BEST
COLLEGE TEAM: Wisconsin-Whitewater (NCAA Division III).
BEST
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM: Madison College.
BEST
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM: Sun Prairie.
BEST
OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, Wisconsin Connection: Tyler Jones, rhp,
Louisiana State University (attended junior college in Madison; high
school in Milwaukee).
TOP
2012 PROSPECT: Nathan Mikolas, of, Bradford HS, Kenosha.
TOP
2013 PROSPECT: Josh Uhen, rhp, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
HIGHEST
DRAFT PICKS
Draft
History: Kevin Brandt, of, Nekoosa HS (1979, Twins/1st round, 11th pick).
2006
Draft: Anthony Butler, lhp, Oak Creek HS (Mariners/3rd round).
2007
Draft: Jordan Zimmermann, rhp, U. of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
(Nationals/2nd round).
2008
Draft: Adam Frost, ss, St. Norbert’s College (Tigers/21st round).
2009
Draft: Kevin James, lhp, Whitefish Bay HS, Milwaukee (Rays/9th round).
2010
Draft: Tyler Jones, rhp, Madison Tech (White Sox/21st round).
TOP
PROSPECTS, GROUPS ONE and TWO
NONE