West Bend West Wins State Baseball Title- Draft Prospects?

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=638825

 

Good to see my hometown win another title. I noticed the team is mostly underclassmen (only 3 seniors on the roster and 1 starter)... does anyone on that team project to be heavily scouted for the college ranks or maybe even a mid-round pick in next years minor league draft?

 

Or is their 34-1 record and streamrolling of the state WIAA baseball tournament just a result of weak competition in the WIAA summer season?

 

I remember the other West Bend School (East) produced a pretty good prospect (Ryan Rollinger) awhile back

[Kaukauna]

I am the furthest thing from an expert on this type of thing, but the best prospect is almost certainly Paul Hoenecke, an infielder who demonstrated his pop (and also pretty decent glove work at the hot corner) during parts of the state tournament. He's a big kid with a nice swing and earned all-state accolades.

 

Conference player of the year Matt Schilter was the only starting senior that you mentioned, and he's undersized, though I know he's a heck of a player. Even after losing him, that team will surely be disappointed if they don't repeat next year.

[CportBadger]

Rohlinger is playing 3B for the low A club in the Giants organization.

 

Ryan's Profile

[knowitall]

Bomber - I think you're going to have to eat a little crow on your comments here. Hoenecke could have gone to a ton of D1 schools, but committed early to UWM because of a good offer and wanted to stay close to home. Also, he doesn't have to take a back seat to any of those players, even though they were great, and actually had way better numbers and success that everyone on your list except Mike Mueller, including Ryan Rohlinger, who is now in the big leagues. Not that those players weren't great in their own right, because I know all of them and they were, but facts are facts. Hoenecke was also the Journal Sentinel Player of the Year twice, the WBCA player of the year, and OTBPA player of the year. Thats a pretty good concensus. I'm not sure where you get your info, but I hope it is not being regurgitated from one of your Concordia cohorts. Plus, he was the only HS player drafted this year in WI, and you didn't even have him being a prospect or D1 in any of your other posts either. The truth is, he knew he was going to get drafted by the Tigers pretty much already after the Miller Park game, so this was no surprise. My conclusion: Misevaluation or simply and axe to grind. Don't think that's fair to him in spite of your half-hearted "rooting for him".

 

Finally, you have a right to criticize UW-M all you want, but calling them "irrelivent" and stating that they don't have the best players is simply wishful thinking. They may not have any big leaguers yet, but they destroy DIII teams, including Whitewater when they play them. Look at the numbers, I don't think they've ever lost to a DIII team since they've been DI, and their players kick butt over the DIII WIAC players in the summer leagues everywhere they go. Again, just because Concordia has an axe to grind against UWM because their coaches think they should be running the UWM program doesn't make it right to bash them when year after year they finish in the top half of the Horizon League. Its just sour grapes as far as I'm concerned. I think Concordia should try to get into the playoffs in the NAC first before you go on the bash brigade. Didn't they lose their last 10 games last year???

[colbyjack]

Welcome aboard knowitall. Allow me to point out that there is a lot more talk concerning the amateur players from Wisconsin (and everywhere else) on the draft forum.

 

Also allow me to point out that you are taking Madtown's points WAY too personally. It's not like his post was filled with venom or that he had any kind of agenda while sharing his thoughts on Hoenecke or the UWM program.

 

I'm a fan of the UWM program, as I'm an alum, but even I wish they did things better. That's really not Doffek's or the coaching staff's fault, but it really starts with the joke of a home field they play on.

 

Also, I have been told by the parents of some more notable players that have gone through the area that they would have considered going to UWM to stay close to home if they would have ever reached out to them. Meaning, Doffek almost concedes that he's going to lose the top talent from Wisconsin (national level talent) before he even asks, and I know this has happened for a fact (unfortunately I can't tell you the specific names) on three separate occasions in the past three to five years.

 

They need to somehow get the university involved or find some rich alum that loves baseball (sorry, I only apply for one of those two qualifications) and they also need to think bigger than what they currently are.

 

I'm pretty excited to see Hoenecke play at UWM. I think his upside's limited to be perfectly honest with you, but I like his bat, and after seeing him a few times the past several years, I plan to get out to see him at some point next spring. Hopefully Mother Nature is cooperative with the UWM program this year.

[knowitall]

I probably am taking them too seriously, but I'm pretty sure that he has a couple of agendas out there, including artificially pumping up his friends with fabrications and exaggerations that most people know really aren't true (other posts). I just wish that he wouldn't go negative on others in an effort to make them look better for no good reason. I mean really, pumping up Olla and Becker (Concordia) like they are prospects that scouts were after - I'm sorry but that doesn't help them or his credibility. I have no problem with a fair evaluation of Hoenecke by you or anyone, and if you think he's got limitations, you wouldn't be the first. I do think he's got all you need to keep advancing, however, great hands in the field, hand-eye, quick bat, and an accurate throwing arm, and think his arm will be fine at the pro level. He is truly a very good player and just gets a lot of hits and makes plays.

 

Anyway, I know that UWM does not have the best field (location and bleachers), but the playing surface is fine and its getting better. Actually, with some bleachers they would probably have one of the better college fields to play on in the state, its just that it gets ripped on because its on Green Bay Ave. Its really in a beautiful park which will soon be right next to a state of the art water park. I won't get into recruiting because sometimes he passes on kids that are written up well and have big numbers, but he knows they won't help him win because they're not good baseball players. He can sniff that out pretty good. Other times he simply isn't going to get the player - period - and recruiting won't make a difference. You have to remember that he is only in his 3rd year now as head coach, even though he has been recruiting for a number of years, so maybe he will do a little more of that just for PR. I really wish that UWM bashing would stop because it noes not help promote baseball in this state whatsoever when kids leave, get run out of almost every D1 program within two years, then have to come back with their tail between their legs having to sit out a full year at UWM. Not everybody - but most. I'd like to see kids stay here right away, but I know that the travel teams rip on UWM all the time too so they can keep their reputation up by getting kids to bigger name programs. Oh well.

 

In regards to the players that left the state, often times they have sour grapes because they think UWM snuffed them by not recruiting, and I'm not saying that the players to which you are referring fall into that category, but I would be curious to know if those guys ever really made an impact at D1 and Scott just completely missed them altogether. My guess is that most of them just weren't able to get it done and Scott knew it right away.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the draft forum.

[Diskono]

Am I missing something? Madtown Bomber's post didn't even mention UWM, or criticize the player in any way - he just said he wasn't quite as good as a few other players.

[knowitall]

No this post didn't, but he's brutal against UWM in his other posts for reasons that are simply sour grapes. He's constantly fabricating things about their coach and schedule as nobody wants to play them, when in reality their schedule this year is awesome, starting with four games against Arizona State, then Michigan, Jacksonville, and three games at Louisville. All of those other players he mentions are his friends that he went to West Bend East with, and he is getting a lot of his opinions about Hoenecke from the Concordia coaching staff, who are also his friends, and who are upset with him for not going there - believe it or not. I'm just pointing it out for the record because I really don't like what he does and know none of it is sincere and objective.

[paul253]

When I was in high school our team played on the same field that UWM plays on. I think the biggest problem with it is location. Not that the actual location is all that terrible, but its nowhere near the campus. I'd consider the field itself to be D1 worthy, but, and i havent been there in a few years so i dont know what kind of improvements they've made, the actual stadium is a high school level stadium. There are no rest rooms or concession stand around there, and the scoreboard is way out in the outfield and its tiny. Being on the crowded east side of milwaukee there arent a whole lot of locations to build a stadium, but if anyone is from the area, I think Estabrook Park would be ideal. There is plenty of open land and they could make an actual college level stadium, if they want.

[knowitall]

I see that Madtown decided to delete his posts about WB West and his cronies on this thread. Come on Bomber - its a free country - even over there in Monona Grove - you've got a right to your opinions.