WHITEFISH BAY, Wis. — Whitefish Bay (Wis.) High School has produced numerous well-regarded prospects in the last two years. This season, infielders Jack Counsell and JD Dix are Whitefish Bay’s top two players and premium NCAA Division I talents.
Counsell and Dix are two of Wisconsin’s top players, regardless of age. Below are my thoughts on the two prospects based on seeing them play on Wednesday and my previous looks at them over the last year.
Jack Counsell, SS/2B, Whitefish Bay (2023 grad)
Counsell, a Michigan commit, is a gamer. He isn’t a flashy player but has the skills to impact the game in many ways.
Counsell started at shortstop and showed quality arm strength and athleticism. He has smooth action and confidence defensively. He played second base last season and, while he can handle shortstop, he likely profiles as an above-average defender at second base.
Offensively, the right-handed hitter uses an upright stance with simple mechanics. He repeats his swing well and has quality bat-to-ball skills. On Wednesday, he showed a strong understanding of the strike zone and made hard contact. He also displayed notable speed down the first base line.
Counsell will be a player to watch next year at Michigan.
JD Dix, SS/2B, Whitefish Bay (2024 grad)
Dix is a junior and one of the top players in the 2024 prep class. He is the top baseball player in Wisconsin and is a player to watch over the next year.
Dix has an extremely exciting toolset. The switch hitter batted from the right side in the three at-bats I saw of his on Wednesday. He uses a slightly crouched stance and smooth swing to make hard contact.
From previous experience scouting Dix, I prefer him from the left side of the plate. He should continue to add more power to his game as he matures physically.
He played second base Wednesday, but he also has experience playing shortstop. He’s a premium defensive player. He is athletic, moves well laterally and has a strong arm. While he is more than capable of playing second base, he has the toolset to handle shortstop long term.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Alabama commit has impressive skills for his age and will only get better moving forward. He is a potential early-round pick in the 2024 MLB draft.
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for eight years. He has interviewed 433 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
