1. Matt Ruppenthal – Birmingham Brother Rice
Ruppenthal may be just a sophomore, but he doesn’t throw like one. With a variety of pitches to his arsenal and a lethal fastball, Ruppenthal might be the state’s top pitchers and he’s only going to get better. The super-soph is already well known outside of Michigan as he’s already given a verbal commitment to SEC power, Vanderbilt. Only a sophomore and is likely the best “pro-prospect” Oakland County has to offer.
2. Brett Sunde – Madison Heights Bishop Foley
Sunde, heading to Western Michigan, might be the most complete hitter around, as he hit well over .400 last season while driving in over 60 runs. Sunde is also a top notch defensive catcher with a rocket for an arm, so good luck to base runners looking to run on Bishop Foley.
3. Jake Balicki – Birmingham Groves
When you think of a power hitter, Balicki should be the first person that comes to mind. Last season, the first baseman drilled more than 10 home runs and hit nearly .500. But something that might separate the senior from anyone else in the County is his pitching, where he put together an ERA that was well under 2.00. Balicki has signed with Michigan.
4. Sterling Sharp – North Farmington
Sharp is yet another Oakland County pitcher that is starting to gain attention out of state, as the junior ace has lit up the radar gun with his deadly fastball that occasionally topped out in the 90’s last season. Sharp also proved to be a viable all-around player at shortstop last season as well with some defense and his ability to hit for good average.
5. Gabe Berman – Bloomfield Hills Andover
With a nickname like “The Babe” you better believe that this guy is all about power. Berman showed plenty of power last season with the bat, hitting about .450, but where he really flourished was on the mound where the right hander fanned nearly two batters per inning as a junior while holding a 1.43 ERA, and he’s only going to get better this season.
6. Nick Deeg – Lake Orion
The pitching trend continues here with Deeg who, much like Sharp has shown the ability to throw a fastball in the 90’s while also having a couple of other pitches that he has at his disposal. Think of Deeg as Lake Orion’s Randy Johnson, a tall power left hander pitcher who is not a stranger to strikeouts and it showed last year when he fanned 15 batters against Rochester Adams.
7. Jason Gamble – Walled Lake Western
Yes, another power arm in Oakland County and Gamble can really bring it with his high-80’s, low-90’s fastball and some of the best secondary pitches in Oakland County and last season held a sub-3.00 ERA for the Warriors. Gamble recently underwent surgery so he will likely be out for the first month or so, but should be ready to go for when Western makes its playoff push.
8. Logan Regnier – Novi
If you’re look for a “Mr. Everything,” look no further than Regnier who hits for average and power, but is also known to swipe a few bases once he gets on base. Regnier can also do some damage in the outfield with a rocket for an arm and has been known to throw out runners regularly from his center field spot.
9. Tommy Eng – Troy Athens
Another player from the “does it all” department, Eng is a speedster on the base paths, but hits for plenty of power and hit well over .400 last season. Eng is also a defensive specialist at shortstop, few can cover as much ground in the hole as he can and the senior has been known to make a spectacular play or two.
10. Dylan Peck – Clarkston
It seems like Oakland County always has a quality group of catchers and this year is no exception and Peck might be the best defensive catcher there is, and has proven to be more than reliable offensively over the past year or two for the Wolves.
11. Niko Gonzales – Stoney Creek
12. Will Schwartz – Birmingham Brother Rice
13. Matt Constance – Birmingham Brother Rice
14. Alex Borglin – Rochester Adams
15. Matt Avromov – Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
16. Travis Ferguson – Birmingham Brother Rice
17. Cam Vieaux – Walled Lake Western
18. Alex Taylor – Rochester Adams
19. Emmerson Misch – Bloomfield Hills Andover
20. Griffin Harms – Birmingham Groves
5 Underclassmen to keep an eye on
1. Nick Plummer – Birmingham Brother Rice
2. Devin Rose – Orchard Lake Saint Mary’s
3. Brad Schaenzer – Lake Orion
4. Freddy Jehle – Birmingham Brother Rice
5. (tie) Mark Gossett – Catholic Central
5. (tie) Julian Jones – Orchard Lake Saint Mary’s
Twitter.com/JDeuceDullack
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