By Mike Penn and PBR Michigan Staff

Next up for the Border Battle Games analysis and top prospect honor is the Blue Team.  The Blue Team had the majority of the Canadian Prospects on it and two of them, Richard Chan and Mitch Hudvagner landed in our top prospects. See the complete analysis below.

Top Prospects 

1. Cameron Milne, OF/RHP, Dexter HS, 2016
Milne is one of the better looking Outfielders in the Class of 2016 so far. Milne has long levers and a good frame to work off of. The 6-foot-1, 160-pounder hasn’t come close to maximizing his potential.  Has a long arm from the outfield 79mph.  Needs to become more consistent with his throws.  Smooth swing that generates backspin.  Gap pop should develop over time.  Made several hard outs in game action. Velocity should come on the mound.  Good armside run. 78-79mph currently .  Curveball has good shape to it but is softer (64mph). Was willing to throw first pitch offspeed for a strike.

2. Noah Wittkopp, OF, Grand Haven HS, 2015
Big strong 6-foot-3, 190-pound outfielder.  Good athlete who is a sub 7.0 runner.  Arm is above average at 86 mph from the outfield.  Wide shoulders and good frame mean that he has more to grow and mature.  Occasional pop at the plate. Has a tendency to bar out front arm, which is a correctable issue. 

3. Lukas Veinbergs, C/RHP, Pinckney HS, 2015
Veinbergs recently popped onto the scene in August.  He continue to improve.  Good arm behind the plate and on the mound.  79-82 on the mound.  Good sink on his fastball with armside run.  Should get plenty of groudball outs.  Behind the dish showed well with accurate throws ranging between 1.97-.2.07.  At the plate has some work to do with his front arm as he bars it out. He is athletic with some gap pop and a predominately level swing.

4. Brendan Nearing, LHP, Saline HS, 2015
6-foot-4, 215-pound lefty from good high school program.  Showed well.  80-82mph with the fastball with armside run.  Utilized downward plane well.  Worked from a ¾ slot.  Slower tempo in delivery but smooth overall.  Breaking ball stayed arm side (61mph).  Has some feel for secondary.  Interested to see how he progresses.

5. Richard Chan, MIF, Sandwich Secondary (CAN), 2014
Chan is a pure ballplayer. 5-foot-10, 180-pound evenly proportioned player. Offensively minded. Took one of the best BP rounds of the day.  Quick hands and short stroke.  Accurate arm in the infield. Best profiles at 2B or 3B.  Basehit in game action.  Expect him to get some smaller school looks but kid can hit at any level.

6. Mitch Hudvagner, C, Essex (CAN), 2014
Phyically mature strong catcher. 6-foot, 190-pounds. Blocked well behind the plate. Has nose for the baseball.  Pop times will improve as footwork quickens.  Pop times ranged around 2.1.  Has pop due to strength.  Lefthand swinger.  Projects best to smaller school.

Best of the Rest (Alphabetically)

Joe Caruso, OF/SS, Dearborn HS, 2015
Smaller yet athletic player currently at 5-foot-8, 150-pounds.  Short arm action in the field.  Arm strength needs to improve with time.  At the plate showed some good athleticism.  Pull heavy hitter.  Has plenty of time to improve.  As he adds strength, size, and maturity all skills will develop accordingly.

Alex Duffy, RHP, Howell HS, 2014
Duffy’s outing was cut short due to rain but he flashed good stuff.  Fastball ranged between 80-82mph.  Threw strikes with multiple pitches. Long levers on this 6-foot-2, 170-pound righty mean that he has more in the tank. Not yet physically mature.  Should gain quite a bit of velocity down the road.

Michael Flaishans, C, Canton HS, 2015
Flaishans handled the pitching staff well in game. Threw out a runner as well. Smaller frame but has the makings of a good player.  Quick feet and release translate well into game action.  At the plate shows some good quick twitch movements.  Front side stays closed well.

Thomas Friar, 3B/OF, Jefferson HS, 2014
5-foot-10, 200-pound big strong and physical thirdbaseman from Jefferson HS.  Arm strength needs to improve but did get rid of it quick and was accurate.  At the plate he works uphill looking to drive the baseball/  Occasional pop.  4.0 student.

Chad Matton, MIF, St. Thomas (CAN), 2014
5-foot-10, 165-pound middle infielder who best profiles at second base at the next level.  Longer arm action (74mph) accurate thrower with soft hands.  Enough arm strength to make the plays.  At the plate showed line drive stroke and level bat path.  Picked up a basehit in game action.

Alec Miller, RHP/SS, Chatham-Kent (CAN), 2014
Miller showed well overall. Showed good body control and soft hands in the infield.  Good arm across the diamond. (78mph).  At the plate shows toe tap trigger with balanced and athletic setup.  Fast bat.  Looks to drive the baseball. Sit and spin hitter.  Only 5-foot-10, 160-pounds so should add more strength overtime.

Ethan Timmermanns,, RHP, South Huron District (CAN), 2014
Big bodied RHP at 6-foot-3, 196-pounds.  Looser arm action. Fastball ranged between 73-77mph on this day.  Threw strikes with the breaking ball at 63mph.  High ¾ slot.  Should add some velocity over time.  Smaller school kind of player.