By Rob Allison
Prep Baseball Report Minnesota

The PBR MN Unsigned Senior Showcase exposed uncommitted prospects from Minnesota and North Dakota to colleges in attendance in the one day event held at the Irish Dome in Rosemount, MN.

With many of these prospects participating as 2 way players at event; all their skills are taken into consideration in evaluation and posting of this list; along with future projection of their ability levels.

Interested in attending a PBR Minnesota event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

Please take a look at the statistical results from the event by clicking here.

Also please take a look at the Top Tools Breakdown Article, which highlights the top performers using 7 commonly used criteria for analyzing prospects, by clicking here.

This year's top prospect is OF Haydn Lanoue. Lanoue showcased athleticism in the outfield with agility and an arm that works well. Ran the top 60 time of the event; and above all showed one of the better swings in the entire 2015 class in Minnesota producing hard line drives and upper 80's exit velocity.

Top Prospects

1. Haydn Lanoue, OF, Rosemount, 2015
6-foot-1, 170-pound left-handed hitting outfielder. Breakout player at this event. Swing is clean and creates plenty of bat speed. Consistently hit missiles during offensive evaluations. Swing is simple and repeatable and looks to be able to hit for high average. 87 mph exit velocity off tee. Showed athletic loose actions in outfield. Glove and feet are above average. Arm works well and has carry and accuracy on throws. 81 mph arm strength from outfield. Ran well with a 6.97 60 time. One of the best uncommitted prospects in 2015 still available.

2. Jeremiah Bonde, RHP, Mounds View, 2015
6-foot-2, 170-pound right-handed pitcher. Surprise pop up player at event. Working his way back from injury during junior year. Lean projectable body with good arm speed. Has balance and body control in delivery. Has very athletic actions. Ball jumps out of his hand. Breaking ball is sharp with 12/6 break. Changeup has plus fade. Top pitching prospect at event. Fastball was 80-82 mph with life. Curveball was 68-70 mph. Changeup was 72-73. Easy to dream on; will not be surprised if he was at least mid 80’s come spring time.

3. Kyle Rhodus, OF/3B, Lakeville North, 2015
6-foot, 180-pound right-handed hitting outfielder/infielder. Athletic player. Ran 7.00 60 time. Creates great bat speed. Uses pre-set hand load; some rhythm in swing and tends to stride across body. Bat path is flat creating line drives to middle of field. 88 mph exit velocity off tee. Aggressive routes to ball in outfield. Shows sure hands. Tends to field tall at position. Arm is long and throws have carry. 84 mph throws from outfield. In the infield; has good hands, tends to field deep in stance, but plays with energy. Arm works ok from OT slot with long arm action. Shows ability with backhand play and body control. Is able to throw from multiple angles. 82 mph across infield. Overall brings a nice package of versatility with solid tool set.

4. Robert Eckert, C/3B, Farmington, 2015
5-foot-8, 175-pound catcher/infielder. Ran 7.41 60. Shows good rhythm in swing and is short to contact. Drives through ball creating backspin. Tends to stride across body but has clean hitting mechanics. 85 mph exit velocity. Defensively showed versatility by also playing infield. Hands are sure; feet are adequate and arm works with accuracy. 78 mph across infield. Short compact actions that are repeatable and consistent behind plate. Exchange is above average and throws have carry and accuracy. 74 mph arm strength with top pop time of 2.06. Type of steady everyday player that isn’t go to wow you physically but will help teams win a lot of games at college level.

5. Braydon Hanson, SS, Monticello, 2015
5-foot-9, 155-pound switch-hitting middle infielder. Lean loose body. Hanson ran a 7.28 60 time. Plays light on his feet with good rhythm and sure hands in the field. Actions are above average and has feel for shortstop and second base. Arm works well from high 3/4 arm slot registering 81 mph arm strength across the infield. Shows consistent swing from both sides of the plate with line drive swing plane. Hands work well to the ball and transfers his weight appropriately through contact. 75 mph exit velocity. 2-hole line drive/spray hitter who looks to use whole field and get on base. Lacks strength presently; but mechanics, actions, and present ability are good. Will not remain uncommitted much longer with skill-set.

Best of the Rest (Listed Alphabetically)

Noah Anderson, 1B, Hopkins, 2015
5-foot-10, 195-pound first baseman. Left-handed hitter with strength. Anderson ran a 7.75 60. Starts with high hand set. Short load and hands tend to float down when initiating swing. Short to contact and does good job of staying on top of baseball at contact. 74 mph exit velocity off tee. Shows average actions and range at first base. Throws from low ¾ slot with short arm action. 64 mph arm strength across infield.

Shane Benson, C/RHP, St. Francis, 2015
6-foot-2, 175-pound 2-way player. Benson continues to show ability to square baseball consistently. Maintained 77 mph exit velocity off tee since appearance at Fall Unsigned Senior event. Has improved in all facets behind the plate. Consistently held pitches in zone. Shows ability to block. Throwing mechanics were consistently better and stayed on top of baseball creating carry and accuracy. Arm strength jumped 5 mph since October 2014 with top throw of 75 mph to second base. Pop times hovered around 2.09 mark. On the mound showed two different slots. Arm action was shorter than what we have seen in the past; but still maxed out at 83 mph. Lean loose body and will continue to improve.

Ryne Bigelow, OF, West Fargo (ND), 2015
5-foot-11, 183-pound outfielder. Bigelow continues to improve since we last saw him in Fall. Has gained 15 pounds of good weight since October. Maintained running time at 7.32. Works uphill with swing and showed good separation after contact. Feet and glove worked better in outfield. Shoulder tilt effected carry and accuracy of throws.

Jordan Castle, RHP/1B, St. Thomas Academy, 2015
6-foot-2, 185-pound 2-way player. Ran 7.69 60. Showed balanced swing. Load is somewhat long at times; but makes solid contact and shows ability to get barrel into zone and drive baseball. 85 mph exit velocity off tee. Shows average feet and sure hands at first base. Ability to make routine plays and is accurate with throws with 74 mph arm strength. On mound has a controlled delivery with short coiled load into balance point. Has good direction and lands open on delivery. Gets extended to plate. Arms works from high ¾ slot with long arm action. Fastball was 74-76 mph topping at 77 mph. Curveball showed gradual break at 62-65 mph. Changeup was best secondary offering at 70-73 mph.

Nicholas Fladager, LHP, Eagan, 2015
5-foot-9, 170-pound left-handed pitcher. Sturdy build. Throws with short 2 piece arm action from over-the-top slot. Shows balance and control in delivery and tends to land across body. Fastball was 70-72 mph topping out at 74. Mostly flat with occasional downhill action. Everything is down in zone and throws 3 pitches for strikes. Curveball was 60-63 mph and changeup showed slight fade at 63-66 mph.

Zachary Iten, 3B/RHP, Watertown Mayer, 2015
6-foot-2, 215-pound 2-way player. Strong physical build. Ran 7.72 60. Strides across body with flat bat path through zone. Uses front toe turn trigger into swing. Swing has some length but consistently centered baseballs. 82 mph exit velocity off tee. Moves well for his size in field. Good rhythm and shows soft hands on groundballs. Follows throws across and arm works well. 78 mph arm strength across infield. Shows good rhythm in delivery. Hands and lower half are sequenced well. Slight hitch at top of arm circle. Arms works from high ¾ slot. Tended to leak out of balance point and land across body. Fastball came out of hand well and stayed in bottom of zone. Struggled with breaking ball at times. Changeup was above average offering with good arm speed. Fastball was 79-81 mph. Curveball was 64-65 mph and changeup ranged 69-71 mph.

Nicholas Medo, MIF, Owatonna, 2015
6-foot-1, 172-pound right-handed hitting middle infielder. Showed better energy and actions since August event. Swing is short to contact with slight shoulder turn load. Is becoming more physical and continuing to mature and fill out. Moved with confidence to baseball in defensive portion. Stat line was similar to previous event but looked more confident and showed ability as a player. Strong academic portfolio. Attractive option for academic D3 institution.

Jace Piepgras, SS, St. Croix Lutheran, 2015
6-foot, 170-pound right-handed hitting shortstop. Athletic build. Ran a 7.18 60. Short load with balanced swing. Line drive swing plane with consistent hard contact to middle of field. 77 mph exit velocity. Plays low to the ground with strong lower half and quality actions. Tends to field balls deep in stance but hands are sure and exchanges and footwork are clean. Shows arm speed on throws with carry. Accurate to the bag at 78 mph arm strength. There is some bounce to his step defensively and showed to be an intriguing prospect going into the 2015 spring season.

Kyle Schnichels, RHP/IF, Academy of Holy Angels, 2015
6-foot-2, 155-pound right-handed pitcher. Schnichels continues to show ability as a 2-way player. Mechanically sound in all areas. Under-developed body. Will continue to mature and add strength.  Shows ability to throw 3 pitches for strikes. Mechanically looked more sound with strength and balance in delivery. Body was controlled and worked predominantly down in zone. Strong academic resume. Good fit for solid D3 program with high academics and strong physical development program.

Marcus Wohl, C, West Fargo (ND), 2015
6-foot, 175-pound right-handed hitting catcher. Improved running time to 7.65 from previous mark of 7.94. Shows upper echelon ability to receive and block. Catch and throw mechanics are good. Lacks arm strength. Would benefit greatly from long toss program. Improved pop times with best at 2.06. Lifts up through swing creating hard contact on bottom half of baseball. Has athletic actions. Tools have a chance to improve. Works hard and wants to get better. Needs to develop physically, clean up mechanics offensively, and continue to play. Has solid future.

Aidan Zurn, RHP/3B, Stillwater, 2015
6-foot-1, 195-pound 2-way player. Average build. Ran a 7.34 60 time. Short stride into contact. Load is long creating arm bar and tries to force barrel to ball. 77 mph exit velocity. Shows average actions in field with sure hands. Arm works well producing 80 mph arm strength across infield. Simple balanced mechanics on mound. Arm works well from OT- high ¾ slot. Good direction to plate. Fastball shows life with cut at the end. Flies open on breaking ball leaving arm side. Above average feel for changeup showing in bottom of zone and ability to get swing and miss. Fastball was 79-82 mph topping at 83 mph. Breaking ball was 67-73 mph and good feel for changeup at 73-75 mph.