Detroit News' Top 15 Baseball Players

Tom Markowski / The Detroit News

OLSM's Blaise Salter is #6.

ST. CLAIR — One by one Joel Seddon of St. Clair is turning heads.

The most recent convert is Utica Eisenhower. St. Clair catcher Scott Young's glove was popping with Seddon's 91 mph fastball in a scrimmage. Seddon would then mix in his 85 mph slider and a change-up that buckled batters' knees.

"He was on," St. Clair coach Bill McElreath said. "He had all his pitches working. The (plate) umpire turns to me and asked, 'Who is this guy?' I just smiled."

Meet Joel Seddon, the state's best baseball player.

Seddon is a 6-foot, 158-pound right-hander who's also the starting shortstop. Last season, Seddon was 10-1 and led St. Clair to its first regional title. In 722/3 innings he struck out 109 and allowed 28 hits. His ERA was 0.77 and he did not allow a home run. He also batted .417 with 40 RBIs, nine doubles, four home runs and 22 walks. His fielding percentage was .942.

Seddon, was recruited by a number of schools, then narrowed his choices to Arizona, Ohio State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. In November, he signed with defending NCAA champion South Carolina.

Once he visited the campus in Columbia, Seddon's mind was made up.

"I fell in love with the campus and get along well with the coaches," he said. "After that, I canceled all of the other visits. They spent like $36 million on the stadium in 2009. Obviously the weather has something to do with it."

Seddon was a three-sport athlete at St. Clair. He started on the varsity basketball team the past two seasons but he stopped playing football after starting at quarterback his sophomore year.

His brother, Brad, was also a fine baseball player and spent two years at Michigan before a shoulder injury ended his career. It was this injury, which had its beginnings in his senior year while playing option quarterback at St. Clair, that played a part in Joel's decision to concentrate on baseball.

"I was the ball boy," Joel recalls. "I remember him getting pulled out of the game. Him being all worried (after) hurting his shoulder. … We run the option and it was tough getting hit all the time. At that time baseball kind of took off on a national level. I thought the risk of injury was too great and, after weighing my options, decided to concentrate on baseball."

Looking back, it was the correct decision.

2. Eric Haase, 5-11, 185, sr., 3B/P/C, Dearborn Divine Child: A four-year varsity player, Haase has played on two state championship teams. Last season, he hit .443 with nine home runs, 42 RBIs and 38 runs. A gap hitter, Haase hits to all fields. He also had six pitching victories last season. Haase signed with Ohio State.

3. Greg Fettes, 6-3, 200, sr., C, Madison Heights Lamphere: A four-year starter, Fettes batted .500 last season and set school single-season records for home runs (11) and RBIs (49). "He's extremely powerful and quick for his size," coach Adam Wooley said. "He works hard on offense and defense." Fettes signed with Kentucky.

4. Michael Mestdagh, 6-1, 195, sr., RHP/CF, Birmingham Groves: Mestdagh had a good season last year, finishing 5-2 with a 1.01 ERA and four saves. He struck out 65 in 46 innings. Mestdagh's velocity on his fastball is up to 91 mph. He batted .400 with 24 stolen bases. He signed with Michigan State.

5. Kevin Conway, 6-1, 185, sr., utility, Detroit Country Day: Conway, whose brother Matt plays first base at Wake Forest, batted .435 last season with 10 doubles, 23 RBIs and a .726 slugging percentage. Conway also signed with Wake Forest.

6. Blaise Salter, 6-6, 225, sr., C, Orchard Lake St. Mary's: Salter batted .375 last season. As good as he is at the plate it's his defense that shines. He presents a big target for pitchers, has an excellent arm and is a take-control type of player. Salter signed with Michigan State.

7. Jimmy Pickens, 6-2, 215, sr., OF/C, Birmingham Brother Rice: A four-year starter, Pickens, a left-handed hitter, batted .429 last season. A catcher his first three seasons, Pickens will move to the outfield, a position he likely will play in college. He signed with Michigan State. "He's got a lot of pop in his bat," coach Bob Riker said.

8. Conor Dishman, 6-0, 190, sr., C, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard: A rock behind the plate, Dishman played in all 45 games last season and batted .535 with 78 hits. "He's getting stronger and stronger," coach Greg Lenhoff said. "He's been in the weight room a lot and he's hitting shots." Dishman signed with Wabash (Ill.) Junior College.

9. Dan Zuchowski, 6-2, 180, sr., SS/P, Madison Heights Bishop Foley: A three-year starter, Zuchowski hit .400 last season with 16 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs and 60 RBIs. He also went 9-2 as a pitcher with three shutouts, 94 strikeouts and a 1.50 earned run average. He signed with Toledo.

10. Luke Dauch, 6-3,190, sr., OF, Bloomfield Hills Lahser: Last season, Dauch batted .458 with 31 stolen bases, three home runs, 27 RBIs and 29 runs scored. He had a .567 on-base percentage and a .931 slugging percentage. Dauch has set school records for home runs, triples, doubles, hits, stolen bases, RBIs, runs and games played. He signed with Northwestern.

The next 5

James Bourque, 6-3, 160, sr., RHP, Ann Arbor Huron

Chase Toth, 6-1, 195, sr., OF, Clarkston

Travis Maezes, 6-0, 190, jr., IF, Ann Arbor Pioneer

Donnie Eaton, 6-4, 190, sr., P/CF, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard

Nick Bradley, 6-1, 190, sr., RHP/SS, Rochester

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