THE CANADIAN PRESS

NEW YORK -- Top prospects Brett Lawrie of the Milwaukee Brewers and Nick Weglarz of the Cleveland Indians headline a contingent of four Canadians named Thursday to the World team for next month's Futures Game.

Joining them in the showcase game for up-and-coming minor-leaguers are outfielders Tyson Gillies of the Seattle Mariners and Rene Tosoni of the Minnesota Twins.

Dominican left-hander Luis Perez is the only Toronto Blue Jays prospect invited to the contest, in which the World team takes on a United States squad July 12 as part of the all-star game festivities in St. Louis.

Lawrie, a second baseman from Langley, B.C., taken 16th overall in the 2008 draft, was batting .268 with eight homers and 40 RBIs in 57 games for single-A Wisconsin (all stats through Wednesday's games).

Weglarz, an outfielder from Stevensville, Ont., was batting .261 with 10 homers and 50 RBIs in 66 games for double-A Akron.

Both played for Canada in the World Baseball Classic and 2008 Olympics.

Tosoni, a centre-fielder from Toronto, is batting .266 with nine homers and 42 RBIs in 66 games for double-A New Britain, while Gillies, a centre-fielder from Vancouver, is hitting .325 with 54 runs scored and 17 stolen bases in 62 games for the single-A High Desert Mavericks.

Perez, a starter for double-A New Hampshire, is 4-6 with a 3.46 ERA while holding opponents to a .226 batting average.