Regardless of what happens to the Toronto Blue Jays, 2015 will go down as a banner year for baseball in Canada.
Not only did the Canadian national teams bring home gold and silver medals on home soil at the Pan Am Games, but the country also demonstrated its depth of amateur talent with 30 players taken in the MLB Draft — a significant jump from 17 in 2014.
Tournament 12 opens at Rogers Centre Tuesday morning, showcasing a crop of prospects out to prove that depth has not been depleted. Canada’s new wave was out in force on Monday, demonstrating their skills for pro and college scouts.
Here’s the skinny on some of the interesting prospects at the tournament this year:
Carter Loewen
Position: First base/right-handed pitcher
Team: British Columbia
Best Tools: Power, arm strength
Scouting Report: This may be an old story for Canadian Baseball fans, but there is another Loewen with potential as both a hitter and a pitcher. The Abbotsford native is a good athlete with size, power and a loose arm. Greg Hamilton, Baseball Canada’s director of national teams, thinks his ultimate position on the diamond is a coin flip.
“He’s going to intrigue people both ways,” Hamilton said. ” You’re going to talk to one guy who’s going to like the fact the power’s there and then you’re going to talk to someone who likes the arm and thinks 86-87 is going to go to 90-93.”
Andrew Yerzy
Position: Catcher
Team: Ontario (Black)
Best Tools: Power, arm strength
Scouting Report: Yerzy is known for his power and showed it off at the Junior Home Run Derby in Cincinnati earlier this summer, tying Ron Washington Jr. for the top spot. The Toronto Mets catcher didn’t disappoint on Monday, driving multiple home runs to right-centre field with scouts paying close attention. While his bat is his calling card, he’s a solid defender as well.
“He controls the game from behind the plate,” Ontario Black coach John Picco said. “He blocks and throws well too.”
Brett Esau
Position: Third Base
Team: Praries
Best Tools: Power, arm strength
Scouting Report: Esau drew attention to himself early in batting practice, hitting the facing of the second deck in left field — the only one hit above the 100 level all day — one of three balls to clear the wall for the third baseman. While he got people talking about his power at scouts day, Praries coach Andy Boehm notes that his defence is impressive as well.
“He looks like he was born over there,” Boehm said.
Brad Aldred
Position: Third Base/First base/Outfield
Team: Ontario (Black)
Best Tools: Power, Hitting for Average
Scouting Report: Aldred’s position is somewhat uncertain at this point, but he can swing a mean stick. On the junior national circuit he was able to catch up to top prospect Lucas Giolito’s 95-plus mph fastball demonstrating excellent bat speed. He’s one of the few in the 2016 draft class to possess what Hamilton calls “true plus power,” and even with some defensive question marks he’ll be highly-regarded as long as he continues to hit.
Noah Naylor
Position: Catcher/shortstop
Team: Futures
Best Tools: Power, hitting for average
Scouting Report: The younger brother of Josh, Naylor is an intriguing hitter who one of two players at the tournament with a 2018 draft year. While he’s younger than the competition, his bat is mature beyond its years. The biggest question will be whether he can stick behind the plate.
“The bat is going to play,” Hamilton remarked. “We’re just going to have to figure out where he’s going to play.”
Notes: Reese O’Farrell received the best compliment of the day. During catching drills, Blue Jays legend George Bell was impressed by the young backstop, blurting out “Boy’s got a hose” in the midst of the otherwise quiet lookers-on…A relative unknown to even his own coaching staff, Jake Sanford of Cole Harbour, N.S., impressed scouts depositing three home runs over the right-field wall in batting practice.
Canada is more stocked with position players than pitchers right now, but two of the most interesting arms hail from Quebec. Conner Angel and Mathew Denault-Gauthier are two to watch…Isaac Deveaux wowed observers with an off-the-charts grip test. The test is supposed to help measure bat speed, and Deveaux blew last year’s big name prospects Naylor and Demi Orimoloye out of the water.
