Day 4: Pros pick the best amateurs updated
* George Bell (middle) and Sandy Alomar, left, and Devon White are looking at their rosters and checking them twice when asked to pick the best players they've seen so far at the second annual Tournament 12. (Photo: Michelle Prata). .... 2014 Canadians in the Minors … Canadians in College 2015 Canadian draft list Letters of Intent
Day 3: Gang all here, trip memories …. Day 2: Whalen a wonder …. Day 1: Burgmann has answers on T12
By Bob Elliott
The eight teams have had their one hour workout.
A total of 18 games have been played.
One day remains in the second annual Tournament 12.
Ontario Black meets BC Orange in the first semi final at 1 PM Saturday at the Rogers Centre.
Then at 3:30 Ontario Green meets Quebec Blue in the other game.
The two finalists will meet at 6 o’clock.
So who do you like?
Who is the most impressive five players of the 160 players you have seen so far?
We asked the question of the Jays instructors -- as we did a year ago.
The commissioner picked more than five players, but then he's allowed to -- it is his tournament.
Duane Ward, who picked up the win in the Jays last post-season game in 1993 when Joe Carter homered:
1. Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ontario Blue Jays. “He likes the limelight.”
2. Demi Orimoloye (Orleans, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ottawa-Nepean Canadians. “He’s improved a great deal from last year. He assumed from his role.”
3. Ben Komonsky (Regina, Sask.) Prairies Purple, Vauxhall Academy. “He knows how to catch, he swings and tries to pull the ball on each try.”
4. Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) Alberta Red, Calgary PBF Redbirds. “He’s a bulldog, he’ll battle.”
5. Mathieu Denault-Gauthier (Candiac, Que.) Quebec Blue, Patriote Rive Sud. “He has lots of upside. He went an easy six innings. He was consistently 87-88 MPH. He could be another Greg Maddux.”
Honourable mentions: Troy Blad (Steinbach, Man.) Prairies Purple, Prairie Baseball Academy, Josh Burgmann (Nanaimo, BC) BC Orange, Vauxhall Academy, Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.), Futures Navy, Ontario Blue Jays, Adam Hall (London, Ont., Futures Navy, Great Lake Canadians, Anthony McKinley (Dartmouth, N.S.) Atlantic Grey, Darren Shred (Brampton, Ont.) Ontario Green, Ontario Blue Jays.
Devon White, a seven-time Gold Glove winner, who has three World Series rings, two with the Blue Jays: 1. Demi Orimoloye (Orleans, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ottawa-Nepean Canadians. “He has a lot of upside.
2. Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ontario Blue Jays. “He is an impressive hitter. I like his instincts.”
3. Zack Kunkel (Medicine Hat, Alta.) Alberta Red, Vauxhall Academy. “I think he’s a comer. I like his bat.”
4. Eric Senior (Toronto, Ont.) Ontario Black, Toronto Mets. “He has a right field arm. He’s going to get stronger.”
5. Kobe Hyland (Spruce Grove, Alta.) Alberta Red, Prospects Academy. “Real good hands. His bat needs work, but he looks like a hard worker.”
Lloyd Moseby, former No. 1 pick who played 12 years in the majors, 10 with the Jays “I’ll give you my top five -- leaving out Demi Orimoloye and Josh Naylor, they were like men amongst boys.”
1. Eric Senior (Toronto, Ont.) Ontario Black, Toronto Mets. “He saw him a year ago and he has improved greatley. His arm is a lot better, I’m not sure what he’s done, but he’s probably a 4 out of 5 now. He stole bases with great anticipation.”
2. Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.), Futures Navy, Ontario Blue Jays, “It’s almost unfair with all the talent we have here. But he hit the ball hard. He even ran hard when he popped the ball up.”
3. Troy Blad (Steinbach, Man) Prairies Purple, Prairie Baseball Academy. “He’s an outstanding hitter. Every ball he hit was hit hard.”
4. Miles Gordon (Oakville, Ont.) Ontario Green, Great Lake Canadians. “I see him coming back next spring the way Senior improved.”
5. Cooper Lamb (Burlington, Ont.) Ontariio Black, Ontariio Blue Jays. “Played hurt. Hit the ball hard.”
5a. Hayden Jaco (Coquitlam, BC) BC Orange, Langley Blaze. “His improvement last year to this is 10 fold.”
Mario Diaz, who went to Dunedin with the Jays in 1997 after playing nine years in the majors : Top hitters 1. Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ontario Blue Jays. “He can everything.”
2. Demi Orimoloye (Orleans, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ottawa-Nepean Canadians. “He can it all with the tools he has.”
3. Tanner Rempel (Chilliwack, BC) BC Orange, Abbotsford Cardinals. “He has a great arm, is an excellent fastball hitter.”
4. Abraham Toro (Greenfield, Que.) Quebec Blue, Montreal Orioles “He can play second, short and third. He’s a good looking young player.”
5. Eric Senior (Toronto, Ont.) Ontario Black, Toronto Mets. “He hits the ball hard consistently.”
Top pitchers 1. Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) Alberta Red, Calgary PBF Redbirds. “Has excellent command, throws a very good slider.”
2. Jonathan Lacroix (Montreal, Que.) Quebec Blue, Montreal Orioles. “He was outstanding and showed a great mound presence.”
Capt. Canada Stubby Clapp,who played with the St. Louis Cardinals and 11 years in the minors, and now a coach at class-A Dunedin: 1. Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.), Futures Navy, Ontario Blue Jays. “Speed kills. Plus you can have an intelligent baseball conversations with him.”
2. Ben Komonosky (Regina, Sask.), Prairies Purple Vauxhaull Academy. “Like the way he handles the stick.”
3. Adam Hall (London, Ont.), Futures Navy, Great Lake Canadians. “He showed Friday (triple, single, two RBIs against BC Orange) what everyone was talking about.”
Tanyon Sturtze who pitched for the 2003 Blue Jays and had a 12-year career Top Pitchers 1. Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) Alberta Red, Calgary PBF Redbirds. "One of the best arms in the county."
2. B.J. Moen (Swift Current, Sask.) Prairies Purple, Swift Current Indians. "I really like his mechanics."
3. Nicholas Vidro (Brampton, Ont.) Ontario Green, Toronto Mets. "His mechanics could use some tinkering, but he has a great arm."
4. Josh Burgmann (Nanaimo, BC) BC Orange, Vauxhall Academy. "Just a great arm and he's young."
5. Iscaac Anesty (Guelph, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ontario Blue Jays. "You have to like a lefty that throws that hard."
Top Hitters 1. Demi Orimoloye (Orleans, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ottawa-Nepean Canadians. "Just a great all-around talent."
2. Eric Senior (Toronto, Ont.) Ontario Black, Toronto Mets. "He had a great camp. Oustanding."
3. Peter Hutzal (Calgary, Alta.) Alberta Red, Okotoks Dawgs. "I like the way he swung the bat."
4. Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ontario Blue Jays. "He rakes."
5. Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.), Futures Navy, Ontario Blue Jays, "He's young and he flies."
5A. Miles Gordon (Oakville, Ont.) Ontario Green, Great Lake Canadians. "He's going to be a really good big leaguer."
Hall of Fame father Sandy Alomar, who played 15 years in the majors and is a Jays instructors.
Top hitters 1. Demi Orimoloye (Orleans, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ottawa-Nepean Canadians. "The best player here."
2. Adam Hall (London, Ont.), Futures Navy, Great Lake Canadians. "He really impressed me at the plate."
3. Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.), Futures Navy, Ontario Blue Jays. "He takes an offensive swing in every at-bat."
4. Eric Senior (Toronto, Ont.) Ontario Black, Toronto Mets. "He really improved from a year ago."
5. Jean-Francois Garon (Terbonne, Que.) Quebec Blue, Repentigny Royals. "Good speed, solid bat."
Top pitchers 1. Josh Burgmann (Nanaimo, BC) BC Orange, Vauxhall Academy. "Best poise on the mound. His presence was phenominal."
2. Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) Alberta Red, Calgary PBF Redbirds. "He was at 90 MPH."
3. Mathieu Denault-Gauthier (Candiac, Que.) Quebec Blue, Patriote Rive Sud. "Pitched a strong six innings.
4. Darren Shred (Brampton, Ont.) Ontario Green, Ontario Blue Jays. "He has as good a teenage arm as you will find."
5. Vincent Beauegard (Laval, Que.) Quebec Blue, Montreal Orioles. "Might be the best in the long run."
Honourable mention: Isaac Deveaux, (Montreal, Que.) Futures Navy, Upstate Mavericks, Miles Gordon (Oakville, Ont.) Ontario Green, Great Lake Canadians, Clark Grisbrook (North Vancouver, BC) BC Orange, Prairie Baseball Academy, Hayden Jaco (Coquitlam, BC) BC Orange, Langley Blaze, Zack Kunkel (Medicine Hat, Alta.) Alberta Red, Vauxhall Academy, Drew Reilly (Camlachie, Ont.) Ontario Black Fieldhouse Pirates, Jacob Sims (Guelph, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ontario Terriers, Abraham Toro (Greenfield, Que.) Quebec Blue, Montreal Orioles, Nicholas Vidro (Brampton, Ont.) Ontario Green, Toronto Mets, Matt Warkentin (Leamington, Ont.) Ontario Green, Great Lake Canadians, Andrew Yerzy (Toronto, Ont.) Ontario Black, Toronto Mets.
T.J. Burton, co-ordinator of amateur baseball, who pitched nine seasons in the minors:
Best hitters 1. Demi Orimoloye (Orleans, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ottawa-Nepean Canadians. “You see raw power but the ceiling is through the roof.”
2. Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ontario Blue Jays. “One of the quickest at getting the barrell to the ball. He has plus power.”
3. Jean-Francois Garon (Terbonne, Que.) Quebec Blue, Repentigny Royals. “You look at him and you see Hunter Pence of Jeff Francoeur.”
4. Adam Hall (London, Ont., Futures Navy, Great Lake Canadians, “You don’t see many middle infielders who can run and have speed and power.”
5. Ben Komonsky (Regina, Sask.) Prairies Purple, Vauxhall Academy. “He has size, power and an arm.”
Best pitchers 1. Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) Alberta Red, Calgary PBF Redbirds. “He’s a pitcher, he has great stuff.”
2. B.J. Moen (Swift Current, Sask.) Prairies Purple, Swift Current Indians, “He goes right at guys. He doesn’t shy away.”
3. Josh Burgmann (Nanaimo, BC) BC Orange, Vauxhall Academy “Great composure, his velocity was impressive.”
4. Mathieu Denault-Gauthier (Candiac, Que.) Quebec Blue, Patriote Rive Sud. “He reminds me of a young Cal Quantrill.”
5. Nicholas Vidro (Brampton, Ont.) Ontario Green, Toronto Mets. “A big strong starter.”
Hall of Famer Robbie Alomar, Tournament 12 commissioner
Top 10 alphabetical Iscaac Anesty (Guelph, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ontario Blue Jays. “He was 88 MPH.”
Vincent Beauegard (Laval, Que.) Quebec Blue, Montreal Orioles. “Just a great mound presence.”
Troy Blad (Steinbach, Man) Prairies Purple, Prairie Baseball Academy. “He hit the farthest home run (second deck) -- and he was using an Alomar bat.”
Jean-Francois Garon (Terbonne, Que.) Quebec Blue, Repentigny Royals. “I saw him with the Junior Team in Florida, I really like the way he plays.”
Miles Gordon (Oakville, Ont.) Ontario Green, Great Lake Canadians. “He’s going to be a special player.”
Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ontario Blue Jays. “I’ve seen him for three years now and his swing keep getting better. He loves the game.”
Demi Orimoloye (Orleans, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ottawa-Nepean Canadians. “He has all the tools you look for in a player.”
Tanner Rempel (Chilliwack, BC) BC Orange, Abbotsford Cardinals “I like his bat. He plays hard. I saw him in Saskatoon at the Canada Cup.”
Darren Shred (Brampton, Ont.) Ontario Green, Ontario Blue Jays. “I know he’s a catcher, but I liked him better off the mound.”
Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) Alberta Red, Calgary PBF Redbirds. “He hit 90 MPH.”
Honourable mention: Royce Ando (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Black, Ontario Blue Jays, Josh Burgmann (Nanaimo, BC) BC Orange, Vauxhall Academy, Dakota Curry (Prince George BC) BC Orange Langley Blaze, Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.), Futures Navy, Ontario Blue Jays, Mathieu Denault-Gauthier (Candiac, Que.) Quebec Blue, Patriote Rive Sud, Andrew Grieder (Spruce Grove, Alta.) Alberta Red, Praire Baseball Academy, Isaac Deveaux, (Montreal, Que.) Futures Navy, Upstate Mavericks, Adam Hall (London, Ont., Futures Navy, Great Lake Canadians, Kobe Hyland (Spruce Grove, Alta.) Alberta Red, Prospects Academy. Hayden Jaco (Coquitlam, BC) BC Orange, Langley Blaze. Nolan Levy (Lower Derby, NB) Atlantic Grey, Praire Baseball Acadmey, Jake Lonar Coldbrook, NS) Atlantic Grey, Team Nova Scotia, Anthony McKinley (Dartmouth, N.S.) Atlantic Grey, B.J. Moen (Swift Current, Sask.) Prairies Purple, Swift Current Indians, Jed Noonan (Albany, PEI) Atlantic Grey, Team PEI, Jay Oram (Summerside, PEI) Atlantic Grey, Vauxhall Academy, Tristan Pompey (Milton, Ont.) Ontario Green, Toronto Mets, Oscar Rodriguez (Montreal, Que.) Montreal Orioles, Tyler Scott (Calgary, Alta.) Alberta Red Vauxhall Academy, Eric Senior (Toronto, Ont.) Ontario Black, Toronto Mets. Austin Shields (Dundas, Ont.) Ontario Green, Stoney Creek Blue Jays, Ethan Skuija (Victoria, BC) BC Orange, Victoria Eagles, Eric Thrower (Etobicoke, Ont.) Ontariio Black, Etobicoke Rangers, Abraham Toro (Greenfield, Que.) Quebec Blue, Montreal Orioles, Luke Van Rycheghem (Kent Bridge, Ont.) Futures Navy, Ontario Blue Jays, Nicholas Vidro (Brampton, Ont.) Ontario Green, Toronto Mets, Matt Warkentin (Leamington, Ont.) Ontario Green, Great Lake Canadians, Ian Wilson (Toronto, Ont.) Ontario Green, Toronto Mets