* Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) finished in the runner-up spot of the 107 sluggers at the seventh annual Power Showcase staged at Marlins Park in Miami .... 2012 Most Influential Canadians 2012 All-Canadian Team 2012 All-Canadian stats

 

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By Bob Elliott

A field of 107 hitters from 10 different countries entered the seventh annual Power Showcase, most of them graduating high schoolers, at Marlins Park in Miami last month.

David Denson of Covina, Calif., a left-handed hitting first baseman committed to the University of Hawaii, won the event

Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) 15, lost in the five-out Swing-Off. Naylor lead-off with five swings and didn’t connect, while Denson followed and blasting four homers.

Yet Naylor had more homers over all, in fact leading the 107 sluggers with

_ Most homers during the preliminary round 10.

_ Most homers overall 15.

_ Most wood bat homers four.

_ Longest Distance wood bat HR – 409 feet.

_ IMG Academies Underclassman award, earning a one-week certificate to the IMG Baseball Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

_ Evoshield Droppin’ Tanks award

“I went out there planning to win it,” said Naylor, a product of the Mississauga North Tigers before moving on to the Ontario Blue Jays told the Mississauga News. “The overall experience was great. I met a lot of people from around the world and made a lot of new friendships.”

Naylor also hit the most consecutive home runs with a wood bat (two) and his 453-foot homer with an aluminum bat was his longest.

Fellow national team member and  native Malik Collymore (Mississauga, Ont.) also reached the top 10. The longest of Collymore’s eight home runs was a 458-foot blast.

A component of the Showcase was the Home Runs That Help campaign, where contestants dedicate each home run to a child they know with an illness or disease.

Naylor was hitting for Chase Galea, a six-year-old with Cerebral Palsy.

Collymore was hitting for Riley Glover, a two-year-old with a congenital heart defect.

Connor Stevenson (Keswick, Ont.) hit six home runs: booming blasts, including a 423 foot shot with a wood bat and 406, 405 and 401 feet homers with metal.

Stevenson advanced to final along with Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) of the Langley Blaze and Collymore. O'Neill  had five homers in the knockout round including a 435 foot homer, as the fourth longest.

 

 

Previous winners 

1B-OF Dennis Mitchell, Phoenixville, PA,

3B Kris Bryant, Reno, Nev.

1B Daniel vogelbach, Fort Myers, Fla.

3B Travis Harrison, Tustin, Calif.

C Bryce Harper, Las Vegas, Nev.

Zack Helgeson, Roanoke, Va.