3B Dane Tofteland (Grand Prairie, Alta.) slid into second with a steal on his way to earning top prosect honors, and two All-American honors

By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
The Hamilton Joes summer college team was formed in 2008 as a tribute to Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Joe Nuxhall.

Nuxhall made his debut with the 1944 Cincinnati Reds at age 15. After taking one year off, he pitched in the minors and then was with the Reds for 16 seasons. A Hamilton, Ohio native he began broadcasting for the Reds from 1967-to-2004, and continued part-time up until his death in 2007.

So, Nuxhall was far from an average Joe.

And the same goes for Hamilton Joes 3B Dane Tofteland.

Tofteland (Grand Prairie, Alta.) earned the Great Lakes League Ron Miller Top Prospect award. Tofteland was a do-it-all kind of player offensively, hitting for a high average (.379), hitting for power (nine homers), and stealing bases along the way. He had a .379 batting average, nine home runs, and 18 stolen bases.

And Hamilton won the title beating the Lima Locos in the fifth and deciding game. The Joes beat Lima 15-6 in Game 4 but the finale was far from a lopsided romp as Hamilton scored a 2-1 win.

Tofteland, a former Okotoks Dawg, who played for coach Allen Cox, is now an Indiana State Sycamore, earned College Summer Baseball First team honors as the best third baseman this summer. And Perfect Game Scouting Service selected Tofteland to Second Team honors.

The other Canucks ranked among the best in their respective leagues:

RHP Zach Pop (Brampton, Ont.), who spent the summer with the Wareham Gateman on Cape Cod. He was drafted from the Ontario Blue Jays, is now with the Kentucky Wildcats, No. 37 on the top 40 list.

RHP Will McAffer (North Vancouver BC) who pitched for the Victoria HarbourCats in the West Coast League. Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds from the North Shore Twins, he’s now at Central Arizona and was listed 14th in the top 20 rankings.

OF Matt Lloyd (Okotoks, Alta.) was with the Kalamazoo Growlers this summer in the Northwoods League. Lloyd learned his craft with the Okotoks Dawgs, headed to the Iowa Western Reivers and is now with the Indiana. He’s 39th in the top 40.

Dane Tofteland (Grand Prairie, Alta.) enjoyed his summer in Hamilton, Ohio ...

College Summer Baseball
First team
Pos. Name Hometown Team College AVG R 2B 3B HR RBI SB
3B Dane Tofteland Grande Prarie, Alta. Hamilton Joes/Indiana State .379 41 11 2 9 38 18

Perfect Game
By Patrick Ebert
Second Team Summer Collegiate All-Americans
Pos. Name Hometown League Team College AVG OBP SLG R 2B 3B HR RBI SB
3B Dane Tofteland Grande Prarie, Alta. Great Lakes Hamilton Joes Indiana State .379 .467 .679 41 11 2 9 38 18

By Jheremy Brown
Cape Cod
RK Player POS B-T HT WT Hometown ST 2017 School Team YR Class Last Drafted
1. Brady Singer RHP R-R 6-4 190 Leesburg FL Florida Falmouth Commodores SO 2018 Blue Jays ‘15 (2)

37. Zachary Pop RHP R-R 6-4 225 Brampton ON Kentucky Wareham Gatemen JR 2017 Blue Jays ‘14 (23)

West Coast League
By Mike Rooney

RHP Will McAffer (North Vancouver, BC) ...

RK Player POS B-T HT WT Hometown ST 2017 School Team YR Class Last Drafted
1. Cameron Bishop LHP L-L 6-4 230 Brea CA UC Irvine Corvallis Knights JR 2017 Diamondbacks ‘14 (32)

14. Will McAffer RHP R-R 6-2 195 North Vancouver BC Central Arizona (JC) Victoria HarbourCats SO 2017 Reds ‘15 (32)

Scouting report: McAffer, who is Canadian, was drafted out of high school by the Reds in the 32nd round of the 2015 draft. He has transferred from South Dakota State to Central Arizona College, making him immediately eligible for the 2017 draft. McAffer is a physical right-hander with a power arm and his 58 strikeouts and 1.98 ERA over 54 1/3 regular season innings were a huge part of Victoria’s record-setting summer. His fastball sits 90-92 mph and his breaking ball flashes plus.

BEST TOOLS
Best breaking stuff: Will McAffer, rhp, Victoria (Central Arizona College)

Northwoods League
By Patrick Ebert
RK Player POS B-T HT WT Hometown ST 2017 School Team YR Class Last Drafted
1. Keenan Bartlett RHP R-R 6-0 175 Phoenix AZ Richmond Lakeshore Chinooks JR 2017 Never drafted

39. Matt Lloyd OF/IF L-R 6-1 195 Okotoks AB Iowa Western CC/Indiana Kalamazoo Growlers R-SO 2017 Never drafted

Tofteland summer All-American, Lloyd, McAffer, Pop impress