Baseball Canada: 2024 MLB Draft Preview
Photo: Baseball Canada
July 12, 2024
Baseball Canada
OTTAWA – The Cleveland Guardians are on the clock with the first overall selection in the 2024 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft that runs from July 14 to July 16 with 20 rounds scheduled for the three-day event.
Baseball Canada will be providing live updates each time a Canadian player gets selected via X with coverage also planned on Instagram and Facebook with a recap of the day’s action on baseball.ca.
WHAT/WHEN: The annual Major League Baseball Draft (or Rule 4 Draft) will feature 20 rounds across the three days, including the first two rounds, compensatory rounds, competitive balance rounds and prospect promotion incentive selections on the opening night of the Draft. The Draft will begin exclusively on MLB Network, ESPN and MLB.com on Sunday, July 14 at 7:00 p.m. E.T. The Draft will resume at 2:00 p.m. E.T. on Monday, July 15 with the first pick in Round 3, and will continue through Round 10 on MLB.com. Day three of the Draft on Tuesday, July 16 will begin at 2:00 p.m. E.T., featuring picks in rounds 11-20 on MLB.com
WHO: There are generally three groups of players that are eligible for the MLB First-Year Player Draft:
High School — Only those high school students in the United States or Canada who have completed their fourth school year following the date that the student’s class entered its freshman year of high school (i.e., ninth grade).
College — Generally, a student at a four-year college is eligible after completion of their junior year or if the student is at least 21 years old.
Junior College — All junior college students are eligible for selection. The applicable Major League Rules are more specific than this general answer. Players with specific questions about eligibility should consult a Major League scout or Office of the Commissioner of Baseball.
"Regions" eligible for the draft include Canada, Puerto Rico, the United States and US territories. Players from other countries are considered international free agents and must adhere to MLB’s international signing rules.
CANADIAN MLB DRAFT FACTS:
Canada has been a “draft region” since 1991. Prior to that, Canadians playing in Canada were Free Agents, while Canadians playing at US Colleges or Universities were eligible for the draft.
The first player drafted out of Canada was Jason Wuersch from Leamington, Ont., when the New York Yankees used their 11th round selection (282nd overall) to take the outfielder in 1991. A record 48 Canadians were selected in the 2002 MLB First-Year Player Draft, marking the highest total since Canadians became eligible for the draft in 1991.
10 years ago
Ten years ago, in 2014, a total of 16 Canadians were selected in the MLB Draft led by Toronto’s Gareth Morgan who was the first Canadian drafted when the Seattle Mariners used their Competitive Balance Round B selection (74th overall) on the outfielder.
The 2014 draft featured two future Canadian big leaguers, both who are currently active right-handed pitchers for the Toronto Blue Jays in Markham, Ontario’s Jordan Romano (10th round – 294th overall) and Brampton native Zach Pop (23rd round – 684th overall).
One year ago
In 2023, Mississauga’s Myles Naylor followed family traditions and earned himself a first-round selection when the Oakland Athletics used their Competitive Balance Round A (39th overall) pick in round one to select the third baseman.
Eight other Canadians were selected in the 2023 MLB Draft including Junior National Team alums Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.), Sam Shaw (Victoria, B.C.), and Jérémy Pilon (Valleyfield, Que.).
2024 NAMES TO WATCH:
Canadian Baseball Network Top 5 Canadians:
#1 OF Dante Nori (Northville, MI) *Canadian-Born
#2 INF Brendan Lawson (Toronto, ON)
#3 C Nathan Flewelling (Red Deer, AB)
#4 INF Émilien Pitre (Repentigny, QC)
#5 RHP L.P. Langevin (Québec, QC)
Canadians on Baseball America’s Top 500 draft prospects list:
#80 OF Dante Nori (Northville, MI) *Canadian-Born
#132 SS Brendan Lawson (Toronto, ON)
#155 RHP L.P. Langevin (Québec, QC)
#261 2B Émilien Pitre (Repentigny, QC)
#420 C Nathan Flewelling (Red Deer, AB)
Canadians on MLB Pipeline Top 250 draft prospects list:
#48 OF Dante Nori (Northville, MI) *Canadian-Born
#156 SS/3B Brendan Lawson (Toronto, ON)
#173 2B Émilien Pitre (Repentigny, QC)
#230 RHP L.P. Langevin (Québec, QC)
#236 C Nathan Flewelling (Red Deer, AB)
#237 RHP Josiah Romeo (Caledon, ON)