Blue Jays hire Canuck scouts Arnold, Roy

Jasmin Roy (Montreal, Que.) was hired by the Blue Jays as an associate scout to help Jamie Lehman cover Canada.

By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network

Scouting director Steve Sanders was hired Sept. 27 to replace Brian Parker.

Already Sanders has made a difference in Canada where the Major League Scouting Bureau no longer has the large network of scouts from Brentwood Bay, BC to Bedford, NS. 

Sanders was the coordinator of the Boston Red Sox amateur scouting department from 2012-14 and the assistant director of amateur scouting in 2015. Sanders inherited Jamie Lehman (Brampton, Ont.) an area scout who supervises Canada and New York state. The last few years Lehman had one scout Canadian scout working for him in Don Cowan (Delta, BC).

Now, Sanders has tripled the number of scouts who will assist Lehman. Helping Lehman on a part-time basis this season will be Jasmin Roy (Montreal, Que.) and Adam Arnold (St. Thomas, Ont.).

Roy is currently the director of student affairs for College Edouard Montpetit, where most of the players attending Academy Baseball Canada go to class. Roy previously scouted Quebec for the Major League Scouting Bureau for 13 years. 

Arnold is the pitching coordinator for the Great Lakes Canadians. Drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 41st round in 2007 from Thompson River University, he pitched two seasons for the rookie-class Arizona League Brewers and Helena. Then, he moved on to pitch indy ball at Kalamazoo in the Frontier league, Quebec in the Can-Am and London and the Road Warriors in the Frontier.

Both have extensive networks in Canada and experience as evaluators, they will assist in gathering information on current and future draft prospects. 

Increasing their presence across the country with more boots on the ground at a time when the Bureau does not have the same presence is a job well done by Sanders, Lehman and the Jays management.

The last time that the Jays had four Canadian scouts in Canada would have been Bill Byckowski (Georgetown, Ont.), Walt Jefferies (Paris, Ont.), Ed Heather (Cambridge, Ont.) and Cowan in 2003 under then general manager J.P. Ricciardi.

ROSTER MOVES: Some changes in the Jays scouting for this season:
 
_ Chuck LaMar, a special assistant, amateur scouting last year, becomes a major league scout.
 
_ Jon Lalonde (Midland, Ont.), a pro crosschecker last year, becomes a major league scout.  

_ Kevin Briand (Mimico, Ont.), a pro crosschecker last year, will be a pro scout. 

_ And Harry Einbinder becomes manager, amateur and international scouting under Sanders.