Canadian prospects land on MLB Pipeline Top 30 lists

Photo: Baseball Canada

August 11, 2020

By Adam Morissette

Baseball Canada

The fact that no minor league baseball will take place in 2020 hasn’t slowed down prospect chatter and with the Major League Baseball Draft and corresponding signing period now in the rear view mirror, MLB Pipeline has released their updated Top 100 and Top 30 by Team prospects lists.

Mississauga’s Jordan Balazovic, a right-hander pitcher in the Minnesota Twins’ organization was the lone Canadian to crack the Top 100 list coming in at No. 95. The Junior National Team graduate (2016) and former fifth round pick of the Twins is the fourth ranked prospect in their minor league system.

A pair of former Junior National Team teammates, Adam Hall (London, Ont.) of the Baltimore Orioles and Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Cleveland Indians come in at numbers 15 and 3, respectively on the Orioles’ and Indians’ Top 30 lists.

Two players currently in the big leagues and soon to graduate from the Top 30 lists include Houston Astros’ infielder Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.) who checks-in at No. 3, while Markham native Jordan Romano, a key piece of the Blue Jays’ bullpen, in ranked 30th on the Jays’ list.

A former standout on the Junior National Team and 2019 third round pick, Dasan Brown of Oakville lands at No. 19 on the Blue Jays’ list.

Dominican-born Otto Lopez, who spent a portion of his youth in Montréal and represented Canada at the 2019 Pan Am Games Qualifying tournament is the 15th ranked prospect in the Blue Jays’ system.

June’s Major League Baseball Draft was limited to just five rounds due to Covid-19 but produced five Canadian-born draft picks including two Junior National Team outfielders.

Burlington’s Owen Caissie was the first Canadian selected when he went in the second round to the San Diego Padres while Maple, Ontario's David Calabrese went one round later to the Los Angeles Angels.

Caissie enters the Padres’ Top 30 list at No. 24 while Calabrese’s begins his time on the Angels’ list at No. 16.

Two Canadian-born, American-developed players were also taken in June’s draft in Detroit Tigers’ shortstop prospect Trei Cruz and Chicago Cubs’ outfield prospect Jordan Nwogu.

Cruz enters the Tigers’ list at No. 28 while Nwogu appears on the Cubs’ list at No. 21.

To view all lists visit MLBPipeline.com