April 8, 2019

TJ Burton, program manager of Amateur Baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays, has announced changes to the annual Tournament 12 which will be held at Rogers Centre this year from September 17 to 21.

Presented by New Era, Tournament 12 (T12) is a national amateur baseball tournament held each September by the Blue Jays Baseball Academy. The goal of the event is to provide a showcase for the best amateur baseball players born in Canada, with college eligibility.

Here is a summary of the adjusted format that Burton outlines in an email today:

-T12 will move from eight teams (160 players) to six teams (150 players), with tryouts held across Canada

-Players from every region will be represented in the tournament; however, teams will no longer be constructed based on geography

-As a result, players will be evaluated differently, as they compete for a roster spot against players on a national level

-The tournament will shift its focus from a championship to a true showcase, with players being evaluated by college and pro scouts, giving them the best opportunity to continue their careers beyond high school

-The full event will take place over five days (September 17-21) at Rogers Centre – the tournament will run for three days and teams will play the same number of games as previous years

-At the conclusion of the third day, a Canadian top prospects team will be named by the Blue Jays Scouting Department

-On the fourth day, an MLB top prospects team from Puerto Rico, as well as an American top prospects team selected by Blue Jays Scouting staff, with the assistance of the Blue Jays Baseball Academy and Tournament Commissioner, Roberto Alomar, will join the event

-The three countries will play in a total of six games in the established T12 format over the final two days (each team will play each other twice)

-We will look to hold a home run derby where each country selects three players to compete on the evening of day four

“The goal of these changes is to ensure that the best players from Canada are selected to participate in the tournament.,” writes Burton.

“The new format will also increase the number of scouts that attend, thus giving our Canadian players a better opportunity to be seen and evaluated. We are confident these efforts will strengthen T12 and provide further exposure and experience for talented young baseball players in this country.”