By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Perfect Game’s 20th annual WWBA World Championship begins Thursday in Jupiter, Fla.

Some numbers:

There will be 88 teams competing divided into 22 pools. The championship final takes place at the Roger Dean Sports Complex in Jupiter, spring home of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins.

And there will be 58 Canadians from Burnaby BC, to Quispamsis NB in the east. Or to put it in player terms ... from Burnaby RHP Theo Millas to Quispamsis’ RHP Ryan Scott. Oddly enough both pitch for the Langley Blaze and are in Jupiter with the DBacks Langley Blaze. Blaze bosses Doug Mathieson, who scouts for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Jamie Bodoly, who scouts for the Cincinnati Reds, have players from all over besides BC players on their roster.

Besides, the DBacks Langley Blaze, Canadians fill up the Ontario Blue Jays roster as the team makes its 18thh straight appearance. Besides the Ontario Blue Jays there are Canucks with the Blaze, Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team, Team Elite Nation and Baseball Northwest National.

The top Canucks heading into next June’s draft are Okotoks Dawgs’ INF Cesar Valero (Calgary, Alta.) and Great Lake Canadian C Owen Diodati (Niagara Falls, Ont.) with the Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team. Plus OF Dasan Brown (Oakville, Ont.) and INF Jaden Brown (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Ontario Blue Jays.

Jaden Brown, ranked 34th among North American high schoolers by Perfect Game, has committed to Kentucky, while Diodati is Alabama bound, Valero to Oregon State and Dasan Brown is Texas A@M bound.

2018 WWBA World Championship Event

By Greg Gerard

Perfect Game Scouting

Pool D

Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Location

GBG Marucci Michael Curialle 96 2019 Davis Heller 227 2019 Los Angeles, CA

SWFL 2019 Nation Jorel Ortega 320 2019 Brandt Pancer 217 2020 Fort Myers, FL

Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team Matthew Lugo 36 2019 Jackson Finley 275 2019 Toronto, ON

Upstate Mavericks Elijah Dale 500 2019 Patrick Hollomon 143 2020 Lyman, SC

Projected Pool Winner: GBG Marucci

A combination of both underclassman and 2019 draft class players, GBG Marucci is set for a big run at this year’s WWBA World Championship. Headlining the team is quick-twitch shortstop Michael Curialle who is taking his talents to UCLA following his senior season. GBG Marucci also has a trio of big-time pitchers who attended the PG National Showcase, a sign of their depth on the mound. These arms include big righthander Davis Heller from Arizona, one of the top uncommitted righthanders in the 2019 class, Cole Dale and BYU commit Tyson Heaton.

Dark Horse: Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team

From top to bottom this team is as loaded as anyone in the pool with players represented from all parts of the United States, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. PG All-American Matthew Lugo of Puerto Rico is the top position player on the squad as he will be manning shortstop for his team. Georgia Tech commit Jackson Finley is the ace of a staff that has multiple pitchers who could carry them far into the weekend’s event. Watch out for the Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team to turn some heads at this year’s WWBA World Championship.

What To Watch For: Hitters

The all-around hitters in this pool is going to be something see. The amount of offense produced in this pool will likely be pretty high due to the fact that each team has a loaded lineup from the one spot to the nine spot in the order. Top 100-ranked hitting prospects include Matthew Lugo of the Blue Jays Scout Team and Michael Curialle of GBG Marucci, as well as Daylen Reyes and Roc Riggio of GBG Marucci, who are ranked in the Top 100 of the 2020 and 2021 classes, respectively.

Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team

Canadians on Tournament Roster

Name Pos Ht Wt B/T Grad School Hometown Commitment

Owen Diodati C 1B, OF 6-3 210 L/R 2019 A.N. Myer S.S. Niagara Falls, ON Alabama

Cesar Valero SS 2B, 3B, OF 6-2 186 R/R 2019 Foothills Composite Calgary, AB Oregon State

By Vinnie Cervino

Perfect Game

Pool K

Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Location

DBacks Langley Blaze Shane Sasaki 147 2019 Justin Thorsteinson 229 2020 Vancouver, BC

Diamond Devils Trotter Harlan 500 2019 Hunter Steger T1000 2019 Mt. Pleasant, SC

Midland Redskins Colt Keith 50 2020 Ty Collins 78 2020 Cincinnati, OH

Rawlings National Scout Team Cayden Wallace 12 2020 Blake Adams 65 2019 Rockville Centre, NY

Projected Pool Winner: Midland Redskins

The Midland Redskins have been one of the more consistent teams over the years when it comes to performance in Jupiter, however, this iteration of the team feels a little bit different as most of their high-end talent comes from the 2020 class as three of the top 100 ranked players in that class are on the roster. Colt Keith, Ty Collins and Jack O’Dowd are those three prospects, who were all recently at the PG Underclass All-American Games in San Diego, and all offer various ways in how they impact a game. The eight Division I commits on the mound bode well for their pitching depth as they should be a strong candidate to come out of the pool.

Dark Horse: Rawlings National Scout Team

Despite finishing 1-3 a year ago, the Rawlings National Scout Team has a nice mix of senior and junior talent across the board. Righthander Blake Adams, an Arkansas commit, comes in as the 65th-ranked player in the class and should garner plenty of looks from pro scouts as the sturdily built righthander can already run his fastball into the low- to mid 90s with a good breaking ball as well. One of the top-ranked 2020 prospects will be playing on this team as Cayden Wallace, the No. 12 ranked prospect, has the ability to go on a tear with tremendous impact strength and bat speed to the profile. They have a number of high-upside prospects that could get hot and come out of the pool.

What To Watch For: Underclassmen on deck

This pool features a number of top-ranked prospects from the class of 2020 including the aforementioned prospects in Keith, Collins, O’Dowd and Wallace. Some other top 2020s include the uber-projectable Justin Thorsteinson of the DBacks Langley Blaze, Ole Miss commit Cody Adcock and Arkansas commit Markevian Hence, who was very impressive at the 17u WWBA National Championship. There are also some impressive 2021s in this pool such as Reece Holbrook, Asa Runge, Tyler Lee and Lauden Brooks. Jupiter has continued to evolve into an event that not only is a must-see in terms of draft talent, but also a place for underclassmen to make their names on the biggest stage possible.

DBacks Langley Blaze

Canadians on Tournament Roster

No. Name Pos Ht Wt B/T Grad School Hometown Commitment

Ryan Beitel SS 2B, RHP 6-2 180 R/R 2019 Langley Secondary School Cloverdale, BC

Holdem Cumiskey C 6-3 170 L/R 2019 Earl Marriott Surrey, BC

Ryan Leitch C 1B 6-2 215 R/R 2019 Sinclair Secondary Whitby, ON Marshall

Daniel Martin OF 1B, 3B, RHP 6-1 190 L/R 2019 Langley Secondary School Langley, BC Niagara

Theo Millas RHP 6-4 200 R/R 2020 Burnaby North Secondary Aldergrove, BC

Hayden Pilmer RHP 6-5 235 R/R 2019 Leamington District Secondary Leamington, ON

Ryan Scott RHP 6-2 190 R/R 2019 Brookswood Secondary School Surrey, BC

Neftaly Severino Cronier RHP 6-0 190 R/R 2019 Saint-Gabriel Boisbriand, QC

Justin Thorsteinson LHP 6-4 200 L/L 2020 Langley Secondary School Langley, BC Oregon State

Taisei Yahiro LHP 6-2 180 L/L 2019 Showa Grakuin Abbotsford, BC

By Jheremy Brown

Perfect Game

Pool L

Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Location

Knights/eXposure Baseball Chris McElvain 104 2019 Solomon Washington 349 2019 Nashville/Chattanooga, TN

Ontario Blue Jays Jaden Brown 34 2019 Nick Fraser 500 2019 Toronto, ON

Reds Midwest Scout Team Nathan Stevens 62 2019 Benjamin Wiegman 71 2020 Hartford, WI

Sandlot Scout Team Sam Thompson 88 2019 Derek Bridges 500 2019 Tulsa, OK

Projected Pool Winner: Reds Midwest Scout Team

Unlike other scout teams who come together for just a single tournament, the Reds have some experience playing together under their belts as it was an almost identical roster at the Kernels Championship earlier this fall. With 22 Division I commits on of their 24-man roster, there’s obvious talent in this lineup from PG All-American Nathan Stevens and Mac Horvath – one of the top players in the 2020 class – to the Wiegman brothers in Andrew and Benjamin, both of whom should make a noted impact. The younger Wiegman, Benjamin, will lead a pitching crop that runs 11 primary arms deep, a crucial element to any team looking to make a run in Jupiter.

Dark Horse: Knights/eXposure Baseball

While the Knights and eXposure programs have come together for Jupiter, they also pulled some of the top players from Power Baseball, making for a roster that could create some noise as 23 of their 24 players are committed to Division I programs. Two-way prospects Chris McElvain and Najer Victor offer the coaching staff flexibility as their athleticism allows them to stand out both with the bat and on the mound. Kurtis Reid may only be a 2021 but he’s proven why he’s one of the top players in his class with middle infield skills that will play nicely alongside Mason Land. Solomon Washington and his low-90s fastball will anchor the staff of six primary arms and plenty of talented secondaries.

What To Watch For: Jaden Brown

While it’s not the hotbed like that of the warm, southern states, Canada has continued to produce high-level talent and shortstop Jaden Brown leads the 2019 crop. After making the national circuit, which culminated in a PG All-American selection, Brown’s performance in Jupiter will be closely monitored as he’ll go up against big arms that he may not necessarily see on a daily basis come spring. He’s young for the grade and has continued to come into his own, showing a loose righthanded stroke with present juice and soft hands defensively, plenty of things for scouts to be drawn to moving forward.

Ontario Blue Jays

Tournament Roster

Name Pos Ht Wt B/T Grad School Hometown Commitment

Darius Armorer OF 6-2 170 R/R 2020 Whitby, ON

Lukas Barry RHP 6-1 180 R/R 2019 St. Aloysius Gonzaga Mississauga, ON St. Louis

Justin Bradt LHP 6-3 195 L/L 2020 Burlington, ON

Michael Bridgens RHP 6-2 190 R/R 2019 King’s Christian Collegiate Burlington, ON

Jaden Brown SS 2B 6-1 180 R/R 2019 St. Marcellinus S.S. Mississauga, ON Kentucky

Dasan Brown OF 5-11 170 R/R 2019 Abbey Park Oakville, ON Texas A&M

Dalton Brownlee RHP 6-2 180 R/R 2020 Nantyr Shores Secondary Innisfil, ON

Blake Buckle C 1B, OF 6-1 195 L/R 2019 Craig Kielburger SS Milton, ON

Nicolas Castonguay RHP 2B, OF 6-0 170 R/R 2019 St. Martin`s Mississauga, ON

Dionysius Chialtas C 1B 6-0 180 L/R 2020 Blyth Academy Toronto, ON

Jason Chiu SS 2B 5-10 150 R/R 2020 Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute Scarborough, ON

Joshua Cipolla C 1B 6-3 210 L/R 2019 Abbey Park Oakville, ON

David Coleman OF 5-10 170 L/L 2019 Lorne Park Secondary Mississauga, ON

Alex Coles LHP 6-3 175 R/L 2020 Humberview Secondary Milton, ON

Khalid Collymore SS 2B 5-8 155 L/R 2019 Port Credit Mississauga, ON

Jacob Corby RHP 6-2 170 R/R 2020 Thornhill, ON

Darcy Darichuk 1B 3B, OF 6-1 180 R/R 2019 Corpus Christi Catholic Burlington, ON

Brandon Deans RHP OF 6-4 202 L/R 2019 Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mississauga, ON

Nick Digennaro OF 1B, 3B 5-11 190 R/R 2020 St Ignatius of Loyola Oakville, ON

Ashton Feijo 2B 1B, 3B, OF 6-1 180 L/R 2019 Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mississauga, ON

Nick Fraser LHP 6-0 210 R/L 2019 Nelson Burlington, ON

Josh Golden SS 2B, OF 5-10 150 R/R 2019 Upper Canada College Toronto, ON

Caden Griffin LHP OF 6-0 160 R/L 2020 John McCrae Secondary Nepean, ON Missouri

Adam Hill RHP 6-5 180 R/R 2019 Streetsville S.S., Mississauga, ON

Arthur Kowara 1B 6-4 215 R/R 2019 Michael Power-St. Joseph Toronto, ON

Ryan Kush 2B RHP 5-8 135 L/R 2019 John F Ross CVI Guelph, ON

Christian Leone SS 2B 5-9 150 R/R 2019 St. Michaels College Nobleton, ON

Kyle Lev RHP 6-7 200 R/R 2019 St. Martin`s Mississauga, ON Siena

Robert Lindsay OF 6-1 175 R/R 2019 Mississauga, ON

Ej Martinez C UT 5-10 195 S/R 2019 Our Lady of Lourdes Guelph, ON

David McCabe 3B 1B 6-4 225 S/R 2019 Everest Academy Courtice, ON

Joel McKnight OF RHP 6-0 170 R/R 2019 Brooklin Whitby, ON

Julian Parson RHP 6-0 145 R/R 2021 Loyola Catholic Secondary Mississauga, ON

Sean Pettener 3B 6-0 175 L/R 2019 St. Mary’s Catholic Hamilton, ON

Will Potter LHP 5-11 195 R/L 2019 Kincardine District Secondary Kincardine, ON

Mason Robertson LHP 6-4 235 R/L 2019 Patrick Fogarty Secondary Orillia, ON

Nico Saldias RHP 6-0 170 R/R 2020 Pickering Ajax, ON

TJ Schofield-Sam SS 2B, 3B 6-0 180 L/R 2019 North Park Secondary Brampton, ON Chipola College

Grayden Stauffer RHP 6-6 175 R/R 2019 Oshawa, ON

Lukas Touma RHP 1B 6-1 185 L/R 2020 WL Mackenzie Whitby, ON

Jason Zhang SS OF, RHP 6-0 160 S/R 2020 Colonel by Secondary Ottawa, ON

By Jheremy Brown

Perfect Game

Pool Q

Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Location

Giants Scout Team/FTB Riley Greene 2 2019 Alejandro Torres 106 2019 Kissimmee, FL

Iowa Select Peyton Williams 437 2019 Zachary Bierman 500 2019 Cedar Rapids, IA

Louisiana Knights Gavin Kash 32 2021 Thomas Wilhite 197 2019 Baton Rouge, LA

Team Elite Nation Hunter Marsh 276 2020 Xander Stephens 267 2020 Winder, GA

Projected Pool Winner: Giants Scout Team/FTB

Looking up and down this roster, there’s a good chance this squad could be the final team standing come Monday afternoon after a second-place finish last year. While most of last year’s roster has moved on to the next level, PG All-American Riley Greene returns once again and he has established himself as perhaps the best pure hitter in the 2019 prep class. Fellow All-Americans Hylan Hall and Myles Austin are fast-twitch, impact players and Maxwell Romero has Jupiter experience as well as a well-rounded skill-set behind the plate. Alejandro Torres throws a heavy fastball in the low-90s and Michael Dominguez knows how to mix, leading a staff that has the depth to make a run.

Dark Horse: Iowa Select

There are plenty of factors for a team to make a run in Jupiter, from on-field talent to roster depth and experience. The Iowa Black team is made up entirely of 2019 graduates, eight of whom are committed to play Division I with another three committed to play at the next level. Lefthander Zachary Bierman is a Creighton commit who could very well get the ball in the critical pool play game and is one of eight primary arms listed on their roster. The trio of Peyton Williams, Sam Link and catcher Garrett Ries are just three of the bats capable of making an impact on the game on a team that just competed in the Kernels Foundation together earlier this fall.

What To Watch For: Can anybody take down Giants Scout Team/FTB?

There’s no hiding that the Giants Scout/FTB team has some premier talent with three Perfect Game All-Americans, but they also have the drive to finish the job after last year’s second-place finish. That said, every team in their pool will be aiming for them, and in an atmosphere like Jupiter, anything goes. Both the Louisiana Knights and Team Elite Premier teams are on the younger side but have key pieces needed for an upset, even if they are underclassmen, with valuable talent on both sides of the ball. Mentioned above, Iowa Select is a group that has played together recently and has some chemistry, along with talent, to make noise in pool play.

Team Elite Nation

Canadians on Tournament Roster

Name Pos Ht Wt B/T Grad School Hometown Commitment

Robin Gervais OF 6-1 165 R/R 2020 Felix-Leclerc Mascouche, QC

Will Perrin 1B 3B 6-4 225 R/R 2019 Felix-Leclerc Terrebonne, QC

Emilien Pitre SS RHP 5-9 130 L/R 2020 Felix-Leclerc Repentigny, QC

Nathan Primeau OF 5-11 140 L/R 2020 Ecole secondaire Georges-Vanier Laval, QC

By Patrick Ebert

Perfect Game

Pool T

Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Location

Baseball Northwest National Cole Hinkelman 44 2019 Alex Giroux 500 2019 Portland, OR

Braves Scout Team/Team Elite Tyler Williams 117 2019 Alex McFarlane 72 2019 Atlanta, GA

Premier Baseball Futures Logan Hamm 249 2020 Connor Phillips 60 2019 Tomball, TX

Richmond Braves Jordan Peyton 500 2020 Jake Berry 124 2020 Richmond, VA

Projected Pool Winner: Braves Scout Team/Team Elite

Team Elite has aligned with the Braves for this year’s WWBA World Championship and appropriately has a team loaded with some of the top prospects from Georgia and neighboring states. The lineup will have some serious firepower with several big boppers in the middle of their lineup, but it’s the pitching that will be the separator. The roster includes five arms that are ranked among the top 350 in the class of 2019, and yet the icing on the cake is the presence of three incredibly talented members from the class of 2020: Jackson Phipps, Nate Wohlgemuth and Alex Edmondson. Phipps and Wohlgemuth were both named to the All-Tournament Team at the 17u WWBA National Championship earlier this summer, more than proving they can play up a level.

Dark Horse: Baseball Northwest National

Baseball is alive and well in the Pacific Northwest and the Baseball Northwest National squad is bringing some serious talent with them from one corner of the nation to the other. It starts with hulking PG All-American Cole Hinkelman and continues with middle infielders Justin Boyd and Owen Cobb as well as outfielder Bryce Matthews. These players are committed to college programs among the nation’s best, including Oregon State, Arkansas and Stanford, speaking to the level of rostered talent, and while the team is a little thin on primary pitchers, it’s a diverse group that could make some noise in Jupiter.

What To Watch For: Team Elite arms

Every year it seems as though a pitcher from Team Elite steps up and dominates. In 2015 it was Connor Thomas. Two years ago it was Ethan Hankins, as a high school junior, who took home a share of the Most Valuable Pitcher honors. Last year it was Ethan Smith, who tossed a 14-strikeout perfect Game. It’s impossible to predict who will step up this year but there are no shortage of options to do so on a loaded staff.

Baseball Northwest National

Canadians on Tournament Roster

Name Pos Ht Wt B/T Grad School Hometown Commitment

Micah McDowell OF 6-2 175 L/R 2019 Foothills Composite Okotoks, AB Oregon State