Ontario Blue Jays OF and Stanford commit, Philip Cheong (Richmond Hill, Ont.), shown here at the Area Code Games, was the fastest man in the building on Scout Day at the Canadian Futures Showcase on Tuesday, running a 6.34 60.

September 17, 2024

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

It is fine to knock the Blue Jays this season.

They sit in last place in the American League East, 15 1/2 games out of first place and seven games below sea level.

Fans are happy with the redecorated Rogers Centre, but displeased with the product currently on a 77-win pace.

Yet, this week sandlot coaches and high schoolers from across the country CAN NOT knock the Blue Jays.

Once again the ball club is being solid corporate citizens as the Canadian Futures Showcase takes over the Rogers Centre.

It’s not like the 1980s when the Academie Baseball Canada would visit in May to play the Ontario Blue Jays and Team Ontario for two days -- and scouts from other teams were not allowed inside the building. Players and parents could enter during a half-hour window and then the doors to the SkyDome would be locked.

There were plenty of pro scouts on hand Tuesday and college recruiters are due in Wednesday when games begin among the six teams.

“I was talking to a couple of coaches this morning and the Blue Jays are not an easy team to cheer for right now,” said one coach, “but then you see all this talent, the excellent job the Toronto Blue Jays are doing and you want them to go undefeated next year.

“Our registrations, interest level and enrollments are so tied to the success of the Jays at the younger levels ... like it was in the 1990s or in 2015 and 2016.”

The position players were electronically timed in the 60-yard dash, infielders took ground balls from shortstop or right field and were tested with the long jump and their vertical leaping ability.

We spoke to a handful of high schoolers ...

Ontario Blue Jays Philip Cheong (Richmond Hill, Ont.)

* * *

Name: OF Philip Cheong

Hometown: Richmond Hill, Ont.

Current team: Team Royal.

Travel team: Ontario Blue Jays.

Committed: Stanford.

Who is the most influential person in your baseball life and why? “Rob Butler. He coached me with the Ontario Prospects. He introduced me to the game and instilled a love of the game. He taught me how to play with energy and gave me base-running tips on getting good jumps and reads.”

What was your greatest day on the ball field? “I went to the Future Games in Lake Point, Ga. It was nerve-wracking. There were so many scouts there. I went 2-for-2 with a single and a double. Game 2 was still nerve-wracking but not as bad as Day One.”

Who is your favourite player and why? “Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds. I like his speed and his energy. Other players feed off it.”

If not a pro player, what’s the next best job for you when you grow up? “A chef. My father, John Cheong was a chef. He taught me to cook for the whole family. My favourite dish to cook is Beef Wellington. Maybe I’d like to own a small restaurant, but mostly I like to cook for my mother, Julia, my dad, my brother, Daniel, 20, and my sister, Alexis, 14. My best critic in the family? My dad. My worst critic? My dad. Now he is currently a PhD and has his own business.”

The most important life lesson you have learned from the game? “Just be yourself and play with energy.”

What four people (living or passed away) would you invite to a mythical diner and why? “Kobe Bryant, my grandfather on my father’s side, Hing Kwong Chong, my grandmother, Lai Li Chong, and my grandfather on my mother’s side, Victor Klenkin. I love Kobe Bryant for his basketball mentality, he and his daughter died in the helicopter crash. My grandfather on my father’s side passed away in 1999, my grandmother, who passed away this June, and I were really close, and my grandfather on my mother’s side, who passed away in 1994.”

* * *

Name: SS Sammy Ellis

Hometown: Wakefield, Que.

Current team: Team Navy.

Travel team: Ottawa-Nepean Canadians.

Committed: Not yet.

Who is the most influential person in your baseball life and why? “My siblings. I have three younger brothers: Grayson, 14, Eli, 12 and Simon, nine. And one sister, Lou, who is six. All my brothers play baseball. As much as they say I help them, they all help me, just as much.”

Who is the most influential person in your baseball life -- besides your parents -- and why? “Evan Grills, he is our college placement coordinator with the Canadians. He lives in Limoges, Ont. I’ll sometimes stay at his house rather than driving an hour home into Quebec. I know Evan was a lefty who pitched nine years in the minors and made triple-A, but he puts in a lot of work with the infielders. He has studied a lot and works with Sean Travers from Mississauga North.”

What was your greatest day on the ball field? “Today. I’ve been a lot of cool places -- the Colorado Rockies’ double-A affiliate, the home of the Hartford Yard Goats, Lake Point in Georgia for the Futures Series. But being here with this much talent. The players are insane when it comes to their abilities. Everyone I have seen is very talented. I’ve been to some events sir, but never to one with this much talent.”

Who is your favourite player and why? “Troy Tulowitski. He was a right-handed hitting shortstop. I don’t have really anyone with the Blue Jays that I connect with. It used to be Bo Bichette, but he hasn’t had a good year.”

If not a pro player, what’s the next best job for you when you grow up? “Study kinesiology. I would like to impact the game. Maybe run a place like Fitquest at the Sensplex, run by Chris Schwarz. They teach you how to move properly.”

The most important life lesson you have learned from the game? “Baseball is a game of failure. It is a good representative of life itself, sir.”

What four people (living or passed away) would you invite to a mythical diner and why? “My mom, Carly, my dad Nathan, my brother Grayson and my nanna. My mom drives me everywhere. My mom has been with me every day of my life sir. She would drive me to Timbuktu if I asked her. My dad is chief of staff for the Progressive Conservative party whip, Kerry-Lynne Findlay. Grayson is my best friend -- since the day he was born. And my nanna, who is here today. She has always loved the Blue Jays.”

Vauxhall Academy Jets C Jaxson George (Belnan, NS) following in his brother’s shin guards.

* * *

Name: C Jaxson George.

Hometown: Belnan, NS.

Current team: Team Navy.

Travel team: Vauxhall Jets.

Committed: Not yet.

Who is the most influential person in your baseball life and why? “My brother, Lane. Yes. He was named after the late pro bull rider Lane Frost. He’s the reason I fell in love with baseball. I watched him play for the Dartmouth Arrows. He gives me pointers. He’s coming off Tommy John surgery, but he’s going to an NAIA school in Nebraska, the Doane University Tigers in January.”

What was your greatest day on the ball field? “Last May long (weekend) Vauxhall was hosting our own tournament. I went 3-for-4 against the Lethbridge Elks with a double, single and a walk-off grand slam. The score? Well, we won by mercy rule in round-robin play. The final was rained out.”

Who is your favourite player and why? “I have more than one ... by position it would be both Yadier Molina and Sal Perez. Perez is so humble and helpful to the young players. I follow him on social media. I really liked the way Yadier played the game. For just watching a guy, it would be Vladimir Guerrero. He’s a great, great hitter and he makes the game fun. You can tell he is a competitor.”

If not a pro player, what’s the next best job for you when you grow up? “Maybe being involved in sports medicine or being a chiropractor. Something where I could hopefully travel and be involved with a sports team.”

The most important life lesson you have learned from the game? “The game will always humble you ... so stay humble. And things are always not as good as it seems, and things are not always as bad as it seems. I learned that from Coach Mac (Les McTavish).”

What four people (living or passed away) would you invite to a mythical diner and why? “My mom Mindy, my dad Ian, my coach at home, Mike Konigshofer and my catching coach at home, Mike Reeves. My mother is a stay-at-home mom, my father is a tool pusher managing the drilling rigs. He’s been everywhere around the world but right now he’s out in the ocean. Konigshofer runs One Last Rep sports training in Dartmouth and he’s always been a big believer in me when I got into baseball. Reeves (Peterborough, Ont.) played five years in the Blue Jays system. I think he sells operating rooms.”

Langley Blaze INF Luke Laird (Langley, BC)

* * *

Name: INF Luke Laird

Hometown: Langley, BC.

Current team: Team New Blue.

Travel team: Langley Blaze.

Committed: Not yet.

Who is the most influential person in your baseball life and why? “My parents. My dad, Phil, who coached me for a number of years (age 6-to-12). He helped me with the mental approach to the game. He’s a psychology professor at Trinity Western University in Langley. My father taught me the best way to deal with failure. My mom, Casie, a social worked in Surrey and Langley. My mom would even shag fly balls when I took batting practice. Even now she will still pick me up and tells me not to get too excited.”

Who is the most influential person in your baseball life -- besides your parents -- and why? “Jamie Bodaly, Doug Mathieson and coach Chatz (Steve Chatzispiros). I played bantam for Coach Chatz when I was in grade 7. It was intimidating because I was playing up, but he was always positive and supportive. Jamie was already my once-a-week hitting coach before I played for him with the Blaze. Doug coaches the team when we go to Arizona on the pro tour. He provides lot of opportunities for us.”

What was your greatest day on the ball field? “In grade 8, the Delta Blue Jays picked me up to go to the nationals. That was a well-rounded team. I played every game and even pitched an inning in a nothing game to Saskatchewan in round-robin play. I hit a home run against Saskatchewan, a game we lost. It’s not like I had a 4-for-4 day, but every game I was 1-for-2 or 1-for-3. We beat Quebec in the gold medal game.”

Who is your favourite player and why? “Bryce Harper. I love his swing. When I was younger, I used to copy him, but I don’t anymore. His swing is really, really smooth.”

If not a pro player, what’s the next best job for you when you grow up? “Maybe kinesiology, like being a personal trainer, something to do with how the human body works.”

The most important life lesson you have learned from the game? “To always stay positive. I’ve never been the type to get down or get angry with a teammate.”

What four people (living or passed away) would you invite to a mythical diner and why? “Bryce Harper, Joe Carter, my grandpa Lester Laird, who passed about 10 years ago and my grandma Marquis on my mother’s side, who we lost about 2015. I want to know what it was like for Bryce to grow up a baseball prodigy. For Joe -- I know I’m not old enough to remember him playing here, but I am old enough to remember that swing -- I’d like to ask him about the feeling when he hit that home run to win the 1993 World Series. For my grandfather Lester, who passed about 10 years ago, I’d like to ask him what it was like growing up in his day. Same with my grandmother.”

* * *

Name: 3B Justin Rompre

Hometown: Sainte-Anne-De-La-Perade, Que.

Current team: Team Royal.

Travel team: Academie Baseball Canada.

Committed: Not yet.

Who is the most influential person in your baseball life and why? “My mother Julie who works for the Canadian government as a functionary and my father Morton, who works for Kruger Paper.”

Who is the most influential person in your baseball life -- besides your parents -- and why? “My girlfriend, Meliane. When it is not going how I want, she supports me.”

What was your greatest day on the ball field? “We won our hometown tournament, the best of 24 teams in a 10U tournament in Trois-Rivières, we beat the Trois-Rivières Eagles 4-3 in the final. I closed out the game and struck out the final hitter. Everyone was jumping up and down. We were all so excited.”

Who is your favourite player and why? “Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals. He looks at the ball so long that he can’t miss it. He inspires me the way he plays the game.”

If not a pro player, what’s the next best job for you when you grow up? “Either a baseball coach or an electrician. Some of my friends are electricians and they seem to like it.”

The most important life lesson you have learned from the game? “Not to be selfish, help your teammates. Love your teammates. Don’t think of yourself playing this game.”

What four people (living or passed away) would you invite to a mythical diner and why? “My grandfather on my father’s side, Louis-Phillippe, who passed in April, my grandmother on my mother’s side, who passed away in September of 2021, my grandmother on my dad’s side, she passed away when I was in my mother’s belly and my sister Laurence, 13.”

* * *

Pro scouts on hand: Blue Jays (six), Kansas City Royals (three), San Diego Padres (three), Cincinnati Reds (two), Philadelphia Phillies (two), and one each from the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Oakland A’s, St. Louis Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Rays.