By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

We asked some Jupiter, Fla. veterans some of their best memories as this year’s 88-team tournament begins … the 20th annual.

Alex Agostino (St. Bruno, Que.), Philadelphia Phillies, 12 years: “As for best memory I really don’t have one in particular but what sticks in my mind is how the Canadian teams and players always battle their butts off and compete with the best teams in North America.”

Langley Blaze OF Tyler O’Neill (MMaple Ridge, BC) excelled at Perfect Game.

Jamie Bodaly, coach DBacks Langley Blaze, eight years: Kyle Joel (Maple Ridge, BC) beating CBA punching out about 10 when nobody knew who we were. Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) mashing a ball into left when the hurricane was there and the shortstop turning around and catching a line drive. Danny Berg (Saskatoon, Sask.) hitting .600 plus two years back. Yet, in reality he hit over .800 but the scorekeeper didn’t replace him in the scorebook (the hits went to someone else). He had a huge double down the right field line against the powerhouse Dirtbags.”

Bill Byckowski (Georgetown, Ont.), Cincinnati Reds, 10 years: “Nathan DeSouza (Milton, Ont.) taking Carson Fullmer deep on a 95 mph fastball.”

Chris Buckley, Cincinnati Reds scouting director, 17 years: “Watching Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) swing bat well and show good tools.”

Ontario Blue Jays Josh Naylor was a favourite of scouts at the 2014 Perfect Game event.

John Castleberry, national cross checker, San Francisco Giants, 17 years, 11 years with the Giants, before that the Cincinnati Reds: “My best recollection is watching Joey Votto on the back field playing for some generic PG Team. I believe it was the PG Navy Team. At that time I worked for the Reds and was the National and the Canadian National Cross Checker. Our scouting director Kasey McKeon had identified Joey in a previous game. So he calls me when Joey was playing on the very back field. I was at one of the front fields and this was before the golf carts came into existence. I hustled my way down to the very back field of a 12 field complex to see this guy. Kasey was there and we watched one at-bat and he shows a beautiful pop and smokes a ball into right field. I look at Kasey and he looks at me and I said “I’m in”. He then goes “let’s go!!” I wanted to stay and watch a couple more AB’s but he said he didn’t want to show his hand to anyone but my concern was that I wasn’t sure when I’d see Joey play again and he said “you will and we’re going to get this guy” so we left the game and then we waited until that spring to see Joey play. Trust me, I was bugging Kasey all spring on when he wanted me to see Joey and he had a plan and had me go in later that spring. It worked out—obviously. I went to watch the MLB Bureau workout in Toronto that Walt Burrows ran. It rained - thank God - and they had to move the workout inside where Joey hit in the cages (he was ripping the nets off and I had seen enough). I met with Joey as soon as everybody left the building and then I was in all the way. We also came up in the spring to see a game with Kasey, Johnny Almaraz our assistant GM, Jeff Barton our West Coast cross checker and Billy Scherrer our East Coast cross checker and myself. He didn’t do much but we were already in. We then talked him into coming into Cincinnati for a workout and he went off in the workout and at 17 he was one of the youngest players in the draft. Kasey did a magnificent job of scouting and keeping all his information close to the vest. I was a shock for a lot of people where we took him but I know Kasey and myself were in even though there were backlash from some Reds people. It was beautiful to be part of this.

“That’s my best recollection of the PG in Jupiter with one of the best Canadian players ever. No analytics - just good old scouting. Kasey should get a lot of the credit and unfortunately he does not get enough recognition for Joey. Reds were a little tumultuous at that time and Kasey was one of the most constant leaders in that office. He was one of the best scouting directors I ever worked for. We were talking about seeing Joey at the PG Jupiter last Thursday. Great story and the amazing when you think about it. One of the best players in the game scouted with human eyes and follow up with human scouts.”

Ray Fagnant, Boston Red Sox, 17 years: “My favorite one was October, 2014. I loved Josh Naylor and I sat in the Ontario Blue Jays dugout the entire weekend and all he did was hit bombs. He put on an absolute laser show. In 26 years of scouting he was one of my all-time favorite guys to see because he always performed.”

Jay Lapp (London, Ont.), Milwaukee Brewers/Toronto Blue Jays, one year: “I went once. There was a hurricane going on. I saw an outhouse blowing across one of the fields. I thought ‘You don’t see that every day.’”

Jamie Lehman (Brampton, Ont.), Toronto Blue Jays California scout, 10th year, one pitching for the Ontario Blue Jays, nine covering the event as director of Canadian scouting: “It has gotten crazier every year ... in 2013, watching a 16-year-old Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) pitch for our Blue Jays Scout team and shutting down a team from Florida, before anyone in the scouting community knew who he was.”

Doug Mathieson (Aldergrove, BC) Dbacks Langley Blaze, 14 years: “Probably the best memory was Tyler O’Neill hitting a big homer to win a game against the Evoshield Canes to dead centre off a 92mph. Also, RHP Nick Pivetta (Victoria, BC) striking out seven in four innings against the Royals Scout team and Demi Orimoloye (Orleans, Ont.) striking out eight times and then hitting one off the batter’s eye in centre as a grade 10 student.”

Tom McNamara, Seattle Mariners scouting director, 15 years: “I came away really impressed Canadian players play in Jupiter and also how the players compete and conduct themselves on and off the field, plus the way Team Canada runs its program when I see it players at other times of the year.”

Claude Pelletier (Ste-Lezard, Que.), New York Mets scout, two years: “One year I was there everyone was there to see Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC).”

Gary Rajsich, Baltimore Orioles scouting director: “No favourite memory, just look forward to watching the Canadian teams. There is baseball talent in Canada.

Shawn Travers (Toronto, Ont.), Ontario Blue Jays, recalling Dan Bleiwas first went in 1999 with Team Ontario and brought the entry over to Ontario Blue Jays in 2000: “Gareth Morgan (North York, Ont.) hitting a home run into what seemed like 80 mph winds was crazy. Nathan DeSouza (Milton, Ont.) hitting a home run against Carson Fuller as we beat Evoshield. Evan Grills (Whitby, Ont.) beating the KC Royals Scout Team. Jacob Kush (Guelph, Ont.) beating the Astros Scout team with Cole Winn on the mound, Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.) beating St. Louis Pirates and making it to the round of eight last year.”

Veteran ex-Blue Jays scout: “A good Jupiter memory regarding a Canadian player in Jupiter in 2011. Ryan Kellogg was pitching for Team British Columbia. He caught the eye of some scouts for the first time when his fastball topped at 89 mph. I think he made a lot of follows list after that outing.”

Elliott: Votto's scout recalls Jupiter, plus Kellogg, Naylor, O'Neill, Soroka