September 20, 2022

By Devon Tredinnick

Carleton University

Philip Cheong stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 155 pounds.

At 15 years old, his Instagram account garners more than 60,000 followers and his website, “Philibaseball,” reads, “Baseball is my life and passion.”

Cheong is one of the many young talents at the Canadian Futures Showcase, which hasn’t happened since 2019 due to a COVID hiatus, and thanks to a concert cancellation earlier this year, it’s now happening in Ottawa.

Cheong is honoured to be at the event.

“I’m proud to be where I am right now,” he said.

Describing himself as happy and joyful, he said he’s always wanted to play professional baseball.

“It’s a dream of mine,” said Cheong. “I want to impress my family, I want to make my mom and dad proud.”

Outside the ballpark, Cheong holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He explained how his martial arts skills transfer to baseball.

“It helps with flexibility a lot,” he said. “Doing Tae Kwon Do, you have to kick a lot and be flexible, it prevents injuries when playing baseball.”

Cheong also credits his mother for helping him stay injury-free.

“Every night, [I do] stretches with my mom, she’s a yoga teacher,” explained Cheong.

He added that both heat and ice packs are a necessity to his recovery program.

After finishing his first workout, Cheong spoke about how it feels to be one of the smaller players on the team, and how it doesn't bother him.

“We’re all here for a reason, we’ve all made it,” he said. “We’re all trying to keep going, you can’t think about that stuff.”

Cheong made sure to thank his family and coaches for all their support, especially brothers, and former Major League Baseball players, Rob and Rich Butler.

For the future, Cheong said he hopes to see more coaches and meet more teammates. He added that he wants to increase his power and strength.

His father, John Cheong, echoed some of his son’s sentiments. He said it’s amazing to see him take part in the showcase. He said that himself, alongside his wife and Cheong’s sister are his biggest fans, “without a doubt.”

Although he’s always been an athlete, Cheong didn’t get into baseball until he was about nine years old, John Cheong explains.

“He’s actually a martial artist, he started around three,” he said. “Then, one day, out of the blue, he says ‘I want to play baseball.’”

What gave Cheong the idea, his father said, was attending a Toronto Blue Jays Academy camp and meeting Roberto Alomar.

From there, having seen Cheong play, Alomar suggested he get in contact with Rob Butler.

“Rob basically took him under his wing,” said John Cheong.