Caissie climbs up Baseball America's draft list
Ontario Blue Jays OF David Calabrese (Maple, Ont.), shown here at Tournament 12 in September, is ranked 67th on Baseball America’s list of top 200 prospects heading into the 2020 MLB Draft. Photo: Christiana Quesko
June 8, 2020
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Four Canadians continue to hold spots on Baseball America’s list of the top 200, 2020 MLB Draft prospects.
We last updated this article on May 25 and since that time Fieldhouse Pirates outfielder Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) has jumped from No. 198 to No. 180 on the list.
Here’s a rundown of the four Canucks:
#67 David Calabrese (Maple, Ont.) (#67 on May 25)
This 17-year-old dazzled scouts with his speed at Tournament 12 at the Rogers Centre in September, registering the fastest 60-yard time (6.43). The left-handed hitting outfielder, who has honed his skills with the Ontario Blue Jays, has continued to impress in the ensuing months. The 5-foot-9 Calabrese, who has committed to the University of Arkansas, will be one of the youngest players eligible for the draft. Baseball America praises him as a “plus-plus runner who has shown flashes of an impressive hit tool from the left side.”
Trei Cruz (Toronto, Ont.) is ranked 140th on Baseball America’s list of top 200, 2020 MLB draft prospects. Photo: Rice University Athletics
#140 Trei Cruz (Toronto, Ont.) - (#137 on May 25)
This 21-year-old shortstop is the son of former Toronto Blue Jays’ 30-30 man Jose Cruz Jr. A switch-hitting 6-foot-2, 200-pound infielder, the younger Cruz was born in Toronto and has been drafted twice previously, by the Houston Astros (35th round, 2017) and the Washington Nationals (37th round, 2019). For the past two years, he has honed his skills at Rice University. In 2019, he batted .305 with nine home runs in 58 games and was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team. Baseball America lauds him for his “power from both sides of the plate.” The esteemed scouting publication also adds that “coaches believe he has the ability to play shortstop at the next level with good hands and a strong arm, though scouts believe his footwork needs to be improved to do so.”
Fieldhouse Pirates OF Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) is ranked 180th on Baseball America’s list of top 200, 2020 MLB draft prospects. Photo: Tyler King
#180 Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) - (#198 on May 25)
This 6-foot-4, 190-pound outfielder has honed his skills with the Fieldhouse Pirates and Junior National Team in recent months. If scouts didn’t already know about his left-handed power stroke, they certainly did after his breakout performance at Tournament 12 last September. He was the winner of the home run contest at the event. Caissie also belted a home run to dead centre field for the Junior National Team at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla., this spring in their exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Scouts like his athleticism, raw power and strong throwing arm. He has committed to the University of Michigan.
“Like Caissie’s Canadian counterpart, David Calabrese, Caissie is young for the 2020 draft class and doesn’t turn 18 until July. Originally a member of the 2021 class, Caissie offers exciting upside with a 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame and power potential from the left side. Caissie’s power potential is his biggest attribute,” reads part of the Baseball America scouting report on Caissie.
Jordan Nwogu (Ottawa, Ont.) is ranked 197th on Baseball America’s list of top 200, 2020 MLB draft prospects. Photo: University of Michigan Athletics
#197 Jordan Nwogu (Ottawa, Ont.) (#191 on May 25)
Born in Ottawa, Ont., this 21-year-old power-hitting outfielder has starred for the University of Michigan. Raised in Ann Arbour, Mich. Nwogu has put up strong numbers in his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Wolverines to land himself on the radar of scouts. “A straight-A student in high school, Nwogu had Division I offers as a defensive end/linebacker, but he opted to go to Michigan on an academic scholarship to study computer engineering and play baseball,” reads part of the Baseball America Scouting Report. “Nwogu earned a starting role midway through his freshman season and has been Michigan’s leadoff hitter for the past two years. Nwogu still looks like a football player (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) and he has plus-plus raw power and plus speed. Scouts are not all that excited about his funky swing—he gets good weight transfer and has plenty of bat speed, but it’s a very top-hand heavy swing. So far, funky or not, it has been extremely effective. He is a career .334/.430/.545 hitter for the Wolverines and his ability to control the strike zone has improved dramatically over his collegiate career.”