Junior National Team alum, Orimoloye, spending first spring at Jays camp

Outfielder Demi Orimoloye (background left in photo) grew up in Ottawa, Ont., and is spending his first spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays. Photo: Andrew Clark

By Andrew Clark

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Demi Orimoloye has traveled the world playing baseball, but coming to Dunedin is a first for him.

The 22-year-old outfielder from Nigeria, who moved to Ottawa when he was two months old, has excelled in track and field, basketball, and football. He picked up baseball “when I was 10, did it for fun, (and) I started getting really good so I just kept going.”

This is Orimoloye's first year at Jays camp. He was drafted out of high school in the fourth round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015 and came to Toronto after being traded for Curtis Granderson last August.

But the new Jays prospect had previous experience, playing for the Canadian National team from 2012-2015.

“I went all over from Florida, Cuba, Dominican, Japan, Australia - great experience,” he said.

Orimoloye was selected for the Midwest League All-Star game last season while with the class-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, then got called up to class-A Advanced with the Carolina Mudcats of the Carolina League.

"It was cool, fun game, playing with all the best players in (the Midwest) League,” Orimoloye said. “It was a good time.”

Asked when he knew he wanted to become a pro, he had a simple answer: "Probably around when I was 14.”

He played under Canadian Junior National coach Greg Hamilton, who Orimoloye credits for his development as a baseball player.

“The coach was awesome to me in my development and I appreciate him for that development,” he said.

And with the Blue Jays, there are “a lot of staff members, a lot of people to help you,” he said, “a lot of sectors who can help you in all sorts of different ways.”