Black-Araujo: Looking at Ontario's top 2020 draft prospects

Ontario Terriers and Junior National Team LHP Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) will be one of the top prospects in his province heading into the 2020 MLB draft. Photo: Eddie Michels.

June 20, 2019

By Cam Black-Araujo

Canadian Baseball Network

The final names have been called on the 2019 draft that saw 12 players from Ontario chosen across the three-day event.

Five of those 12 came from the college ranks and the other seven from high school with the earliest being Oakville, Ont., native Dasan Brown’s third-round selection by his hometown Blue Jays.

With cold weather leading to late starts to the season in Ontario, often times right now to best time to get out and watch the following years high school draft prospects. You can even catch one of these college prospects — Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.) — playing in the College World Series right now with his Vanderbilt Commodores. Ontario breeds draft prospects every year and 2020 should be no different.

High School Prospects

Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) : O’Halloran, a Michigan Wolverines commit, is Ontario’s top 2020 high school prospect. The 6-foot-1 left-hander pitched with the Junior National Team this spring highlighted by two scoreless innings against the Washington Nationals prospects in April, allowing one hit, zero walks and one strikeout. Facing pro players all spring has been huge for his development and when he’s up against his true class it’s evident he’s a step ahead of opponents. The Mississauga native and Ontario Terriers alum should be the first high school pitcher from Ontario off the board next year.

Caden Griffin (Nepean, Ont.) : Another left-handed pitcher, Griffin pitches for the Ontario Blue Jays with a fastball that works in the 85-88 mph range. The Missouri commit recently pitched in front of dozens of pro scouts at Prep Baseball Report’s ProCase and impressed with his fastball and control on the mound. The 6-foot, 170-pounder from Nepean, Ont., has previously pitched for the Canadian Junior National Team in 2017 and also represented Canada at the 2013 Little League World Series.

Bryce Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.): Arnold looks to be the top high school positional player heading into next year’s draft and despite being somewhat undersized at 5-foot-9, 155-pounds, the shortstop has all the tools. He has a great approach at the plate and can spread the ball all over the field with an exit velocity of 98 mph while also moving well on the bases. Defensively, the Fieldhouse Pirates product has the actions and the arm, going across the diamond at 87 mph. The Grimsby native is committed to Campbell University and will look to solidify his spot over the next year as the province’s top positional player.

Calvin Ziegler (Heidelberg, Ont.): Ziegler is a 6-foot, 190-pound right-hander from Heidelberg. Ont. who pitched this spring with the Canadian Junior National Team and committed to the University of Connecticut in February. The 16-year-old has been up to 89 mph, working in the 85-88 range but has been sidelined the past couple months due to an arm injury. The Tri City Giants ace does his damage with the fastball/curveball combo and his actions are clean on the mound. The top high school right-hander in the province will look to dominate late in the summer with a rested and healthy arm.

College prospects (only players heading into Junior year)

Noah Myers (Wyoming, Ont.): If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Myers was one of four Canadians selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in this year’s draft. The 30th-round pick has yet to sign and with his commitment to South Carolina it appears that’s where he will be headed. The 6-foot-3 outfielder from Wyoming, Ontario put up some impressive numbers this year led by his 77 stolen bases which led all D1 JUCOs. The Great Lake Canadians alum also added slashed .397/.531/.613 with eight home runs, 92 runs scored and walked (53) more times than he struck out (49).

Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.) is currently playing for Vanderbilt in the College World Series, but he is one of the top Ontario prospects heading into the 2020 MLB draft. Photo: Vanderbilt Athletics

Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont.): Davis, another Blue Jays draft-pick back in 2017, is a slightly undersized outfielder standing at 5-foot-10 but his hit tool and ability to control the strike zone are the reason Vanderbilt made him the first Canadian-born player in program history. The Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum was utilized as the leadoff man early in the season for one of the country’s top teams before an injury. The Mississauga native appeared in just 35 games with a slash line of .331/.441/.421 with nine extra-base hits and more walks (23) than strikeouts (19) as well. With 13 players and three outfielders drafted this year, there should be more playing time for Davis next season which could bring his game to another level.

Noah Skirrow (Stoney Creek, Ont.): Skirrow is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-hander from Stoney Creek, Ontario who really stepped up this season at Liberty University. In the rotation this year he went 5-6 with an ERA of 3.76 and racked up 98 strikeouts in 76 2/3 innings. Skirrow was up to 93 mph as a high school senior with the Great Lake Canadians program and with his strong frame, the velocity is a big part of his game when on the mound. How he commands his pitches next year at Liberty will be a big factor in where he ends up on draft day in June.