McFarland: Canadian Futures Showcase HR derby champ Flewelling impresses at MLB Draft Combine
St. Joseph Academy and Red Deer Braves alum Nathan Flewelling (Innisfail, Alta.) won the Home Run Derby at the Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre in 2023. Photo:
*This article was originally published on Alberta Dugout Stories on June 25. You can read it here.
June 26, 2024
By Joe McFarland
Alberta Dugout Stories
When Nathan Flewelling squared up a Riley Burton pitch on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Gulls Field in Sylvan Lake, everyone in the crowd knew the baseball wasn’t coming back.
The three-run seventh inning home run to deep right field tied the game against the Lethbridge Bulls, which the Gulls would later go on to win 7-6.
It was a big moment for the team, and for the Innisfail native who hit his first Western Canadian Baseball League home run with family in the stands.
“To be able to kind of bring the team energy up, I thought that was pretty special,” Flewelling told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. “I think it’s always cool to be able to play and perform when my family comes to watch.”
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Listen to Alberta Dugout Stories interview Nathan Flewelling here.
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Always quick to talk about the team and humble about his personal accomplishments, the 17-year-old’s homer also gave fans a glimpse into what many in the baseball circles in Alberta and across Canada have known for a while: he has a lot of raw power.
From winning the 2023 Canadian Futures Showcase Home Run Derby to hitting long balls with the Junior National Team, Flewelling has been able to showcase himself at every opportunity.
And when the MLB Draft Combine came calling, the St. Joseph Academy product created even more buzz with a top-3 performance out of 319 prospects in exit velocity, seeing a ball leave his bat at 112.4 miles per hour.
All in a day’s work for a left-hitting slugger who is bound and determined to make his mark on the game he loves.
HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE
It’s been a whirlwind few months for Flewelling as he continues to rack up experiences and accolades.
After his summer with the Red Deer Braves and then with Baseball Alberta’s provincial team wrapped up in 2023, he headed to Toronto for the Canadian Futures Showcase, highlighted by 11 home runs to win the derby.
The backstop remembers being surprised with being added to the lineup for the showcase of power, then realizing he might as well go out and try to win it all.
“I honestly think I was just trying to make it through the rounds,” Flewelling laughed. “You get so tired and – it’s all sort of a blur now – I just remember trying to do my best and get the most energy I could into every swing.”
He admits that once the competition was over and word started to get out about his performance, his phone lit up with text messages and calls of congratulations.
Looking back on it, Flewelling is proud of how it all played out.
“It was just one of the greatest feelings ever,” he said. “That sense of accomplishment and just knowing what you did … it’s pretty awesome.”
INSPIRED BY CANADIAN BASEBALL ROYALTY
Flewelling then hopped on a flight to the Dominican Republic in October 2023 as part of Baseball Canada’s Junior National Team Fall Instructional League camp.
It was his first time getting the opportunity to don the maple leaf and one that he didn’t take lightly as he had seen others do it in other sports.
Getting to do it while doing something he is passionate about was enough inspiration to make him give it everything he had.
“It definitely means a lot to represent your country,” Flewelling said.
“It’s definitely emotional and it makes you want to play a little bit harder because you know what you’re playing for.”
A solid performance in the Dominican was followed by subsequent invites to the junior team’s Extended Spring Training camp roster in Florida in April, where he feels like he became a better player because of all the reps and games they played in a short amount of time.
It was there that he also got to meet Canadian baseball legend Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.), who took time during his rehabilitation to impart some advice and wisdom on the next generation of athletes.
“I think just how hard of a worker he is and then how focused he is on every rep he takes,” Flewelling said of the things he took away from those encounters. “He doesn’t really take a rep off mentally and just makes sure he gets the best out of everything.”
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Albertan again performed well, leading to another invite to join the junior team on their Dominican Pro Academy tour in mid-May.
WELL-DESERVED PRAISE
If anyone knows where Flewelling has come from and what he’s capable of going forward, it’s his long-time coach Jason Chatwood.
Also an Innisfail product, the St. Joseph Academy and Sylvan Lake Gulls head coach has had a front-row seat to the “Nathan Nukes” show.
He says the thing that impresses him the most about Flewelling is the discipline and work ethic he has exhibited over the last six years.
“On the field and off the field, he is constantly trying to get better and never complains,” Chatwood said.
“There were many times where he would be up early in the morning, helping his grandpa during calving season, then straight to school and getting his baseball training and workouts in.”
He says Flewelling is a true student of the game as he’s always asking questions.
Should he choose to go the student route after high school, the young protégé will also be heading to Chatwood’s alma mater, Gonzaga.
But if his performance at the MLB Draft Combine is any indication, Flewelling, who is the fifth ranked prospect on the Canadian Baseball Network’s 2024 Draft List, could hear his name get called during the July 14-16 Draft.
“Nathan has the tools to be a professional baseball player as his bat and raw power are game-changers for him,” Chatwood said. “He has the ability to change the outcome of a game with one swing and his approach is continuing to mature.”
Defensively, the coach says Flewelling is working hard to continue catching and is doing a great job with some elite-level arms, while he also has the ability to play corner outfield and first base.
Yahoo! Sports writer Jordan Shusterman was able to see the talent for himself at the combine and said Flewelling had a strong showing and should be considered in the top tier of Canadian draftees.
“A well-built, left-handed catcher who caught three innings of the high school showcase game on Tuesday, Flewelling also showed well in batting practice,” Shusterman wrote.
“What makes Flewelling’s all-around skill set especially impressive is the fact that he’s one of the youngest players in the entire 2024 draft, as he doesn’t turn 18 until November.”
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
While Chatwood is excited to get Flewelling back in a Gulls uniform in the not-too-distant future, he also won’t be hurt if he has to leave again in July if he gets drafted.
The young catcher, meantime, is soaking in all of the moments he can to learn from those around him.
Flewelling has also been working on his autograph, which is something he’s starting to get asked for around the different ballparks he’s playing in.
“I was definitely one of those kids who was looking up to players back in the day,” he said of the requests for signatures and selfies. “Any time I can help set an example or help support them, I think it’s an awesome opportunity to spread and give them the dream to be there one day as well.”
Flewelling is keen to just keep working on his game while doing everything he can to help his teams win.
While all of the added attention could be thought of as a distraction for some, he doesn’t seem phased and isn’t putting any expectations or pressure on himself.
“I think it just comes back to playing as hard as you can and controlling what you can control,” Flewelling said. “Just being a good leader and a good teammate, honestly. Those are the two things that you have to try to do and the rest will take care of itself.”
If he keeps this up, the rest of the baseball world is about to find out what Alberta baseball fans have known for a long time about the hard-hitting catcher from Innisfail.