July 15, 2024

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

While many predicted only 5-to-7 Canadians will be drafted this week in Fort Worth, there are a few things you should know.

The level of talent in Canada has not dwindled.

However, a few things we should point out on why it is more difficult for a Canadian to be drafted

_ The number of minor league teams in each organization has dropped. Nowadays the Jays’ minor-league system consists of the triple-A Buffalo Bisons, double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, class-A Vancouver Canadians, class-A Dunedin Blue Jays, the rookie-class Complex league and the rookie-class Dominican Summer league.

It used to be there was a triple-A team, a double-A club, two class-A teams, two more short-season teams, plus rookie-class clubs. Twenty years ago, they had triple-A Syracuse, double-A Knoxville, class-A Dunedin, class-A Hagerstown class-A St. Catharines, rookie-class Medicine Hat, rookie-class Gulf Coast and Dominican Summer league.

Heck, that was the case in 2019. Gone are the two short-season teams so if you are a Canadian high schooler you either have to be strong enough to compete against college players in a full-season league or have a last name of Naylor.

We remember when the Jays would leave the Englebert Complex in Dunedin and move to Grant Field we’d write “how the complex was quiet on Saturday, but come Monday it will be a beehive of activity when 220 minor leaguers are checking in for their own spring training.”

Now, spring training for the Jays and 29 other teams has spots for 160 players. There is no room at the inn, or rather part of the inn has been closed.

And the talk is the draft will be shortened again by rounds as they drop minor-league rosters by another 20.

“How will they find players then,” asked the naive reporter.

“Well, they’ll let everyone sign independent ball with ‘take-it-or-leave-it offers’ and the minor leagues will fill from there if there is an injury.”

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Dedications

2022 _ Warren Bechard (Brantford, Ont.) -- whose son Jesse Bechard held most Kent State Golden Flashes hitting record andwhen retired. Warren was a constant promoter and supporter of this website. He was an enthusiast.

2023 _ Lynda Loewen wife of former first round LHP Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC) who passed at age 37 on Dec. 10, 2021. Loewen was selected fourth overall in North America in 2002 by the Baltimore Orioles and made the majors three times: A) as a starter, B) as an outfielder and C) as a lefty reliever.

2024 _ Jerry O’Hearn (Oshawa, Ont.) who made one trip to Ann Arbour to see his son, Keegan O’Hearn, single in his first at-bat in a Michigan uniform. He passed in October.

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Hey Buddy can you spare me a dime: If the Blue Jays sign their first-pick Trey Yesavage, the former East Carolina Pirate who went 20th overall for slot money he’ll earn $4.07 million.

Which is more than Alejandro Kirk ($2.8 million), RHP Erik Swanson ($2.75M), RHP Trevor Richards ($2.15M (2024), LHP Génesis Cabrera $1,512,500, RHP Nate Pearson ($800,000), RHP Alek Manoah ($782,500), INF Ernie Clement ($757,700), C Brian Serven ($751,000), RHP Bowden Francis ($748,000), Davis Schneider ($744,900), RHP Jose Cuas ($762,000) snd others.

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ESPN First-round review: 27) Phillies: Dante Nori, OF, Northville HS (Mich.)

There was talk that the Phillies were leaning college hitter after going high school four years in a row (two bats, two arms), but they opted for Nori and his considerable tools. Not deterred by him being an older high schooler (19 years old), the Phillies are getting a no-doubt centre fielder with easily plus speed and an outstanding approach from the left side of the plate

TOP CANUCKS DRAFTED AS TOP CANADIAN YEAR BY YEAR ,,

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Pure country: We’ve been doing this a few years ... and often pitchers will tell us how they will throw a 10-pitch bullpen for one or two teams before the draft. Or hitters will attend private pre-draft workouts for four teams.

But Nathan Flewelling (Innisfall, Alta.) ... man he was on the move. Never have we ever heard about someone attend that many private showings. He worked out for the Blue Jays, the Padres, the Cubs, the Twins, the Tigers, the Astros, the Brewers and the Dodgers. And he wound up being the third Canuck pick ... by the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays had a cross checker fly into Alberta to scout him. That sounds the old-fashioned way. If Flewelling signs Rays scout James Bonicci will get credit.

The catcher had committed to Gonzaga in the fall, but will likely sign with a slot value of $776,500, Coach Jason Chatwood was instrumental in Flewelling he need,

His mother Erin, is originally from Milk River, his father, Curtis, is a banker but also farms and raises cattle. He is typically the youngest kid on his respective teams. An amazing fact when you consider he led with 112.4 exit velocity day one at the MLB combine in Phoenix.

More on Nathan

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Canucks drafted in the first 200 picks all-time list

Jays third-round pick: Veering away from the college approach Toronto took LHP Johnny King, a high schooler from Naples Fla. at 95 over all. He has a slot bonus of $767,200. MLB Pipeline had him ranked 124th. He Prep Baseball Florida Player of the Year. He pitched to an 8-1 record with a 0.73 ERA and 110 strikeouts. At the plate, the Miami comhit .500 with 49 hits, 23 RBIs, 12 doubles, four triples and two home runs.

MLB Pipeline scouting report

AGE 17 BATS L

DOB 07/26/2006

THROWS L HITS L

HT 6’ 3” WT 210

COMMITTED: Miami

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

As baseball has raced into the analytics era, one thing that makes a team’s Draft model very happy is a young Draft-eligible player. When that player is a left-handed pitcher with potential plus stuff, that’s even better. King, who was generating a lot of buzz as the spring progressed in Naples, Florida, ticks off a lot of those boxes as a southpaw with electric offerings who will still be just 17 years old when the Draft rolls around.

King is tall and athletic with an NFL quarterback kind of build. The 6-foot-4 southpaw could eventually have three plus pitches in his arsenal. He already can miss bats with a lively fastball that sits in the low 90s and will touch 94-95 mph regularly, and it’s easy to envision him throwing harder given his frame and already upward trajectory. He combines it with what is often a nasty high-spin power curve thrown typically in the upper 70s that can be a true out pitch. He will use a harder slurve to finish off left-handed hitters, and while his changeup is developing, he shows feel for it and throws it with excellent arm speed.

A terrific athlete who is the best hitter on his team and could be a position player prospect if he focused on that, King does have a lot of energy and effort in his delivery, and not all scouts like his arm action. That can impact his command, though many scouts think the Miami recruit will be able to find a repeatable delivery and throw enough strikes at the next level, with a ceiling as a mid-rotation starter.

Baseball America scouting report

School: Naples (Fla.) HS Committed: Miami
Age At Draft: 18.0
King will be 17 on draft day and is one of the youngest players in the 2024 class, with more projection remaining on a 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame that has already added strength in recent months. He throws a fastball in the low 90s that has touched 94 and also mixes in a snappy curveball in the mid 70s and a low-80s slider with spin rates in the 2,500-2,600 rpm range that both look like solid breaking balls. King is committed to Miami.

No. 4 Canuck: The Kansas City Royals with their large Canadian scouting background (Royals scouting director Lonnie Goldberg used to scout for the Atlanta Braves when he lived in Guelph, Ont.) dipped into the bullpen pool to scoop J.P. Langevin (Quebec, Que.) for the Louisiana-Lafayette Rajun Cajuns with their fourth pick.

Langevin had impressive numbers and has a slot of $696,300.

More about the second Quebec pick.

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Jays fourth rounder: Toronto selected 3B Sean Keys from the Bucknell Bison.

It appears as if Keys had the key to the batting cage leading the team in many offensive categories.

He batted .405 with 19 doubles, three triples, 13 homers and 57 RBIs In 45 games he finished with a 1.333 OPS. He also had 11 clanks, but “hey let’s try to stay positive,” as my friend Serge Touchette at Le Journal de Montreal used to say. He earned Patriot League player of the year. He was ranked 151st by Baseball America.

Scouting Report from MLB Pipeline

AGE 21 BATS L THROWS R

DOB 05/26/2003

HT 6’ 2” WT 225

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 35 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

Bucknell University in Pennsylvania has had just one player get drafted and reach the big leagues -- right-hander Eric Junge, a 1999 draftee -- and has had just two players get taken in the top 10 rounds in school history. Keys put himself on the map with a solid sophomore season for the Bison in 2023, followed by posting a 1.254 OPS in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League and slashing .385/.422/.769 in 10 Cape Cod League games last summer. He followed it up with a huge junior year, finishing with a .405/.535/.798 line to go along with 13 homers en route to winning Patriot League Player of the Year honors.

Big and barrel-chested, Keys is a left-handed hitter who likely will be an analytics darling. He’s improved his approach, walking more than he struck out in 2024, and makes consistent hard contact. He rarely swings-and-misses or chases and showed the ability to handle all kinds of stuff, particularly punishing fastballs. He’s hit 26 homers the last two years combined at Bucknell, and while some scouts aren’t sure the power will play at the next level, his pop with a wood bat in the summer leagues does provide a little more confidence.

There’s less surety about where Keys will play defensively at the next level. He’s been a third baseman throughout his college career, but he’s not athletic or agile enough to stick at the hot corner, and he made 11 errors there in 2024. A move to first is the most likely outcome, and there will undoubtedly be teams on Day 2 willing to roll the dice that his left-handed bat will play professionally.

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Jays compensation pick in the fourth: The Jays chose OF Nick Mitchell from Hall of Famer Scott Rolen’s Indiana Hooisers program.

Mitchell batted .335 with 15 doubles, three triples, five homers and 49 RBIs. He had a .970 OPS in 54 games. Mitchell was ranked 301st by Baseball America.

MLB Pipeline Scouting Report

After playing his first two college seasons at Western Illinois, Mitchell transferred to Indiana and batted .335/.458/.512 despite missing the first six games of the season with a broken hand. He’ll flash plus-plus speed but isn’t a prolific basestealer and has spent more time in college in right field than center. He’s a smaller-framed guy with a quick left-handed swing and an understanding that his primarily role is to get on base. He has performed well with wood bats, earning all-star honors in the summer Northwoods and Cape Cod leagues.

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Blue Jays fifth pick: RHP Jackson Wentworth from Kansas State Jayhawks. He was 5-6 with a 4.24 to lead the staff. Appearing in 28 games -- eight starts -- closing out six games. He walked 27 and struck out 115 in 87 innings. He has a $414,600 slot. He was listed 429th by Baseball Amercia.

MLB Pipeline Scouting report

AGE: 21

BATS R THROWS R

DOB 08/08/2002

HT 6’ 1” WT 210

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

“Part of a 2021 bumper crop of Iowa high school pitchers that also included likely 2024 first-rounder Brody Brecht, Wentworth went undrafted and headed to college as Kansas State’s top recruit. He missed his first college season following Tommy John surgery and struggled to an 8.72 ERA when he returned last spring. He has pitched his way into the top five rounds after opening the season in the bullpen and joining the rotation in late April.

“Wentworth’s fastball is fairly ordinary, sitting at 92-94 mph and peaking at 96 without much life, but his slider and changeup have posted swing-and-miss rates better than 50 percent this year. His low-spin slider parks in the mid-80s and features tremendous depth, while opponents have batted just .074 against his fading mid-80s changeup. His upper-80s cutter gets a lot of chases and shows signs of becoming a solid offering.

“Wentworth has some shoulder tilt in his delivery and throws with some effort, but he repeats his mechanics well and creates some deception while providing regular strikes. He has a sturdy 6-foot-1 frame and a chance to make it as a starter in pro ball if he can add some velocity or movement to his fastball. He may be better suited as a reliever who can work heavily off his slider and changeup.”

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Fifth Canuck selected: Three years ago Sean Travers pointed out a right-handed pitcher playing catch ... “that guy on the end ... he’ll be a draft.” The guy on the end grew up to play for Mississauga North Tigers and on Monday afternoon he was drafted by Oakland A’s scout Matt Higginson (Grimsby, Ont.), in the sixth round. A year ago Higginson selected Myles Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.).

After having a Canuck selected in each of the first four rounds, Canadians put up a zero in the fifth, before Higginson put Canada back on the board.

After learning from the likes of Greg Byron and Travers, Romeo pitched for the Greg Hamilton’s Junior National Team, travelled to Arizona with Doug Mathieson’s Diamondbacks Langley Blaze, pitched in the Draft League and then attended the Combine Chase Field in Phoenix.

More on Josiah Romeo

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Jays sixth pick: Toronto chose C Aaron Parker from the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. He hit .379 this spring with 12 doubles, 12 homers an 51 RBIs. In 48 games he had an OPS of 1.091. In the summer of 2023 he spent 14 games playing on the Cape for Hyannis. Slot money for his pick (187) is $323.400.

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Jays seventh choice: Toronto chose RHP Austin Cates from the UNLV Rebels next. This spring he made 14 starts for UNLV going 6-5 with a 4.08 ERA. He walked 15 and struck out 107 in 90 1/3 innings. Slot money is $253.300.

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Jays eight-round pick: Toronto chose OF Eddie Micheletti, Jr. of Virginia Tech Hokies, the first senior-aged player the Jays have selected.

After three years at George Washington, he transferred to Virginia Tech for this spring where he hit .311 with 11 doubles, two triples, 12 homers and 50 RBIs. In 54 games he had a 1.063 OPS. His slot spot is $208,700. In 2023 he played 41 games at Orleans on the Cape.

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Sixth Canuck pick: The New York Yankees took OF Tyler Wilson in the eighth round from Grand Canyon University, winner of the WAC conference player of the year. Wilson is the son of former Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers reliever Steve Wilson.

Tyler Wilson was born in Taiwan and this year hit .378 with 18 doubles, two triples, 17 homers and 65 RBIs. He fnished with a 1.132 OPS in 58 games

While Papa Steve (Victoria, BC) was a member of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic team -- Canada’s first -- his son Tyler is much like Los Ange;es Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman, who plays in the World Baseball Classic since his father is Canadian. Steve now scouts for the Yankees.

More on Tyler Wilson ...

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Jays ninth-round pick: Next, the Jays selected RHP Colby Holcombe from Mississippi State. Holcombe was 1-1 with a 1.75 making 12 appearances, including one start. He walked 12 and struck out 28 in 21 2/3 innings.

Slot dough for Holcombe is $190.100.

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10th and final pick on Day II: OF Carter Cunningham was selected as the final pick and like the first pick of the draft, he was an East Carolina Pirate. Cunningham batted .367 with 17 doubles, two triples, 17 homers and 66 RBIs. He had an OPS of 1.118 in 63 games.

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Canadians selected on Day I and Day II: Six. Six in the first 10 rounds — that owould be one less than 2023 and one more than both 2020 and 2021.

By Province: Ontario 2, Quebec 2, Alberta 1, British Columbia 1.

By Amateur Organizations: Academy Baseball Canada 2, Junior National Team 2, Mississauga North 1, Sylvan Lake Gulls/Red Deer 1, Toronto Raptors 1.

By Major league Organizations: Tampa Bay Rays 2, Kansas City Royals 1, New York Yankees 1, Oakland A’s 1 and Philadelphia Phillies 1,