October 17, 2023

The Ontario Blue Jays selected their end of the season award winners.

This year five Ontario Blue Jay grads appeared in the majors: RHP Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Minnesota Twins, 1B Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) and brother Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.), Cleveland Guardians, RHP Zach Pop (Brampton Ont.) and RHP Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) both with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The quintet broke an unofficial record — held formerly by the North Delta Blue Jays: LHP Jeff Francis (North Delta, BC), 1B Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC) and LHP James Paxton (Ladner, BC).

This year’s award winners were voted on by the coaching staff.

COLLEGE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Luca Boscarino (Mississauga, Ont.).

Boscarino was a key part of a powerhouse Connors State Cowboys lineup, hitting .307 with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs. On top of the production with the bat, he made just one error over 56 games while recording 207 putouts.

PROFESSIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.).

Naylor enjoyed a breakout season for the Cleveland Guardians, slashing .308/.354/.489 while adding 97 RBIs and 17 homers in 121 games. He collected 32 of those RBIs in the seventh inning or later, which is the most in the majors.

JASON FREEMAN MEMORIAL AWARD - Matthew Brown (Carlisle, Ont.).

This award is given to the player who, in the face of adversity, excels in overcoming it to ultimately succeed at their goal. Brown did exactly that. Pushing through adversity that came his way and coming out on top. Brown pushed through and put together an outstanding season.

MVP - Myles Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.)

Myles put together some staggering numbers this year, with a slash line of .465/.558/.977 and five home runs. Following a season filled with accolades, He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the first round (39th overall) and promoted to the class-A Stockton Ports after two games in the Complex League.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR - Owen Slater (Brooklin, Ont.)

Slater was virtually unhittable this season for the Ontario Blue Jays 17U team. Over 31 1/3 innings, he gave up just four earned runs while striking out 47. That’s good for a 0.89 ERA while only giving up 19 hits on the year. Slater was a leading force on the OBJ 17U team that won the CPBL title this past season.

COACH OF THE YEAR - Darren Shred (Brampton, Ont.) and Jared Kennedy (Mississauga, Ont.)

Both of these coaches made big impacts on their respective teams this season. Shred won the 17U CPBL championship and Kennedy won the 16U CPBL title. Shred’s pitching staff had a 2.94 ERA while striking out 279 over 224 Innings. Kennedy’s 16U pitching staff struck out 335 hitters over 285 innings.

Head coach Corey Eckstein (Ancaster, Ont.) of 17U OBJ and team president on Shred: “Darren has the natural ability to not only connect with players on a personal level, but articulate his thoughts based on past experiences. He was an integral part of our 17U team’s success, and I look forward to seeing him and Jared work together this off-season.”

Head coach 16U Ontario Blue Jays and GM Shawn Schaefer (Burlington, Ont.) on Kennedy: “Jared’s dedication and work ethic is second to none, spending countless hours programming and working with the pitchers on the floor. He is also able to build meaningful relationships with the pitchers that will last for years. The pitching development program that was created this year had a huge impact on our pitchers’ velocity building, arm health and overall success on the mound, including two CBPL championships led by their (Jared and Darren) pitching staffs.”

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR - Conner Morro (Caledon, Ont.)

This is the second year the Ontario Blue Jays are handing out this award, which recognizes outstanding efforts and over the top achievements by a staff member. Whether that be on the field, off the field, or both.

Eckstein: “Conner continues to play a huge role in the overall success of our program. His willingness to go above his job description and communicate with staff and players doesn’t go unnoticed. He is very self-aware, continues to further his education in many areas, and always puts the health and well-being of each player above wins and losses. There is not a weekly Monday meeting that goes by where I don’t learn something from Conner. Very well deserving of this year’s award.”