In
the weeks leading up to the draft, Perfect Game will be providing a
detailed overview of each state in the U.S., including the District
of Columbia, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. These overviews will
list the state's strengths, weaknesses and the players with the best
tools, as well as providing scouting reports on all Group 1 and 2
players as ranked in Perfect Game's state-by-state scouting lists.
Canada Follow List
2011 Canada Overview
Canada
Overview:
Canada’s
Talent Pendulum Swings Towards Ontario
Canada
continues to make steady inroads on the draft, international
competition and Major League Baseball, and invariably the nation’s
best talent has come from two distinct sources: British Columbia,
particularly the area in and around Vancouver; and Ontario, notably
suburban Toronto and the regions to the west and south.
B.C.
can claim the likes of retired major-league star Larry Walker, former
MVP Justin Morneau and rising talent Brett Lawrie, while Ontario
boasts Ferguson Jenkins, the only Canadian in the Hall of Fame, and
another former MVP, Joey Votto, among the players it has produced
through the years.
Insofar
as the draft, B.C. has historically made the greater impact of the
two provinces as lefthanders Adam Loewen and Jeff Francis, picked
fourth and ninth overall in 2002, remain the two highest-drafted
Canadians, while the first Canadian tapped in each of the last four
drafts has also come from B.C., including the first three in 2011.
The
talent in this year’s draft is not terribly strong, at least by
Canada’s recent standards, and yet it’s noteworthy that almost
all of the top draftable players are from Ontario, and not B.C.,
which has had a decided off year. In fact, the best high-school-aged
talent in western Canada can be found this spring in Alberta,
especially at influential new baseball academies that have sprung up
south of Calgary, in Okotoks and Vauxhall.
In
keeping with the odd dynamics at play in this draft, the two
top-rated Canadians, lefthander Ryan Kellogg and outfielder Julian
Service, both hail from the Ontario community of Whitby, located just
to the east of Toronto. Kellogg has held steady as the top Canadian
pretty much since last summer, especially after holding his own this
spring against pro-level competition while a member of Team Canada’s
junior-national team.
Kellogg
is expected to be drafted in the third or fourth rounds, or roughly
in the same spot as righthander Tom Robson, Canada’s highest draft
a year ago. A B.C. product, Robson was claimed in the fourth round by
the Toronto Blue Jays. It’s more of a toss-up who will be drafted
after Kellogg, but Service and another outfielder from Ontario, Derek
Jones, have made a strong push this spring. Two pitchers that had
initially projected to be possible early-round selections,
righthander Michael Couthier and lefthander Steven Dressler, also
from Ontario, did not live up to expectations and their draft value
has taken a significant hit.
Among
Canadians attending college in the United States, the three players
given the greatest chance of cracking the top 10 rounds are Maine
righthander Jeff Gibbs and Stony Brook second baseman Maxx
Tissenbaum, both Ontario products, and Chandler-Gilbert (Ariz.) JC
outfielder Tyler Hollick, an Alberta product.
Canada
typically has had 25-30 players drafted each year, but the roll back
from 50 rounds to 40, effective with this year’s draft, may
significantly impact Canada’s contribution as teams were inclined
in the past to take late-round fliers on Canadians.
Canada
in a nutshell:
STRENGTH:
Ontario high-school-aged talent.
WEAKNESS:
Draftable B.C. talent.
OVERALL
RATING
(1-to-5 scale): 2.
BEST
COLLEGE TEAM:
British Columbia.
BEST
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM:
Douglas (B.C.).
BEST
SUMMER-LEAGUE TEAM:
Ontario Blue Jays.
PROSPECT
ON THE RISE: Brock Dykxhoorn, rhp, St. Anne’s Catholic HS, Clinton,
Ontario. An
ex-hockey player from a small Ontario town, Dykxhoorn was slow to
emerge as a top prospect for this year’s draft, but has made an
instant impression with his huge 6-foot-8, 225-pound frame alone.
Though he doesn't currently throw particularly hard, and his
secondary stuff and command are still at a very raw stage, he made
obvious gains in his development this spring and actually pitched
surprisingly well for Canada’s junior-national team against pro and
international competition, and for the B.C.-based Langley Blaze on a
trip to Arizona, where he pitched in front of some 150 scouts in an
outing against a team of top prospects from the Dominican Republic.
WILD
CARDS: Julian Service, of, Sinclair SS, Whitby, Ontario; Derek Jones,
of, St. Marguerite D’Youville SS, Brampton, Ontario. Most
high-school-aged players in Canada get extensive exposure as members
of Canada’s junior-national team, which gathers several times a
year and travels extensively in search of meaningful competition, but
Service and Jones were too old to play for the team and generally
have been left to showcase their skills for scouts in tryouts and
showcase events. Nonetheless, both players are athletic center
fielders and have enhanced their value for the draft this spring with
impressive workouts.
BEST
OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, Canada Connection:
Jeff Gibbs, rhp, University of Maine (Attended high school in
Toronto).
Top
2013 Prospect:
Owen Spiwak, c, Cawhra Park HS, Mississauga, Ontario.
Top
2014
Prospect:
Gareth Morgan, of, North Toronto Collegiate HS.
HIGHEST
DRAFT PICKS
Draft
History:
Adam Loewen, lhp, Fraser Valley Christian HS, Surrey, B.C. (2002,
Orioles/1st round, 4th pick).
2006
Draft: Kyle
Orr, 1b, Lambrick Park HS, Victoria, B.C. (Dodgers/4th round).
2007
Draft: Phillippe
Aumont, rhp, Ecole Du Versant HS, Gatineau, Quebec (Mariners/1st
round, 11th pick).
2008
Draft: Brett
Lawrie, ss, Brookswood HS, Langley, B.C. (Brewers/1st round, 16th
pick).
2009
Draft: James
Paxton, lhp, University of Kentucky (Blue Jays/1st round, 37th pick).
2010
Draft:
Kellin Deglin, c, Mountain HS, Langley, B.C. (Rangers/1st round, 20th pick).
2011
Draft: Tom
Robson, rhp, Delta SS, Ladner, B.C. (Blue Jays/4th round).
2011
DRAFT OVERVIEW
College
Players Drafted/Signed:
4/2.
Junior
College Players Drafted/Signed:
2/2.
High
School Players Drafted/Signed:
17/8.
BEST
TOOLS
Best Athlete: Damion
Smith, of, Holy Names Catholic HS, Windsor, Ontario.
Best Hitter:
Nathan
DeSouza, of, E.C. Drury HS, Milton, Ontario.
Best
Power:
Nathan
DeSouza, of, E.C. Drury HS, Milton, Ontario.
Best Speed:
Derek
Jones, of, St. Marguerite D’Youville HS, Brampton, Ontario.
Best
Defender:
Derek
Jones, of, St. Marguerite D’Youville HS, Brampton, Ontario.
Best Velocity:
Logan
Seifrit, rhp, Vauxhall (Alberta) Academy.
Best Breaking Stuff:
Ryan
Kellogg, lhp, Henry Street HS, Whitby, Ontario.
Best Pitchability:
Ryan
Kellogg, lhp, Henry Street HS, Whitby, Ontario.
TOP
PROSPECTS, GROUPS ONE and TWO
GROUP ONE (Projected
ELITE-Round Draft / Rounds 1-3)
None
GROUP TWO (Projected
HIGH-Round Draft / Rounds 4-10)
1. RYAN KELLOGG,
lhp, Henry Street HS, Whitby, Ontario
The
6-foot-5, 220-pound Kellogg has been established as Canada’s top
prospect for the 2012 draft for the better part of a year, and has
only enhanced that standing this spring with a number of strong
outings for the junior-national team against pro talent in Florida in
spring training and extended spring training, as well as on Team
Canada’s annual trek to the Dominican Republic just before the
draft. In one noteworthy outing in March, Kellogg blanked the Toronto
Blue Jays for two innings, retiring the likes of Jose Bautista, Brett
Lawrie, J.P. Arencibia and Adam Lind without giving up a hit. Kellogg
gets excellent downward plane on his pitches, and his fastball has
typically been 87-89 mph, topping at 90-91. He should throw harder as
his body matures. Kellogg’s changeup is a solid secondary pitch,
while his curveball has shown steady improvement and is much firmer
this spring. His greatest advances, though, have come in better
command of all his pitches. He has an excellent feel for pitching,
and few scouts question his competitive approach with the way he has
stepped up this spring against pro-level competition. With limited
high-school baseball in Canada, Kellogg has gained most of his
experience playing for Canada’s junior-national team and also for
the local Ontario Prospects, coached by former big-league brothers
Rob and Rich Butler, since age 12. He has a college commitment to
Arizona State.
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