Canada’s top amateur baseball players take over Ottawa Stadium

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The next Joey Votto or Josh Naylor could be on display at Ottawa Stadium next week.

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The Toronto Blue Jays are opening the park doors to Canada’s best and brightest amateur baseball players for the Canadian Futures Showcase.

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The five-day event is designed to give 140 young stars a chance to be seen by all major league teams and American universities.

It includes a “scout day” where players will be measured for everything from their speed around bases to the speed of getting the ball off the bat to the time it takes to throw a ball from third base to first base.

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After that there are three days of tournament matches, with the top prospects qualifying for a final match and home derby on Saturday.

The showcase hasn’t taken place since 2019 due to COVID-19 and the first seven versions were held at the home of the Blue Jays’ Rogers Center, but scheduling conflicts prompted a move elsewhere.

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Ottawa Stadium, which underwent a major facelift due to the arrival of the Ottawa Titans of the Frontier League, was a logical replacement venue.

“We started looking for locations in Ontario because geographically it makes the most sense, with 65-75% of kids in Ontario,” said TJ Burton, Blue Jays program director for amateur baseball. .

“We looked around (GTA) but nothing was right up our alley. I grew up in Ottawa, so I knew the stadium, and that’s what we need for this group. It worked well.

With a pair of hotels just one car park away, players, coaches and referees can be easily accommodated on site.

The stadium will be decked out in Blue Jays colors for the occasion, providing as much of a big league feel as possible.

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“For us, this is a very important event for the organization,” Burton said.

“We will be able to customize the stadium to feel like a second home for the Blue Jays, similar to what we did with Buffalo and Dunedin during the pandemic.”

When COVID-19 arrived, creating cross-border complications, the Blue Jays played “home” games at these two venues.

“I saw the (Ottawa) stadium four or five years ago and it wasn’t up to what it should be, but we saw the improvements they made to bring it back to what it once was,” Burton said, recalling the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx’s early days in the 1990s.

“With Blue Jays touches in the stadium, kids are going to feel like they’re stepping into a big event.”

The hopefuls were selected from an initial group of 1,600 people who attended previous tryouts across Canada.

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Ottawa-based talent includes outfielder Tyler Hamilton, first baseman Tyler Bono, receiver Sam Byers and right-hander Sam McKay, all of whom played for Watson Elite in the Canadian Premier Baseball League.

“The top 100 usually split up, but it was really tough for the final (the places),” Burton said. “It’s a tough process, but we feel like we’re making the best decisions. From 100 to 250, it was really close.

The beauty of bringing them together is that they can be assessed both analytically and in game situations.

The Blue Jays have had success throughout the process.

After seeing Oakville native Desan Brown at the showcase in 2019, they selected him in the third round of the Major League Baseball draft. Brown, 20, is steadily progressing through the system, moving to the A-level Vancouver Canadiens this summer.

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Even if another big league organization chooses to select a marquee Canadian out of the tournament, Burton says that’s a positive overall.

Naylor, the Mississauga native, was also spotted in the showcase and was drafted 12th overall by the San Diego Padres in 2015. He now plays for the Cleveland Guardians.

Due to the competitive nature of the tournament environment, there is room for a lesser-known prospect to get longer looks.

This was the case of Abraham Toro from Longueuil, Quebec. After impressing in front of scouts, he received a scholarship to the United States and was eventually picked in the fifth round of the 2016 draft by the Houston Astros. He made his debut for the Astros in 2019 and now plays third base for the Seattle Mariners.

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“One of our primary missions is to help grow the game across the country,” Burton said.

“We are in a unique situation as the only MLB team in Canada. When Joey Votto wins MVP while playing in Cincinnati, it helps inspire Canadian kids to take it to the next level.

Along the way, prospects will receive major league tips.

Canadian big league alumni Matt Stairs, Jeff Francis, Denis Boucher, Phillipe Aumont, Nigel Wilson and Chris Robinson will be among the coaches on the field.

“It’s a celebration of Canadian baseball,” Burton said. “It’s a tight-knit community. (Former players) want to contribute. All it takes is usually a phone call or an SMS. It means something to children when they talk about what they need to work on.

Tickets for the Canadian Futures Showcase can be purchased at the box office outside the Ottawa Stadium.

kwarren@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren