TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays' Canadian Futures Showcase has become a destination for young baseball prospects and scouts alike.
Hosted by the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy at Rogers Centre, the three-day tournament brings together 161 players from across Canada to show off their skills to Major League Baseball scouts and U.S. college recruiters. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the showcase has become one of the most important displays of amateur baseball talent in North America.
"I mean, for events in Canada, this is the one, right?" said outfielder Philip Cheong of Richmond Hill, Ont. "Every year you gotta look forward to this, this event at Rogers Centre.
"You have to prepare yourself more mentally than physically and just get ready to get excited."
The 17-year-old Cheong, who plays his club ball with the Ontario Blue Jays, has already committed to play for Stanford University. Even though his collegiate future is lined up, Cheong couldn't pass up playing in the tournament a third time.
"It's a great opportunity to represent the Toronto Blue Jays, to represent my organization and my country," said Cheong after his team finished its first of two games on Wednesday. "My third year coming back, it's all about the eyes that are going to be on you."
Tournament director TJ Burton said that approximately 50 scouts were in attendance at the ballpark in downtown Toronto, an all-time high. He also said that it's likely the highest quality group of prospects the tournament's seen in its decade of existence.
"It's definitely become one of those stepping-stones," Burton said on the concourse at Rogers Centre. "Your first goal is to make that travel ball team, and then I think it's, you know, to play in the showcase, and then it's to play with the junior national team, and then to go to college, and finally it's play professional baseball.
"I think we've found our way into that kind of cycle."
Since the Futures Showcase began in 2014, 126 alumni of the event have been drafted by MLB teams, including Blue Jays pitcher Zach Pop of Brampton, Ont., Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Soroka of Calgary, and the Cleveland Guardians' trio of Josh and Bo Naylor of Mississauga, Ont., and Cade Smith of Abbotsford, B.C.
It's part of the ongoing evolution of amateur baseball in Canada, said Burton.
"Programs across the country are doing a really good job of developing players and really working hard and trying to make baseball more of a year-round sport," said Burton. "Getting inside and training in the winter and playing fall ball and getting out early in the spring.
"I think that coupled with the work that the Blue Jays are doing, Baseball Canada's doing, and then all around the programs across the country and how they're really putting an emphasis on development is just increasing the talent level every year."
Kory Lafreniere, the Blue Jays assistant director of amateur scouting, said that the tournament is attracting more scouts from NCAA schools, American junior colleges, and Canadian universities.
"I think it raises the bar, and then raises the talent level across the country," said Lafreniere. "The better that overall talent level is, the more it'll push all players.
"Raising the floor of the talent level in Canadian baseball gives the opportunity for the players raise their own competition level and compete against the best."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
