Okotoks Dawgs Scout Day: Upperclass Quick Hits
March 31, 2023
On Tuesday, March 28th, PBR Canada's staff headed to Okotoks to host our first ever Scout Day with the Okotoks Dawgs. We had roughly 70 players on hand from the 2023 - 2028 classes with 18 committed players on hand, including eight of them at the Division I level.
Not only was their plenty of committed talent on hand, but there was a slew of high-end uncommitted players in the upperclass group as well as some intriguing underclassmen who will be on the scene for several years to come. With the event now completed and stats populated, we will now break down everything we saw at the event with defensive leaderboards, TrackMan hitting and pitching leaders and Quick Hits which will provide scouting notes and video on the standouts.
Our TrackMan was utilized throughout the event for batting practice metrics, as well as bullpens to gather advanced data on players. Beyond that, players ran through defensive evaluations with positional velocities and pop-times recorded.
Below, we continue to break down everything from the event with our first set of Quick Hits which takes a look at eight standouts from the 2023 and 2024 classes at the event.
To view Event Results, click here.
To view Defensive Leaderboards, click here.
To view upcoming events, click here.
OKOTOKS DAWGS SCOUT DAY - UPPERCLASS QUICK HITS
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Benito Bonilla 3B / RHP / Okotoks dawgs , AB / 20242024 3B/RHP Benito Bonilla put together the best overall day and impressed flashed his upside on the mound and at the dish. His sheer size immediately catches your attention at 6-foot-4, 220-pounds. Put together the loudest round of BP as he was elevating the ball to middle of the field throughout his entire round. Peak exit velocity of 101.2mph with 86% of his batted balls going 330ft or more (385ft max). On the mound, the fastball sat 89-90mph with sink to it. Also flashed a slider at 79-80mph and changeup at 82-83mph. One of the top uncommitted players in the country and is drawing significant interest from Division I coaches.
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Michael Yusypchuk RHP / Okotoks Dawgs Academy, AB / 2024Rankings OverallRank: 276 / POS: 88
2024 RHP Michael Yusypchuk (Missouri St. commit) was one of the most polished arms we saw at the Dawgs Scout Day. Stands out on the mound with a big, proportionate frame at 6-foot-2, 200-pounds. Live, clean arm action and effortless, repeatable delivery. Quality four-pitch mix with high-spin on all his pitches. Fastball sat 87-89mph (2300+) along with a curveball at 77-78mph (2500+), slider at 79-81 (2400+) and changeup at 80-81 with fade and good horizontal break. Has feel for all his pitches and the strike zone. One of the better 2024 arms in the country.
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Brandon Leblanc OF / RHP / Okotoks Dawgs Academy, AB / 2023Rankings StateRank: 17 / POS: 5
‘23 RHP Brandon LeBlanc (Chandler Gilbert commit) was one of the top senior arms we saw on Tuesday. Big, athletic frame on the mound with room for added strength at 6-foot-3, 190-pounds. The arm is long and quick on the mound with the fastball sitting 85-87mph. Downer breaking ball 70-73mph and the pitch is still developing, while the changeup was 75-76mph. Good combination of size and strike-throwing to go along with a good fastball.
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Leo Cote 3B / RHP / Okotoks dawgs academy , AB / 20242024 Oregon State commit Leo Cote impressed on both sides of the game during the Dawgs Scout Day. Showed well during his bullpen with plenty of strikes while working from a high 3/4 arm-slot. Fastball sat 86-88mph, coupled with a curveball with high-spin (2500+). On the defensive end he displayed clean footwork, smooth hands and was tied for the top infield velocity at 89mph. The left-handed hitter posted a top exit velocity of 99.5 mph while finding the barrel for hard contact. A two-way player with upside on both sides of the ball.
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Eric Hartman OF / 2B / Okotoks Dawgs Academy, AB / 2024‘24 OF Eric Hartman (Washington State commit) put together an impressive day in Okotoks. One of the better looking swings we saw at the event with a max exit velocity of 94.1mph and distance of 337ft. Simple movements in his motion with a level swing and line drive approach. Defensively, Hartman stands out with his athleticism in the outfield and was up to 89mph from the position. One of the best overall days among position players.
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Jacob Wrubleski C / C / Okotoks Dawgs Academy, AB / 20232023 C Jacob Wrubleski (Chandler Gilbert commit) put together one of the better rounds of BP on Tuesday with an average exit velocity of 95+ mph. Strong frame at 5-foot-11, 205-pounds and focused on the pullside. Strong wrists and uses the lower-half well to generate his power. Ball carries off the bat and generated a top exit velocity of 101.2mph and top distance of 367ft. Didn’t take reps behind the dish but made an impression with the bat alone.
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Rowan Robinson RHP / Okotoks Dawgs Academy , AB / 20232023 RHP Rowan Robinson (Chandler Gilbert) didn’t have the most electric stuff we saw on the mound but there’s plenty to like with the size, effortless delivery, projectability and three-pitch mix. 6-foot-5, 210-pounds and the fastball plays up due to his length and extension. Fastball sat 81-83mph and has feel to spin the breaking ball at 70mph (2430+) along with a changeup at 76-77mph. Intriguing overall package on the mound from the Chandler Gilbert commit and there looks to be plenty more in the tank.
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Declan Spooner C / 1B / foothills composite , BC / 2025Rankings StateRank: 1 / POS: 1
2025 C Declan Spooner (St. Johns commit) was one of the better overall 2024 positional players at the event and has developed well since we had him at the Future Games this past summer. 6-foot, 180-pounds and stood out defensively and with the bat. The left-handed swing has gotten quicker, looser and more compact since the summer while producing a top exit velocity of 94 mph and average of 90+ with wood. Quick actions behind the dish with 1.90 pop-time and velocity of 78 mph. Reclassed to a 2025 as he committed to St. Johns and now looks to be one of the top catchers in that class across the country.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
| SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
| 2023 Lethbridge Spring Open ID | AB | 04/27 | Prairie Baseball Academy |
| 2023 Best of the West (PBR Canada Selects) | AB | 05/03 | Norbrock Stadium (Kamloops, BC) |
| 2023 Calgary Blues Scout Day | AB | 05/12 | Optimist Athletic Park (Calgary) |
| 2023 Calgary Future Games Trials | AB | 06/15 | Seaman Stadium (Okotoks) |
| 2023 Calgary Summer Open | AB | 07/12 | Webber Academy Athletic Park |
| PBR Junior Future Games | NATIONAL | 07/25 | LakePoint |
RECENT NEWS
- AB Medicine Hat Preseason ID: Hitting Data Dive 4/17/24
- AB Medicine Hat Preseason ID: Pitching Data Dive 4/17/24
- AB Medicine Hat Preseason ID: Statistical Analysis 4/17/24
- AB Medicine Hat Preseason ID: Quick Hits 4/16/24
- ON Spring Future Games Trials II: Hitting Data Dive 4/13/24
- ON Spring Future Games Trials II: Pitching Data Dive 4/13/24
- ON Spring Future Games Trials II: Statistical Analysis 4/13/24
- AB Evolution Baseball Scout Day: Quick Hits 4/08/24
- AB Evolution Baseball Scout Day: Statistical Analysis 4/05/24
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