Thu February 11, 2021
FRANKLIN, Wis. - Dominic Hambley took a little pride in being the lone player from Canada participating in this year’s Super 60.
“When I heard I was the only Canadian I got excited as I always love a good challenge,” Hambley noted.
The hard-throwing senior had big shoes to fill after last February when four Canadians had stellar performances at the Prep Baseball Report event, including Owen Caissie who went on to sign with the San Diego Padres after being selected in the second round of the MLB Draft in June.
“I saw how well the Canadians performed last year and what they were able to achieve and it motivated me to work hard in preparation for the event,” noted Hambley, who is the first player from British Columbia to ever participate in the Super 60.
The second-rated 2021 from BC did not disappoint in the 19th annual event, which has now had 10 participants from Canada, the first being Luke Van Rycheghem and Max Wright back in 2016. The 6-3 230-pound right-handed pitcher tied for the third best fastball at 95 miles an hour along with the second fastest slider at 84 mph.
“The highlight of the event for me was being able to play in front of scouts, as it's hard for them to come see me in Canada due to border restrictions,” pointed out Hambley, considered one of the Breakout Candidates at the event by PBR National Supervisor Nathan Rode. “My favorite thing to do in baseball is play with high-level talent and do it in front of scouts. It gives me a bit of an adrenaline rush and makes me compete at a high level.”
As one of 74 players represented by 32 states in addition to British Columbia, the 137th-ranked senior RHP in North America got strong attention from the likes of Shooter Hunt, National Crosschecker for PBR.
“Hambley's big frame and powerful arm were obvious, but it was a few of his sharp sliders that really left an impact with me,” Hunt explained. “I think he's going to have a chance to get swings-and-misses at the next level, and the pitch has a chance to grow into a real weapon in the future.”
Hambley was pleased with the results.
“I wanted to show what I’ve been working on, my velocity and especially my secondary stuff,” noted Hambley, who began developing a slider in August to go along with a change and can now throw both offspeed pitches in any count with confidence. “It was also about getting more notice and more attraction for the springtime.”
Being part of an event that last year featured Canadian’s Raphael Pelletier, Simon Lusignan and Bryce Arnold in addition to Caissie was very beneficial in the eyes of the Belmont Secondary School 17-year-old.
“I liked all the testing we went through including the vision testing,” Hambley explained. “I received all the data and will now use it in my training to better myself as an athlete.”
After making the trip to Sunday’s event, which was held for the first time at the MOSH Performance Center south of Milwaukee, Hambley now has more work ahead.
“I have to test negative and then do a 14-day quarantine,” noted the Oregon State commit, who went a distance of just short of 2,000 miles to attend the Super 60.
The trip became longer when flight breakdowns, delays and cancellations resulted in getting to his home in Victoria, BC on Wednesday rather than Monday. But it is all worth it when it comes to exposure and getting better for the 381st-rated 2021 across North America.
“It was definitely a good experience overall,” Hambley said. “I’d been to games and tournaments where PBR had someone there, but this was my first actual PBR event. My dad is definitely the one who bent over backwards to make it happen. You can’t get exposure up here in Canada and I appreciate what he did for me.”
Now the focus turns to getting better.
“After doing the testing and viewing my numbers, I want to keep working on my explosiveness in my legs and polish up my changeup a little more for a fourth pitch,” Hambley said.
The hope is that it helps bring even more attention to his game from pro scouts.
“I didn't talk to any scouts in person,” related Hambley, who was seen by approximately 80 MLB scouts at the Super 60, a number that was down from previous years due to a limit of no more than three per major league team because of covid. “But I hope to be in contact with some in the near future.”
That has been a popular theme with Super 60 participants over the years. More than 300 players have been chosen in the draft since the first Super 60 in 2003, including 22 in the first round and 25 in the second round.There were four players from the Super 60 taken in the five-round MLB Draft in 2020, including Caissie, while nine participants were selected during the 2019 draft.
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Dominic Hambley RHP / Belmont, BC / 2021Ranking vs Super 60 Participants
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