Ontario Scout Blog: Ontario Youth Team Tryouts (Kitchener)

April 24, 2023
Cam Black-Araujo
Assistant Director, PBR Canada

Baseball across the province continues to heat up as some exhibition games are already beginning outdoors as players ramp up for the beginning of the season in early May. Our staff has gotten a look at hundreds of players over the past month with four showcases, along with some game coverage and we were back at it again this weekend.

Our staff was on-hand Friday and Saturday at the Ontario Youth Team Tryouts in Kitchener as players were showcasing themselves to crack Ontario’s roster at this summer’s Canada Cup, a tournament made up of the top 17U players across the country.

Baseball Ontario had roughly 100 players on-hand, along with our staff running the TrackMan unit to collect data on the players.

Below, we take a look at some of the standout players from the first session of the Ontario Youth Team Tryouts in Kitchener, with the second session coming next week in Oshawa.

Logan Forgie LHP / West Carleton, ON / 2026

Rankings StateRank: 3 / POS: 1

2026 LHP Logan Forgie continues to be one of the more polished and efficient arms in Ontario’s 2026 class. Has added strength during the offseason and the body has really tightened up, now 6-foot, 205-pounds. Clean, easy and repeatable operation from the left-side and pounded the zone Saturday with a fastball/curveball combination. The fastball sat 84-86mph and paired it with a curveball at 69-70mph. Hitters looked uncomfortable in the box and generated some ugly swings/misses on the breaking ball. Forgie put together the best outing on the mound Saturday and continues to stand out each time we see him High upside arm in the 2026 class.

Ben Goodacre RHP / OF / Ancaster, ON / 2025

2025 RHP/OF Ben Goodacre continues to be one of the top arms at events where he takes the mound and that was the case again at the Ontario Youth Team Tryouts. Creates extension on the mound with a lengthy, projectable look at 6-foot-3, 170-pounds with a high-spin, three pitch-mix. The fastball sat 86-88mph with 2380+ rpm average and the curveball is the go-to secondary offering at 71-73mph (2310rpm avg. spin) with feel for it and the ability to work down with it. Flashed the slider twice at 75-76mph (2455 rpm avg.) with sweepy-action. Worked deep into counts at times on Saturday but was still efficient in picking up outs with swings/misses on both the fastball and breaking ball.

Quinn Carson OF / Loyola CSS, ON / 2025

2025 OF Quinn Carson continues to standout with some of the louder tools in Ontario’s 2025 class. Present strength with a physical frame at 6-foot-3, 195-pounds and continues to put together some of the more mature rounds of BP our staff has seen this winter/spring. His 98.2mph exit velocity at the Youth Team Tryouts was two ticks higher than the next best. The right-handed hitter worked the middle of the field throughout his round with a peak distance of 331ft. Arm strength in the outfield as he was up to 89mph from the outfield at the Future Games Trials and that number continues to trend upwards. Uncommitted 2025 out of the Fieldhouse program who’s primed to make some noise this summer.

Matthew Neufeld RHP / 3B / Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School, ON / 2026

2026 RHP Matthew Neufeld was one of the top underclass arms this weekend and is a high-upside arm who just recently turned 15-years-old. Sheer size for his age at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds and a live arm with a fastball that sat 84-86 T87 with 2300+ average spin. More of a cutter look on the slider right now at 68-72mph and he flashed just one changeup at 72mph (1595rpm) and the pitch has potential as he continues to develop. One of the better true 2026 arms our staff has seen to-date with a good combination of size, projection and above average fastball. An underclass arm to keep tabs on this summer.

Aiden Taggart RHP / Grimsby, ON / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 39 / POS: 13

2025 RHP Aiden Taggart was an arm who showed well at the Future Games Trials and did so again this past weekend. Size and strength on the mound at 6-foot-3, 200-pounds and was heavy with the fastball, using it about 80 percent of the time. The pitch sat 86-88mph with good spin (2400+ rpm avg.) and he was able to pound the zone and get ahead with it. Flashed a slider at 78-79mph (2350+ rpm avg.) and changeup at 73-76mph. Added feel and confidence for his secondary pitches will be what takes his game to the next level on the mound.

Geoffrey D'Amato LHP / LHP / Bishop Reding, ON / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 17 / POS: 1

2025 LHP Geoffrey D’Amato put together a good outing on Saturday with a high-spin three-pitch mix with plenty of strikes and swings/misses on several different pitches. Present strength on the mound at 6-foot-1, 195-pounds and the fastball sat 81-83mph with 2410+ rpm average spin. Kept hitters guessing during his outing with the ability to throw the curveball and slider in any count, throwing them for strikes or pounding them down for swings and misses. Tight spin to the curveball at 76mph with more of a horizontal look and there’s heavy sweep to the slider at 74-76mph (2360+ rpm avg.). Quality showing on the mound Saturday from last summer’s Jr. Future Gamer.

Adam Cameron RHP / 3B / Abbey Park, ON / 2025

2025 RHP Adam Cameron is another Fieldhouse right-hander who stood out on Saturday and he comes with an XL frame on the mound at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds. Cameron worked with a good three-pitch mix, starting with the fastball at 85-87mph and was his go-to pitch when he needed a strike. Worked with a tight, high-spin slider at 73-76mph (2440+ rpm avg) and changeup at 79-80mph. Lots to like in both offspeed pitches but wasn’t efficient in his ability to locate them, although he mixed speeds well which kept hitters guessing. Added feel for the secondary stuff will elevate his game where he has the look of an efficient starting pitcher with his size and three-pitch mix.

Jacob Belecky RHP / 1B / Medway , ON / 2025

2025 RHP Jacob Belecky showcased one of the better fastball/curveball combinations at the tryouts but had a difficult time locating the pair. Strength on the mound at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds and it was a live fastball at 87-88mph and likes to work up in the zone with the pitch. Flashed a good, high-spin breaking ball at 71-72mph (2540 avg. spin) with a two-plane look. Works down with the breaking ball, although he had a difficult time getting strikes with it. Intriguing overall package from Belecky on the mound if he can hone in on the zone as both pitches should garner swings/misses.

Adrian Krupka RHP / SS / Humberside Collegiate Institute, ON / 2026

Rankings StateRank: 6 / POS: 3

This weekend was our second look at 2026 RHP Adrian Krupka this month and his stuff on the mound ticked up this time as he was facing live-hitters. Plenty of growing to come, size wise, at 5-foot-11, 155-pounds and worked with an effortless, repeatable delivery. Established the fastball down in the zone with the ability to locate it at 80-83mph. Confident in his secondary stuff, throwing it nearly 50 % of the time with a combination of curveball, slider and changeup. Curveball at 66-69mph was his most reliable offspeed pitch with a high strike % on it but the slider at 67-68mph graded out as his best pitch with good horizontal action to it. Another 2026 arm to follow as he continues to develop and fill out over the next couple years.

Jackson Long OF / RHP / Bishop Macdonell , ON / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 69 / POS: 14

2025 OF/RHP Jackson Long flashed his two-way upside once again at the Ontario Youth Team Tryouts and was one of the more impressive bats throughout batting practice. Projection in his game at 6-foot-4, 180-pounds and it will be interesting to see just how loud the tools will become as he fills out. Posted the second best exit velocity at the tryouts at 96.2mph and the right-handed hitter showed the ability to lift the ball the other way with a peak distance of 316ft. On the mound, his fastball sat 83-86mph and also flashed a slider and changeup.

Avery Belgrave OF / OF / St. Thomas More, ON / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 52 / POS: 9

2025 OF Avery Belgrave is a toolsy, athletic player from Fieldhouse and was one of the better overall positional players this past weekend in Kitchener. 6-foot-1, 175-pounds with plenty of room to add strength without hindering his athletic movements. The right-handed hitter’s best swings came when working to the pullside with line-drives, generating a peak exit velocity of 94.9mph and distance of 331ft. Ran a 6.69 60-yard dash last month at the New Year Open in February and was also up to 82mph from the outfield. Belgrave’s overall tools have definitely made a jump over the offseason.

Ricardo Rodriguez OF / C / Abbey Park, ON / 2024

2024 OF/C Ricardo Rodriguez was another bat who showed well during batting practice and followed it up with some quality at-bats during live AB’s. Right-handed hitter with some size at 6-foot, 190-pounds and a balanced swing that enables his bat-to-ball skills to play in-game. His round of BP included a healthy mix of line-drives and elevated contact with a focus on the pullside. Posted a peak exit velocity of 94.6mph and distance of 333ft. One of the better offensive players at the tryouts this weekend.

Noah Hipolito RHP / OF / St. Marcellinus , ON / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 46 / POS: 16

2025 RHP/OF Noah Hipolito really jumped out earlier this month with an impressive bullpen and two-way potential. It was the left-handed bat that impressed most this time around, generating several exit velocities in the 90s with a max of 94.3mph. Works towards the middle of the field with a smooth-looking swing and put up quality AB’s when facing the live arms. Fastball velocity was down this weekend compared to the Future Games Trials but there’s still plenty to like with athleticism and projection on the mound.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Summer Future Games Trials	ON	05/22	King's Christian Collegiate (Oakville)
2023 ONC Scout Day	ON	06/07	Hamilton Yards (Ottawa)
PBR Junior Future Games	NATIONAL	07/25	LakePoint
Improve My Profile with Game Video (Ontario)	ON	08/29	Ontario