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2019 Canada Cup - Day 1 Recap

August 8, 2019
Chris Kemlo and PBR Canada Staff
PBR Ontario Director of Scouting

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2019 Canada Cup - Day 1 Recap

BC vs. Ontario

With two Team Canada starters on the mound, this one was a pitcher’s duel from the get-go. The only offence came in the 5th when both teams scratched out three runs, and then again in extras with the tie-breaker format of placing runners on first and second. BC ended up outlasting Ontario, putting the defending Canada Cup champs in a hole with an early loss in the tournament.

Gavin Pringle RHP / NA, BC / 2020

Rankings  StateRank: 6 / POS: 4

Report: Uncommitted 2020 right-hander Gavin Pringle (BC) got the start for the West Coast boys, going five innings, striking out five. With a big, burly body, Pringle is an intriguing college arm. Sitting 87-89, and showing depth on both his curveball and slider, Pringle is going to be what he is now. A power arm with secondary stuff, he commands the zone well, shows composure on the mound, and should be a late steal for a college out there.

Connor O'Halloran LHP / OF / St. Martin, ON / 2020

Rankings  StateRank: 1 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 222 / POS: 22

Report: 2021 Michigan commit Connor O’Halloran (Ontario) was clean in his four innings of work. O’Halloran failed to give up a run while striking out three. In the last year, the lefty has truly bloomed into an interesting arm, growing into his body, showing some lankiness and whip in his arm, while still creating a lot of movement on all his pitches. The arm slot is slightly lower 3/4 than it has been in the past, with his fastball sitting 84-86, and breaking ball at 73-75 and a mid-70s changeup. 

Josh Niles 3B / 1B / St. Joseph Catholic, ON / 2020

Rankings  StateRank: 12 / POS: 2

Report: Uncommitted 2020 infielder Josh Niles (Ontario) has the makings of a solid player. The frame is good, his actions are clean, and he looks the part on the field. His bat stays through the zone for an extended period of time, giving him a larger margin for error. He takes aggressive swings, though the bat can be slow at times. He laced a double to left in this one, and it’ll be interesting to see how he swings it the remainder of the week. 

Calvin Ziegler RHP / OF / St. Marys, ON / 2020

Rankings  StateRank: 4 / POS: 1

Report: 2020 Connecticut commit Cal Ziegler (Ontario) wasn’t particularly sharp by his own standards, though considering he hasn’t logged many innings this summer, it was a good outing for him. Over two innings of work, Ziegler maintained a fastball in the 86-89 range, flashing 90 a few times, and mixing in a high-70s changeup. Ziegler has a long, loose arm, it’s clean in the back, and while he doesn’t have much use of his lower half right now, he’s got easy velocity that should only get better as he matures. 

Newfoundland vs Manitoba

Tanner Dawson
Report: 2020 middle infielder out of Manitoba, showed actions in the infield at second-base in the opening game versus Newfoundland. Hands were soft in the infield and feet worked underneath him. Offensively, turned on a fastball for an RBI double down the left field line and was part of the comeback from an early 3-0 deficit that turned into a 12-3 win for Manitoba. 

Bennett Freiter
Report: Freiter is an interesting catcher form Manitoba that looks the part at 6-foot-3, 185-pounds and the defensive game a little more ahead of his offensive abilities. The body stands out with room to add size, the hands worked behind the dish and showed flashes of being a confident receiver. The footwork and actions can be cleaned up but there is arm strength to work with and time on his side as a 2021. Interested to get a good look this week.

Saskatchewan vs Quebec

Cedric Degrandpre 1B / RHP / Academie Baseball Canada, QC / 2020

Report: De Granpré came up huge for Quebec in game 1 of the week. A two-way player, it was his bat that was on display today. He went 2/2 with an RBI double to deep RCF and a single the other way as well. He has shown the ability to go gap-to-gap in recent weeks, and has no problem doing so as his power plays to both sides. The upside is there for him to be a two-way player at the next level. 

Emilien Pitre SS / Academie Baseball Canada, QC / 2020

Report: The recent Kentucky commit stood out on both sides of the ball today. He picked up a pair of hits, shooting a ball through the vacated 5-6 hole, and roping a ball up the middle to finish the game. He made multiple impressive plays at shortstop, going to his backhand with softness, and tuning a double play with a quick release. Pitre often impacts the game positively, and today was no different. 

Nova Scotia vs Alberta

Matt Wilkinson LHP / Okotoks Dawgs Academy, AB / 2020

Rankings  StateRank: 6 / POS: 2

Report: Wilkinson, a 2020 left-hander who is committed to Central Arizona College started for Alberta in today’s game. He was 81-85 mph with his fastball and showed feel for a 1/7 shaped curveball with depth. He located in the strike zone and pitched deep with maintained effectiveness. It’s an interesting arm with potential upside out of the Okotoks Dawgs Academy.

Nick Gravel 2B / SS / Vauxhall Academy of Baseball, AB / 2020

Report: Gravel, a 2020 infielder for Nova Scotia impressed on the defensive end today. His actions are smooth and athletic in the infield. He has a quick transfer and shows the ability to throw from multiple arm slots at shortstop. The bat is still raw at the plate; it’s not synced up and his bat path needs tweaking. It’s an interesting player with upside out of Nova Scotia.

Ontario vs Quebec

Owen Caissie OF / Notre Dame, ON / 2021

Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 189 / POS: 30

Report: Caissie, a left-handed hitting outfielder for Ontario was exceptional in the second game of the day. He started his day off with a deep drive to right field that bounced off the fence. He later followed that up with a hit into the LCF gap and raced around the bases for a triple. It’s a powerful swing where the ball jumps off the barrel at contact; his power plays to all fields. Caissie’s running ability was on full display as got into another gear as he rounded second and headed for third on the triple. He has five tools that have the potential to impact his game in college. Must watch prospect out of Ontario.

Mathieu Voros RHP / Academie Baseball Canada, QC / 2021

Report: Voros came out the pen for Quebec and was solid until he left a ball up that burned him for an RBI double. He struck out four in 1.2 innings of work with fastball that was in the 80-83 range and feel for his slider in the low 70’s. We saw Voros two weeks ago in Georgia, high spin guy and that showed with bad swings on both his fastball and slider that had depth and late action. 2021 grad that has upside and will get stronger physically. 

Turner Spoljaric RHP / National High School, ON / 2021

Rankings  StateRank: 6 / POS: 2

Report: Spoljaric came out the pen and worked three perfect innings of relief, giving up zero runs and no hits while walking one and punching out two. A lot of weak contact and ground balls, Spoljaric worked fastball to his arm side consistently in the 86-87 range while he threw some tight 11/5 shaped curve balls that had downer action and fell off late. Was efficient in throwing 38 pitches and was in complete control. It was a tight ballgame until the Top of the 7th, and Spoljaric was a big reason for keeping Ontario ahead and in it late. 2021 with big upside and long, quick arm. 

Jaycob Lachance RHP / Academie les Estacades, QC / 2020

Report: Lachance, an uncommitted 2020 worked in the 84-86 range early on from a loose, ¾ slot and a sweeping slider in the 76-78 range. Mainly a two-pitch guy, Lachance really feels comfortable throwing his slider, and fastball was better when down in the zone as he would get some arm side run. Trouble when he elevated his fastball and fell behind, the body and lower half has room to get stronger. Moves well and controls and repeats delivery on the mound, a very intriguing arm that has upside. 

BC vs Saskatchewan

Noah Takacs RHP / OF / Oak Bay, BC / 2020

Rankings  StateRank: 10 / POS: 5

Report: Takacs worked 4 innings and was the hard luck loser in the 8:00pm start vs the hometown team Saskatchewan. Takacs, with a balanced and repeatable delivery, sat 85-86 for the entirety of his start, walking one and throwing 50 of his 72 pitches for strikes while he did touch 87 multiple times. Moves fastball around the zone, and spins a downer, near 12/6 shaped curveball that flashed ability to bite late when he’s extended and through it. Delivery stays online with body control, working out ¾ slot. Arm is clean in the back with room to add strength and size and the fastball velo should continue to rise. Worked out of jams with poise, keeping emotions in check with a game that had some atmosphere. Uncommitted 2020 with stuff, ability to pitch and upside in his arm. Definite guy to be locked in on.

Kendall Keller OF / C / Okotoks Dawgs Academy, AB / 2019

Rankings  StateRank: 9 / POS: 3

Report: The left-handed hitting Wabash commit collected two hits at the top of the order, displaying his bat to ball abilities and barrel control with two line drives and did jump a fastball that he got the head out and yanked foul. Keller is a toolsy, athletic prospect that can run and be an offensive threat while adding strength, which should allow him to add speed while being an asset defensively in the outfield. Continues to get better, Keller is a guy who excels at school and really turns the corner, taking his game to another level. 

Anson McGorman RHP / SS / Ballenas, BC / 2021

Report: McGorman was the same guy we saw in Atlanta this past week, working a clean and dominant two innings of relief. The arm is loose with whip from ¾ slot, arm is quick while his fastball had late life in the 86-87 range while the slider had tilt and late bite at 76-78 mph. 3 punch outs over two innings of work, mixed with weak ground ball outs, the uncommitted 2021’s stuff overmatched hitters. The body is lean and can easily add size and strength to his 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame. McGorman is a 2021 that schools need to be in on with the actions, upside, and slider that will definitely play at the next level, type of arm that is an early commit. 

Nolan Sparks
Report: Sparks, a 2020 6-foot-3, 160-pound first-baseman for Saskatchewan was impressive in the nightcap. It’s a long, lean build where he sits back and uses his long arms to generate some bat speed while staying through the zone. He made hard contact on multiple occasions, spraying low line-drives across the field. As he fills out he could tap into more power, and develop better body control to be a more well-rounded offensive player. There is some upside with the current ability and how he projects.