After Coast to Coast Tour, Scouts Still Think Robson is No. 1 this June
They came from near. They came from far ... Vancouver at one end of the country and Montreal in the east. The scouts came to the Major League Scouting Bureau camp in Mississauga to view the best high schoolers and collegians, the kick-off to a cross-country tour. A total of 12 scouts from the Milwaukee Brewers, the New York Mets, the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies, the San Francisco Giants, the Cincinnati Reds, the Minnesota Twins, the Toronto Blue Jays and the MLB Scouting Bureau were on hand with radar guns and their best asset, their eyes.
When Canadian director of scouting Walt Burrows (Brentwood Bay, BC) it may look like a three-ring circus, but each player has his own turn in front of the watchful eyes whether it is on the mound or in the batting cage.
A rundown of the tour as it made eight stops in five provinces after talking to some of the best who scout Canada:
Mississauga
Ontario Blue Jays facility
Top prospects over-all: 1. RHP Michael Clouthier (Guelph, Ont.) Ontario Terriers 2012, 2. RHP Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays, 3. C Justin Marra (Toronto, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays, 4. RHP C.J. Machete (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays; 5. LHP Steven Dressler (Burlington, Ont.) Ontario Terriers 2012
Others: RHP Dane Gordon (Barrie, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays, C Zack Sardellitti (Maple, Ont). Ontario Terriers 2012, OF Phil Diedrick (Ajax, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays, 3B Eric Wood (Pickering, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays, OF Brian Doran (Ayr, Ont.) Ontario Terriers, INF Shaun Valeriote (Guelph, Ont.) Brock University, SS Joey Hawkins (Whitby,Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays, RHP Jeremy Newton (Toronto, Ont.) Toronto Mets, INF Gabe Mark (Toronto, Ont.) Toronto Mets, INF Conor Panas (Etobicoke, Ont.) Toronto Mets, LHP Adam Anderson (Georgetown, Ont.) Ontario Terriers.
Top velocities: 1. Clouthier 91 MPH, 2. Romano 89, 3. Machete 88, 4. Dressler 87, 5. Michael Foster (Pickering, Ont.) Toronto Mets 85.
Best pitchers: 1. Clouthier, 2. Romano, 3. Machete, 4. Dressler, 5. Gordon.
Best prospects for June 2011 draft: 1. Romano, 2. Marra, 3. Machete, 4. Diedrick, 5. Doran.
Top Hitters: 1. Diedrick, 2. Sardellitti, 3. Marra, 4. Owen Spiwak (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays 2012, 5. Doran
Others: Hawkions, Panas, Bruce Yari (Welland, Ont.) Ontario Terriers, Cole Peragine (Belle Ewart, Ont.) Ontario Terriers; Jordan Mountford (Guelph, Ont.) Ontario Terriers.
Top prospects for 2012: 1. Clouthier, 2. Dressler, 3. INF Kyle Hann (Oakville, Ont.), Ontario Blue Jays, 4. 1B Bryan Saucedo (Toronto,Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays, 5. Joey Guaragna (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays
Etobicoke
At Pro-Teach Baseball
Top prospects: 1. INF Josh Williams (Scarborough, Ont.) Oakville Royals 2012, 2. RHP Kyle Beenan (Etobicoke, Ont.) Etobicoke Rangers, 3. LHP Ryan Kellog (Whitby, Ont.) Ontario Prospects, 4. OF Andris Rizquez (Hamilton, Ont.) Ontario International Basball Academy, 2012, 5. RHP-1B Peter Zidros (Toronto, Ont.) OIBA.
Top velocities: 1. LHP Adam Kudryk (Toronto, Ont.) Mississauga Twins 90 MPH, 2. RHP Tyler Soucie (Cambridge, Ont.) Wilfrid Laurier University 88, 3. Beenan, 88, 4. RHP Nathan Borges (Ajax, Ont.) Ontario Prospects, 86.
London
At Adam Stern's Centre Field Sports
Top prospects: 1. RHP Skylar Janisse (LaSalle, Ont.), Windsor Selects, 2. RHP Andrew Marra (LaSalle, Ont.), Windsor Selects, 3. OF Damion Smith (Windsor, Ont.) Windsor Selects, 4. RHP Dayton Dawe (London, Ont.) London Badgers 2012, 5. Tim Black (Mount Hope, Ont.) Hamilton Cardinals.
Other: OF Byron Reichstein (St. Thomas, Ont.) London Badgers.
Top velocities: 1. RHP Adam Arnold (St. Thomas, Ont.) former Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguer 92 MPH, 2. Marra 91, 3. Janisse 88, 4. Dawe 88, 5. Black 86.
Montreal
At Claude Robillard Centre
Top prospects: 1. RHP Jesen Dygestile-Therrien (Montreal, Que.) Academy Baseball Canada, 2. Jonathan Jones (Laval, Que.) ABC, 3. RHP Ian Remillard (Valleyfield, Que.) ABC, 4. RHP Philip Graham (St. Chrysostone, Que.), ABC
Top velocities (no radar guns allowed, eyes only): 1. Dygestile-Therrien 85-89 mph. 2. Remillard 86-88. 3. Graham 84-86.
Langley, BC
Top prospects: 1. RHP Tom Robson (Ladner, BC), Langley Blaze, 2. SS Justin Atkinson (North Surrey, BC) Langley Blaze. 3. C-3B Dustin Houle, Penticton, BC, Langley Blaze., 4. OF Ricky Bertrand (Surrey, BC), 5. OF Michael Krische (Langley, BC) Langley Blaze.
Others: Karl Malecek (North Vancouver, BC) Langley Blaze; Jeremy Filipek (Langley, BC) Langley Blaze; Jerod Bartnik (Surrey, BC) Langley Blaze, RHP Kyle Joel (Pitt Meadows, BC), RHP Nicholas Pivetta (Victoria, BC) Victoria Eagles, C Bill Germaine (Aldergrove, BC) Langley Blaze 2012.
Top velocities: 1. Robson 90, 2. Filipek 85, 3. Malecek 85, 4. Joel 83, 5. Pivetta 80
Vauxhaull, Alta.
At Vauxhaull Academy.
Top propsects: 1. LHP Ben Dartnell (East St.Paul, Man.) Vauxhall Academy, 2. Logan Seifrit (Spruce Grove, Alta.) 2012 Vauxhall Academy, 3. INF Brendan Hendricks (Cochrane, Alta.) Vauxhall Academy, 4. RHP Justin Davies (Halifax, NS) Vauxhall Academy, 5. RHP Anthony McKinley (Dartmouth, NS) 2012 Vauxhall Academy
Others: RHP Tanner Spencer (Craik, Sask.) Vauxhall Academy 2012, RHP Chad Hodges (Medicine hat, Alta.) Vauxhall Academy, C Konner Lutz (Medicine Hat, Alta.) Vauxhall Academy.
Top velocities: 1. Seifrit 90, 2. Dartnell 90, 3. Davies 87-88, 4. McKinley 86, 5. Hodges 85.
Okotoks, Alta.
At Duvernay Field House
Top Prospects: 1. C Jordan Procyshen (Calgary, Alta.) Okotoks Dawgs Academy, 2. INF Adam Clark (St. Johns, NB), Okotoks Dawgs Academy, 3. INF Ramon Valdez (Calgary, Alta.) 2012, Okotoks Dawgs Academy, 4. OF James Stewart (Calgary, Alta.) Okotoks Dawgs Academy, 5. OF Logan Cote (Warman, Sask.) Okotoks Dawgs Academy
Other: INF Roberto Valdez (Calgary, Alta. 2013, Okotoks Dawgs Academy
Top velocities: LHP John Harpestad (Eston, Sask.) 83 mph 2012 Okotoks Dawgs Academy; RHP Brendan Ethier (Calgary, Alta.) 82 mph Okotoks Dawgs Academy.
At Edmonton
St. Francis Xavier Baseball Academy
Top five Prospects in 2011: 1. OF-1B Cory Scammell (Edmonton, Alta.) FX Academy, 2. RHP Markus Fergusson (Edmonton, Alta.) FX Academy, 3. RHP Ryan Kosolofski (Edmonton, Alta.) FX Academy, 4. RHP Mitchell St. Laurent (Edmonton, Alta.) FX Academy, 5. 3B Cooper Langley (Edmonton,Alta.) FX Academy
Top five velocities: 1. Fergusson 87 mph 2. Connor Girard (St. Albert, Alta.) FX Academy, 2012 86, 3. St. Laurent 85, 4. Kirk Smith (New Serepta, Alta.) FX Academy 85, 5. Ryan Anderson Edmonton, Alta.) FX Academy, 2013 83.
Top five prospects in 2012: 1. Girard, 2. Logan Wedgewood (Edmonton, Alta.) FX Academy, 3. Dylaney Brown (Lacombe, Alta.) FX Academy, 4. Joe Pasychnyk (Bawlf, Alta.) FX Academy, 5. James Felderhof (Edmonton, Alta.) FX Academy.
Top five Prospects in 2013: 1. Anderson, 2. Marcus Blair (St. Albert, Alta.) FX Academy, 3. Josh Williams (Sherwood Park, Alta.) FX Academy, 4. Russell Rockwell (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.) FX Academy, 5. Riley Moskaluk (St. Albert, Alta.) FX Academy.
St. Albert, Alta.
At Prospects Academy
Top prospects: 1. RHP Ethan Elias (Entwistle, Alta.) Prospects Academy, 2. C Travis Steinke (Red Deer, Alta.) Prospects Academy, 3. RHP Andrew Mirasty (Edmonton, Alta.) Prospects Academy, 4. OF Corey Wood Fredericton, NB) Prospects Academy, 5. C Shawn Reid (Fredericton, NB) Prospects Academy.
Other: 1B Taylor Wiebe (St. Albert, Alta.) Prospects Academy.
Top velocities: 1. Mirasty 86, 2. RHP Andrew Case (St. John, NB) 85 Prospects Academy, 3. RHP Jamie Maclean (Springville, NS) Prospects Academy 84, 4. RHP Nolan Werre (St. Albert, Alta.) Prospects Academy 82.
Finally: One to watch -- remember the name of RHP Cole White (Brampton, Ont.). Apparently the 6-foot-3 hard throwing 13-year-old was clocked at 18-83 m.p.h.