INF TJ Schofield-Sam, 12th round (374th overall) - Oakland A's - SIGNED - $320,000

With their 12th round (374th overall) pick, the Oakland A’s have selected INF TJ Schofield-Sam.

Hometown: Brampton, Ont.

Bats/Throws: Left/Right

Height/Weight: 6’ 0” 180 lbs.

College Commitment: Chipola College

Teams: Ontario Blue Jays, Canadian Junior National Team.

Coaches: Joey Ellison, Greg Hamilton.

Previous Teams: Mississauga North Tigers, Brampton Royals.

Previous coaches: Mike Steed, Sean Travers, Lino Feijo, Frank Maury

Tournament 12 coaches: 2016 Futures: Denny Berni, Mike Lumley, John Marriotti, Nigel Wilson, John Picco; 2017 Futures: Denny Berni, Rob Butler, John Mariotti, John Picco; 2018 Ontario Green: Adam Stern, Chris Robinson, Pete Orr, Tanner Watson

Most influential person in his baseball life: “Besides my coaches and teammates, my father (Frankie Sam) has been a great influence for me. He has worked hard with me ever since I was a young boy. He has taught me about hard work, technique and good practice skills. We spend a lot of time working out, practicing and talking baseball together.”

Good genes: TJ’s father (Frankie Sam) always enjoyed competitive sports, played cricket and sports with his friends in St. Vincent. When he came to Canada he participated in Tae Kwon Do from 1982-1987.

Scout: Matt Higginson (Grimsby, Ont.)

Twitter Handle: @TJSchofieldSam

What the scouts are saying:

“In batting practice, he pulls everything ... and with power. but in the game -- the games I have seen -- he usually goes the other way. And I’ve seen him clear the fence in right. His arm plays at third. “ —Pro scout.

“The question I have … is does he have enough power to play third base?” — American League scout.

“In some ways he is similar to Daniel Pinero (Toronto, Ont.) in the Tigers system …. lots of base hits, not lots of power.” — Scouting director.

2019 season with Canadian Junior National Team - Dominican Summer League Tour: Batted .250 (10-for-40) with two doubles, a triple, a homer and 11 RBIs ... Singled facing Rockies ... Run-scoring single facing the Mets ... Two-run double against the Dodgers ... A pair of hits and four RBIs in win against the Twins ... Run-scoring triples against the Rays ... Singled against the Pirates ... Knocked in a run against the Royals ... Single against the Cubs ... Extended spring: Batted .154 (4-for-26) with a home run and four RBIs ... Spring training: Hit .269 (7-for-26) with a double, a homer and five RBIs.

2018 season: Tournament 12 at the Rogers Centre: Had a pair of RBIs in the championship game to clinch a 5-2 victory for Ontario Green over team Alberta ... Hit .278 in six games ... Canadian Junior National Team Dominican Summer League Tour: Hit .275 (11-for-40) with three doubles and three RBIs ... Junior National Team selection camp: Batted .348 (8-for-23) with a double and two RBIs ... U18 Qualifier: Hit .200 (7-for-35) with a double ... Part of the Ontario Blue Jays 16U which won the Marucci World Series in in Baton Rouge, La.

2017 season: Had eight hits at WWBA World Championship with four RBIs and a steal.

Honours:

2019 Honours: Perfect Game Preseason All American Canada/Puerto Rico All Region 1st Team

2018 Honours: Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All American Honorable Mention ... Selected to Future Stars Series World Team during International Week

2017 Honours: Made All Tournament Team at WWBA 2019 Grads/ National Championship ... All-tourney honours at WWBA World Championship

At National Tournaments

Baseball Canada gold, At 2018 21U Nationals: Won in St. Thomas with Mississauga North Tigers … Hit .615 (8-for-13) with four RBIs and a 1.282 OPS.

2016 15U Nationals: Won in Summerside, PEI with the Mississauga North Tigers batting .474 (9-for-19) with four doubles and three RBIs.

2014 13U Nationals: Hit an amazing .765 (13-for-17) with four doubles, a homer and four RBIs.

DSL Tour: Schofield-Sam’s blast leads juniors over Brewers

JNT spring: Schofield-Sam homers to lead juniors over Tigers, Blue Jays on deck