July 12, 2026

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

There are some unwritten rules in the game.

_ Put your weakest fielder in the game and the next thing you know he’ll be faced with a tough chance.

_ Watch a player make an error, hang his head and for sure either the next hitter or the one after that will hit another ball to him and who knows what happens.

As former San Francisco Giants coach Tim Flannery used to say after watching the opposing team made one highlight catch, line drive-turned-into “we’ll see that one on the highlights film at 11,” play after another.”

“Boys that Lady Momentum is dancing on the roof of the other dugout ... we have to do something to get her back here.”

Greg Brons (Saskatoon, Sask.) pointed out last night which dugout roof top Lady Momentum was dancing upon.

On Friday night, we dedicated this blog to former Baseball Canada director Jim Baba (Moose Jaw, Sask.) who passed Sept. 12 -- after the July draft had been completed.

And when it came time for Atlanta Braves boss Alex Anthopoulos to made his club’s first pick at 26th overall on Saturday, he chose OF and Carnduff Sask., native Carter Beck from Indiana State. It was the highest a Saskatchewan player had ever been selected besting Logan Hofmann (Muenster, Sask.) who went in the fifth round of 2020 draft to the Pittsburgh Pirates,

It was obvious Lady Momentum was dancing lightly on the Saskatchewan dugout.

And I’ll bet you a case of Diet Coke, the late Jim Baba was smiling happily and proudly from a cloud high up above.

Fifth round Jays pick: Toronto went next door to land Michigan State Spartans RHP Nolan Higgins. The reliever pitched in 27 games, going 3-4 with a 5.20 ERA and four saves. He struck out 72 and walked 13 in 45 innings.

A three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, he made 75 career appearances with nine wins and six saves, with 160 strikeouts in 171 2/3 innings. He was a starter for the majority of his Spartan career, including all 15 appearances coming as starts in his junior season in 2025, before shifting to the backend of MSU’s bullpen. He was the team’s primary closer as a senior in 2026.

Fifth Canuck pick: The Cleveland Guardians, who like Canadian catchers, drafted Deiten Lachance (Sherbrooke, Que.) from the University of Oklahoma in the sixth round. For the College World Series Oklahoma Sooners, he batted .333 with 12 doubles, two triples, 16 homers and 65 RBIs with an 1.011 OPS in 62 games.

Baseball America

Lachance is an ultra-physical, 6-foot-5, 230-pound catcher who spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at McLennan (Texas) CC before transferring to Oklahoma for his junior year. He hit well in the first half of the season, but found a new level of power in the second half, which was a key factor in Oklahoma winning its third-ever national title. He finished the season with a .327/.396/.609 slash line, 18 home runs and 12 doubles in 65 games. He led the Sooners in home runs and with a 1.023 OPS. Lachance is an aggressive slugger who loves to swing the bat, and does so frequently. He’s not especially picky about the pitches he swings at, and will expand the zone regularly against all pitch types. Sharpening those swing decisions and becoming more selective will be key for Lachance to tap into his plus raw power at the next level. He has tremendous strength and great bat speed, with the ability to drive the ball out of the yard to all fields, but the swing can get lengthy and his bat-to-ball skills are below-average. Lachance could be a below-average hitter and still have great value, because he’s made great strides as a defensive catcher over the years and has the tools to stick there. He has plus arm strength and is as aggressive with his throwing as his hitting, with a willingness to backpick regularly behind runners at first. He earns praise for his receiving, though he’ll need to continue refining his blocking, mobility and stay on top of his conditioning. He’s a poor runner, which isn’t a problem for catching, but will limit his value on the bases.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 55 | Speed: 20 | Field: 50 | Arm: 60

Jays sixth round pick ... SS Gable Mitchell from the Iowa Hawkeyes. Mitchell batted .360 with a .987 OPS, which included 15 doubles, five triples, five homers and 45 RBIs. He was 14-for-19 stealing bases in 56 games.

Sixth Canuck pick: FieldHouse Pirates Robert Omidi (Oakville, Ont.). With the Junior National Team, he had two RBI singles against the Aberdeen IronBirds and an RBI-double against the State College Spikes in MLB Draft League action. On the Dominican trip with the Junior National Team, he hit a solo homer against the Rookie-class Brewers, giving him seven on the season. He also hit a two-run homer facing Marlins.

Baseball America

Omidi is a young-for-the-class Canadian hitter with an exciting blend of pure hitting ability and power. He’s a 6-foot-1, 195-pound lefthanded hitter with solid strength and physicality now who has flashed impressive raw power and has a chance for above-average pop at physical maturity. He also has the contact ability and offensive approach to be an average pure hitter. He lacks middle infield actions and might be better suited for third base, where his solid-average arm could play nicely. Omidi is an average runner now, but that could back up in the future as he gains more strength. He’s committed to Kentucky.

Jays seventh round pick: Toronto went for speed selecting Dean West of Sherman Oaks and the UCLA Trojans. West batted .277 with 10 doubles, a triple, seven homers and 51 RBIs. He was 11-for-12 stealing bases and had an .835 OPS in 58 games. He was 27-for-32 stealing bases in his three years at UCLA.

Jays eighth round pick: The Jays chose catcher Jake Bennett from the Dallas Baptist Patriots. Formerly with San Jacinto College, Bennett batted .348 with 10 doubles, 19 homers and 53 RBIs. He had a 1.250 OPS in 43 games.

Jays ninth round selection _ Next, the Jays selected OF Joey Urban from the University of Southern Mississippi Eagles. Urban batted .320 with 11 doubles, three triples, 15 homers and 55 RBIs. He had an OPS of 1.000 over his 61 games.

Canuck seventh pick: Former Great Lake Canadians SS Evan Morrison (Wheatley, Ont.) was selected from NCAA D-2 Grand Valley State by the Texas Rangers. In Michigan, he batted .410 with 15 doubles, six triples, six homers and 28 RBIs. He had an 1.065 OPS in 58 games stealing 27 of 42 bases. He had been playing with the Canadian Baseball League’s Chatham-Kent Barnstormers this summer.

Jays moved into double figures: They chose OF Bryce Chance of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. In 62 games, he batted .349 and had 10 doubles, two home runs and 35 RBIs with a .906 OPS this past collegiate season.

Jays 11th round pick: The Jays selected Maryland Terps 3B Brayden Martin. The Bowie, Md., native hit .319 with five doubles, two homers and 23 RBIs. He had an .849 OPS in 56 games.

Baseball America

Martin has one of the most unique profiles in the 2026 draft class. He’s an elite contact hitter with some of the best pure bat-to-ball skills you’ll find, but he also comes with very little power and defensive profile questions. A 5-foot-11, 175-pound lefthanded hitter, Martin owns a career .314/.455/.380 slash line in three seasons with Maryland, including a 9.9% strikeout rate and 18% walk rate. He has an extremely passive offensive approach, swinging less than 30% of the time, and when he does swing he basically never misses. In 2026, he managed a 96% overall contact rate and 98% in-zone contact rate—both elite figures that are rare to see over the course of a full season. While his contact skills are exceptional, scouts wonder if his approach and lack of power will remain productive in pro ball. He has hit just five home runs in 167 games with Maryland with a metal bat, and in parts of three summers and 90 games with wood, he has zero. Martin is a plus runner who turns in 70-grade run times from home-to-first because he gets out of the box quickly, and he’s also gone 33-for-41 (80%) on the bases in his career. He’s spent time at third base and both corner outfield positions, but his arm is below-average and he might be fit best in left field—which could be a challenge given his lack of power

Jays 12th round: The Jays chose LHP Santiago Garcia from Kevin Gausman’s school, LSU. He was 1-1 with a 5.96 ERA and two saves and struck out 35 in 21 innings this past college season.

Eighth Canuck pick: RHP Cole Dorland, of the Langley Blaze, went in the 13th round to the Atlanta Braves. He also pitched for the Junior National Team this year.

Jays 13th rounder selection: Toronto chose 6-foot-5 Kansas RHP Mathis Nayral, of Montpellier, France, where he played on Greg Hamilton Field. He was 4-3 with a 4.96 ERA in 18 games -- making 17 starts -- as he struck out 71 in 69 innings.

Ninth Canuck pick: RHP Damarcus Rideout-Carter (Brampton, Ont.), of the Mississauga North Tigers, was selected in the 14th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates

Jays 14th round: The Jays selected 6-foot-5 RHP Connor Kelley of Texas-San Antonio. Wearing No. 99, Kelley went 5-2 with a 2.98 ERA in 20 games -- making five starts. He fanned 73 in 66 1/3 innings.

Jays 15th round: The Jays went to California to grab RHP Oliver de la Torre. He was 5-5 with a 3.76 ERA in 14 starts. He struck out 72 in 81 1/3 innings.

Jays 16th round selection: Toronto stayed in the Midwest to grab RHP Carson Cormier from Illinois State. He pitched for the Victoria HarbourCats in 2024 before transferring to TCU. This spring, he was 4-2 with a 4.17 ERA in 16 games, making 10 starts, He walked 12 and struck out 74 in 69 innings.

Jays 17th round pick: Toronto selected RHP Landon Waters of Mississippi. In his second year with Ole Miss, he was 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 24 games. He struck out 25 in 24 innings.

10th Canuck pick: RHP Ryan Marton (Toronto, Ont.) was chosen in the 17th round by the Chicago Cubs. Marton pitched for the Mississauga North Tigers and spent two seasons with the Midland College Chaparrals. This spring, he pitched for the UNLV Hustlin’ Rebels.

Jays 18th selection: Next Toronto chose LHP Jake McCoy of South Carolina. McCoy didn't pitch at all this year. He was a potential first-rounder who hurt his arm before season started and had Tommy John surgery.

Jays 19th round selection: Toronto chose SS Cole Travers of Venice High School.

Canuck 11th pick: INF PJ Moutzouridis of the Arizona State Sun Devils went in the 19th round to the Minnesota Twins. A resident of San Jose, his roots come back to Canada, which makes him World Baseball Classic eligible.

Canuck 12th pick: Will Zielinski went in the 20th round to the Detroit Tigers from the Vauxhall Jets and the Junior National Team.

Jays 20th pick: Again the Jays went to the high school ranks, selecting OF Eddie Rosado Jr. from Bensalem, Penn.

Elliott: Draft Day 2 blog — completed