Elliott: Agostino on Davalan "Half an hour from my little home town of St-Bruno"

Arkansas OF Charles Davalan (St-Bruno-De-Montarville, Que.) was a first-round choice of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Photo: Arkansas Athletics

July 14, 2025

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Draft war rooms are aptly named.

Cross checkers and scouts will literally go to a verbal war for “their guy, the guy that they believe in,” to be selected next by their club.

A draft room is not only operational during the two days of the draft. Most teams convened July 5. Some start arguing/discussing the late round picks until narrowing down on the first rounders as agents are consulted. Others do pitchers first, then hitters or vice versa.

Whether it be an area scout, a cross checker or an executive sent out to help evaluate -- all “stick up for their guy.”

Such is the case when discussing Canadian players as Philadelphia Phillies assistant general manager Brian Barber has the floor and cross checker Alex Agostino (St-Bruno, Que.) is in the room.

Barber will say something like “OK, Alex this guy is Canadian ... you have Canada … what do you have on him?”

Agostino is not shy about sticking up for Canadians saying, “I’m Canadian, the players are Canadian. I know how hard they work. Why not stick up for them?”

The veteran scout -- 31 years with the Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins and Phillies -- believes other Canadian cross checkers do the same with their clubs: Bill Byckowski (Erin, Ont.) Cincinnati Reds, Jamie Lehman (Brampton, Ont.) Houston Astros, Chris Kemlo (Clarington, Ont.) San Diego Padres and Ron Tostenson (Kelowna, BC), Washington Nationals, Jim Stevenson (Leaside native), Astros, and Steve Wilson (Victoria, BC), New York Yankees.

Last week when Arkansas Razorbacks outfielder Charles Davalan came up for discussion it was more of the same.

Barber: “This player is Canadian ... Alex ... let us here about him.”

Agostino: “Not only is he from Canada he lives half an hour from my house ... the little town of St-Bruno, Que. Charles is from St-Bruno-De-Montarville.”

The two live that close but Agostino remembers driving seven hours to see Davalan in a workout at Oakville’s King’s Christain high school when Davalan was an infielder finishing high school.

“I liked him then and I like him now,” Agostino told the Phillies group.

Davalan went in the first round -- 41st overall -- to the Los Angeles Dodgers

The Phillies chose Davalan’s Arkansas teammate RHP Gage Wood at 26th overall and did not have another selection until No. 100.

He began his college ball with Florida Gulf Coast University before transferring to the Razorbacks, who made the College World Series in Omaha,

This spring he batted .346 with 12 doubles, two triples, 14 homers and 60 RBIs, scoring 71 runs in 65 games with a .994 OPS.