July 11, 2026

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Hey, we have a horse race.

SS Taj Marchand, whose father Hugo played for the Victoriaville Tigers and was a seventh-round draft of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1997 and played for St. John’s Maple Leafs, is rated 67th by Baseball America. He is listed as 37th by MLB Pipeline and is headed to Ole Miss.

LHP Sean Duncan (Port Coquitlam, BC), who was a certain first round draft before an arm injury was ranked 59th by Baseball America. He’s listed as No. 66 by MLB Pipeline and the top Canuck. Perfect Game ranks Duncan, bound for Vanderbilt, if he does not sign, as 66th over-all.

OF Carter Beck (Carnduff, Sask.), Missouri Valley Conference’s MVP with the Indiana State Sycamores, is listed at No. 69 by Baseball America. Beck is ranked 193rd by MLB Pipeline.

SS Elliot Lascelles (Toronto, Ont.), a young man with four-plus tools in a land that does not produce shortstops, is listed 118th by Baseball America. He sits at 158 on MLB Pipeline’s list. He has committed to Yale University.

So is it Marchand, Duncan and Beck?

Or is it Duncan, Marchand and Beck?

Or maybe Beck, Marchand and Duncan? Or another combo? We’ll soon know

Whatever the case , all three will wind up on our six-figure list.

Canadians with six-figure bonuses

FAQs … after the 2025 draft

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Dedicated to Jim Baba: Each year of late, we have dedicated our blog page to someone who passed in the previous year. On Sept. 12, 2025 — two months after last year’s draft — Baseball Canada’s longtime executive director Jim Baba, one of the most respected and influential leaders in Canadian baseball history, died.

Baba (Moose Jaw, Sask.) was 69. He was loved in his home province and worshipped in Ottawa during the 20 years he spent there.

A few weeks later after he died, there was a WBSC championship with teams from around the world. The two competing teams for the bronze medal and gold medal games lined up along the first and third base lines and a moment’s silence was held as Baba’s picture flashed on the right field scoreboard. His wife, Penny, died a few months later.

Mitch, Melani and Jamie represented their family well in St. Marys when Jim was inducted to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Jim’s passion was coaching and his impact was felt throughout Saskatchewan, delivering numerous coaching certification programs in his home province and from coast to coast and around the world.

No. 1 with a bullet: When Carter Beck gets to spring training at Atlanta Braves camp, he might want to take C Drake Baldwin out for diner. Since Baldwin won the National League Rookie of the Year, the Braves were given a compensation pick. Some scouts knocked his size (5-foot-11) and his conference (Missouri Valley Conference which is not the SEC). Braves boss Alex Anthopoulos (Montreal, Que.) said “so what” and made Beck the 26th overall pick in North America. At Indiana State, Beck (Carnduff, Sask.) had a .346 batting average with 17 doubles, two triples, 16 homers and 59 RBIs. He had a 1.083 OPS and was 12-for-16 stealing bases in 57 games. Now, when Canadian players think of Saskatchewan. besides thinking of OF Terry Puhl (Melville, Sask.), RHP Dave Pagan (Nipawin, Sask.), LHP Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.), RHP Dustin Molleken (Regina, Sask.) and Jim Baba (Moose Jaw. Sask.), they’ll think of Beck. The slot money for that position is $3.5 million.

Baseball America’s Scouting Report

Beck was a do-it-all high school athlete in Saskatchewan who played hockey, volleyball, track and handled catching and shortstop duties for his baseball team. He started his college career at Division II Mary in North Dakota, then transferred to Indiana State for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. He was one of the most prominent college risers in the class after hitting .347/.446/.640 with a career-high 16 home runs. Beck is a 5-foot-11, 205-pound outfielder and lefthanded hitter who should appeal to both model- and scout-oriented clubs thanks to his physical tools and standout underlying batted-ball data. Beck is an aggressive hitter who has strong contact skills and feel for the barrel. In 2026 he managed an impressive 92% in-zone contact rate. Because he’ll expand the zone and swing frequently, he doesn’t walk much, but he should balance that with an average hit tool and a chance for 15-20 homers a season with a wood bat. Beck is a plus runner who has handled center field for Indiana State for the past two seasons. He has the speed and athleticism to stick there, though scouts think he needs more reps and polish to develop the requisite route-running and instincts. Beck could be an above-average defender in left field and has a fringe-average arm.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Speed: 60 | Field: 50 | Arm: 45

Carter Beck final rankings

Baseball America 69th

MLB Pipeline 193rd

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Canuck No. 2, could Leafs fans switch? Toronto Maple Leaf fans are known to be the most loyal, most passionate (and the editor adds: most second-guessing) in sports. Could they switch next year? After all, the Tampa Bay Rays selected the son of a former Maple Leaf draft and defenceman Hugo Marchand (Montreal, Que.) who played for the Victoriaville Tigers in the Quebec League. The Rays selected Hugo’s son SS Taj Marchand 33rd overall in North America. Taj, of Johnstown, S.C., is coming off back-to-back state player of the year honours. This season, he batted .531 with 11 doubles 13 home runs, 57 runs and 45 RBIs.

Baseball America’s Scouting Report

Marchand is a physical righthanded hitter and infielder who has impressive power upside and contact skills, but his unusual swing makes him a polarizing prospect. He performed well throughout the 2025 high school showcase circuit, and then was one of the most prominent helium players in the country in his senior prep season. Marchand has strength and remaining physical projection in his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame and creates impressive bat speed from the right side. There are significant moving parts to his swing. He has a pronounced hand hitch and arm bar, with a tendency to leak out heavily on his front side. Despite his unusual mechanics, Marchand has a knack for putting the barrel on the ball and does a nice job keeping his hands back, which often leads to a disconnected-looking swing. He’s also an aggressive hitter who expands the zone too often. As a result, some scouts wonder about his pure hitting ability against better pitching, while others point to a strong contact rate on the circuit and big exit velocities. Marchand is a fringy runner who could be stretched at shortstop, but he has a strong arm that will give him a chance to play third base. He’s an Ole Miss commit and will still be 17 on draft day.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Speed: 45 | Field: 45 | Arm: 55

Taj Marchand final rankings

MLB Pipeline 37th

Baseball America 67th

Perfect game 106th

With first pick, Jays go to the College ranks: Toronto did not pick until 37th overall when they chose Arizona State Sun Devils’ LHP Cole Carlon. He was 5-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 111 and walking 31 in 83 2/3 innings.

He had a tender elbow in May and sometimes throws his slider too much. It is fixable.

Scouting report MLB Pipeline

A product of Arizona high school powerhouse Corona Del Sol, Carlon stayed home to go to college, jumping right into the Arizona State bullpen as a freshman. He took a big step forward results-wise as a sophomore, also as a reliever, before pitching well in brief stops in the Cape Cod League and USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team Training Camp. A move into the Sun Devils’ rotation this spring has helped cement him as top-two-round arm talent, even if the jury is still out about his long-term role.

Considered to be the top college arm in the area, Carlon could have the chance to start thanks to a potential four-pitch mix coming from his strong 6-foot-5 frame. The lefty can run his fastball up to 98 mph, sitting around 94 mph, though it can get flat with scattered command. He’s able to get back in line with his breaking stuff, starting with an 87-88 mph cutter-like short slider he throws as often as his heater that misses a ton of bats. He can manipulate it and make it a bit longer at times, and he also has an average 12-to-6 curve that offers a different look. His changeup is his fourth pitch, but it does have some fade to it.

A solid athlete who hit .349 playing both ways in the Alaska Summer League in 2024, Carlon has struggled at times with finding the zone consistently, though he cut his walk rate down as a starter this year. There’s some reliever risk, and he could move quickly in that role, but a team taking him in the top two rounds should give him every chance to stick in a rotation.

Third Canuck pick and he can pick it: We asked a scout who was the better shortstop? Taj Marchand or Elliot Lacelles since we knew he had seen both players. He said emphatically: “Marchand,” but after a couple of seconds he added “but not by much.” Marchand went in the first round going 33rd overall in the first round to Tampa Bay. Toronto Mets SS Lascelles went in the second, 60th overall. I would say that that qualifies as “not by much,” by any standard. Lascelles, who has a scholarship to Yale, does everything well, except hit for power. And how many SS not named Ripken can do that?

Baseball America

Lascelles is one of the top Canadian prospects in the 2026 class and checks a lot of boxes between his athleticism, contact skills and shortstop profile. He has a lean, still-projectable frame, at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds and uses a balanced and compact swing. He sets up with an even, crouched stance and takes his hands directly to the ball with few moving components a line-drive oriented swing. Lascelles has shown impressive feel for the zone throughout his prep career. He doesn’t chase much, and when he does swing he makes a ton of contact and does a nice job using the middle of the field from gap to gap. He looks like a hitter who will hit for average, walk at a solid clip and be difficult to strike out, though he might never be the biggest power hitter. He has the frame to suggest average raw power at physical maturity, though getting to 20-plus home run power in games might require an approach shift. Lascelles is a plus runner with a quick first step who has the actions to stick at shortstop. He’s a fluid mover with middle infield actions and solid-average arm strength that should allow him to stick at the position. Lascelles is young for the class, committed to Yale and also hit well in the MLB Draft League before the draft.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Speed: 60 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50

FInal rankings for Elliot Lascelles

Baseball America 118th

MLB Pipeline 158th

Fourth Canuck and not far behind No. 3: Oh, what might have been. Had LHP Sean Duncan (Port Coqitlam, BC) not been injured during the Junior National Team’s trip to the Dominican Republic, he would have been a first-rounder. He has been projected as such since his grade 9 summer. The former Langley Blaze still has a fine career in front of him, after he recovers from Tommy John surgery. The New York Yankees must also believe so. They chose him 63rd overall.

Duncan is a projectable lefthander with high-probability starting traits built around his advanced strike-throwing. He’s the top Canadian prospect in the class and turns 18 just two months before the draft. Duncan has a lean frame at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds and throws with a free-and-easy delivery. There’s some length to his arm action, but he repeats his three-quarters arm slot and lands with a balanced, athletic finish. Those traits lead to advanced feel to command a three-pitch mix. Duncan’s fastball sits in the low 90s and tops out around 95 mph. It’s not the most powerful heater, but it is a high-spin pitch that has swing-and-miss traits at the top of the zone. He throws high-quality secondaries to attack hitters on both sides of the plate. The list includes an upper-70s-to-low-80s slider that he can manipulate, shortening up for early strikes or expanding it with more depth as a chase pitch. It’s a high-spin breaking ball that should become plus when he adds more power. Duncan also has a lively changeup in the mid 80s that he sells with good arm speed and fading life. It should be a reliable weapon against righties. Duncan is committed to Vanderbilt and was being scouted as a top-three-rounds talent, with a chance to go in the first round, before a May injury and Tommy John surgery added more uncertainty to his stock.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55

Sean Duncan’s final rankings

Baseball America 67th

MLB Pipeline 69th

Perfect Game 49th

The Jays second pick … was SS Ryan Cooney, who was second on the Oregon Ducks with a .331 average. He had 22 doubles, a triple, eight homers and 43 RBIs. He had a .944 OPS in 60 going 13-for-16 stealing bases.

Cooney is a contact-oriented middle infielder who earned a starting job on day one as a freshman for Oregon in 2024. Injuries have limited him throughout his career, but he has been productive when healthy and started showing more extra-base pop as a junior in 2026. During his draft year he hit .331/.420/.524 with eight home runs and 22 doubles in 60 games. A 6-foot, 195-pound righthanded hitter, Cooney stands out for his exceptional contact skills. He never misses a fastball and rarely strikes out, with an impressive ability to shoot the ball the other way. Cooney owns a 12.5% career strikeout rate and 91% in-zone contact rate. He will occasionally pull the ball for home run power with a metal bat, but his power is modest and he’s never hit for much power with a wood bat during summer leagues. He has fringy speed with a short and choppy running stride, but runs with effort and has been a successful basestealer in college, going 28-for-34 (82%) in the last two seasons. He’s had some experience playing all over the infield, but is a solid defender at second and profiles best there. He’s a reliable defender who should make all the routine plays and has a solid arm and exchange on the double-play pivot.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 30 | Speed: 45 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50

Jays third pick: C Will Brick, a high schooler from Tennessee. He will be a tough sign -- but they usually don’t waste draft picks unless they will sign. He has committed to Mississippi State. As former Jays CEO Sam Pollock said about Kevin Brown once “I like him, because he looks like a catcher.”

Brick was the top-ranked catcher in the 2027 draft class before he reclassified for 2026 in October. He remains one of the top overall catchers in the prep class, with solid tools and skills on both sides of the ball. He caught for Team USA’s 18U National Team in 2025, when he handled some of the best arms in the class and also led the team with a .667 slugging percentage in seven games. At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Brick has a lean, well-proportioned frame that still has room to add strength. He has a workable swing with solid bat-to-ball skills and a sound approach. Brick is still learning to elevate the ball consistently in games, but he shows solid raw power in batting practice. He has a chance to develop above-average raw power, though his current approach is more contact-oriented and gap-to-gap. Brick shines defensively. He’s a solid athlete who has played a decent number of innings at shortstop this spring, but his future is behind the plate. He has a no-doubt plus arm and regularly posts pop times of 1.9 seconds on throws to second base in games. His exchange is rapid and his footwork is rock solid as well. He’s praised for his game management skills and has all the tools to develop into a plus defender. Brick is committed to Mississippi State.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Speed: 40 | Field: 60 | Arm: 65

Canucks drafted

By Province

British Columbia 1, Ontario 1, Quebec 1, Saskatchewan 1,

By Teams

Carnduff Astros 1, Langley Blaze 1, Toronto Mets 1.

(Rounds 5-to-20 begins Sunday at 11:30 AM)

Walt Burrows was not a participant in the poll. No longer working for the Minnesota Twins he is shown here scouting for the Canadian Futures Series in Moncton, N.B.

Last year we asked an assorted number of scouts to predict how many Canadians would be selected.

We think the average was 11.

Last July, 30 Canadians were drafted or signed. A total of 19 Canadians were drafted last year (seven high schoolers). Eight free agents signed post-draft and three free-agents signed before draft.

This year we asked people on both sides of the border _ three scouting directors, four national cross checkers and six area scouts and the average was … ta-da ... 19.

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In addition to 20 picks in the first, second-thru-20th rounds, there will be compensation picks that have been awarded to some teams;

2026 Compensation Picks

Pick Team Compensation For/Team

51 PIT Angel Cervantes (Unsigned 2025 Draft Pick)

75 CHC Kyle Tucker/LAD

133 HOU Framber Valdez/DET

134 SD Dylan Cease/TOR

135 PHI Ranger Suarez/BOS

2026 Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks

Pick Team For

26 ATL Drake Baldwin (2025 NL Rookie of the Year)

28 HOU Hunter Brown (2025 AL Cy Young - Top 3)

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Expos/Blue Jays Father/son combinations to be draft

Barfield, Jesse 1977 9 TOR OF

Barfield, Josh 2001 4 SD 2B

Bichette, Dante 1984 17 CAL OF

Bichette, Dante Jr. 2011 A (51) NYY 3B

Bichette, Bo 2016 2 TOR SS

DeShields, Delino 1987 1 (12) MON 2B

DeShields, Delino Jr. 2010 1 (8) HOU OF

Drabek, Doug 1983 11 CWS RHP

Drabek, Kyle 2006 1 (18) PHI RHP

Fielder, Cecil 1982 4 KC 1B

Fielder, Prince 2002 1 (7) MIL 1B

Name Year Round Team Position

Grissom, Marquis 1988 3 MON OF

Grissom, Marquis Jr. 2022 13 WSH RHP

Leiter, Al 1984 2 NYY LHP

Leiter, Jack 2021 1 (2) TEX RHP

Raines, Tim 1977 5 MON SS

Raines, Tim Jr. 1998 6 BAL OF

Speier, Chris 1970 1 (2) SF SS

Speier, Justin 1995 55 CHC RHP

Wilson, Mookie 1977 2 NYM OF

Wilson, Preston 1992 1 (9) NYM OF

Previous Dedications

2025 _ Don Seaman and Dr. Ron Taylor.

Seaman, 99, passed 17 days before his 100th birthday. I first met him in 2011 when he was inducted into the Okotoks Dawgs Hall of Fame. Don was the principal donor in the construction of Seaman Stadium and the Duvernay Fieldhouse. His late brother Daryl K. (“Doc”), brother BJ and Don were principals of the Bow Valley Group of Companies and respected pioneers in the Canadian oil & gas industry. He made major contributions to the Seaman Family MRA Research Centre, the Robotic Arm Project at Foothills Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Heritage Park, University of Saskatchewan and University of Calgary.

Taylor 87, accomplished a lot in his life: getting signed by Cleveland, an electrical engineering degree, winning two World Series rings with the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets as a reliever, graduating from the University of Toronto, two more Series more as the team physician with the Toronto Blue Jays and he ran a clinic to treat sports injuries -- it didn’t matter if a player was in his draft year or if he was a peewee sandlot right-hander with a sore elbow. He saw them all. We never met a man who had more fun in his life.

2024 _ Jerry O’Hearn (Oshawa, Ont.)

Jerry was the father of Keegan O’Hearn a graduate of the Oshawa Legionaires, the Terriers and the Junior National Team. Jerry made one trip to Ann Arbour to see Michigan play a doubleheader against Eastern Michigan in fall ball. On Oct 23, 2023, Jerry O’Hearn, father, friend, good guy and ball fan, passed after seeing his son play one game of college ball.

2023 _ Lynda Loewen (Sequim, Wash.)

Lynda was the wife of former first round LHP Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC) who passed at age 37 on Dec. 10, 2021. Loewen was selected fourth overall in North America in 2002 by the Baltimore Orioles and made the majors three times: A) as a starter, B) as an outfielder and C) as a lefty reliever.

2022 _ Warren Bechard (Brantford, Ont.).

Warren whose son Jesse Bechard held most Kent State Golden Flashes hitting record when he retired. Warren was a constant promoter and supporter of this website and constant sign of encouragement as we started what many called a “niche project,” which would not go anywhere. He was an enthusiast -- which Jack Giffin (Brockville, Ont.) used to say was the highest compliment you could give a non player.

Elliott: Draft Day 1 blog, updated