Elliott: Lawson's bat heating up on Cape Cod

Former Ontario Blue Jays and Leaside 3B Brendan Lawson began hitting with a bang with the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League.

July 21, 2025

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

A year ago today Brendan Lawson’s name was in the news.

The former Ontario Blue Jays INF was a 19th round selection by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2024 draft.

Would Lawson (Toronto, Ont.) sign or would he play for the Florida Gators?

Lawson headed south to Florida and he is still bettering his brand. Of the 1,182 Canadians playing college ball this past spring, he was on top of the heap with 61 RBIs, five more than Indiana State’s Carter Beck (Carnduff, Sask.).

Playing first base for the Gators, among Canadians he was:

_ Second in games played with 60, one behind George Mason’s Lucas Alberti (Toronto, Ont.).

_ Sixth in hits with 71, 12 behind Rutgers’ Tyler Doucette (Dartmouth, N.S.).

_ And tied for 10th in doubles with 14, eight behind Missouri State’s Taeg Gollert (Toronto, Ont.)

Not eligible until the 2027 draft, Lawson is impressing with the Brewster Whitecaps as he summers in the Cape Cod League. He owns a .368 batting average with three doubles, three homers and four RBIs. In the first 12 games, he has a 1.162 OPS. Playing third base, he started the season with a 6-for-12 spurt.

Just as he’ll likely be the top Canuck two years from now, he’s the best of the Canadians listed on Cape rosters.

The others include or rather included ...

_ RHP Brandon Langley (New Glasgow, PEI) was 1-0, pitching 3 1/3 scoreless with the Cotuit Kettleers. The Team Ontario grad struck out four and didn’t walk a man. The San Diego Padres signed the Western Carolina Catamount as an undrafted free agent.

_ Michigan Wolverines’ RHP Tate Carey (Windsor, Ont.), a Great Lake Canadians grad, is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in five games, making three starts for the Chatham Anglers. He has walked 11 and struck out 12 in five games.

_ LHP Dane Burns (Dryden, Ont.), who pitched at Mississippi State, is 2-0 with a 5.14 ERA, also with Chatham. He has walked eight and fanned 17 in 14 innings. Last year, Burns was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 17th round but did not sign.

_ OF Nick Groves (Bayfield, Ont.), a former Great Lake Canadian, is batting .194 in his second season with the Bourne Braves. He had doubled, tripled and driven in four runs with a .596 OPS in 31 games. Groves spent the 2024 season with the Hyannis Harbour Hawks batting .364 with two doubles, 14 RBIs, a .906 OPS while going 15-for-16 stealing bases.

_ C Deiten Lachance (Sherbrooke, Que.), formerly of the Academy Baseball Canada who played at McLennan, is hitting .100 with Hyannis. The ABC grad has one RBI in two games played.

_ OF Cameron Chee-Aloy (North York, Ont.), a Terrier grad at Illinois, was hitless in his first game at Hyannis.