Elliott: Canuck SS Comeau Texas Rangers second-round pick

SS Connor Comeau, who has Canadian citizenship, was selected in the second round of the 2026 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers.

July 30, 2026

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Brian Comeau thinks he knew how good his son would be in 2025 at the Area Code Games.

His son, SS Connor Comeau, was with the Area Code Rangers and went 6-for-10 (.600) with two doubles, four singles, two strikeouts and a walk. He was named one of the top hitting prospects by Baseball America.

“For a long time he was under the radar,” Brian said.

Connor, on the other hand, thinks the moment came in the 2024 season with the Tigers Scout Team. All Connor did that summer with the Tigers Scout Team, THZ, Walk-Off Sports and the Texas Senators was earn berths on four All Tournament Teams in Austin, Tex., the PG Beast of the East Invitational, the WWBA South Invitational at Tomball, Tex. and the WWBA 16U National Championship. He was also named to the showcase top prospect team at Marietta. Ga. and won the Perfect Game Beast of the East Invitational. He joined the Tigers in Austin, Tex. after the Canes said they had zero interest.

“My exit velocity that year was 98 mph,” said Comeau.

No matter the year, this summer Comeau was selected 54th overall in North America by the Texas Rangers who gave him a $2.5 million signing bonus.

Comeau has Canadian citizenship, his father Brian is from LaSalle, Que. and his grandfather is from Tracadie, N.B.

The shortstop attended the 2025 Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre. Comeau was hoping to make the Junior National Team but did not have his citizenship paperwork completed. He has it now.

Signing with the Rangers ended his scholarship to Texas A&M.

“My relatives in Montreal had never seen me play -- they had heard I was a good player,” Comeau said. “It wasn’t a case of being in a major-league stadium for the first time.”

He’d already been to workouts at the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres big league parks. The Montreal crew seated among the Rogers Centre fans were: Comeau’s grandfather Henry, his girlfriend Nicole and his uncle Darrell.

“I didn’t do too well in pool play (1-for-10, six strikeouts), but I wound up second in the Home Run Derby,” Comeau said.

Daril Rodriguez (Sylvan Lake, Alta.) won with 11 home runs while Comeau was second with nine.

So Canada, a land that doesn’t produce everyday shortstops — outside of Dominican import Otto Lopez, Kevin Nicholson (Surrey, BC) leads with 24 big league starts since 2000 — had three selected in the first 54 picks: Taj Marchand (33rd overall) to the Tampa Bay Rays, Comeau (54th to the Rangers) and Elliot Lascelles (60th to the San Diego Padres).

Lascelles, a Toronto Mets grad, was given $2,800,394 by San Diego Padres scout Chris Kemlo (Clarington, Ont.), a record for Canadian-born high schoolers. OF Slater de Brun received $4 million, but is a Canadian citizen living in Bend, Ore.

Marchand, whose father played defence with the Victoriaville Tigers and was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1997 and now lives in Charleston, S.C., was given a $2.5 million bonus from the Tampa Bay Rays. Comeau, whose father is also from Quebec, was given the same.

“I’d like to play for Canada some day in the World Baseball Classic,” Comeau said.

* * *

Who was the best of the three?

“Marchand is the better hitter. Comeau the better defender. We would have gone Marchand.” _ said an NL scouting director who had seen all three.

“If we had had a choice, it would have been Lascelles.” said one AL general manager.

Tomato. Toe-mat-toe.

We shall see who makes the best shortstop down the road.

* * *

Work took Brian Comeau from Montreal to San Francisco (“My mom says I’m the only one that defected.”) then moved to San Jose and on to outside of Austin. Now, Brian is the regional sales manager for InstroTek, Inc. which measures high-end equipment for construction and paving.

“We measure the depth of pavement -- I don’t think that they are using any on the Montreal roads.”