Elliott: Kemlo Canadian Baseball Network's Scout of the Year

September 6, 2026

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Scouts are older than most workers in the industry.

Yet, they are certainly not over 100.

When you see something that this country has not produced in roughly 100 years, you go all in.

San Diego Padres scout Chris Kemlo (Oshawa, Ont.) had a year to remember, winning our CBN Scout of the Year for the second time.

San Diego Padres scout Chris Kemlo and the Padres brain trust gave Toronto Mets infielder Elliot Lascelles, the fourth Canuck selected in this summer’s draft, the top bonus for 2026.

Since 1991, when Canadians became eligible for the draft, the only higher bonuses went to pitchers: Los Angeles Angels RHP Tyler Bremner, University of California, Santa Barbara, last year ($7,689,525), RHP Jameson Taillon, who went to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010 ($6.5 million), RHP Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) who was taken by the Padres in 2015 ($3,963,045), 2002 first-rounder Adam Loewen (Surrey, B.C.), who went to the Orioles ($3.2 M) and 2025 high school OF Slater de Brun, of Bend, Ore., ($4 M).

With Lascelles, Kemlo (Oshawa, Ont.) was looking at a Canadian middle infielder who could play short or second.

Lascelles was “easy to dream on” as scouts are fond of saying.

How good is Lascelles?

Good enough to be, perhaps, the first Canadian middle infielder to play over 500 major league games in more than 100 years.

Toronto’s Arthur Irwin started the most games -- 947 -- at shortstop (1888-1894), while Pop Smith of Digby, N.S. (1880-1891) was the busiest second baseman -- 713 -- starts.

Career starts at shortstop by Canadians in the majors:

(Up to June 10)

Arthur Irwin, Toronto, Ont. 947 starts 1888-1894

(Philadelphia Quakers, Providence Grays, Worcester Rudy Legs, Boston Reds, Washington Nationals)

Otto Lopez, Montreal, Que. 262 starts 2022-26

(Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins)

Milt Whitehead Toronto, Ont., 95 starts 1884

(St. Louis Maroons, Kansas City Cowboys)

Kevin Nicholson, Surrey, BC, 24 2000

(San Diego Padres)

Dave McKay, Vancouver, BC, 19 starts 1975-82

(Oakland A’s, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins).

Peter Orr, Richmond Hill, Ont., four starts 2005-13

(Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals)

Danny Klassen, Leamington, Ont., three 1998-2003

(Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers)

Career starts at second base by Canadians in the majors:

Pop Smith Digby, NS, 1880-1891 713

(Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Boston Beaneaters)

Dave McKay, Vancouver, BC, 331 1975-82

(Oakland A’s, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins).

Pete Orr, Richmond Hill, Ont. four.

(Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies)

Abraham Toro Longueuil, Que. 2019–2025 148

(Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland and Boston Red Sox).

Brett Lawrie Langley, BC 2011–2016 49

(Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland A’s, Chicago White Sox)

* * *

Besides Lascelles, Kemlo had a hand in selecting:

_ Fourth-rounder OF Alex Conover from Oklahoma State, who was in Kemlo’s area to cross-check. He was given a signing bonus of $500,000. He hit .357 with 14 doubles, 14 homers, 57 RBIs and a 1.101 OPS in 58 gams.

_ Fifth-rounder James Guyette, who Kemlo crosschecked at Kansas State and gave a $172,500 bonus. He was 6-4 with a 5.56 ERA in 16 appearances, making 15 starts. He struck out 105 in 79 1.3 innings.

_ 15th-rounder INF Ryan Kucherak of Northwestern, who was also from Kemlo’s area, who was given a $150,000 bonus. He hit .295 with 12 doubles, 10 homers and 39 RBIs. He had a .911 OPS in 51 games.

_ Undrafted free agent 6-foot-8 RHP AJ Rogers (Darmouth, N.S.), who signed for $150,000 after pitching with the Okotoks Dawgs, Junior Natonal Team and the Dartmouth Juniors.

_ Undrafted free agent RHP Jack Pineau (Thunder Bay, Ont.), from the Creighton Blue Jays, for $120,000. He had a 7-3 record with a 4.21 ERA during his college season. He fanned 83 in 83 1/3 innings

If there was any doubt, Kemlo is the winner of the the 33rd annual Canadian Baseball Network Scout of the Year.

The award was renamed after two-time winner Jim Ridley in 2009.

Kemlo joins Canadian Baseball Hall of Famers Wayne Norton (Port Moody, BC) and Ridley (Burlington, Ont.) as the only previous two-time winners.

Canadian Baseball Network Scout of the Year

Re-Named Jim Ridley Award In 2009

Year Winner Hometown Club

1994 Bill Scherrer, Buffalo, NY, Florida Marlins

1995 Bill MacKenzie, Ottawa, Ont., Colorado Rockies

1996 Tim Harkness, Hampton, Ont., San Diego Padres

1997 Ed Heather, Cambridge, Ont., Toronto Blue Jays

1998 Wayne Norton, Port Moody, BC, Baltimore Orioles

1999 Walt Jefferies, Paris, Ont., Toronto Blue Jays

2000 Claude Pelletier, Ste-Lezare, Que., New York Mets

2001 Jim Kane, Brampton, Ont., Atlanta Braves

2002 Ken Lenihan, Bedford, N.S., MLB Scouting Bureau

2003 Dick (The Legend) Groch, St. Clair, Mich. Milwaukee Brewers

2004 Jim Ridley, Burlington, Ont., Minnesota Twins

2005 Walt Burrows, Brentwood Bay, BC, MLB Scouting Bureau

2006 Alex Agostino, Montreal, Que., Philadelphia Phillies

2007 Howie Norsetter, Sydney, Australia, Minnesota Twins

2008 Greg Hamilton, Ottawa, Ont., Baseball Canada

2009 Jim Ridley, Burlington, Ont., Minnesota Twins

2010 Jay Lapp, London, Ont., Milwaukee Brewers

2011 Doug Mathieson, Langley, BC, Arizona Diamondbacks

2012 Andrew Tinnish, Burlington, Ont., Blue Jays

2013 Murray Zuk, Souris, Man., San Diego Padres

2014 Wayne Norton, Port Moody, BC, Seattle Mariners

2015 Jim Stevenson, Tulsa, Oak., Houston Astros

2016 Doug Mathieson, Langley, BC, Arizona Diamondbacks

2017 Chris Reitsma, Calgary, Alta., Baltimore Orioles

2018 Bill Byckowski, Georgetown, Ont., Cincinnati Reds

2019 Matt Higginson, Grimsby, Ont, Oakland A’s.

2020 Lonnie Goldberg, Overland Park, Kan., Kansas City Royals.

2021 Takeshi ‘T-Money’ Sakurayama, Hartford, Conn., Texas Rangers.

2022 Chris Kemlo, Oshawa, Ont., San Diego Padres.

2023 John Castleberry, Orleans, Mass., San Francisco Giants/Cincinnati Reds.

2024 Jon Lalonde, Midland, Ont., Toronto Blue Jays.

2025 Patrick Griffin, Oakville, Ont., Toronto Blue Jays.

2026 Chris Kemlo, Oshawa, Ont. San Diego Padres.

(BOLD denotes a member of the Canadian Hall of Fame in St. Marys.)

***

Like many sandlot coaches, Kemlo wears more than one ball cap: a Padres one, a Clarington Orioles cap, he helped found the Ontario branch of PBR (Prep Baseball Report) and a pink hat.

A pink hat?

A few years ago Kemlo’s Clarington team - which this year was the 2026 13U Ontario champs - was playing in a tournament in Peterborough to fight cancer.

Cancer is not a one-weekend fight. It is 365 days long, so our Scout of theYyear wears a pink hat for his team’s games.

That might be enough to win the award on its own.