McFarland: Rauckman is ready to roll at Canadian Futures Showcase

Going Yard Academy left-hander Mitchell Rauckman (Saskatoon, Sask.) is competing at the Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre this week. Photo: Saskatchewan Dugout Stories

*This article was originally published on Saskatchewan Dugout Stories. You can read it here.

September 17, 2025

By Joe McFarland

Saskatchewan Dugout Stories

Like many Canadian kids who loved baseball, Mitchell Rauckman grew up as a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Even though he is primarily a pitcher himself, the Saskatoon native always enjoyed watching slugger Josh Donaldson.

He’s been to Rogers Centre to watch his favourite team play, always hoping to one day play on the same turf.

Rauckman is one of three Saskatchewan products, along with Matthew Tran and Aiden Kilshaw, who will get the chance to do that in the Canadian Futures Showcase.

The 11th annual event will see the best Canadian high school talent show off their skills in front of college coaches and pro scouts.

“It’s going to be pretty special,” Rauckman told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.

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Listen to Saskatchewan Dugout Stories interview Mitchell Rauckman here.

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“I’m definitely going to take a little bit of time to take it all in, but it’s the same game when I’m there as when I’m here and I just need to remember that it’s the same game and just play how I play.”

It will put the cap on what’s been a memorable year for the left-hander as he looks to take the next steps in his baseball journey.

SIBLING RIVALRIES

While he played several sports as a kid, Rauckman specifically remembers watching his dad play men’s league baseball.

They threw the ball around the backyard when it was warm and in the basement during the winter, but it wasn’t just the two of them.

Rauckman also has a triplet brother and sister, Casey and Maggie.

“It was definitely competitive,” Mitchell recalled. “We were all at the same points growing up so we were competitive with everything.”

Once he got into high school, Rauckman says he stopped playing hockey and the other sports to focus on his baseball, where he had been attending Going Yard Academy.

For him, pitching was his forte.

“I like having the ball and being in control of the game,” said the 6-foot, 195-pound southpaw. “I feel like there’s so much to learn in baseball that kind of separates it from a lot of the other sports.”

Rauckman also enjoys how baseball is a “game of failure” and that you have to move on from the good and the bad days by learning something new every time he steps onto the field.

SUMMER GAMES SPECTACULAR

Heading into the 2025 season, Rauckman was widely viewed as one of the best young talents in Saskatchewan.

He already had experience suiting up for Baseball Sask at the 2023 Ray Carter Cup and again in 2024 at the Baseball Canada Cup, where he helped the team to a fourth-place finish.

So it came as no surprise when Rauckman was named to the roster for the Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Team Saskatchewan opened things up with big wins over Alberta and Quebec, where Rauckman picked up the win allowing four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four in four innings of work.

They then lost to Ontario and B.C before beating Quebec again to get into the semi-finals, where they lost in a third matchup against Quebec.

Rauckman’s second appearance of the tournament would come in the bronze medal game against Prince Edward Island, where he put on a show by allowing just two runs on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts in a complete-game 4-2 victory.

“It was very special,” Rauckman reflected. “Being able to throw in that game and throw all seven innings – I think it kind of shows how far I’ve come and the work I’ve put in.”

Making the win even sweeter was that Rauckman’s family was in attendance for the entire tournament, while his brother, Casey, was also on the roster as a middle infielder who hit third in the batting order.

GETTING THINGS DONE

With the school year underway, the Canadian Futures Showcase provides the athletes with a bit of an early break from their studies.

For Rauckman, he’s looking forward to the opportunity to learn more on the field through the coaches and special guests that typically dot the showcase itinerary.

He says he’s learned a lot over the past year from his coaches at Going Yard, as well as Greg Brons with Baseball Sask, about himself as a player and believing in himself and his abilities.

Team Saskatchewan teammates Trentin Kooy, Mitchell Rauckman and Casey Rauckman after their bronze medal win at the Canada Summer Games in August. Photo: Going Yard

“If you go onto the field with confidence and believe in yourself, you can get things done,” the 17-year-old said, before adding, “Just having fun is the biggest thing.”

He hasn’t officially committed to a college program yet, so this might also be his way to get on a few more radars before making his decision.

“I’m looking forward to playing against some of the best players in Canada and proving that I can play among them,” Rauckman said.

The Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase runs from Sept. 16-19 at Rogers Centre in Toronto.