McFarland: Young Carriere settles in as savvy veteran at Canadian Futures Showcase

Abbotsford Cardinals OF/1B Jake Carriere (Abbotsford, B.C.), who is just 15, made a strong impression at the plate and in the field for Team Navy at this year’s Canadian Futures Showcase. Photo: Joe McFarland, Alberta Dugout Stories

September 20, 2026

By Joe McFarland

Alberta Dugout Stories

It became clear early on who the large contingent of fans sitting in Section 8 at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium were cheering for Saturday afternoon.

As the public address announcer said Jake Carriere’s name, the couple dozen friends and family cheered loudly hoping to see some magic from the rising star.

And the Abbotsford, B.C. native delivered with two hits, two runs, two walks, a run batted in and a stolen base as his Team Navy fell 10-9 to Team Grey at the Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase.

While it stung taking the loss, Carriere was happy to be playing close to home after a very busy summer with all kinds of travel.

“Growing up, it was like a dream to be on this field,” he said. “Now that I’m 15 and playing on this field, it’s pretty surreal and just gives me a lot of confidence that, when I get older, I can go do better things.”

You read that right … 15.

He turns 16 on November 2, but despite his age, he has quickly become one of the must-watch prospects in Canadian baseball.

THE QUICK ASCENT

Carriere has been on a lot of radars for a while already.

He received his first invite to a Perfect Game event in 2023 and has regularly gotten the call for major events on both sides of the border ever since.

Carriere helped B.C. win gold at Baseball Canada’s Ray Carter Cup in 2025 and, later that summer, got his first call to the Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

His goal was to make his way back and he kept working over the past year, although he admits it’s been tougher than he hoped.

“If I’m being honest, it was one of the hardest years I’ve had,” Carriere said. “I had some struggles during my season with the (Abbotsford) Cardinals and had a big slump playing up with the 19U team for the first time.”

Leaning on his teammates, coaches and parents, he persevered and says it’s better to learn these things at 15 instead of at 21.

STANDOUT IN ALBERTA

The 5-foot-11, 165-pound outfielder found another gear in his game competing at the inaugural Road to Okotoks and Morneau Cup.

Despite playing against some of the best players in the country – most of whom are four years older – Carriere hit .312 with two doubles, a home run, six runs batted in and he stole two bases in 11 games between the Regional Qualifiers and the main event in Okotoks.

That one blast might have been the most memorable as it was of the three-run, walk-off variety against Mississauga in the round-robin.

“I kind of blacked out – it was so awesome,” Carriere laughed. “I got intentionally walked in the at-bat before so I kind of wanted revenge and it was great.”

The tournament all-star admits his heroics also created some buzz for him heading into the second half of the summer while giving him some confidence, especially in a tournament with mostly older players.

MATURITY AND CONFIDENCE

Carriere says he was “a little shocked” when his name was among the first 50 getting the call to this year’s showcase in Vancouver.

Having been through it once before, he wasn’t as wide-eyed as he was a season ago, hitting .400 with a 1.067 on-base percentage, showing great patience at the plate with six walks in his four games.

The local lad was feeling really good after all was said and done.

“I had a bunch of quality at-bats, had a couple plays in the field, which I feel pretty good about,” Carriere said. “It’s just super-special to see the arm talent and I felt like I was pretty comfortable in the box for every game.”

He says the biggest lesson learned over the last few days was about how the older players conduct themselves in the dugout, adding you never know when a scout might be watching, not just for the on-field performance but for the interactions with teammates and whether you’re having fun on the field.

You have to catch yourself listening to Carriere speak as he exudes a maturity and confidence that you typically see in older high school players.

And again, he still can’t get his driver’s licence for a couple more months.

“I fell in love with baseball when I was really young and have worked hard pretty much my whole life,” he said. “I just really appreciate all the opportunities I get and, yeah, it’s my dream to go far in baseball and hopefully this is just the start.”