Josh Naylor, Matt Brash among the Blue Jays Canadian Futures alum to reach the Major Leagues

The Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy is set to kick off another talent-filled Canadian Futures Showcase event.

The event is heavily scouted by Colleges and Major League scouts. All 30 big league clubs hunt the showcase to find their Canadian-based talent. This gives baseball operations a more diverse look at the boys up north, rather than only depending on the Canadian Junior National Team. 

Major League ballparks are filling up with Canadian talent across the league, while minor league affiliates settle in, develop, and wait their turn to climb the ranks. What names were a reflection of the Canadian Futures Showcase? 

The monstrous left-handed swinging Guardian from Mississauga, Ontario is a bold alumni name in the showcase once known as “T12”. Naylor was a “guy” at the event, while also being a key name from the Ontario Blue Jays program in the Canadian Pacific Baseball League. Naylor was drafted in the first round, 12^th overall by the Miami Marlins in the 2015 MLB Draft. He was later traded to the San Diego Padres before his trade to Cleveland. 

A really impressive arm took the Rogers Center mound, showcasing a good repetitive delivery with above-average velocity. His repertoire and makeup caught the eyes of scouts who also added him to the 2015 MLB Draft list, going first round 28^th overall by the Atlanta Braves. Soroka was originally committed to the University of California, but took his talents to professional baseball where he became an all-star in 2019.

Another impressive arm and a huge piece of the Seattle Mariners pitching rotation is a kid out of Kingston, Ontario. Brash was a projectable kid who showed out well at the showcase and was another guy to watch on the hill. He ended up choosing the collegiate route where he landed a commitment at Niagara University. Posting only a career 2.97 ERA with a 12-7 record, Brash went on to be selected in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft and was traded to the Mariners in 2020. 

The infielder was also an alumnus at the showcase where he found a college opportunity at Seminole State College. In 2016 he was drafted by the Houston Astros; in 2021 he was traded to the Seattle Mariners. He’s now with the Milwaukee Brewers organization. 

The second of the three Naylor brothers, Bo, was also one of three brothers to participate in the tournament and get drafted in the first round. Bo was also a Mississauga native and was drafted out of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School in the first round 29^th overall in the 2018 Major League Draft. On October 1^st, 2022, Naylor made his major league debut against the Kansas City Royals.