Blue Jays Nation’s countdown of the top Canadian baseball prospects continues with a pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization who’s fresh off a stint in the Arizona Fall League.

Hometown: North Vancouver, BC

Organization: Atlanta Braves

Position: Right-handed pitcher

Acquired: 7th round, 2022 draft (ATL)

Adam Maier is the only player on this list who was not only born in Canada but also attended a Canadian university before turning pro. He spent the 2020 season as a two-way player at the University of British Columbia, a school that boasts 27 MLB draft picks and Canada’s only team that competes for a US National Championship. After the 2021 season for UBC was wiped away due to Covid, a standout performance in the Cape Cod League allowed Maier to transfer to Oregon for the 2022 season, but a partially torn UCL ended his season after just three starts.

The Braves saw enough from Maier to draft him in the seventh round and hand over a well-above-slot $1.2 million signing bonus. To repair his UCL, he opted for an internal brace procedure instead of Tommy John surgery. A longer-than-expected recovery and an oblique injury led to him missing the 2023 season.

The six-foot right-hander made his professional debut for single-A Augusta in 2024, engineering a 4.45 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts through 56 2/3 innings. He pitched well enough to earn a late-season call-up to high-A Rome, where his peripherals took a bit of a hit. It’s just a sample size, but through six starts, his strikeout rate went from 9.1 to 7.1, with his walk rate climbing from 1.9 to 4.4. Despite this, his ERA improved to 3.38 at the next level, as he allowed just 10 earned runs through 26 2/3 innings. He then logged five starts in the Arizona Fall League, where he struggled with home runs and walks, leading to an 11.85 ERA and 2.41 WHIP. Considering his lost 2023 season, he was likely running out of gas towards the end of the year but overall, it was a successful first professional campaign for Maier.

Despite the lack of experience, the big signing bonus showed how excited the Braves were with the North Vancouver native. Maier throws his mid-90s fastball with good command, despite control issues appearing towards the end of last season. The most promising pitch in his repertoire is undoubtedly his slider, which sits in the low 80s, generating elite spin rates over 3,000 RPM. This pitch induces a ton of swing and miss and has a chance to be a career-defining pitch for him. An above-average changeup gives Maier three solid pitches to work with, and should help back him as he develops into a Major League starter.

If the 23-year-old can add another tick or two to his fastball, it could really help his slider and changeup become even more effective. The slider may not be quite as nasty, but the high praise of the pitch makes it easy to make the comparison to fellow Canadian reliever Matt Brash. If starting doesn’t work out, Maier would have a strong chance to be an impact pitcher coming out of the bullpen.

Despite appearing at #17 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Braves Prospects in 2024, the missed injury time has allowed several other pitching prospects to surpass him in the organization. However, as Maier gets further away from his injury, he could break out in a big way in 2025.

Since he logged just 26 2/3 innings in high-A in 2024, he is likely ticketed for a return to start there in 2025. The Braves won’t rush his development, instead letting his play dictate when he moves up the ladder. If all goes well, there’s a good chance we see Maier called up to double-A by midseason. This could set him up to make his Major League debut at some point in the 2026 season.

17. Liam Hicks

18. David McCabe

19. Calvin Ziegler

20. Jeremy Pilon