The Blue Jays Nation countdown of the top 20 Canadian baseball prospects for the 2025 campaign is underway. Next, we’ll look at a corner infielder who missed the majority of the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Hometown: Oshawa, Ontario

Organization: Atlanta Braves

Position: 3rd base/1st base

Acquired: 4th round, 2022 draft

The Braves seem to have an affinity for Canadian prospects in recent years, possibly because of Montreal-born general manager Alex Anthopoulos calling the shots. They drafted David McCabe in the fourth round back in 2022, one of three Canucks that the club drafted that year. They’ve followed with drafting a Canadian in each of the following two drafts.

After splitting 28 games in rookie ball and single-A in 2022, the former Charlotte 49er impressed in a big way in his first full season in 2023 between single-A and high-A. The switch hitter slashed .276/.385/.450, with 17 home runs and 75 RBI while amassing a 15.3% BB/9. McCabe was also impressive on the base paths, swiping 10 bases. Perhaps even more impressively, he played the entire 2023 campaign at third base, holding his own in the process thanks to his plus arm. His patient approach also held up in the Arizona Fall League, sporting a .448 OBP but failing to hit a home run through 21 games.

After appearing at #13 on MLB Pipeline’s list of Top 30 Braves prospects, McCabe underwent Tommy John surgery in February of this year, knocking him out for the majority of the 2024 season. When he did return in August, he went straight to double-A, struggling to the tune of a .138/284/.214 slash line across 35 games exclusively as a designated hitter. He returned once again to the Arizona Fall League, where he didn’t fair much better. It might be fair to give the 24-year-old a mulligan for his short-season struggles, not only because of his lost time due to the injury but because of the bump up in competition.

It will be important for the Oshawa, Ontario native to prove that he can hit advanced pitching in 2025. His 2023 season showed that he had an impressive patient approach that gives him a chance to be a regular Major League starter. His ability to limit the strikeouts will allow him to develop into an all-around hitter, even if he’s more of a 20-25 home run guy at the next level.

His strong throwing arm has made the Braves optimistic that he can stay at third base, but his more realistic long-term position is most likely first base. This puts more emphasis on his offensive game heading into 2025. Although he will likely never rack up a ton of stolen bases, it will also be interesting to see if he can swipe double-digit bags next season and beyond.

After getting his feet wet in double-A in 2024, McCabe is undoubtedly ticketed for a return to start in 2025. Given his age, if he hits well out of the gate, there’s a chance he will be moved up to triple-A by mid-season. It is not out of the question that if all breaks right, he could make his Major League debut by the end of the year. With Matt Olson and Austin Riley entrenched in their respective positions in Atlanta, it remains to be seen how he may fit in the Braves’ long-term plans.

Regardless of the fit, if he can return to his 2023 form, we could see McCabe skyrocket up this rankings list by next year.

#19 – Calvin Ziegler

#20 – Jeremy Pilon