The Toronto Blue Jays may be on the road this week, but the Rogers Centre is going to be rocking all week long.
 The Blue Jays Baseball Academy is hosting the 11th annual <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/a-review-of-five-pitching-prospects-at-the-2024-canadian-futures-showcase">Canadian Futures Showcase</a>; this event brings the top 150 Canadian amateur players to Toronto for a week of showcasing their skills. 
The event, formerly known as “Tournament 12,” was designed to field the top Canadian talent, all on the only MLB diamond in Canada. These players suit up in front of numerous MLB scouts and various college recruiters from both sides of the border.
This showcase has led players to all avenues of post-secondary baseball, international baseball, and professional baseball. The event began in 2013, and since then, the numbers speak for themselves: <a href="https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/community/baseball-academy/canadian-futures-showcase/tryouts">110 alumni</a> have been drafted by Major League clubs, and this number does not include non-drafted free agent contracts. Plus, over 500 scholarships have been dished out, after the exposure that the showcase brought to Canada’s top talent. 
Josh Naylor, Bo Naylor, and Myles Naylor are an entire family that could attest to the success they’ve achieved, relating to the Canadian Futures Showcase. These are just a few names, amongst Owen Caissie, Will Hynes, Sam Shaw, Dasan Brown, and many more.
Earlier this year, two former participants were picked up on undrafted free agent contracts. From the Ontario Blue Jays, right-handed pitcher <a href="https://www.cpblbaseball.ca/news/obj-s-ryan-mcdonagh-signs-with-kansas-city-royals">Ryan McDonagh</a> was inked to a contract by the Kansas City Royals. The Blue Jays also invested in their own cause and signed <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/a-review-of-five-pitching-prospects-at-the-2024-canadian-futures-showcase">Aiden Taggert</a> to a UDFA deal as well. Around the same time McDonagh signed with the Royals, Toronto made their offer to Taggart, an arm which they’ve seen at their own diamond.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
RHP Aiden Taggart (<a href="https://twitter.com/_aidentaggart_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_aidentaggart_</a>) 2025, <a href="https://twitter.com/FHPirates?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FHPirates</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/utahbaseball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@utahbaseball</a> commit
Dominant at the Rogers Centre working 3IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, &amp; 5K.
Was a member of the 🇨🇦 JNT over the past year.
FB 88-90 CB 77-79 CH 79-80… <a href="https://t.co/OwgrJ2AMXT">pic.twitter.com/OwgrJ2AMXT</a>
&mdash; Prep Baseball Ontario (@PrepBaseballON) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepBaseballON/status/1856471717969047890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Taggart was a pitcher in the Fieldhouse Pirates organization, a staple program in the Canadian Premier Baseball League (CPBL). Taggart explained that his performance two years ago at the event drew strong interest from Junior National Team head coach Greg Hamilton. After this, the tracking began, and his goal of playing for his country came through. 
“I think the good performance at the Canadian Futures Showcase in 2023 was the thing that put me on the team. I feel that was the moment where my performance kind of made me a Junior National Team member”. 
Further to this, playing for his country also allowed him to play against major league organizations. Fast forward to 2024, Taggart returned to the event, showing out well, and hitting his metrics. 
In a shutout victory for his team, Taggart pitched three no-hit innings with five strikeouts, sitting late-80s, maxing out at 90 mph. 
“They obviously liked what they (Patrick Griffin, Blue Jays amateur scout) saw at the Futures Showcase in 2024. Between my start and appearance in the Prospect Game, I threw four perfect innings, and I threw 50 pitches across those innings. Very efficient.&#8221;
Toronto invited Taggart to throw in their pitching lab, where the numbers showed out well. From there, the Blue Jays offered employment. 
This story is one of many that this event has sparked. This year’s Canadian Futures Showcase will feature some names of relevance in the months and years to come. 
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The Toronto Blue Jays may be on the road this week, but the Rogers Centre is going to be rocking all week long.

 The Blue Jays Baseball Academy is hosting the 11th annual <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/a-review-of-five-pitching-prospects-at-the-2024-canadian-futures-showcase">Canadian Futures Showcase</a>; this event brings the top 150 Canadian amateur players to Toronto for a week of showcasing their skills. 

The event, formerly known as “Tournament 12,” was designed to field the top Canadian talent, all on the only MLB diamond in Canada. These players suit up in front of numerous MLB scouts and various college recruiters from both sides of the border.

This showcase has led players to all avenues of post-secondary baseball, international baseball, and professional baseball. The event began in 2013, and since then, the numbers speak for themselves: <a href="https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/community/baseball-academy/canadian-futures-showcase/tryouts">110 alumni</a> have been drafted by Major League clubs, and this number does not include non-drafted free agent contracts. Plus, over 500 scholarships have been dished out, after the exposure that the showcase brought to Canada’s top talent. 

Josh Naylor, Bo Naylor, and Myles Naylor are an entire family that could attest to the success they’ve achieved, relating to the Canadian Futures Showcase. These are just a few names, amongst Owen Caissie, Will Hynes, Sam Shaw, Dasan Brown, and many more.

Earlier this year, two former participants were picked up on undrafted free agent contracts. From the Ontario Blue Jays, right-handed pitcher <a href="https://www.cpblbaseball.ca/news/obj-s-ryan-mcdonagh-signs-with-kansas-city-royals">Ryan McDonagh</a> was inked to a contract by the Kansas City Royals. The Blue Jays also invested in their own cause and signed <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/a-review-of-five-pitching-prospects-at-the-2024-canadian-futures-showcase">Aiden Taggert</a> to a UDFA deal as well. Around the same time McDonagh signed with the Royals, Toronto made their offer to Taggart, an arm which they’ve seen at their own diamond.

https://twitter.com/PrepBaseballON/status/1856471717969047890

Taggart was a pitcher in the Fieldhouse Pirates organization, a staple program in the Canadian Premier Baseball League (CPBL). Taggart explained that his performance two years ago at the event drew strong interest from Junior National Team head coach Greg Hamilton. After this, the tracking began, and his goal of playing for his country came through. 

“I think the good performance at the Canadian Futures Showcase in 2023 was the thing that put me on the team. I feel that was the moment where my performance kind of made me a Junior National Team member”. 

Further to this, playing for his country also allowed him to play against major league organizations. Fast forward to 2024, Taggart returned to the event, showing out well, and hitting his metrics. 

In a shutout victory for his team, Taggart pitched three no-hit innings with five strikeouts, sitting late-80s, maxing out at 90 mph. 

“They obviously liked what they (Patrick Griffin, Blue Jays amateur scout) saw at the Futures Showcase in 2024. Between my start and appearance in the Prospect Game, I threw four perfect innings, and I threw 50 pitches across those innings. Very efficient."

Toronto invited Taggart to throw in their pitching lab, where the numbers showed out well. From there, the Blue Jays offered employment. 

This story is one of many that this event has sparked. This year’s Canadian Futures Showcase will feature some names of relevance in the months and years to come. 

<hr />

<div>
<h2>PRESENTED BY 6IX INNING STRETCH PODCAST</h2>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@bluejaysnationdotcom"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88534" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/6IS-107-GRA_ShowPromo_727x404-V4.2.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" /></a>

Love baseball? Don’t miss The 6ix Inning Stretch — the brand new podcast from The Nation Network, presented by Betway. Hosted by Toronto sports reporter Lindsay Dunn and 3-time MLB All-Star Whit Merrifield, this weekly show delivers insider stories, unfiltered Jays talk, player interviews, and expert analysis from around the majors. New episodes drop every Wednesday — listen on your favourite podcast platform or watch on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@bluejaysnationdotcom" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/@bluejaysnationdotcom&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1752618160475000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0OzeJ9qt2a5kxzVjmdwaEg">Bluejaysnation YouTube channel.</a>

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