Day 2 Draft Notes

Day 2 was another exciting day for baseball in Canada with 8 Canadians getting selected between rounds 2-10 and spanning 3 different provinces in players from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario. With 1st round pick Tyler Black that makes it 9 total Canadians over the first two days of the MLB draft. 

8 players and 7 professional organizations on Monday with the Rangers doubling up and popping two Canucks. The Toronto Mets and Great Lake Canadians with the most alumni on day 2 with the Mets and GLC each having 3 players selected while Alberta had two alumni players selected out of Vauxhall Academy and Okotoks.

A very proud first two days for the Canadian baseball community with day 3 and rounds 11-20 on its way. 

We take a look at the 8 players selected with some notes and tidbits on each player and their well deserved selection. 

Calvin Ziegler RHP / OF / TNXL Academy, ON / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 1 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 58 / POS: 17 Team: New York Mets Round: 2nd round, 46th overall Background: Ziegler did himself a world of good by heading down to Florida and pitching with TNXL for the last 3 months and getting himself in-front of scouts. The RHP seemed to be dominant in just about every game he threw, showing an improved secondary stuff with both the CB and CH while running the FB consistently in the 92-95 range and pumping 6’s, 7’s, and 8’s. He was expected to be the top HS player taken and it turned out to go that way with the Mets grabbing him early in the 2nd.

Denzel Clarke OF / Everest Academy, ON / 2018 Rankings  StateRank: 3 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 226 / POS: 38 Team: Oakland Athletics Round: 4th round, 127th overall Background: Clarke was a favourite of the PBR Canada crew in HS and he continued to progress as he went off to Cal-State Northridge. Often talked about as one of the top athletes in the draft, Clarke has filled into his frame and the 6-foot-5, 230-pound muscular build was enough for the A’s to take him in the 4th.

Mitch Bratt LHP / OF / Newmarket, ON / 2021 Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 70 / POS: 11 Team: Texas Rangers Round: 5th round, 134th overall Background: The second high school player taken, Bratt took off this spring and looks to have been the correct decision. He played in Georgia early in spring and has been in the MLB draft league since day 1, holding his own against competition that is 3-4 years older than him. A strong track record of performance, ability to spin the baseball and throw strikes made the Rangers pop Bratt early in the 5th round.

Eric Cerantola RHP / St. Trinite, ON / 2018 Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 208 / POS: 92 Team: Kansas City Royals Round: 5th round, 139th overall Background: A different path this year for Cerantola as he went into the season with Mississippi State as a potential top 60 pick, he struggled early with command and lacked opportunity and outings over the last few months of the season. That said, it’s big league stuff today as he’s been up to 100 mph and has one of the best CB in the draft. This could turn out to be one of the best steals of the draft if the stars align as nobody would be surprised to see Cerantola on a big league mound.

Jordan Marks RHP / Saint Clair Secondary, ON / 2017 Rankings  StateRank: 14 / POS: 7 Team: Detroit Tigers Round: 8th round, 225th overall Background: Marks dominated at USC Upstate, and that might be an understatement. The control/command package and strikeouts, along with the wins just piled up start after start and there are few college careers that match what Marks did at school. A GLC alumnus, Marks fit the Tigers bill and was snatched up early in the 8th round by Detroit.

Tristan Peters OF / Okotoks Dawgs, AB / 2018 Rankings  StateRank: 20 / POS: 1 Team: Milwaukee Brewers Round: 7th round, 207th overall Background: Peters, native of Manitoba was automatic in the lineup everyday for Southern Illinois as he led the team in average at .355 and added six home runs while playing everyday.

Liam Hicks C / 3B / Lawrence Park CI, ON / 2017 Rankings  StateRank: 23 / POS: 2 Team: Texas Rangers Round: 9th round, 254th overall Background: Hicks has had a solid college career where the hit tool has been with him all along and the power production is there to match it. Some people question where he ends up defensively but hes shown the ability to be versatile with action behind the dish, second base and in the outfield. You are buying the bat with Hicks and if he continues to damage like he did in his college career, you can bet he’ll be on the field and in the lineup.

Garrett Hawkins RHP / Vauxhall Academy, AB / 2018 Rankings  StateRank: 10 / POS: 3 Team: San Diego Padres Round: 9th round, 280th overall Background: Hawkins had as tough a time as anyone as the UBC right-hander lost all opportunity over the past two years with the cancellation of both his seasons. He took to the MLB draft league where he was able to impress and show that the control, command are real as the velocity ticked up to 95 and showed improved secondary. The Friars liked what they saw and selected him at the back end of the 9th round.