By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

Every fall, the Ontario Blue Jays travel down the East Coast to play exhibition games against colleges, putting some of the province’s best players in front of coaches and scouts. I was able to catch some of their scrimmages against High Point and North Carolina. Here are some notes…

+ 1B Josh Naylor (St. Joan of Arc Collegiate SS, ON) made the usual rounds this summer, showing off one tool that can’t be taught—raw power. Naylor has a big, stocky frame at a listed 6 feet, 225 pounds. He doesn’t get cheated in the box, taking aggressive cuts and jumping on the first strike he sees. His swing gets long, but he has good bat speed and can launch balls into the stratosphere when he connects. He hit a line-drive home run against High Point and then hit several moon shots in batting practice at UNC. Naylor also has a strong arm, though he is likely limited to first base. He split his warm-ups between right field and first base, but would need work on his actions in the outfield and have to stay on top of his conditioning.