The MLB draft begins Monday night and lasts through Wednesday. Here are five Canadians to watch as the three-day selection process unfolds:
LANDON LEACH, RIGHT-HANDED PITCHER
Leach, from Pickering, Ont., is expected to be the first Canadian selected at this year's draft. He started out as a catcher but with his big frame — he's six foot four and 205 pounds — his coaches with the Toronto Mets urged him to transition to a pitcher in the spring of 2015. He's ranked No. 85 on Baseball America's top 500 list of draft-eligible players. The 17-year-old is committed to the University of Texas.
ADAM HALL, SHORTSTOP
Hall moved from his birth country of Bermuda to London, Ont., as a 12-year-old and quickly impressed his coaches, first with the London Badgers and then with the Great Lake Canadians. Baseball America has him ranked 99th on their top 500. The six-foot-one, 165-pound right-handed hitter is committed to Texas A&M.
ZACH POP, RIGHT-HANDED PITCHER
Pop, from Brampton, Ont., is entering his second draft, this time as a junior at Kentucky. He turned down his hometown Toronto Blue Jays three years ago after they drafted him out of Notre Dame Catholic High School in the 23rd round. The 20-year-old Pop, with his six-foot-four, 225-pound frame, throws his fastball in the mid-to-upper 90's. He has a 3.48 earned-run average over 21 appearances (20 2/3 innings) for the Wildcats this season but missed time with injuries. He's ranked 178th by Baseball America.
JASON WILLOW, INFIELDER
Willow, a six-foot-two, 175-pound Victoria native is ranked 271st by Baseball America. The right-handed hitter impressed American scouts at last summer's Area Code Games, a showcase event for top prep players in the United States and Canada. Willow is a product of the B.C. Premier League's Victoria Mariners, who helped develop former Blue Jay Michael Saunders. He's committed to UC Santa Barbara.
CLAYTON KEYES, OUTFIELDER
Like Pop, Keyes is also entering his second draft. The Blue Jays selected the Calgary native in the 17th round last year but the six-foot-one, 215-pound right-handed hitter didn't sign. Keyes originally committed to Central Arizona Junior College but decided to stay in Calgary for a fifth year of high school instead. The Okotoks Dawgs product sits at No. 311 on Baseball America's top 500 list. He previously played for the Langley Blaze, the team that Brett Lawrie played for as a teenager in Langley, B.C.
The Canadian Press