Ontario Scout Blog - Don't Sleep On These Prospects

It was a wild year to say the least, but fortunately we were able to get looks at players and see how players took advantage of the Covid break we were all given. 

Here in Ontario, we were able to get back on the field in the late July and carry games for the most part into the late stages of fall with early October being the shut down time frame for the province. 

Our staff was able to still get a lot of looks at players, hold Open ID and scout days and get some really good video and numbers on players before we took it indoors for the winter. In this scout blog we highlight some of those performances of players you need to make sure you stay on and follow. 

Eli Press RHP / Tanenbaum CHAT, ON / 2022 Rankings  StateRank: 63 / POS: 20 Report: Press really filled up the zone this summer when we saw him and the actions and delivery work well on the mound. It is clean and on-time in the back, it’s a repeatable delivery and does a good job getting into his lower half. The fastball sat in the 80-82 range with gradual break on the curveball with 11/5 shape. Press is only going to get stronger and the added size is only going to sharpen his stuff and raise his numbers. Like the projection going on with this RHP.

Jack Ferguson RHP / 3B / Thomas A Stewart Secondary, ON / 2022 Rankings  StateRank: 49 / POS: 16 Report: Ferguson really opened our eyes this summer with his arm speed and feel for a curveball at the FG Trials. He pitches with energy and a high temp, working with a short arm action in the back and was really able to get on top of his pitches. He snapped off some curveballs that had late action and a fastball that he moved to both sides of the plate. There is athleticism and strength to work with right now, and liked the demeanour we saw from Ferguson on the mound. Don’t sleep on this one, there is upside and more to come out of this arm.

Owen Constantineau 1B / Colonel By, ON / 2022 Rankings  StateRank: 43 / POS: 1 Report: The bat, size and strength are what will draw eyes to the left-handed hitting Constantineau from the Ottawa area. There is rhythm in the swing with a smooth and slightly uphill path with bat speed and extension to the swing. There are some kinks and small adjustments to work out and would like him to be more balanced through the entire swing, but we’ve been fans since day 1 of the bat and you could see the improvements and power really come into play this past August when we saw him. It’s a first-base profile right now but we’re buying the bat and what is to come.

Griffin Catto RHP / OF / Brooklin, ON / 2022 Rankings  StateRank: 46 / POS: 15 Report: Catto is a 2022 right-handed arm who we’ve seen at our FG Trials this past summer and also in live action. He works with a short and compact arm action in the back and a fastball that has been up to 87 mph and sits in the 84-85 range. It’s a strong frame at 6-foot-1, 195-pounds with ability to throw strikes and attack hitters early in counts. The biggest separator will be Catto’s curveball, presently works in the mid 60’s and is a pitch he’ll need to become more consistent with. The curveball will flash shape and spin while the changeup has fading action and is a pitch Catto has confidence in. A nice arm and if the breaking balls takes a jump, you could see Catto being one of the top 22 arms in the class.

Blake Simpson SS / 2B / Pickering High School, ON / 2022 Rankings  StateRank: 25 / POS: 6 Report: We saw Simpson at the Tigers scout day and it’s an athletic build that has a lot of ceiling when talking about his frame and tools. High waisted middle infielder who hits from the left side with a short, line drive oriented stroke. The hands work well to contact and can move the ball from gap to gap. Adding strength is going to be a big part to his game and Simpson is a name that could take off early in 2021.

Tyler Greig OF / LHP / Burlington Central, ON / 2022 Rankings  StateRank: 62 / POS: 10 Report: It’s not an overly imposing body, but uncommitted 2022 Tyler Greig shows twitch and bat speed at the plate. Mechanically he’s pretty sound, but there were times where the ball was a bit louder than usual off his bat. Greig didn’t get cheated in BP, but also didn’t try to get too big, either. Not to be outdone, he’s pretty good on the mound, to0 from the left side. His numbers are fairly standard across the board, but with a bit of size and strength, he should develop into a fairly decent hitter, considering he’s already got whip through the zone.