Stanley 'A Guy In Love With Baseball'

TORONTO - The decision to reclassify has bided David Stanley some time when it comes to making a college decision.

“It was on the advice of my coaches and they’ve never done me wrong,” Stanley said in reference to Greg Byron and Sean Travers, coaches with Mississauga Tigers High Performance. “I trust them. I think it will work out in the long run.

“A lot of those in the 2023 class are a year older than me so this is giving me an extra year to decide. I’m young for that class and with Covid and the lack of field time, it all added up. Now I’ll have more time on the field with an extra year. That will benefit me in school as well as later with professional baseball, hopefully.”

A fall college trip helped spark interest in the top-ranked 2024 catcher in Ontario.

“It was a great experience,” related the 16-year-old. “I’m not talking with many right now, but Missouri State is one of those on my radar. We have two guys in my program that went there so that’s definitely an option.”

Another is St. Louis, one of the stops on the trip.

“It was definitely a great experience,” Stanley explained. “It was cool playing at all the colleges and I think that already having college game experience can be a selling point. Next year I hope to have more opportunities and put myself out there even more.”

Participating on Team Canada in the Future Games helped ignite exposure in 2021.

“That was a crazy experience,” the seventh-rated sophomore in Ontario reflected. “That was one of my dreams in 2019 and to get to go to that and to get all those eyes on me was really cool. Hopefully, as a 2024, if I don’t commit I’ll get invited back a second time. It opens your eyes to all the guys out there and the high level of play.”

The 6-1 180-pounder pointed to PBR as being helpful in his recruiting process.

“In addition to getting eyes on me, there’s the aspect of competitiveness,” Stanley explained. “I see others in the rankings and I use it to compete and motivate myself. I set goals to beat other people and to constantly improve on my numbers.”

The Greenwood College high school sophomore has seen strides made as he gets closer to reaching the aspiration of playing at the next level.

“With Covid I switched programs to the Tigers,” Stanley said. “I learned a lot about the little things in the game and little things with my swing like being more balanced. Over Covid there was definitely not a lot to do with the team aspect, so there were little drills I was working on to help out my game.”

Stanley, who is considering majoring in a business-related field in college, believes he can benefit whatever program he ends up at in the future.

“What I’m going to bring is a guy in love with baseball,” Stanley said. “I’m a hard worker who loves the game. I love the competitive environment. I’ll push others and they’ll push me. I’m always working and giving 100 percent in the game.”

Coaches that Stanley has communicated with point to his bat as a major asset.

“They like the way I hit and my approach at the plate,” noted Stanley, who has an exit velo of 97 while running a 6.85 in the 60. “They said it will really play at the next level. They also like me as a catcher, and I’m really putting more and more time on my catching, but at the end of the day what schools are most interested in with me is the bat tool.”

The idea of being part of a college baseball program began when Stanley started playing with wood bats.

“I saw a change in the level of play and I started putting in more work,” Stanley related. “I started to see that D-I was a possibility and something I wanted to do.”

For now, there is no timeframe on making a college decision.

“I don’t feel I am in a huge rush,” Stanley concluded. “I'm just waiting for a good opportunity. By the end of next summer or next fall after our next trip would be a good time for me to commit.”