Canada’s top 18U players have been out of the country for the majority of May as they embark on their annual trip to the Dominican Republic. The players stepped on the field at MLB affiliated camps across the Dominican, playing a total of 16 games against pro prospects from 14 different organizations including the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers.

The trip came to a conclusion on Saturday in a tightly contested 5-3 loss to the Phillies and our staff begins to break it all down below.

Although PBR wasn’t on hand in the Dominican for the trip, we’ve run through the box scores and below we highlight six offensive players who jumped out at the dish.

‘22 2B Dylan O’Rae - Great Lakes Canadians (Illinois) - O’Rae continues to be the spark plug offensively for this Canadian team out of the lead off spot. He consistently puts up quality at-bats against pro pitchers, going 12-for-42 (.286) on the trip with a .508 OBP. He was a menace on the bases once again, swiping 10 bags and was only caught three times. His true impact can be felt by this stat: He scored 21 runs in the DR and the next best on the team scored 7. Not to mention he struck out just five times, while picking up 16 walks. Undersized middle infielder at 5-foot-9, 160-pounds but his ability to get on base against elite competition and move himself around the bases make him one of the most impactful draft eligible high school position players in Canada.
Stat line: .286 AVG | .508 OBP | 12-for-42 | 2 2B, 3B | 21 R | 5 RBI | 16 BB | 5 K | 10 SB | 3 HBP

‘22 OF Max Hartman - Okotoks Dawgs (Washington St.) - After O’Rae, there’s no doubt that Hartman was the next most impactful position player for Team Canada this past trip. His .350 batting average (14-for-40) was by far the best and he also picked up three doubles, seven stolen bases and seven walks for an OBP of .458. An athletic 6-foot-3, 185-pound outfielder who displays a good hit/speed combination was another who limited the strikeouts with just 9. From an offensive standpoint, Hartman couldn’t have asked for a better trip.
Stat line: .350 AVG | .458 OBP | 14-for-40 | 3 2B | 3 R | 4 RBI | 7 BB | 9 K | 7 SB | HBP

‘22 OF Cam Chee-Aloy - Ontario Terriers (Illinois, 2023) - It took some in-game reps to get Chee-Aloy’s bat going this year but it came alive in the DR, picking up the most extra-base hits on the team. He went 10-for-42 (.238) with five doubles and his ten walks and 3 HBP’s helped bump his OBP to .418. The draft-eligible, 5-foot-11, 180-pound outfielder from the Terriers has speed and arm strength in the outfield while the right-handed bat continues to develop against high-level pitching. Chee-Aloy seems to be making adjustments as the year goes along and it paid off with a good showing in the Dominican.
Stat line: .238 AVG | .418 OBP | 10-for-42 | 5 2B | 6 R | 3 RBI | 10 BB | 16 K | 4 SB | 3 HBP

‘22 C Hugh Pinkney - Ontario Terriers (Rutgers) - Pinkney was one of the biggest standouts on Team Canada’s first trip of the year and the left-handed bat showed well again. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound catcher went 10-for-41 (.244) with three doubles with 10 walks (.415 OBP) and struck out just 8 times. Our staff got a look at Pinkney back in February and the body was looking lean and athletic, while the left-handed bat had taken strides and that’s showing here in the spring. The game has been sharp on both sides of the ball and he’s a 2022 who’s propelled his draft stock early on in 2022.
Stat line: .244 AVG | .415 OBP | 10-for-41 | 3 2B | 6 R | 9 RBI | 10 BB | 8 K | SB | 2 HBP

‘22 INF/C Sam White - Ontario Blue Jays (West Virginia) - Every time you see Sam White you know what you’re going to get… Aggressive but selective, limits the strikeouts and is usually one of the best hitters on the field. That was the case again in the Dominican. The West Virginia commit went 13-for-44 (.295) with two doubles, nine walks, a sac fly and a stolen base. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound West Virginia commit got playing time at first base and catcher but it’s long been the approach and hit tool that drives scouts to the field to watch him.
Stat line: .295 AVG | .415 OBP | 13-for-44 | 2 2B | 6 R | 9 RBI | 9 BB | 8 K | SB

‘23 C Deiten Lachance - ABC Academy (Uncommitted) - While Lachance wasn’t as comfortable in the box as some of these other names, Lachance is a year younger and is facing pro pitching for just the second time. Going 9-for-45 (.200) as an underclass catcher isn’t bad and the fact that he left the yard twice is something to take note of. While he struck out 16 times compared to just one walk, his four extra-base hits were the second most on the team. The big framed 6-foot-4, 225-pound catcher receives the ball well and is complimented by his raw power from the right-side. A big summer for Lachance as one of the top uncommitted catchers in the country.
Stat line: .200 AVG | .217 OBP | 9-for-45 | 2 HR, 2 2B | 3 R | 7 RBI | BB | 16 K