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Best of the West: Quebec's Standouts

May 13, 2022
Cam Black-Araujo
Lead Scout, PBR Canada

Our scouting staff has been in Kamloops the past four days watching the Best of the West tournament. Some of the best 2022s, 2023s and 2024s on the Western side of Canada all in one complex, with a nationwide feel to the event with ABC on hand from Quebec, as well as the Ontario Blue Jays. 

Our staff saw nearly every player from ABC's organization in early March at the ABC Pro Day and now we had a chance to see them in-game. Not only did we get to see them in-game, but in a competitive atmosphere against some top-level talent.

Below, our staff breaks down four standouts from ABC last week.

2022 LHP Felix Morin - Canisius
After being named to the Canadian Junior National Team for the first time, Morin came out in the ABC opener and was dominant against a strong Okotoks club. The 6-foot-4, 187-pound Canisius commit threw a complete game, two-hit shutout and limited the walks and hard contact throughout the entirety. His three-pitch mix and ability to locate with it helped keep hitters guessing. The fastball was 84-86 T87 early on and settled in around 83-85 later on. The velocity sat 86-88 in March at the ABC Pro Day so it will be interesting to see where the velo is during his next start in the DR, especially in warmer conditions following up this complete game performance.

2022 C Jean-Benoit Simard-Gagnon - Vernon College
2022 Jean-Benoit Simard-Gagnon (Vernon College) stood out this past week with his overall size and strength behind the dish and at the plate. A mature, 6-foot-1, 205-pound catcher who has some raw power in his game and looks to do damage from the right side. He worked well with a strong ABC pitching staff and it was rare you saw a runner advance while he was back there. Intriguing catcher right here who we might just a lot from during his time at Vernon. 

2024 RHP/1B Jacob Wallace - Uncommitted
2024 RHP/1B Jacob Wallace (Uncommitted) may have had one of the best showings from this ABC team last week in Kamloops and again showed the ability to excel on both sides of the ball. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound LHH first baseman was one of the most consistent bats on the team, consistently making hard contact to the pull side. In a tournament loaded with 2022s, he didn’t look out of place. Wallace, also a right-handed pitcher, sat 83-85 early on and worked with an effective slider at 71-73. A 2024 to keep tabs on out in Quebec. 

2023 INF Charles-Étienne Pelletier - Uncommitted
Pelletier (Uncommitted) wasn’t quite on our radar heading into Kamloops but he’s a favourite on the infield as we return back to Ontario. After seeing the actions and overall look at third base, we filmed his next at-bat and he crushed a leadoff triple to the backside gap. 5-foot-10, 178-pound RHH who works gap-to-gap with feel to hit and he runs the bases well. Really good overall game on both sides of the ball and we’re looking forward to seeing the uncommitted 2023 again at some point this summer.