Canadian players

[DHonks]

First off, I was looking at the 2004 signings thread and couldn't figure out all the Canadians. I know some are taking the DFE route, but some signed. Have any appeared in games yet? I'm really intrigued by Periard, just as many others.

 

Also, are there any other major Canadian prospects for 2005?

[colbyjack]

I believe MassHaas mentioned in a thread that Jack Zduriencik has real high praise for Periard in spring training. I'm guessing both he and Langille will end up at Helena.

 

There aren't any major Canadian prospects at this point in time. SLAM sports does a great job tracking the top draft eligible prospects:

 

Top '05 Canadian draft eligible players

 

Leroux is shooting up draft charts this spring from the college side, while Chris Robinson is a solid, but not spectacular, college catcher. James Avery is a bit on the raw side, but scouts love his arm.

 

I already profiled 1B Nick Weglarz here:

 

Brewerfan.net Nick Weglarz player profile

 

He could go in the first few rounds. Canadian players typically are ranked lower than their American counterparts, just because scouts for the most part have better chances to see the domestic guys play. Canadian teams do travel, and Weglarz plays for Team Ontario, as well as numberous Perfect Game events, so he's a well-known commodity. With the way Justin Morneau has slugged for the Twins, more & more teams may take Weglarz that much more seirously. He has also drawn the attention from colleges, as he's committed to play at Oklahoma State.

 

Prep LHP Mike Wilson is a well-built, projectable pitcher at 6'5", 215 pounds. Wilson has committed to play for Michigan. He currently throws in the mid-80s, but with his size a spike in velocity is expected by a lot of scouts. I haven't heard any reports on him from this spring, so he may have already shown a small spike in velocity for all I know.

 

Prep RHP Ivan Rusova has impressed several people while attending PG events. He shows a very live arm with good movement on all of his pitches and solid mechanics. Simlar to comparisons to Morneau for Weglarz, a guy like Rich Harden may ensure that Rusova doesn't get overlooked. I haven't seen him commit to any university, but currently he's the top rated prep Canadian according to PG/BA.