OTTAWA – A pair of Junior National Team alums were taken by the Toronto Blue Jays on day two of the Major League Baseball Draft with University of Michigan lefthander Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, ON) chosen in the fifth round while outfielder Sam Shaw (Victoria, BC) went to the Jays in the ninth round.
Canisius College right-handed picther Matt Duffy (Burlington, ON) was the first Canadian off the board on the day when the Boston Red Sox used their fourth round selection on him while Saskatoon-born outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth round out of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
A pair of Canadians went back-to-back in the tenth round with Cleveland taking lefty Matt Wilkinson (Ladner, BC) before Pier-Olivier Boucher (Saint-Joseph-de-Bauce, QC) went one pick later to Atlanta.
A three-year member of the Junior National Team from 2017-2020, O’Halloran represented Canada at the 2019 COPABE U-18 Pan Am Championships in Panama along with the 2019 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Gijang, South Korea.
Shaw also represented Canada on two occasions, both coming in 2022, first at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Florida before wearing the maple leaf at the WBSC Americas U-18 World Cup Qualifier in Mexico.
The 2023 MLB Draft wraps up tomorrow with rounds 11-20 beginning at 2PM ET.
Canadians selected in 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft
*Junior National Team alumni
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