News

OTTAWA – The Baltimore Orioles are on the clock with the first overall selection in the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft that runs from July 17^th – 19^th with 20 rounds scheduled for the three-day event.

Baseball Canada will be providing live updates each time a Canadian player gets selected via Twitter (@baseballcanada) with coverage also planned on Instagram (baseballcanada) and Facebook with a recap of the day’s action on baseball.ca.

WHAT/WHEN: The annual Major League Baseball Draft (or Rule 4 Draft) starts on Sunday, July 17^th (7pm ET MLB Network/MLB.com) with the first 80 selections (Round 1 plus two compensation picks, Competitive Balance Round A, Round 2 and Competitive Balance Round B, and six second-round compensation picks), continues July 18^th (2PM ET) with the third through tenth rounds and concludes on July 19^th (2pm ET) with rounds 11-20.

WHO: There are generally three groups of players that are eligible for the MLB First-Year Player Draft: 

• High School — Only those high school students in the United States or Canada who have completed their fourth school year following the date that the student’s class entered its freshman year of high school (i.e., ninth grade).
• College — Generally, a student at a four-year college is eligible after completion of their junior year or if the student is at least 21 years old.
• Junior College — All junior college students are eligible for selection. The applicable Major League Rules are more specific than this general answer. Players with specific questions about eligibility should consult a Major League scout or Office of the Commissioner of Baseball. 
• "Regions" eligible for the draft include Canada, Puerto Rico, the United States and US territories. Players from other countries are considered international free agents and must adhere to MLB’s international signing rules.

CANADIAN MLB DRAFT FACTS:

Canada has been a “draft region” since 1991. Prior to that, Canadians playing in Canada were Free Agents, while Canadians playing at US Colleges or Universities were eligible for the draft.

The first player drafted out of Canada was Jason Wuersch from Leamington, Ontario when the New York Yankees used their 11th round selection (282nd overall) to take the outfielder in 1991. A record 48 Canadians were selected in the 2002 MLB First-Year Player Draft, marking the highest total since Canadians became eligible for the draft in 1991.

20 years ago

The 2002 draft produced the highest selection ever for a Canadian born player when the Baltimore Orioles took Surrey, BC native LHP Adam Loewen with the fourth overall selection. The 2002 draft also produced the highest number of Canadians drafted that went on to play in the big leagues including Loewen, Jeff Francis (Rockies), Joey Votto (Reds), Jesse Crain (Twins), Chris Leroux (Devil Rays), David Davidson (Pirates), Luke Carlin (Tigers), Scott Mathieson (Phillies), Russell Martin (Dodgers), George Kottaras (Padres) and Chris Robinson (Mets).

10 years ago

Ten years ago, in 2012, there were 26 Canadians selected in the MLB Draft led by Oshawa’s Eric Wood who was the first Canadian drafted when the Pittsburgh Pirates used their sixth-round selection on the third baseman. 

Current Chicago Cubs reliever Rowan Wick (North Vancouver, BC) who was drafted as a catcher by the St. Louis Cardinals and outfielder Jacob Robson (Windsor, ON) who spent time with the Detroit Tigers in 2021 are the lone Canadian big leaguers from the 2012 draft.

One year ago

In 2021, Toronto’s Tyler Black was the first Canadian selected when the Milwaukee Brewers used the 33^rd overall pick on the former Toronto Met with 17 Canadians chosen overall.

2022 NAMES TO WATCH:

Canadians on Baseball America’s Top 500 draft prospects list:

#127 RHP Jacob Zibin (Langley, BC) Langley Blaze
#154 RHP Adam Maier (North Vancouver, BC) Oregon
#179 RHP Eli Saul (Vancouver, BC) Sacramento State
#189 C Lamar King (Perry Hall, MD) Calvert Hall College*
#315 1B David McCabe (Courtice, ON) Charlotte University
#404 RHP Turner Spoljaric (Lisle, ON) Toronto Mets
#455 1B Matt Coutney (Wetaskiwin, AB) Old Dominion
#490 RHP Matthew Grabmann (Dartmouth, NS) Okotoks Dawgs

*Born in Canada, raised in USA

Canadians on MLBPipeline.com Top 250 draft prospects list:

#131 Jacob Zibin
#243 Matthew Grabmann

Canadian Baseball Network Top 5 Canadians ($):

#1 Jacob Zibin
#2 Adam Maier
#3 Lamar King
#4 Eli Saul
#5 Matthew Grabmann