OTTAWA- MLBPipeline.com released their annual Top 100 Prospects list Saturday that included three Junior National Team alums revealed on a show that was broadcast on MLB Network.
Outfielder Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) of the Seattle Mariners organization was the highest ranked Canadian coming in at #36, while right-handers Mike Soroka (Calgary, AB) and Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, ON) came in at #78 and #97, respectively. Soroka is an Atlanta Braves prospect, while Quantrill was the eighth overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres.
O’Neill improved his stock from the previous MLBPipeline.com Top 100 list moving up 24 spots from #60, while Soroka jumped 13 spots from #91. Quantrill made his debut on the list.
All three players had memorable years in 2016 further cementing themselves as key pieces of their respective organizations’ futures.
O’Neill captured both the regular season and postseason MVP Awards in the Southern League after leading the Jackson Generals to the league title. He was in Triple Crown contention for most of the season and finished with 24 home runs, 102 RBI and a .293 batting average. He wrapped up his season with his second stint in the Arizona Fall League and will be in big league camp with the Mariners when Spring Training opens next month in Arizona.
Soroka, taken 28th overall by the Braves in the first round of the 2015 draft, had a season to remember in 2016, his first full one in professional baseball. The 19 year old was part of a terrific rotation with the Rome Braves in the South Atlantic League who went on to capture the league title last September. Soroka had a heavy workload as he toed the rubber for 143 innings, which placed him sixth in the league. His 3.03 ERA was also worthy of top ten status among eligible hurlers, while his 125 strikeouts placed just outside the top ten. Soroka earned a midseason appearance in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game and is the 4th ranked prospect in the Braves system according to Baseball America.
Quantrill made history in June becoming the second highest Canadian ever taken in the MLB Draft when the San Diego Padres used the eighth overall selection on him. After missing the majority of the 2015 season and all of the 2016 season with the Stanford Cardinal while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Quantrill made his professional debut with the Padres Arizona League affiliate before moving on to pitch at two other levels in 2016. With some expected rust after such a long layoff, it was apparent that Quantrill’s stuff had not suffered as he struck out 46 batters over 37 innings pitched.
O’Neill and Quantrill were teammates on the 2013 version of the Junior National Team and participated in that year’s IBAF 18U Baseball World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan, while Soroka joined the Junior National Team program in 2013.
To view the complete, MLBPipeline Top 100 Prospects list, click here.
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