OTTAWA-Baseball America has released Top 10 prospects list for all 30 Major League Baseball clubs and left-handed pitcher James Paxton (Ladner, BC) is the lone Canadian-born player to make any of the lists.
American-born Jameson Taillon, who represented Canada at the 2013 World Baseball Classic by virtue of his parents’ Canadian citizenship, came in at number two on the Pittsburgh Pirates Top 10 prospects list.
Paxton, ranked at number three on the Mariners list, moves up spot from his ranking on the same list after the 2012 season and he matches his career high ranking where he came in at three after the 2011 season.
Looking to shed the prospect label in 2014 by sticking with the big-league club for the season, Paxton had a tremendous MLB debut in 2013 as a September call-up.
On September 7th, the southpaw debuted in a starting role for the Mariners as he tossed six innings allowing only one earned run, while striking out three to pick up his first big-league win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
He later picked up wins against the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals before being shut down for the remainder of the season.
“It's just one of those things. They decided I had enough innings this year and they just wanted me to go into the offseason feeling good and getting ready for next season,” said Paxton of being shutdown in a recent interview with MLB.com.
A member of the 2006 Junior National Team that won a bronze medal at the IBAF 18U World Cup in Cuba, Paxton is noted in the Baseball America report for having a ‘hammer’ curveball that is a plus offering and will be given a solid opportunity to win a job in Seattle during Spring Training whether it be in a starting spot or in the bullpen.
Originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays out of the University of Kentucky in the supplemental first round back in 2009, Paxton did not sign and was taken by the Mariners in the 2010 draft before signing early in 2011.
To view a complete list of Baseball America’s Top 10 Prospect Ranking by team, please click here.
