OTTAWA – The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the clock with the first overall selection in the 2023 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft that runs from July 9th – 11th 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 9th (7pm ET MLB Network/MLB.com) with the first 70 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 10th (2PM ET) with the third through tenth rounds and concludes on July 11th (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.
10 years ago
Ten years ago, in 2013, there were 20 Canadians selected in the MLB Draft led by Edmonton’s Rob Zastryzny who was the first Canadian drafted when the Chicago Cubs used their second-round selection on the left-hander pitcher.
The 2013 draft featured five future Canadian big leaguers including St. Louis Cardinals two-time Gold Glove Award winner Tyler O’Neill (Mariners, 3rd round), Boston Red Sox RHP Nick Pivetta (Nationals, 4th round), Cleveland Guardians RHP Cal Quantrill (Yankees, 26th round) and Miami Marlins minor leaguer Charles Leblanc (Brewers, 33rd round).
One year ago
In 2022, Sarnia’s Dylan O’Rae was the first Canadian selected when the Milwaukee Brewers used the 102nd overall pick on the former Great Lakes Canadian with 15 Canadians chosen overall.
2023 NAMES TO WATCH:
Canadians on Baseball America’s Top 500 draft prospects list:
#66 SS Myles Naylor (Mississauga, ON)
#164 LHP Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, ON)
#313 OF Jorge Valdes (Milton, ON)
#418 LHP Jérémy Pilon (Valleyfield, QC)
#478 RHP Matt Duffy (Burlington, ON)
#486 LHP Matt Wilkinson (White Rock, BC)
Canadians on MLB Pipeline Top 250 draft prospects list:
#64 SS Myles Naylor
#164 LHP Connor O’Halloran
Canadian Baseball Network Top 5 Canadians:
#1 SS Myles Naylor
#2 LHP Connor O’Halloran
#3 RHP Matt Duffy
#4 OF Micah McDowell (Coldwater, NS)
#5 OF Jorge Valdes
