OTTAWA- Andrew Yerzy’s summer just got busier.
The Junior National Team catcher from Toronto will represent Canada in the third annual Major League Baseball Junior Select Home Run Derby at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on July 12th, and on August 15th he will participate in the annual Under Armour All-America Game, powered by Baseball Factory at historic Wrigley Field in Chicago.
“I’m honoured to represent Canada at both of these events,” said Yerzy who joined the Junior National Team program in the fall of 2013 as a 15 year-old. “It will be exciting to play with and against some of the top high school players in North America and to do so at two big league stadiums will be unbelievable.”
During the 2014 MLB Junior Select Home Run Derby, Junior National Team first baseman Josh Naylor (Mississauga, ON) belted six home runs at Target Field in Minneapolis in the preliminary round to advance to the finals where he finished runner-up to Texan, Luken Baker in front of over 40,000 fans. Earlier this month, Naylor became the highest drafted Canadian position player ever when the Miami Marlins chose him 12th overall in the MLB Draft.
“To see what Josh did last year (in Minneapolis) was pretty neat,” added Yerzy. “My goal is just to enjoy the experience as much as possible and see how things play out.”
The Under Armour All-America Game highlights a four-day event that also features a workout for Major League Baseball scouts and a home run derby. Coaches and guest instructors for the event are historically made up of former big-league players.
Yerzy is set to become the eighth Canadian to participate in the game since its inception in 2008. The others are Jake Eliopoulos (2008), Kellin Deglan (2009), Skylar Janisse (2010), Gareth Morgan and Ryan Kellogg (2011), and Josh Naylor and Demi Orimoloye (2014).
Since 2008, 217 of the 255 draft eligible players from the Under Armour All-America Game went on to be taken in the MLB Draft of which 60 players were first round picks.
“To see some of the names who have played in this game in the past knowing that I’ll be there this summer is pretty surreal,” explained Yerzy. “Like the MLB home run derby, I just want to soak in the experience as much as possible and try and get better as a player.”
Yerzy is eligible for the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Draft and is already committed to the University of Notre Dame for the 2017 season.
