The Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy announced the majority of players named to Tournament 12 rosters on Tuesday, gearing up for the event hosted by the major league organization at Rogers Centre from September 14 to 19, and the names released for both Ontario teams had a distinct Canadian Premier Baseball League feel.
Of the 21 players already named to the Ontario Black and Ontario Green rosters – with more to be announced after next week’s second tryout for local players taking place at the Ajax Sportsplex on Wednesday and Thursday – there are 19 young men hailing from across the seven programs who joined the CPBL in its inaugural season this year.
Adam Hall and Cooper Davis, currently the country’s top high school draft prospects, will look to lead the way at Tournament 12. Both are coming off of strong appearances at the Area Code Games in California, and are heading into the fourth year of the Blue Jays event having participated in each one. Hall, a shortstop with the Great Lake Canadians program, will suit up for Ontario Black this year, with Davis, an Ontario Blue Jays outfielder, playing for Ontario Green. Both players are also members of the Canadian Junior National Team.
Invitations for players called back to the second tryout in Ajax will be sent out this week by the Blue Jays Baseball Academy, and coaching staffs are set to be named next week.
The tournament, named for its commissioner and Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar, is an amateur event providing a showcase opportunity for 160 players from across the nation. It aims to centralize the best Canadian baseball players with the intention of exposing them to as many professional scouts and college recruiters as possible, and has found much success in its first three years.
Tournament 12 rosters can be found here.