Tag: Griffin Hassall

Eleven CPBL players to represent Canada against Dominican Summer League prospects

The Canadian Junior National Team is just about set to depart for its third trip of the season, and final tour before Major League Baseball’s draft begins on June 4, and among the 30 young players invited to match up against Dominican Summer League prospects are 14 who hail from Ontario, and 11 members of Canadian Premier Baseball League teams.

Among those 11 CPBL players, four represented Team Canada at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s U18 Baseball World Cup last September right at home in Thunder Bay, with Noah Naylor representing the Ontario Blue Jays, Eric Cerantola and Griffin Hassall hailing from the Great Lake Canadians program, and Denzel Clarke from the Toronto Mets organization. Fellow league members Dasan Brown, Jaden Brown, Blake Buckle, Daniel Carinci, Owen Diodati, Keegan Pulford-Thorpe and TJ Schofield-Sam will join the quartet in the Dominican, and all 11 players are following up a spring trip with the Canadian squad to Florida in April.

On the upcoming trip, Team Canada will play 13 games in nine days against clubs in the Dominican Summer League clubs from organizations that include the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Baseball Canada’s director of national teams and manager of the junior squad Greg Hamilton leads a coaching staff that includes former national team member Chris Begg, and Robert Fatal, attending as a guest coach.

The Junior National Team program has travelled to the Caribbean baseball hotbed every year since 2011, with the trip providing young Canadian players with a truly unique baseball opportunity.

“The Dominican Summer League camp is a very important component to our Junior National Team program that will provide an invaluable experience to our players,” Hamilton said. “Players will be challenged with an intense schedule, while also dealing with elements in the Dominican Republic that they don’t face at home. The strides taken at this camp will better prepare our team for success going forward.”

In addition to providing an excellent development opportunity for players, the Dominican Summer League camp will aid in the selection process of Canada’s roster for the COPABE U18 Pan Am championships that will take place from November 23 to December 2 in Panama City, Panama. The event also serves as a qualifier for the 2019 WBSC U18 Baseball World Cup.

Griffin Hassall gets the ball for Canada against Nicaragua

THUNDER BAY, Ontario – Heading into another must-win game at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s U18 World Cup in Thunder Bay, Team Canada will look to Griffin Hassall to secure the squad’s third straight victory.

The 17-year-old right-hander from Newmarket, Ontario will take on Nicaragua in the team’s final matchup of the first round of play, and though Canada’s opponent is winless so far at the World Cup, Hassall and his teammates have learned not to underestimate anyone in the tournament after two early losses to Taiwan and Korea, and an epic ninth-inning comeback against Italy.

“I’ve got a mix of nerves and excitement,” the 6-foot-3, 170-pound righty said. “You can’t take anybody lightly, it doesn’t matter who it is or what their record is, it’s the country’s best, so anybody can beat anybody on any given day. You’ve got to prepare like you’re playing the best, because you are…

“Playing Italy for example, you don’t really think that they’ll be that difficult, but anybody can beat anybody and this is the best competition we’ve ever faced. It definitely has changed my outlook and I’m not going to take Nicaragua lightly.”

Heading into Wednesday with two straight victories against Italy and Australia, the mood has shifted in the Canadian clubhouse, and they couldn’t be more ready to get another game underway.

“After those first two losses, guys were upset, and they wanted to do better than that,” Hassall said. “But we had to respect both those teams. They were two really strong teams. But now coming and getting two wins back to back, our momentum is going strong now, everybody’s upbeat, we know we can pull this off, and everybody’s been staying positive, which is really good.”

Following the late-inning win against the Italian squad, the Canadian Junior National Team gave itself some breathing room against the Aussies, putting up six runs over the first two frames of the game and never looking back, and is hoping the trend continues.

“Going down 0-2 was a pretty rough start,” Hassall said. “But we’ve had two good bounce-back wins, the nice comeback against Italy, and then a much less stressful game against Australia, which was really nice to get an early lead and just hold it from there. It’s been great.”

A huge additional factor for the host nation’s squad has been the audience the team has seen in Thunder Bay for its games. They crowd has brought the excitement and enthusiasm for each of Canada’s wins, up and down with each out and run, with 12,262 fans through Port Arthur Stadium’s doors during the team’s first four games.

“Greg [Hamilton, Baseball Canada’s director of national teams] would always talk about the atmosphere, and it’s been crazy,” Hassall said. “It’s been an up-and-down tournament, but I didn’t expect how much the fans would be into it, how loud it can get, and really how quickly a game can turn around from one minute you’re down and all of a sudden you’re back in the game, or vice versa.”

Playing into extras and facing the international extra-inning tie break rule in its first matchup, and staving off relegation to the consolation round for the last two days, Canada has truly felt the experience of the game on the world stage, and Hassall is just hoping to keep it going as long as possible.

“International baseball is crazy,” he said. “Facing each country’s best is an unreal experience and this is probably going to be one of my best memories and accomplishments in baseball, so this is something really special.”

Coming out of the bullpen on Sunday against Korea, the Great Lake Canadians hurler is happy that he got his feet wet in the World Cup before heading into the most important game of his life, but Hassall understands that emotions might be a little bit higher on Wednesday. He believes he can temper them, and focus on what got him here to pull him through.

“It definitely got some of the nerves out,” the young hurler said. “But starting is going to be different against Nicaragua. Being out there and getting used to how it feels to have a crowd was great, because I’ve never pitched in something so big. That definitely helps, because it gives you a little experience to what it’s like, so that will help me…

“I’ve just got to pitch to what I’m capable of. I can’t try to do more than that. I’m not a big velocity guy, I’m more of a control-and-movement kind of guy, so I’ve just got to keep pitching to my strengths. And I definitely want to use the crowd and its support, but not get too jacked up on adrenaline and just lose it. You’ve got to stay calm, but also do what I’m capable of doing.”

Though the matchup looks lighter on paper than some of the heavyweight opponents Canada has faced so far, the team is coming off of its two wins with only one goal – another one. There are no other options for the squad in red and white as it looks to move forward on home soil.

“As I said to the guys after, I don’t want to dampen the celebration or be that guy, but it’s all for nought if we’re not ready for [Nicaragua],” Hamilton said. “And as [the game against Italy] showed, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing. It’s not always easy. They had nothing to lose. They’re playing with house money, and when you’re playing a team that’s pretty much got nothing to lose, if you give them a little life, it can be hard. So we’ve got to get out early, and try to do what we did [against Australia].”

Hassall has all the confidence in the world in the team behind him, and is going to do everything it takes to make sure that it tournament doesn’t end on Wednesday.

“This is amazing,” Hassall said. “I know that everyone on this team, one through nine and even the guys on the bench can hit. They’re showing off their power now, so I’m confident they can get us runs and even if I give up a few, they can get it back quickly, with our speed, power, contact. We’ve got everything on this team.

“And it’s such an honour to be able to represent your country and play for Canada and have all the fans behind you. Playing at home is really cool, and it’s surreal. The support has helped us a lot.”

Hassall is one of eight current or former Canadian Premier Baseball League players with the Canadian Junior National Team at the World Cup in Thunder Bay. He is joined by GLC teammates Lucas Parente and Eric Cerantola, Ontario Blue Jays Harley Gollert and Noah Naylor, and Toronto Mets Landon Leach, Denzel Clarke and Dondrae Bremner.

CPBL contributors dominate T12 championship, Hall named MVP

TORONTO – Tournament 12 crowned its fourth different champion in four years of the Toronto Blue Jays-hosted event on Monday night, and with Ontario Black’s 6-3 win over BC Orange, 17 Canadian Premier Baseball League players and two CPBL coaches were named winners at the tail end of the five-day event.

The Black squad didn’t allow an earned run in its final game, showing some depth from the pitching staff. Ontario had contributions up and down the lineup during the entire event, with Toronto Mets infielder Leo Markotic and fellow Met Adam Plouffe each notching two RBI in the championship and Tournament 12 MVP Adam Hall, a shortstop with the Great Lake Canadians, driving in one.

“It was fantastic,” said Pete Orr, former big leaguer and coach with Ontario Black. “It’s a great opportunity for all these young men to be seen, and on top of that it’s a good opportunity to play at Rogers Centre. I remember getting the opportunity to do it when I was 17 years old and it was one of the greatest things I did, being out here and being a Blue Jays fan, it’s great.”

Orr, a part of a coaching staff that included Chris Begg, Tanner Watson, and former major leaguers and GLC coaches Adam Stern and Chris Robinson, was incredibly proud of the way his players performed throughout the five days and their six games of the event.

“They all played great, they really did,” Orr said. “They really took advantage of an opportunity to get seen by some important people. There were some really important people here this week, and people who are going to be evaluating them, and for the most part they really took advantage of it.”

Hosted by the Blue Jays Baseball Academy and named for tournament commissioner Roberto Alomar – who presented each player with an autographed Alomar bat during a tour of the Blue Jays clubhouse when their run at the event came to an end – the fourth-annual showcase was an even bigger success than in previous years.

“It was great,” Tournament Operations Manager TJ Burton said. “The competition was better than ever. All the teams competed. I don’t think there was one team that was far and away better than everybody else. The Ontario team and the BC team were the two best teams, and they faced in the finals so it was a great tournament all around and the kids did a great job.”

Black middle infielder Hall – also Canada’s top high school prospect heading into next year’s draft – was named the MVP of the event after impressing in all of his six games. The Bermuda-born native of London, Ont., went 8-for-18 with a triple, three walks, eight stolen bases, seven runs scored and six driven in.

“Obviously that’s pretty special,” Hall said. “I’m going to have to give [last year’s winner and Hall’s former Team Canada teammate Carson] Perkins a tease, saying that I’m following in the footsteps of a great pitcher. But it’s pretty special to be able to do that in your last year, as well as to win the tournament.”

Though he didn’t display every tool he was hoping to showcase, Hall was happy with the way his four-year run at Tournament 12 ended, with his best experiences at the event bookending his four chances to perform on the big-league stage at Rogers Centre.

“I would have liked to show a little more power,” Team Canada’s shortstop said. “I thought I was going to have a little more difficulty hitting, just because when people start to get to know who you are and your name is out there, it’s the same as in MLB. You’re going to face tougher pitching, and they’re going to pitch you harder, especially with the 1-1 count…But it went how I would have liked it to go.

“It’s a nice finish to T12 for me. It’s definitely nice to make it to the finals for once, and then to get the championship. I would say my first year went really well, the second and third years were kind of not bad, and coming this year it was similar to the first one. So it’s nice to start it off and finish it well.”

Great Lake right-hander Griffin Hassall got the start for Ontario in the final and the 16-year-old hurler allowed just one hit and struck out three in his two innings of work. Southpaw Adam Tulloch, also 16, followed out of the bullpen and gave up three unearned runs on one hit with two walks, fanning one Orange batter.

A third 2018 draft prospect, 6-foot-7, 215-pound Ben Abram was most impressive in his outing on the Black side. The right-handed Canadian Junior National Team hurler allowed one hit and struck out five over three innings, using just 17 pitches to do so and throwing only strikes, also notching the championship win.

“Ben Abram really impressed me with his pitching in the last game,” Hall said. “I thought that was really impressive. He pitched really well and that’s nice to see for the junior team as well. I was very impressed with that. He was locating everything, that was good. I’m glad I didn’t have to face him.”

Abram shared a similar sentiment to that of his Team Canada teammate.

“No matter what team I’m on, anytime Adam Hall is on my team he impresses me,” the tall righty said. “I have seen him at his best and at his worst, but I have seen some amazing plays. He’s made some amazing plays for me. He always seems to find a way on base. I love having him on my team.”

In his first chance to check out what the tournament had to offer, after playing professionally for his last 16 seasons, Orr was excited at what the future holds for Canadian baseball, noting a few major standouts from his team throughout the event.

“[Ontario Blue Jays catcher and Canada’s top 2018 prospect Noah] Naylor behind the plate was real impressive, he really was,” Orr said. “And of course Adam Hall, but there were other guys too. I thought some guys had great at bats, Leo in the last game had some great at-bats, and [Ontario Blue Jays outfielder Rashad] Collymore had some great at-bats in the last couple of games.

“[GLC outfielder] Lucas Parente had a great tournament. Anytime you hit with a 1-1 count, it’s hard to think you’re doing well. But for me watching someone and trying to evaluate him, all his swings were great and he played amazing defence in centre field, so Parente stuck out for me as well.”

The country’s top prospects drew an even bigger crowd of professional scouts and college recruiters than ever before, with the tournament consistently growing in that department each year.

“It was huge this year,” Burton said of the evaluating turnout. “We doubled in schools for sure, and there were a lot of pro scouts given that we had guys like Adam Hall and Noah Naylor playing here, but that’s what builds the tournament. That’s what makes the tournament and that’s why we do the tournament, is so the kids can have an opportunity to be seen. So the more schools and scouts we can get here the better.”

The championship victory was just the icing on the cake at the end of a successful tournament for all of the players invited to attend.

“You have to understand what the big picture is,” Orr said of balancing the showcase with the competition. “When you’re an athlete, as these kids will learn, that’s what you always try to understand every time you step out on the field – the big picture. And the big picture of this is for them to be seen. Of course it’s great to win, but this is a showcase. It’s more about them having an opportunity to be seen, but at the same time it’s fun to win, and winning is something you can learn from.”

Great Lake Canadians and Ontario Blue Jays impress at T12

TORONTO – The fourth-annual Tournament 12 featured some impressive familiar faces, and three combined no-hitters on the second day of games on Saturday, two of them thrown by Ontario squads and using all Canadian Premier Baseball League hurlers.

In the second contest of the day, Ontario Green used three CPBL arms to no-hit Alberta Red, finishing the game in a scoreless tie. The first hit of the game was a two-out infield single in the bottom of the fourth, from Great Lake Canadians infielder Tye Imeson, who had two of the team’s three total hits.

“It was a combined no-no and the pitch counts were really low, so they did a great job,” said Mike Steed, a coach with both Green and the Ontario Blue Jays program. “In 1-1 counts, all you’ve got to do is throw that first-pitch strike and you’re in control. The other team absolutely pitched well, there wasn’t a whole lot of offence on both sides. They kept the hitters off balance and changed eye levels. Good pitching.”

OBJ southpaw Harley Gollert got the start and in three innings of work he walked one and struck out six. GLC right-hander Jake English followed out of the bullpen with two perfect frames and three strikeouts, before OBJ righty Nathan Holmes finished it off with two walks, fanning two in his two innings.

“They were excited in the dugout, the guys who threw,” Steed said. “Harley and then Jake, as soon as they got the last out in the top of the seventh, Harley looked at me and said, ‘Hey, combined no-no,’ so they know what’s going on and it’s exciting for them.”

Ontario Black followed suit in the final matchup of the day with a combined no-no of their own, using three more CPBL pitchers to get the job done and take down Alberta Red 4-0 to head into Sunday.

Griffin Hassall, a 16-year-old right-hander from the GLC program, took the mound to start the game and battled through an early blister for three innings, walking two and fanning five. Fellow Great Lake hurler Mitchell Stemerdink walked three and added two strikeouts in two frames. OBJ southpaw Alex Jones completed the no-hitter, striking out six in his two innings.

“It’s pretty great for the kids,” said Chris Robinson, a coach for both Black and the GLC program. “That was an impressive, well-pitched game. All those guys threw really well. I know Hassel was battling over a little blister there, and he went out for the second inning and he didn’t care, he pitched right through it. It was good.”

The hurlers got some help from 16-year-old Blue Jays catcher Noah Naylor, who threw out three attempted base stealers, set the tone behind the plate, and helped his squad to face just three batters over the minimum in the matchup.

“I told them to trust their stuff,” Naylor said of the pitchers. “The fastball was live today, and I just told them to be confident in it, and obviously that’s going to help them have a good game…I just try to be my best behind the plate, give them that insurance that they can trust me back there. I know when they’re throwing, they’re comfortable throwing to me, they can trust me with runners on the basepaths, and also with just doing my job.”

Added Robinson, a former big-league catcher: “He’s separated himself. It’s pretty exciting to watch. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a transfer that quick at this level, he gets rid of the ball so quickly. He’s got a great arm too but that was impressive.”

The Canadian Junior National Team catcher continues to improve with time, and has been nothing short of electric behind the plate at his second Tournament 12.

“He just keeps getting better every time I see him, especially behind the plate,” Robinson said. “It’s impressive. In my mind, there’s no doubt that he can catch at the next level, even now, and he’s still got a couple years to go. He’s a really exciting player.

“I know he’s going to draw comparisons to his brother [Josh, last year’s 12th-overall pick in the draft] forever, but that’s not fair because they’re two different players. But he’s got to be one of the more exciting catching prospects we’ve ever had in this country.”

Between the two CPBL-dominant no-hitters, Black lost an early contest against BC Orange 4-3, walked off on a wild pitch after battling through the fourth affair on Saturday.

Great Lake shortstop Adam Hall notched three of his team’s five total hits – one to keep the squad alive in the top of the seventh – and drove in two of Black’s three runs, adding two stolen bases and stellar defence. In three days of Tourament 12, the 17-year-old has made it clear why he is at the top of next year’s draft class.

“He brings a level of intensity every day to the field,” said Adam Stern, his coach with both Ontario Green and the GLC program. “He hates to lose, that’s the biggest thing you have to understand about Adam…That was a good game right there because you get to see when the game’s on the line what happens, who rises to the occasion, and he’s come up with big hits for us, he came up with big hits out here, and when the game’s on the line, you want him up there.”

Futures Navy ran short on pitching in the fifth game of the day, matching up against a tough Ontario Green squad and leaving the field after six innings because of the tournament’s mercy rule, taking the 12-1 loss in a game prominently featuring players from the GLC program.

Green used three Canadians arms to get through the game, with right-hander Corben Peters taking the hill to start and allowing one run on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Fellow righty Garner Spoljaric followed with two perfect frames, and Dallas Hunter retired the side in order to secure the win for Ontario.

“It was a well-pitched game,” said Ontario Green coach Rick Johnston. “We swung the bats, the kids played really well. It was nice for them to go out and do what they did. Obviously there were some walks in there, but that’s going to happen, and we put the ball in play.”

Ontario first baseman Jameson Hart, an outfielder in the Great Lake program, paced the offence, going 2-for-2 with two walks and driving in three runs. 16-year-old GLC catcher Ian Jordan drove in the only run for the Navy squad, singling and walking in the game.