2021 Canada Top MLB Draft Prospects

Today, Baseball America rolls out its state-by-state rankings for the 2021 MLB Draft. Additionally, you can find our:

500 Draft Rankings | 2021 MLB Mock Draft | MLB Draft Tracker

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1. Micah Bucknam, RHP, Mennonite Educational Institute, Abbotsford, B.C. (BA RANK: 247)
Source: HS • Ht: 6-1 • Wt: 180 • B-T: R-R • Commitment/Drafted: Washington

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Canadian righthander has only recently been able to throw against hitters, leaving strict pandemic protocols in his home country behind to get on the mound south of the border. He’s shown solid stuff with a fastball in the low 90s that has gotten up to 95 mph, to go with a curveball-slider bend and a changeup that is normally his best offspeed pitch but still needs work. He’s young for the class and has shown rapid improvements in a short time, making him an intriguing prospect with plenty of projectability remaining.

2. Calvin Ziegler, RHP, St. Mary’s HS (Kitchener, Ont.) (BA RANK: 272)
Source: HS • Ht: 6-2 • Wt: 210 • B-T: R-R • Commitment/Drafted: Auburn

The 18-year-old hard-throwing righthander is likely to be the first Canadian high schooler off the draft board this year, though he spent his entire spring playing south of the border to get in some time on the mound while his home province remained under strict pandemic protocols. Ziegler has consistently added velocity to his fastball, getting it up to 97 mph this spring, sitting in the low-to-mid 90s. His curveball is solid-average, and he’s flashed a consistent top-to-bottom breaker with the potential to be a plus pitch. His mid-80s changeup has been good, though Ziegler hasn’t always had a chance to get to it because of his inconsistency with his strike throwing. His stuff has always been there, and he took a step forward with his control earlier this year but recent looks indicate that there might have been some regression. He’s shown an ability to make significant progress in a short timeframe, and has had an improved presence on the mound this year. There’s not a lot of projection left in his 6-foot, 205-pound frame. Ziegler is committed to Auburn, but the interest he’s drawn could easily see him head to pro ball.

3. Mitchell Bratt, LHP, Newmarket HS (Newmarket, Ont.) (BA RANK: 304)
Source: HS • Ht: 6-1 • Wt: 195 • B-T: L-L • Commitment/Drafted: Florida State

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Canadian is a projectable lefthander whose size, handedness and strike-throwing ability offer a glimpse of a bright future. Bratt has routinely parked his fastball in the mid-to-upper 80s but was getting into the low 90s this spring while playing for the Georgia Premier Academy, departing his home province because of the limitations due to its strict pandemic protocols. In addition to a fastball that could easily tick up with some added strength and time on the mound, Bratt has shown solid feel for a breaking ball and changeup. He doesn’t have the present stuff of some of the other lefties in the draft class, but he’s loose and athletic and throws more strikes than fellow Canadians Landon Leach, Eric Cerantola or Calvin Ziegler did in their original draft year. His operation and command add excitement to his potential.

4. Adam Shoemaker, LHP, St. Benedict Catholic SS, Cambridge, Ont. (BA RANK: 371)
Source: HS • Ht: 6-6 • Wt: 180 • B-T: L-L • Commitment/Drafted: St. John’s

Shoemaker hasn’t had much time on the mound in game action, with the southpaw only recently departing Canada to have an opportunity to showcase himself across the border ahead of the draft because of strict pandemic protocols in his home province. The 6-foot-6, 185-pound lefthander has a frame with all the projection in the world remaining. Shoemaker has been up to 95 mph with his fastball, and the St. John’s commit has shown a cement-mixer slider to go with a changeup he hasn’t had a chance to use much.

5. Elijha Hammill, 2B/C, Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School (Simcoe, Ont.)
Source: HS • Ht: 5-11 • Wt: 195 • B-T: B-R • Commitment/Drafted: Utah

The 17-year-old switch-hitting infielder from Oakville, Ontario, ventured south to have an opportunity to play this season in Georgia, while his home country remains under strict pandemic protocols. Hammill was impressive in the last chance he got to be on the field with Team Canada in 2020, outperforming some of his older counterparts as an underclassman. The Utah commit is a candidate for a team to try to move him behind the plate, as a bigger-bodied high school second baseman, but whether he can defend as a catcher is a question mark. He doesn’t have the cleanest bat path from either side of the plate, but he controls the zone and has decent bat-to-ball skills.

6. Dominic Hambley, RHP, Belmont Secondary, B.C.
Source: HS •

 

7. Cam Gurney, RHP, Pauline Johnson Collegiate & Vocational School
Source: HS •

 

8. Simon Lusignan, RHP, De Mortagne
Source: HS • Commitment/Drafted: Stetson