Sam Shaw of Victoria drew the dream selection from a team he has been following his entire life when the Toronto Blue Jays called his name Monday as the 274th overall player, in the 10th round, of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft being held in Seattle.
“To play for a Canadian team would be special,” said Shaw.
“I am excited because it’s definitely a good fit for me.”
The Victoria Eagles and Canada Under-18 star is coming off the MLB combine last month at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, in which he impressed scouts as a multi-faceted player who can do it all as an infielder/outfielder who can swing the bat.
“I went later than I expected, so I went out to golf and play some ping pong, but had a feeling I would be picked [Monday],” said Shaw.
But it’s not where you start in the game but where you end up.
“I know I have a lot to work on to get to the pro game,” said Shaw.
The graduate of Lambrick Park Secondary this spring is committed to Xavier University of NCAA Division 1 in the fall but would have a decision to make if the Blue Jays offer him a pro contract, likely starting at the Single-A level.
“I will definitely wait to see what’s on the table and then make my decision,” said Shaw.
Shaw was the second Canadian the Blue Jays selected Monday following University of Michigan Wolverines left-handed hurler Connor O’Halloran of Mississauga, Ont., the Big Ten Conference pitcher of the year, with the 157th overall pick in the fifth round.
The first player selected by the Blue Jays was shortstop Arjun Nimmala, a Floridian of Indian ancestry and cricketer-turned- baseball-player, with the 20th overall pick in the first round on Sunday.
The first Canadian selected was pitcher Myles Naylor of Mississauga, Ont., who went 39th overall in the second round to the Oakland Athletics.
The first overall selection was pitcher Paul Skenes out of the LSU Tigers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The MLB draft concludes today in Seattle with the 11th through 20th rounds.
Shaw, meanwhile, was an all-rounder, who played rep hockey on the Island alongside Matthew Wood, taken 15th overall in the first round in the 2023 NHL draft by the Nashville Predators, and Owen Beckner, taken in the seventh round by the Ottawa Senators. Shaw now joins them as a draft pick, but off the ice, and on the diamond. It seems like he made the right choice.
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