Five days. 12 stories written (and more to come). 15 stories edited (and more to come). Five podcast episodes (you get the point).
And an experience that you won’t find anywhere else.
The Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase brings 150 of the best high school players together in front of dozens of college and pro scouts.
Every player had an eye towards making an impression and potentially take the next step in their baseball journey.
For me, it was a bucket list thing.
After watching the event unfold from afar over the last few years, especially with all the success had by Alberta and Saskatchewan athletes, Ian and I knew that we needed to go at some point soon.
That opportunity came up this year for me to go and, as expected, it completely lived up to the hype in more ways than one.
TIMING IT UP
One of the biggest challenges making the Canadian Futures Showcase a go for Ian and I has been the timing.
With young families in tow, trying to take a few days off right at the start of the school year can be a daunting task.
My wife is also a teacher, so I knew having her answer the bell would be a tall order, so I had parked the idea in my head until the kids were maybe a little older.
Then I got a call from Geoff Seto.
The Blue Jays Senior Manager of Youth Baseball Development and head honcho for the Canadian Futures Showcase had been a guest on the podcast to talk about the event before and he was always a pleasure to work with.
He was wondering if I’d be interested in doing some writing for the tournament programs and then come out to Vancouver to do more storytelling throughout the showcase.
Pardon me?
It seemed a little unhinged that I would even be in the conversation for helping the Jays and Canadian Baseball Network with the outstanding job they do in putting a spotlight on the games, athletes, coaches and others taking part in the event.
I told him I needed to talk it over with the family and I’d get back to him. To the surprise of absolutely no one, the most supportive wife that a baseball journalist could ask for was super-excited and told me I couldn’t say no.
RIGHT OFF THE BAT
As soon as the plane landed in Vancouver, you really get a sense as to how well-oiled the Jays are in planning out every step of the Canadian Futures Showcase.
They had people meeting us at the airport, were whisked to the hotel where they had set the players up with jerseys and swag, and everything you needed to get comfortable for the next few days was super-organized.
Then we hopped on the bus to see Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium. If you haven’t been there, I highly recommend it as a lot of love has been given to the facility in recent years. It still has its old school perks (like a Babe Ruth baseball on display in the concourse), but some new amenities are springing up all around the complex.
We were treated to a delicious meal right out of the gate and some opening remarks from Seto along with a video.
More importantly in my books was the opportunity to network and talk to some of the people around the stadium who I’ve probably talked to over the phone but haven’t met in person.
Right out of the gate, one of the first people I happened across was highly touted prospect Mikey Batiste. After I introduced myself, his eyes got big and he said something along the lines of “tell my boys that I actually said the words that are included in your article.”
They had read the stories on Batiste, Jalen Jacob and Calum Andersen that are in the showcase program, so were giving him the gears.
After a few laughs over whether AI was involved in the writing (it wasn’t), I continued on my way to chat with a bunch of other players and coaches before heading back to the hotel.
STORIES TO TELL
From there, it was wall-to-wall-to-wall-to-wall baseball.
Anyone who has worked in baseball journalism knows the routine: arrive early to the ballpark early, pick up on any storylines going into the game, observe the game (maybe take some pictures if you’re a multimedia person), conduct post-game interviews, then write your story.
Now imagine it happening five times in a day.
I arrived at the Nat usually around 8 a.m. and wasn’t leaving until the last bus at 11:30 p.m. Then it was back to the hotel to write any stories I had left to write.
Luckily, I had the assistance of some very keen journalism students from BCIT and UBC, who did a bang-up job on the game recaps, which I edited in between working on my own player features and podcast episodes.
The students were thrown right into the fire and did an amazing job.
One thing I tried to impress upon them was the art of relationship building. Far too often, we see athletes for only the stats and scores, but we don’t dig deeper into the human being.
At Dugout Stories, we’ve referred to it over the years as “beyond the scoreboard.”
BEYOND THE STADIUM
While many want to focus on the memories made on the field, most athletes say their favourite memories or moments come back to the team bonding.
There’s no better time for that then the hours (and sometimes days) spent on the bus.
While our ride wasn’t that long, it quickly became one of my favourite places to be if only for the conversations.
Sitting near the front of the bus to stay out of the players’ ways, I typically ended up around the coaches.
And for some reason, it seemed like every time I got on the bus, Lars Bauck wasn’t too far away.
I met him on day one and, after I told him about Dugout Stories, he told me his backstory about being from the Moose Jaw area and having played for Todd Hubka at Prairie Baseball Academy.
The guy is always smiling so I had to get him on the podcast to talk about his journey and, if you missed it, he’s such an energetic dude worth listening to for a few minutes.
I also have to give a shout-out here to Mac Warawa, who I ended up sitting near a couple of times, particularly after the final round-robin game on Saturday night. We had two or three really good conversations during the weekend and, again, one of the nicest young men you’ll ever meet.
But that was a common thought that crossed my mind constantly over the last few days: everyone was so accommodating and willing to sit down and just shoot the breeze.
I guess there’s a reason why it’s considered a favourite pastime.
TIPS OF THE CAP
To say the last few days were a whirlwind feels like a bit of an understatement.
On the flight back to Calgary, I couldn’t help but think about how many people I met or got to know during the showcase.
It’s no wonder so many players come back from it afterwards and are always talking about the bonds that are created.
With that said, I owe a debt of gratitude to a bunch of people for making the Canadian Futures Showcase as enjoyable as it was.
First, to Geoff Seto and the Blue Jays: thanks for letting me check this off the bucket list, and for the opportunity to write a few stories and produce daily podcasts. Your trust in me is something I’ll never take for granted. A special shout-out to the crew in Toronto handling web updates while dealing with the time zones.
To the players and coaches I chatted with: thanks for indulging me in conversations over and over again – whether it was on-air or not – on the field, in the stands, on the bus or in the airports. I wish I could have chatted with every single person there.
To the families: thanks for letting me steal a few minutes of time when I asked for interviews in the stands and thanks to those who stopped me in my travels to thank Ian and I for our work in promoting the game. Really appreciated all those interactions.
To the Vancouver Canadians staff: you were all top-notch. Any time I needed anything, you were on it with a big smile on your faces. You were the definition of “ultimate hosts.”
To my Dugout Stories partner Ian: let’s get you to Toronto next year, pal. Maybe we can hook up with our friends at Canadian Baseball Network (who I owe a thanks to for publishing all our stories) and take this to the next level.
To all of you: thanks for checking out all our extra content over the last few days. The websites and podcasts had some outstanding numbers, which tells us that you enjoy the storytelling about this level of ball. Guess we’ll have to keep doing it.
And last but certainly not least: thank you to Erin and the kids for letting dad play the role of “baseball journalist” away from home for a few days. That was actually the longest I’d ever spent away from them and, having a six-year-old and three-year-old, it can sometimes be chaos. But Erin handled it incredibly. Side note: I got home late Sunday night and everyone was sleeping, so I watched them all a bit and had to smile. When we all got up in the morning, my son smiled and gave me a big hug. That started the waterworks, which continued when I hugged my daughter and then when I hugged Erin. I love those three so dang much.
That will do it from the 2026 edition of the Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase. Thanks for tuning in and maybe we’ll get to do it again in a year’s time.
