The Victoria Eagles Baseball Club is sending two of its most talented players, Tyrus Hall and Oliver Mabee, to Arizona as part of a 12-day exhibition tour against junior colleges and Major League Baseball rookie squads.
The tour, organized by the Langley Blaze Baseball Club, gets underway March 16 and provides an opportunity for junior national team players to exhibit their skills.
“This trip is meant to showcase a good sampling of the best high school baseball players in Canada,” said Eagles club president Martin Winstanley.
Grade 12 student Mabee is excited about the Arizona trip, as it is an opportunity to be scouted.
“If I do a good enough job at the outing it could really impact my career, because there are going to be important people there and I could really make a name for myself,” he said.
The tour, which has 22 games scheduled, sees the Canadian squad play a multitude of college teams, as well as young players in the systems of the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. A scout day is planned for March 18 at Central Arizona College, from which former MLB pitcher and Saanich resident Rich Harden was drafted.
Winstanley expects Mabee and Hall to give a good showing.
“Oliver will be on the mound and he is a great hitter. He’s continuing to grow and he stands at 6’7” now.”
Hall is an excellent athlete with great lateral movement, said Winstanley, and his hitting has improved tremendously over the last 12 months. “He’s attracting a lot of interest because he’s a great athlete – he’s got great hands, a great arm, picks up the ball well and he’s overall very talented.”
Winstanley expects both to draw on their experiences with the Eagles program, which aims to improve players’ on-field skills, but also teaches necessary life skills and values that emphasize team effort, shared goals and mutual respect.
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