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06-04-2005, 11:16 PM
Because of work visa restrictions in the United States in the wake of 9/11, all players selected in the amateur draft Tuesday out of Canada will be unable to play rookie ball this season. That hasn't stopped the Brewers from doing extensive scouting in that country, however.
General manager Doug Melvin and assistant Gord Ash are Canadians, so it stands to reason they would be in tune with prospects in that country. But the primary force behind the club's emphasis on Canadian baseball is Dick Groch, Melvin's top scout.
"Dick was a pitching coach for the Canadian national team for a number of years so he has a good background up there," said Ash. "Forget that Doug and I are Canadian. The fact that Dick has that background is very important."
The Brewers drafted seven Canadian players last year, more than twice as many as any other club. They gave six-figure signing bonuses to two right-handers - Quebec's Alexandre Periard ($243,000) and Nova Scotia's Greg Langille ($107,000).
Though baseball is suffering at the grass-roots level in Canada due to financial cutbacks, more players are making it to the big leagues out of that country, including stars such as Eric Gagne, Jason Bay and Justin Morneau, as well as impressive Colorado rookie left-hander Jeff Francis.
"We believe there is talent there," said Ash. "It is under-evaluated. It's not like you're competing against 30 clubs. There's about 10 or 12 that are really into it, and the rest just do the surface.
"A lot of the kids from there are late bloomers because they haven't had the background in the game. You've got colleges coming north and looking for kids to give scholarships to because they don't have scholarships in Canada."
The top high school players this year are first baseman Nick Weglarz of Stevensville, Ontario, and right-hander Ivan Rusova of Toronto. Right-handers Jonathan Forest of the University of British Columbia and Kyle Cuthbertson of Lethbridge (Alberta) Community College also should go in the early rounds.
General manager Doug Melvin and assistant Gord Ash are Canadians, so it stands to reason they would be in tune with prospects in that country. But the primary force behind the club's emphasis on Canadian baseball is Dick Groch, Melvin's top scout.
"Dick was a pitching coach for the Canadian national team for a number of years so he has a good background up there," said Ash. "Forget that Doug and I are Canadian. The fact that Dick has that background is very important."
The Brewers drafted seven Canadian players last year, more than twice as many as any other club. They gave six-figure signing bonuses to two right-handers - Quebec's Alexandre Periard ($243,000) and Nova Scotia's Greg Langille ($107,000).
Though baseball is suffering at the grass-roots level in Canada due to financial cutbacks, more players are making it to the big leagues out of that country, including stars such as Eric Gagne, Jason Bay and Justin Morneau, as well as impressive Colorado rookie left-hander Jeff Francis.
"We believe there is talent there," said Ash. "It is under-evaluated. It's not like you're competing against 30 clubs. There's about 10 or 12 that are really into it, and the rest just do the surface.
"A lot of the kids from there are late bloomers because they haven't had the background in the game. You've got colleges coming north and looking for kids to give scholarships to because they don't have scholarships in Canada."
The top high school players this year are first baseman Nick Weglarz of Stevensville, Ontario, and right-hander Ivan Rusova of Toronto. Right-handers Jonathan Forest of the University of British Columbia and Kyle Cuthbertson of Lethbridge (Alberta) Community College also should go in the early rounds.