What do Rich Harden (Athletics), Justin Morneau (Twins), Eric Gagne (Brewers), Erik Bedard (Mariners) and Jason Bay (Pirates) have in common?

The same thing as actor Jim Carrey, country artist Shania Twain, pop artist Celine Dion, and actors Keanu Reeves and Pamela Anderson.

The same thing as the inventors of the telephone (Alexander Graham Bell), the television (Reginald A. Fessenden), the zipper (Gideon Sundback), the game of basketball (James Naismith), and the game Trivial Pursuit (Chris Haney & Scott Abbott).

That’s right…they’re all Canadians.

In July 2006, a then little known (in the United States at least) Canadian named Phillipe Aumont showed up in Wareham, MA for Baseball Factory’s Cape Cod High School Classic. The 6-foot-7 right-handed pitcher from Gatineau, Quebec showed a 90-92 mph fastball and an excellent slider to the over seventy scouts and recruiters in attendance.

Josh Vitters, a California high school third baseman, went third overall in the 2007 Major League First-Year Player Draft to the Chicago Cubs – making him the first player taken from the 2006 Cape Cod High School Classic. Who was the second? No, not Rick Porcello (he went to the Detroit Tigers at pick 27). Instead, it was Aumont who went at pick eleven in the first round to the Seattle Mariners.

The 2006 Cape Cod High School Classic proved to be Aumont’s coming out party. Earlier this month, he took the mound in his professional debut for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Class A Midwest League affiliate of the Seattle Mariners).

In 2007, another outstanding Canadian player showed off his skills at the Cape Cod High School Classic. Brett Lawrie, a catcher/corner player from Langley, British Columbia, proved to be an excellent offensive prospect. He is signed to attend Arizona State University in the fall of 2008, pending the outcome of the 2008 Major League draft.

On April 6, 2008 (the day after Aumont’s professional debut as it turned out), Baseball Factory hosted an event near Toronto – at Soccer World, an indoor facility in Hamilton. Sixty-one players turned out on the day, which included a Signature College Recruiting program filming session and an Under Armour National Tryout.

This was the first such event held by Baseball Factory outside of the United States. Jim Gemler, Director of On-Field Sessions for Baseball Factory, and his team organize and execute events like this one, year round. He said, “This group was engaged, respectful, thankful and genuinely interested in taking something away from the experience. I was really, really impressed. It was unlike any other event I have done.” Rob Naddelman, President of Baseball Factory, said, “The players and parents were like sponges, listening to every word. They asked a lot of good questions about college recruiting and had great energy overall.”

Finally, what may come as a surprise to some (but certainly not the Canadian baseball community) was the high level of talent on display at the event. As many as fifteen to twenty players showed abilities consistent with potential Division I recruits in the United States.

Given the number of quality prospects on hand, the process of selecting the number one overall prospect from the event was difficult. However, our staff felt that catcher Brent Mitchell [Click Here to see highlights of Brent] was most deserving of the honor. The University of South Alabama signee is listed at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, bats right and throws right. While our scouts graded raw power as his best tool in this workout, it was followed closely by arm strength and his overall defensive skills – a combination of interest across most of the baseball world.

For more information on upcoming Baseball Factory events, please see our 2008 Schedule.