Spring Breakout rosters were announced across Major League Baseball yesterday, with 15 Canadian-born players appearing on the various rosters across the league. Last year was the inaugural showcase, with each team getting a chance to show off some of their top prospects near the midway point of spring training.
There will be 16 matchups in total, with the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs set to play two games apiece.
Most of the prospects named to breakout rosters are guys that we have talked about throughout our top 20 Canadian baseball prospects thread, as well as during our prediction for Canada’s roster at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Here are all of the guys that can be seen in Florida or Arizona from March 13-16:
- Denzel Clarke, Athletics
- Myles Naylor, Athletics
- Emilien Pitre, Rays
- Nathan Flewelling, Rays
- Matt Wilkinson, Guardians
- Dasan Brown, Blue Jays
- Eric Cerantola, Royals
- Adam Maier, Braves
- David McCabe, Braves
- Eric Hartman, Braves
- Jonah Tong, Mets
- Dante Nori, Phillies
- Dylan O’Rae, Brewers
- Lamar King Jr., Padres
- Lucas Wepf, Dodgers
The biggest names included in the breakout showcase are Clarke, Wilkinson, Tong, and Naylor, all of whom are regarded as some of the best prospects hailing from Canada. Certain players that are in the upper minors, or played in the game last year, were not included on their team’s breakout roster, such as Owen Caissie – who is currently battling a groin injury – and Tyler Black.
Congratulations to Dawgs alumni Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson, Eric Hartman, Jacob Melton and Shay Schanaman on being selected for the MLB's Spring Breakout 2025 Series.#dawgs #academy #WCBL #alumni #MLB #MiLB #guardians #braves #astros pic.twitter.com/KqjTgNrRuD
— Okotoks Dawgs Baseball (@Okotoks_Dawgs) March 6, 2025
The first three Canadians taken in the 2024 MLB Draft will play in the showcase, including Dante Nori of the Phillies, and Emilien Pitre and Nathan Flewelling of the Rays. Flewelling is an 18-year-old catching prospect who may have the highest ceiling of anybody on this list. The six-foot-two backstop has a sweet left-handed swing with the ability to develop into an athletic defender behind the plate. The Rays believed in him enough to take him in the third round, something that isn’t all that common for a Canadian high school player.
The Braves lead the league with three Canucks, including a bit of a surprising selection in Eric Hartman late in the draft. The 18-year old was selected in the 20th round out of Holy Trinity Academy (Okotoks, AB), but has yet to play in a professional game, spending time with the Junior National Team in Panama before reporting to Atlanta following the draft. The Braves are obviously excited about the left-handed hitting outfielder, and we’ll be excited to see how he does on a big stage early in his career.
Another intriguing story is right-handed relief pitcher Lucas Wepf, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dodgers in 2023. Wepf has shown electric strikeout stuff since debuting as a pro, holding a 3.39 ERA and 13.6 K/9 across 41 appearances between single A and high-A in his first season in 2023. He followed that up with a 3.67 ERA and 13.1 K/9 split between high-A and double-A in 2024. The 25-year-old could continue to rise quickly, and could be a guy that we regret leaving off of our top prospect lists.