It didn’t start the way he wanted but Nathan Flewelling ended the 2025 baseball season with a bang.
He’s hoping it’s a sign of things to come as he takes part in his second Spring Training with the Tampa Bay Rays, where the Innisfail native has climbed up the depth charts and is now ranked the No. 11 prospect in the organization.
Some numbers don’t immediately pop out at you, as Flewelling sported a .230 batting average over 107 games, to go along with six home runs and 52 runs batted in during that time. He also walked 94 times while striking out in 107 at-bats.
The 19-year-old’s play picked up in the second half, leading to a promotion from the Single-A Charleston Riverdogs to the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods.
“I had a lot of ups and downs, and I think they kind of evened themselves out at the end,” Flewelling told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.
“It’s definitely a good experience for me to learn a lot and figure things out on my own while trying to develop new routines every day.”
Most importantly, he says it’s a long season and he believes that simple lesson will serve him well as his journey continues.
DELAYED TAKE-OFF
A third-round pick of the Rays in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft, Flewelling was thrown into the fire right away.
Highly touted for his raw power and discipline at the plate, he was just 17 when he was drafted, but the Rays felt like the minor league experiences would serve him well.
The first big stage Flewelling was involved in was the 2025 Spring Breakout event as one of the catchers for the Rays.
The St. Joseph Academy alum and 2023 Canadian Futures Showcase Home Run Derby champion then headed to Charleston after his first Spring Training, and immediately had some challenges.
He went 1-for-19 in his first five games before picking up a two-hit outing against the Columbia Fireflies, and then went on a five-game hitless streak.
Flewelling admits that he got caught doubting himself a little bit, but kept believing that he could rise above the struggles before too long.
“Knowing that just because I have a stretch of bad games doesn’t mean that I’m not a good player or that I’m not going to have a good year,” he said.
“It’s easier to go about things knowing that tomorrow is always going to be another day and you’re always going to have another chance to succeed.”
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound backstop finished the month of April with hits in five of his last six games, raising his batting average from .083 at the midway point to .155.
UP, UP AND AWAY
Flewelling continued to make strides as the months went on, hitting .194 in May and .274 in June while showcasing the power that made him an attractive prospect at a young age.
He took a step back again in July with a .174 average, then bounced back strongly in August by swatting .299.
More importantly, Flewelling was able to show off his durability by remaining healthy and becoming a mainstay behind the Riverdogs plate.
Looking back on it, he was most proud of how he handled the pitching staff.
“When you’re a catcher, you’re not just playing by yourself to have a good game,” Flewelling said.
“You need the four or five pitchers that throw in that game to have a good game as well … when a game ends and everyone has had a good game on the mound, that’s when I’m the most happy.”
His overall performance ushered in a call to the manager’s office at the end of August, which coincidentally came after he went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI in a 12-7 loss to Augusta.
Flewelling was being promoted to Bowling Green.
“It was almost like a second wind,” said the Baseball Canada Junior National Team alum.
“Getting to go play some playoff baseball made that 10-hour drive the next day go by pretty quick.”
PROJECTED FLIGHT PATH
The Rays’ Minor League Player of the Month in August made a name for himself for the Hot Rods right away.
In his first game against Ashville on Sept. 2nd, he hit a two-run triple in the sixth inning, scoring the only runs his team would need in a 2-1 victory.
In all, the Sylvan Lake Gulls alum had hits in four of five games to post a .250 batting average with a double, triple, two runs scored and three RBI.
He was also a presence in the Hot Rods’ short postseason run, picking up a single and four walks in eight plate appearances in a two-game sweep by the Hub City Spartanburgers.
Following the early playoff exit, Flewelling was happy with the way his first pro season all came together and gave him some things to work on during the offseason.
“I think just continuing to get a little bit stronger and a little bit bigger,” he said. “I made some swing adjustments – nothing crazy – just trying to dial in my bat path to try to limit some swing-and-miss a little bit, then just continue working on my catching.”
It was also nice for the youngster to come back home for part of the offseason.
After enjoying a steak and potatoes meal at his family farm, Flewelling says he took a couple of weeks off of lifting and baseball as a bit of a reset.
“It was really good for me,” he said. “It made me almost miss baseball a little bit and that makes you want to work even harder once I got back to it.”
Flewelling did exactly that at St. Joseph Academy under long-time coach Jason Chatwood and alongside fellow pros Matt Coutney and Tyler Boudreau.
He enjoyed reconnecting with familiar faces and chatting with some young players, providing insights into his own journey, which is still only just beginning in the pro ranks.
“I think just take it one day at a time and continue to build off what I did last year,” Flewelling said. “As long as I keep the same things that I was doing last year and the same routines, I think I’m going to have the same kind of year and hopefully be even better.”
A year older, a year wiser, and potentially, another step closer to his dream of getting to the big leagues.
