Discipline, teamwork, perseverance and loving to be in the competitive moment.
They are the big reasons that Nathan Bailey fell in love with the game of baseball and the ones that continue to drive him as he takes his game to the next level.
Born in Toronto and moving to Fort McMurray at a young age before his family settled in Edmonton, the speedy infielder is coming off a whirlwind summer.
It started with The Road to Okotoks Prairie Qualifiers and the Morneau Cup, where he hit a combined .238 with a triple, six runs batted in and a stolen base in eight games.
Bailey turned it up a few notches when he suited up for Team Alberta at the Baseball Canada Cup, swatting .350 with three RBI and five stolen bases to help his squad to the bronze medal.
And now the 5-foot-11, 170-pound righthander is packing his bags for the Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase in Vancouver from September 17-20.
The uncommitted 17-year-old is hoping to turn some heads and help Team Red capture a championship at the event, which we talked about on the latest Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast, leading to our latest edition of 1 Thru 9.
1. How excited are you to get things rolling at the Canadian Futures Showcase?
Oh, I’m super-pumped. Last year, I was unfortunately cut from the list, but this year I get to go and get the opportunity to showcase my skills.
2. How much did that fuel your desire to elevate your game over the last year to show that you deserve to be there this time around?
Last year, I wasn’t as big and wasn’t as strong. I was actually also dealing with a wrist injury, which had me out for a few months. So I’m super-excited to be going out there fully healthy and show what I can do.
3. Do you have any goals or expectations of yourself going into the showcase?
Not really, to be honest. I just want to showcase what I’ve got, display my speed and my hitting tools, maybe get on a few coaches’ radars. Ultimately, I just want to go out there, have fun and, at the end of the day, hopefully make my name one to remember.
4. Getting the invite probably does a lot for the confidence as well knowing you’ll be able to measure yourself against the best in the country?
Yeah, honestly, I’m just going to trust what I have. I know I’m there for a reason. I know I’m good enough to be there. I just have to stay focused, stay confident, and try not to compare myself or do too much.
5. It’s been a whirlwind year for you. Let’s talk a bit about helping Alberta capture bronze at the Canada Cup. What was that experience like for you?
Honestly, it was super-exciting getting to go out there and represent my province, play with some great players, play against some great players, and bring a bronze medal home.
6. What did that mean to you to bring that medal home?
I think it was about 14 years or something like that since we last brough home a medal. It was honestly super-satisfying to be able to go out there and know that I was a contributor in bringing that medal home.
7. How cool was that to represent your home province?
It was huge. I knew going out there that it was going to be different for me with a lot of eyes on me. Honestly, I just trusted what I had and I knew that I had great teammates on my side. I was able to just go play loose, play confident and have lots of success.
8. You were also part of the AHP squad that went to Okotoks for the Morneau Cup. What was that experience like for you, especially getting to represent a program that you have been a part of for the last few years?
Before this tournament, we were kind of just playing to play. This year, we were playing towards something and, as a team, I felt like that gave us an extra confidence boost in staying focused and locked in during the offseason. It was great to go out there this summer and give it our all against the best in the country.
9. Heading into the offseason, is there anything you’ll be looking to work on to make sure you hit the ground running in 2027?
My biggest thing right now is honestly just getting stronger. I know my skills are there and obviously, I’m going to work on my skills and everything, but I feel like the biggest thing for me is just getting bigger, getting stronger, and hitting for more power.
