By JOE McFARLAND

It’s been more than a decade since Alberta had a more impressive Major League Baseball Draft.

You have to flash back to 2011 when a total of seven athletes from our province were selected, starting with Sherwood Park’s Adam Paulencu in the 13^th round by the San Francisco Giants.

Entwistle’s Ethan Elias, Fort Macleod’s Jake Hansen, Spruce Grove’s Sheldon McDonald, Edmonton’s Cory Scammell, Fort McMurray’s Ryan Thompson and Cochrane’s Brendan Hendriks would also hear their names get called during the 50-round draft.

When MLB decided to shorten the draft down to 20 rounds after the 2019 season, it would have been understandable to expect fewer Albertans to get selected.

However, the Class of 2024 included five Albertans with Innisfail’s Nathan Flewelling leading the charge by going to the Tampa Bay Rays in the third round.

He was followed by Calgary’s Cohen Achen, Okotoks’ Jack Lines, Sherwood Park’s Owen Pote and St. Albert’s Eric Hartman.

We also saw players who trained here like Nova Scotia’s Micah McDowell get selected, while Grande Prairie’s Tyler Herron signed a free agent contract with Tampa Bay.

Is this just an exceptional year, or a sign of things to come?

If you consider the momentum created over the last few years in Alberta, one has to think this is just the beginning for players seeing their draft dreams come true.

BUILDING UP THE GAME

Take the case of Flewelling.

The hard-hitting catcher has been a clutch performer everywhere he’s gone, from Red Deer Minor Baseball and St. Joseph Academy to Baseball Canada’s Junior National Team and the Canadian Futures Showcase.

He really turned it up during the MLB Draft Combine, where he finished in the top-five for exit velocity among the top-300 draft-eligible players.

The Rays took Flewelling in the third round, 94^th overall, making him the highest pick from Alberta since Calgary’s Michael Soroka went to the Atlanta Braves in 2015.

A reminder: he’s only 17.

St. Joe’s and Sylvan Lake Gulls head coach Jason Chatwood has told me Flewelling has a lot of raw power and the tools to be a pro ball player.

Part of it is pedigree and mindset, but the other part is the infrastructure available and quality of coaching for players in Alberta now.

Your 2024 #MLBDraft Canadians 🇨🇦⚾️ pic.twitter.com/lP74AxlFvD
— Baseball Canada 🇨🇦⚾️ (@baseballcanada) July 17, 2024

Gone are the days where baseball is a four-month game, as the opportunities are now available to train at a variety of facilities, indoor or outdoor, to stay connected to the game for longer.

This province is also attracting and retaining numerous coaches with successful resumes in taking athletes’ games to new heights, whether it be in community associations or academies.

Thanks to money and time investments, not only are the Alberta-born and raised players improving dramatically, but they are getting to face some of the best in the country as they, too, are making the move to Alberta as they see the potential.

NOT SO LITTLE ANYMORE

The positive momentum in this province has been growing for a while now, as witnessed by the number of professional players making an impact with their respective teams.

Dawgs Academy in Okotoks has two of the higher-profile prospects who are either knocking on the door of the majors or will be soon with outfielder Tristan Peters now playing with Tampa Bay’s Triple-A affiliate, the Durham Bulls, while Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson has been the story of Minor League Baseball this year in Cleveland’s farm system.

Speaking of the Guardians, AHP Academy coach Erik Sabrowski has been putting up video game-like strikeout numbers with their Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.

Also in the Edmonton region, Wetaskiwin native and St. FX Academy infielder Matt Coutney has been a steady presence in the Los Angeles Angels’ organization, ranking among his league leaders in doubles.

And you can’t forget about Vauxhall Academy and their connection with the Toronto Blue Jays, as both Damiano Palmegiani and Adam Macko are looking to move up in the not-too-distant future.

You also have Matt Lloyd, Gavin Logan, Justin King and Wesley Moore also continuing to be impact players with their respective organizations.

Interestingly, not every one of those players was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, with only a few getting the chance to play for Baseball Canada’s Junior National Team.

When asked about Flewelling and the Alberta contingent on the “Blair and Barker Show” on Sportsnet 590 The Fan, head coach Greg Hamilton acknowledged it’s much easier to see those game-changing players from coast-to-coast-to-coast thanks to the internet.

"The kid that's tucked away somewhere in a smaller province that you may not see… They tend to pop up a little bit more in academies."

Canadian Junior Team GM & manager Greg Hamilton on identifying talent outside of major cities in Canada with @SNJeffBlair & Kevin Barker. pic.twitter.com/dHR81FZrO5
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) July 9, 2024

“The days of the kid that is tucked away somewhere in a smaller province that you just might not see or you fear that you might miss, they tend to pop up a little bit more in academies,” he said. “The Alberta kids … there are some really good programs in terms of scale out there.”

Hamilton singled out Dawgs Academy, Vauxhall Academy and Webber Academy as a trio of big-name programs that have really made Baseball Canada officials stand up and take notice.

MORE TO COME

As we see more young athletes get their chance to play professional baseball, it also provides a clear path for the next generation.

That includes the upcoming classes of players looking to make a name for themselves, wherever they are playing.

While the Class of 2024 is viewed as one of the most talented to come out of Alberta, baseball watchers are excited about the crops of players who are still to come.

Prep Baseball Report Alberta’s Brady Turner says several, like Hartman was prior to being drafted, are committing to NCAA Division I schools right out of high school.

“It’s not just one program but it carries throughout the entire province,” he said. “It’s impressive.”

He points to players like Tim Piasentin and Quincy Jenkins (both are Dawgs products) as game-changers in 2025, while Taye Thiermann (Dawgs) and Easton Kitura (Vauxhall) have turned heads before graduating in 2026, and Colton Ullyett-French (Dawgs) and Gabe Fink (ATHX Academy) are making names for themselves even though they just finished grade nine.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise when you see how well Alberta teams do in Canadian and American tournaments.

While watching the 2024 MLB Draft unfold, you couldn’t help but feel excited for all of the players getting the chance to take the next steps in their respective baseball journeys.

And seeing how the game in this province has progressed over the last decade or so, you have to think this is only the beginning of Alberta finally being recognized as a baseball force.