July 12, 2021

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Rod Black has been in some nerve-wracking situations before.

Like in 1992 at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta when the Toronto Blue Jays led Game 6, 2-1, headed into the bottom of the ninth. As a CTV broadcaster and a rights holder for the pre- and post-game shows he was allowed in with three outs to go for Canada’s first World Series.

“We walk in and (Game 6 starter) David Cone is smoking a cigarette and (president) Paul Beeston and Wayne Gretzky are pacing,” said Black. “The staff is putting up plastic to protect the clothes from the champagne celebration”.

Then, the Braves had a runner (Jeff Blauser singled off Tom Henke). Then, they had another (Lonnie ‘Skates’ Smith) walked. And with two out, the Braves tied it up (on an Otis Nixon single).

“Cone yelled at us to ‘get out!’ everyone yelled at the TV people to get out and they ripped down the protective plastic,” Black said.

Dave Winfield hit a two-run double to left in the 11th, the Jays had the lead and Mike Timlin fielded Nixon’s bunt to end it.

“We went back in and Cone was still smoking, Beeston was trying to pace -- the room was so crowded -- and we had Gretzky on the post-game show,” Black said.

That was a nervous night.

And it was a nervy the next October at SkyDome when he stood alongside TSN’s Buck Martinez in the tunnel between the Jays’ clubhouse and the third base dugout.

“Up the stairs comes Dave Stewart (removed from the game by manager Cito Gaston after giving up a three-run homer to Lenny Dykstra, cutting the Jays lead to 5-4), he let our a high-pitched scream and threw his glove over the heads of Buck and I.”

Danny Cox gave up a run. So did Al Leiter, meaning the Jays headed to the bottom of the seventh down 6-5.

Black remembers watching Toronto native Rob Butler sit in the dugout with his head in his hands the Jays three outs away from defeat. Yet, a Rickey Henderson walk, a Paul Molitor single and a Joe Carter drive and a “Touch ‘Em All Joe” call from the late great Tom Cheek.

That was an exciting night.

“I was just telling someone,” Black said Monday afternoon. “I’ve done the Olympics, the NBA and the World Series, but never was I as nervous or excited as I was Sunday night.”

Black’s son, Tyler Black of the Wright State Raiders, was selected 33rd overall in North America. As the top Canadian chosen as a first rounder, he sits on the same chair once occupied by the likes of Canadian greats or soon-to-be greats first rounders like:

C Noah Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Ontario Blue Jays in 2018, RHP Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) Stanford University in 2016, 1B Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Ontario Blue Jays, OF Gareth Morgan (North York, Ont.) of the Ontario Blue Jays in 2014, RHP Jameson Taillon, a high schooler from The Woodlands, Tx. in 2010, LHP James Paxton (Ladner, BC) in 2009, C-3B Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) of the Langley Blaze in 2008, RHP Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Que.) Academie Baseball Canada in 2007, LHP Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC) of the Whalley Chiefs in 2002, 3B Scott Thorman (Cambridge, Ont.) of Team Ontario in 2000, SS Kevin Nicholson (Surrey, BC) from Stetson University in 1997, RHP Chris Reitsma (Calgary, Alta.) of the Calgary Blues in 1996 and RHP Dave Wainhouse (Scarborough, Ont.) of Washington State University in 1988.

It’s funny how life is ... Rob Butler sat dejected before the game-winning homer. Well, “Rob became Tyler’s mentor. If not for Rob Butler ... I don’t know if Sunday happens. Rob got him on that plane as a 10-11 years old.”

That home run hitter Carter? Black and Carter are best friends. They worked Blue Jays games together for CTV in 2000. Carter came to Black’s rescue when there was zero room at the inn and Carter did the same one year in Augusta, Ga. at Masters time.

Nancy Black gave birth to Tyler at 3:21 AM at Women’s College on July 26, 2000.

“We knew the night before that we could not get anyone else to fill in for me on the Wednesday afternoon game,” Rob Black said. “Joe said he had a room at the SkyDome hotel. So Tyler is born at 3:21 in the morning. Around 6:30 a.m. I knock on Joe’s doors and had about two hours sleep.”

In the 12:35 start, the Jays whipped Cleveland 8-1 (David Wells working a 110-pitch complete game to beat Bartolo Colon) thanks to home runs from Shannon Stewart, Brad Fullmer and Darrin Fletcher.

The broadcaster had most everyone in the Blue Jays clubhouse sign the lineup card that day. And 18 years to the day when Tyler was playing in the East Coast Pro Showcase at Rogers Centre ... he gave the lineup card to his son as a birthday gift.

“Andy Stewart (the bullpen coach), Paul Quantrill, Joe Carter, a lot of the coach, Pat Tabler (who also worked games with Black), plus Robbie Alomar at Tournament 12 ... so many guys played a roll in his life down the road,” said the father.

Stewart, also known as Mileage, wound up being among the bevy of Toronto Mets coaches who helped Black along the way.

Black started strong with Wright State and finished strong. In his opening series he doubled off Kumar Rocker of the Vanderbilt Commodores, who went 10th overall to the New York Mets on Sunday. Coach Tim Corbin, an MLB Network commentator remembered the pitch “an 0-2 pitch.”

And in the second game he was hitless against Jack Leiter, who hit Black with a pitch. The son of former Blue Jays lefty Al Leiter went second overall to the Texas Rangers.

When Wright State was eliminated at the Knoxville NCAA regional, he was 5-for-9 with three homers and five RBIs in losses against Tennessee Volunteers and the Duke Blue Devils.

As each host closed the show with their pick of the night Corbin, who said “well he’s from Toronto and Joey Votto is from Toronto” made Milwaukee’s picks his choice: Boston College OF Sal Frelick and Black. “They are both left-handed hitters, they both are multiple-sport players.”

Tyler was supposed to play this summer in Cape Cod for the Wareham Gateman. He was obviously given great advice. He no longer need to impress anyone. Tampa Bay and Oakland were interested and the Brewers stepped up.

So father and son had a father-and-son outing, attending the Stanley Cup in Tampa.

“I was really jacked, I never get to be a fan,” he said.

Pop was a fan of his talented son on Sunday and Monday was his first 24 hours of being a Milwaukee Brewers fanatic.

Next time we see him on TV he could be wearing a cheese head triangle Green Bay Packers and Brewers fans wear.

HE’S FROM WHERE: If you look up draft tracker on MLB.com and look under Country ... you will find one Canadian player drafted: former Toronto Mets INF Tyler Black from Wright State.

If you look up players drafted by state you will find RHP Calvin Ziegler under Florida and listed as a TNXL grad. Ziegler didn’t have any options with diamond closed here and zero scouts to come to workouts. So he headed south for roughly three months.

Unless he was travelling with the Canadian Junior National Team, he was with the Tri-City Giants, Ontario Youth Team, Kitchener Panthers and mostly the Great Lakes Canadians.

The Mets were assigned a $1.62 million slot bonus for the 46th spot overall.

No. 19s: Previously the Jays had selected 19th overall three times -- as they did on Day 1 when they chose RHP Gunnar Hoglund from Ole Miss.

_ SS Eddie Zosky from California State University, Fresno in 1989.

He received a $182,000 signing bonus, but on draft day (despite only the first round being made public) he overshadowed by third-round pick: 1B John Olerud of the Washington State Huskies. Zosky batted .160 in 30 games making eight starts. He may have been most famous for after playing seven at-bats in 1992 and was asked in 1993 if he’d receive a ring. Zosky replied “Well, I would hope so ... I have heard that the scouts are getting rings.”

_ OF Shannon Stewart, a Miami high schooler, in 1992.

He was given a $450,000 bonus. Six picks later they selected OF Todd Steverson from Arizona State. Stewart played 14 years in the majors while Steverson played 31 games in the majors. During those Blue Jays years there were two certainties: Carlos Delgado would hit 30 homers and drive in over 100, while Stewart would hit .300 and steal 30 bases or so. Looking it up Stewart hit .298 during his parts of 10 seasons with the Jays. Five of his parts of 10 seasons he hit .300 -- five of eight if you eliminate his first two seasons when he was a September call up. Dealt to the Minnesota Twins he finished fourth in the MVP race in 2003 behind Alex Rodriguez, Delgado and Jorge Posada.

_ OF Alex Rios, a high schooler from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

He was given an $845,000 signing bonus. During the glory days of Interbrew the Jays scouts were told not to look at the column with names in it, but rather seek the cheapest deal. In 2000, the Jays chose Miguel Negron, Caguas, Puerto Rico and he signed for $950,000. That didn’t work out as he never made the majors, peaked at double-A New Hampshire and played 139 games at triple-A with the Mets and White Sox systems. However, the Rios selection did. Rios played 12 seasons, including an all-star season in one of his six years with the Jays and he helped the Kansas City Royals to the 2015 World Series.

Jays 2nd rounder: Gone. There is was. The Jays lost their second round pick when they signed free agent George Springer on Jan. 23.

LHP Ricky Tiedemann was Toronto’s third round pick from Golden West Junior College

Jays 3rd rounder was a man on the move: From MLB.com Pipeline ….

LHP Ricky Tiedemann Golden West JC

Age 18

Bats: L Throws: L

DOB: 08/18/2002

HT: 6’ 4” WT 220

@TiedemannRicky

Scouting Grades/Report (20-80 grading scale)

Fastball 55 Slider 50 Changeup 55 Control 50

Overall 45

While the 2020 amateur season was cut short because of the pandemic, Tiedemann did manage to become a bit of a pop-up prospect who rose into MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prior to last year’s Draft. The younger brother of Rangers Minor League right-hander Tai Tiedemann went undrafted in the five-round event and rather than head to San Diego State, he switched gears to Long Beach Junior College in order to be eligible this year. When Long Beach cancelled spring sports because of COVID-19, Tiedemann was on the move again, this time to Golden West College.

Tiedemann’s overall profile of solid stuff, size and athleticism hasn’t changed much in a year’s time, but there’s plenty to like. His fastball sits in the low-90s and will bump 93-94 mph at times, with more in the tank as he continues to add strength to his 6-foot-4 frame. His changeup flashes plus and his slider has gotten a bit tighter and more effective.

A good athlete who hit in the middle of his high school lineup, Tiedemann should be able to continue throwing strikes even if he starts throwing harder. He still hasn’t been seen a ton, but given how hard it is to find projectable left-handed starters, scouts will be paying many visits to Golden West to see if Tiedemann is worthy of a top three or four round selection.

As Allan Jackson used to sing “How I wish Dallas was in Tennessee:” RHP Chad Dallas pitched for the Tennessee Volunteers and now is the Blue Jays fourth round selection.

RHP Chad Dallas Tennessee

Age 21

Bats: R Throws: R

DOB 06/26/2000

HT: 5’ 11” WT 206

Scouting Grades/Report (20-80 grading scale)

Fastball 50 Curve 50 Cutter 60 Change 40 Control 55

Overall 40

After Dallas came out of the bullpen to strike out 71 in 39 innings as a freshman at Panola (Tex.) JC in 2019, Tennessee recruited him as a reliever. Instead, he became the Volunteers’ No. 1 starter in his first year in Knoxville and helped pitched them to their first College World Series since 2005 this spring. He won eight of his 11 Southeastern Conference starts and beat Louisiana State with a career-high 12 strikeouts in the super regionals.

Dallas added a mid-80s cutter in 2021 and it has become his best weapon, a plus offering that destroys right-handers both in the strike zone and as a chase pitch. His low-80s curve has depth and grades as solid at its best. His fastball sits at 90-94 mph and can reach 98, though it features only modest arm side life and doesn’t miss many bats.

While his 5-foot-11, 206-pound build isn’t ideal for a starter, Dallas makes up for it with his ability to pound the strike zone and his dogged competitiveness. He’ll have to find a way to get left-handers out to remain in the rotation as a pro, and his mid-80s change up with some fade will need significant improvement if it’s to become the answer. The rest of his repertoire and his mentality would fit well in a relief role.

Former Toronto Mets OF Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.) went in the fourth round to the Oakland A’s.

Three-for-12: Listening to the draft can be tiring ... players from high schoolers like Thousand Oaks, Torrey Pines or Bonita Vista or four-year schools like St. Mary’s College, San Angelo and Biola.

Then, there are other times when the laptop sounds like a machine gun ... rat-a-tat-tat.

Starting with OF Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.) who went in the fourth round to the Oakland A’s. The Cal State Northridge Matador, a former Toronto Met, went 127th overall in North America, to start a run on Mets.

Seven picks later, in the fifth round, LHP Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, Ont.) was selected by the Texas Rangers. Like Clarke, Bratt wore the Toronto Mets uniform.

And five selections later RHP Eric Cerantola (Oakville, Ont.) was chosen by Kansas City Royals scouting director Lonnie Goldberg. Cerantola was selected 139 overall from Mississippi State. The former Great Lake Canadian was not on the Bulldogs College World Series roster, but he did contribute 17 1/3 innings. Goldberg was our Canadian Baseball Network scout of the year and winner of the Jim Ridley award in 2020.

Florida’s No. 12 best: RHP Irv Carter was the Blue Jays fifth round pick from Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale. It was the Blue Jays first high school pick.

Baseball America’s report: 12. Irving Carter, RHP, Calvary Christian HS, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (BA RANK: 100)

Source: HS • Ht: 6-4 • Wt: 200 • B-T: R-R • Commitment/Drafted: Miami

There’s a good chance that Carter is the best No. 2 high school arm in the country as the teammate of fellow 2021 righthander Andrew Painter. While Carter might benefit from being on the same team as Painter in terms of scouting eyeballs, he’s a talented prospect in his own right with a three-pitch mix, super projectable frame and athleticism that give him exciting upside. Carter throws a fastball that sits in the low 90s and gets up into the 95 mph range at its best, with good downhill angle out of a high, three-quarter arm slot. After throwing more of a traditional 12-to-6 curve ball earlier in his prep career, Carter transitioned to a slider last summer, and the pitch has shown plus potential with power and two-plane break in the mid-to-upper 80s with spin rates in the 2500 rpm range. He’ll need to improve the consistency of the pitch, as he’ll get around the ball at times, but it has real out-pitch potential. Carter also throws a mid-80s change up with good arm speed, though he’ll bury the pitch in the dirt fairly regularly. Carter has the athleticism and starter frame that teams are looking for, but he’ll need to refine his strike throwing and potentially clean up his delivery to avoid a bullpen projection. There’s plenty of effort in the delivery and he has length in his arm stroke with stabbing action in the back that could create issues with timing and repeating his breaking ball. Coaches and scouts alike do love his mentality and demeanor on the mound, however. Carter is a Miami commit.

Pick Value: $350,300.

Another year, another chance: Eligible for the draft as a high schooler, 2020 during the COVID-19 season, Hayden Juenger chose to attend Missouri State. The Blue Jays made him their sixth round choice on Monday.

From O’Fallon, Ill., Juenger was ranked as the No. 3 right-handed pitching prospect and No. 11 overall senior in the state of Illinois last year, according to Perfect Game. He went 9-1 with a 1.55 ERA with 75 strikeouts over 54 1/3 innings to lead the Panthers to a 35-4-1 overall mark and a national ranking from USA Today, earning all-state recognition in the process. As a junior, he was 7-2 mound mark, a 2.20 ERA.

3. Hayden Juenger, RHP, Missouri State (BA RANK: 232)

Source: 4YR • Ht: 6-0 • Wt: 180 • B-T: R-R • Commitment/Drafted: Never Drafted

The 6-foot, 180-pound righthander was the closer for Missouri State this season, getting into 16 games, throwing 21 innings, walking six and striking out 31 batters. His fastball was 94-98 mph, to go along with an average slider and an average change up. He gave up five of his nine earned runs in the first two weeks of the season, with a small sample of outings inflating his numbers, but he was lights out down the stretch.

Pick Value: $268,200.

Lucky seven: The Jays selected a high schooler again in the seventh round selecting OF Jaden Rudd in Lynn Haven, Fla.

Pick Value: $209,800.

Eight is great: RHP Hunter Gregory of Old Dominion was the Jays eighth round selection.

Gregory was 8-2 with a 2.95 ERA in 16 games -- making 15 starts -- as he walked 19 and fanned 88 in 79 1/3 innings.

Pick Value: $170,300.

HOF last name: With the ninth pick the Blue Jays chose Conor Larkin of the Penn State Nittany Lions. Larkin was 3-8 with a 5.09 ERA in 13 games -- 12 starts -- with 24 walks and 69 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings.

Pick Value: $152,900

And with their final pick of Day II: The Jays doubled up choosing RHP Connor Cooke from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Rajun Cajuns.

Cooke went 7-3 with a 2.03 ERA and a save in 18 games -- 12 starts -- as he walked 37 and struck out 90 in 79 2/3 innings.

Pick Value: $144.40k