September 18, 2024

By Trevor Fitzpatrick

Canadian Baseball Network

As I walked into the Rogers Centre to watch the first game of the 2024 Canadian Futures Showcase between Team New Blue and Team Grey, I noticed a familiar name on the scoreboard.

I knew that I knew Nathan Belle (Caledon, Ont.) from somewhere, but I couldn’t pin exactly where.

It bugged me for most of the seven-inning contest, before it clicked – we both used to swim for COBRA (City of Brampton Regional Aquatics) Swim Club a few years back.

Clearly the same thought crossed Belle’s mind as he saw my nametag, as he immediately asked if I was the Trevor he thought I was.

You never know who you’re going to see at the ballpark on any given night, but this was certainly a pleasant surprise.

Belle explained to me that he had left swimming around 2020 (right around the same time I did) to focus on his other sports goals. That left him with hockey and baseball, which he then narrowed down to just baseball when he turned 16.

“My love of the game started with my dad (Kerwin). His love for baseball ended up with him playing at Florida Atlantic, I want to follow in his footsteps,” Belle said.

One of the players to watch on the 2025 Canadian Baseball Network Draft List, the young outfielder seems to have set himself up well to do so.

“I’m a big speed guy. I didn’t run very well during scout day, but I think I showed it today by stealing second on the first pitch I was on,” Belle explained, “Everything else can come, but my game revolves around being electric.”

Belle is hoping to use his speed to win over the scouts in attendance. His personal best 60-yard time is 6.45 seconds.

And while he says the rest of his game is a work in progress, he registers over 90 mph on his outfield throws with his solid 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame.

Still uncommitted to a school, his hope is to head south to warmer weather at a Florida school just like his father.

His athleticism will undoubtedly help in that pursuit, a tool which he credits to his time playing hockey and swimming.

“It kept me well conditioned and disciplined. When you’re playing that many sports you have no choice, it matures you.”

The Big Stage

This is Belle’s first year at the Canadian Futures Showcase. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t played on big stages before though.

In July, Belle and his Mississauga Tigers teammates played in the Connie Mack World Series as the lone Canadian team in the tournament.

Playing against stiff competition, the team still won three games.

“That was an amazing experience,” Belle recalled, “Being around so many top players and the atmosphere [of Ricketts Park] was incredible.”

Rogers Centre just has another level of glamour to it though. As he told me, “This is a dream. As we’ve had small breaks I look up in the stands where I used to sit. It’s surreal being on the field.”

For fun, I also asked Belle if he had a favourite swimming memory. He thought for a moment, probably comparing the pools we’ve swam in to the massive ballparks he’s now played at, and smoothly replied:

“I don’t think I could pick just one. It was more being with your friends everyday. You’re with them almost every day training, doing early mornings and nights, it was fun.”

Belle’s Team New Blue lost their first game to Team Grey 7-2, but they’ll have another crack later on this Wednesday as they play Team Royal at 6:00 p.m.