Greg Hamilton just wants to get to the medal round at the World Junior Baseball Championship.
After that, it’s anyone’s ballgame, said the coach of Canada’s national junior team.
Guiding a club lacking the depths of some of the other tournament powerhouses, Hamilton said he sees the team as a top-five contender, which in a one-game playoff certainly has the capability of knocking off any of the top teams and should be in the mix for a medal when the tournament kicks off Friday in Thunder Bay.
Canada, which opens the WJBC on Friday against the Netherlands at Port Arthur Stadium, will likely do it with pitching and defence, though there is enough offence sprinkled throughout the lineup to keep the opposition honest.
It starts with catcher Kellin Deglan, a history-making 2010 first-round pick of the Texas Rangers (22nd overall) who hails from Langley B.C.
“That pretty much speaks for his talent and what he can and can’t do,” said Hamilton, reached at his St. Cloud, Minn. hotel room Tuesday, where Team Canada was getting set to take on the United States in its final pre-tournament warm-up contest.
“He’s going to be our third hitter and he’s certainly going to be one of the best all around players in the tournament. If he’s not the top catcher, he’ll certainly be right at the top in terms of his abilities and he’ll be one of the better hitters in the tournament regardless of who comes.”
Deglan likely would have had competition for the top catcher nod had No. 1 pick Bryce Harper decided to play, but it appears the American star-in-the-making and his agent, Scott Boras, have chosen to sit this one out.
Described as possessing raw power and a strong arm, Deglan is a premium talent who has the ability to change outcome of a game both at the plate and behind it. It’s why he drew so much attention at last month’s draft, Hamilton said of Deglan, who is hitting .286 in 10 games in the Arizona rookie league.
“He’s the first first-round catcher out of Canada. He’s a pretty good player. He’s a left-handed hitter, he’s got good size, he’s got good arm strength and he’s going to be a very good player.”
He’s also not the only player with major league potential in the lineup.
Hamilton singled out centre-fielder Dalton Pompey, a Mississauga product snagged in the 16th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
“He legitimately is a productive hitter from both sides of the plate,” Hamilton said.
On the mound the veteran coach is looking to the likes of Whitby, Ont.’s Evan Grills and Ladner, B.C.’s Tom Robson to keep Canada in contention.
Grills, a draft pick of the Houston Astros, is in his second World Junior Baseball Championship, someone Hamilton knows he can count on to get the job done.
“He’s been with the national program for four years. He’s pitched against pro players, he’s pitched internationally extensively and he’s a guy that will give you a chance against anybody,” Hamilton said.
Robson, who turned 17 last month, is among a trio of young pitchers – coached by former Blue Jay Paul Quantrill while with Team Canada – that have a chance to be drafted next year and have a good shot at the pros.
Add it all up and Hamilton’s expectations are high.
And like he said earlier, get him to the quarterfinal and anything can happen.
“That’s really the beauty of international baseball. We’re talented enough and skilled enough that we can play with the best teams in the world at this age grouping. Are we as deep as some of them?
No. If you had to play them in a five-game series, the Americans would go deeper than we would. But the differential is not such that you cannot beat them,” Hamilton said, noting a 4-3 pre-tournament win over the U.S. last week.
The Canadians are in Pool B alongside the Netherlands, Cuba, Czech Republic and Panama.
After that, it’s anyone’s ballgame, said the coach of Canada’s national junior team.
Guiding a club lacking the depths of some of the other tournament powerhouses, Hamilton said he sees the team as a top-five contender, which in a one-game playoff certainly has the capability of knocking off any of the top teams and should be in the mix for a medal when the tournament kicks off Friday in Thunder Bay.
Canada, which opens the WJBC on Friday against the Netherlands at Port Arthur Stadium, will likely do it with pitching and defence, though there is enough offence sprinkled throughout the lineup to keep the opposition honest.
It starts with catcher Kellin Deglan, a history-making 2010 first-round pick of the Texas Rangers (22nd overall) who hails from Langley B.C.
“That pretty much speaks for his talent and what he can and can’t do,” said Hamilton, reached at his St. Cloud, Minn. hotel room Tuesday, where Team Canada was getting set to take on the United States in its final pre-tournament warm-up contest.
“He’s going to be our third hitter and he’s certainly going to be one of the best all around players in the tournament. If he’s not the top catcher, he’ll certainly be right at the top in terms of his abilities and he’ll be one of the better hitters in the tournament regardless of who comes.”
Deglan likely would have had competition for the top catcher nod had No. 1 pick Bryce Harper decided to play, but it appears the American star-in-the-making and his agent, Scott Boras, have chosen to sit this one out.
Described as possessing raw power and a strong arm, Deglan is a premium talent who has the ability to change outcome of a game both at the plate and behind it. It’s why he drew so much attention at last month’s draft, Hamilton said of Deglan, who is hitting .286 in 10 games in the Arizona rookie league.
“He’s the first first-round catcher out of Canada. He’s a pretty good player. He’s a left-handed hitter, he’s got good size, he’s got good arm strength and he’s going to be a very good player.”
He’s also not the only player with major league potential in the lineup.
Hamilton singled out centre-fielder Dalton Pompey, a Mississauga product snagged in the 16th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
“He legitimately is a productive hitter from both sides of the plate,” Hamilton said.
On the mound the veteran coach is looking to the likes of Whitby, Ont.’s Evan Grills and Ladner, B.C.’s Tom Robson to keep Canada in contention.
Grills, a draft pick of the Houston Astros, is in his second World Junior Baseball Championship, someone Hamilton knows he can count on to get the job done.
“He’s been with the national program for four years. He’s pitched against pro players, he’s pitched internationally extensively and he’s a guy that will give you a chance against anybody,” Hamilton said.
Robson, who turned 17 last month, is among a trio of young pitchers – coached by former Blue Jay Paul Quantrill while with Team Canada – that have a chance to be drafted next year and have a good shot at the pros.
Add it all up and Hamilton’s expectations are high.
And like he said earlier, get him to the quarterfinal and anything can happen.
“That’s really the beauty of international baseball. We’re talented enough and skilled enough that we can play with the best teams in the world at this age grouping. Are we as deep as some of them?
No. If you had to play them in a five-game series, the Americans would go deeper than we would. But the differential is not such that you cannot beat them,” Hamilton said, noting a 4-3 pre-tournament win over the U.S. last week.
The Canadians are in Pool B alongside the Netherlands, Cuba, Czech Republic and Panama.
