Alberta Breakout Report - Volume One

Ben Gagnon OF / St Mary's, AB / 2020

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 175-pounds
Academy: Okotoks Dawgs
Summer Team: Okotoks Dawgs

Breakout Report: Gagnon has no shortage of athleticism, the multi-sport athlete excels in basketball and football as well. 6-foot-3, 175-pounds, muscular and athletic build, long arms and legs and broad shoulders. Good range, quick footwork and developing arm strength from the outfield. Big upside at the plate as he is yet to tap into his full potential, bat speed and strength are ahead of most in his class. He will be looking to earn an everyday spot with the Dawgs travel team this spring showcasing his skills in front of college coaches.

Bentley Carter LHP / OF / Centennial, AB / 2020

Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 170-pounds
Academy: N/A
Summer Team: Calgary Bandits

Breakout Report: Carter is a physical two-way 2020 left-handed pitcher and outfielder. Wide frame with a thick build, long arms and big lower half. On the mound, he fills up the zone with a mid-70s fastball and attacks hitters with a 1-7 breaking ball that has late break and tight spin, he has shown the ability to throw off-speed for quality strikes when behind in the count. Keeps a solid tempo and rhythm, shows confidence getting ahead early in the count and just has an overall feel for pitching. He competes at the plate grinding out at bats with good zone awareness and plate coverage. Line driver hitter who shows occasional power and ability to take the ball the other way into the gap.

John Shields LHP / 1B / Springbank, AB / 2020

Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 170-pounds
Academy: Calgary Junior Dinos
Summer Team: Calgary Junior Dinos

Breakout Report: Shields is coming off a strong year in Bantam capped off by am impressive performance representing Zone 3 during the Alberta Summer Games. He will be making the jump to Midget with the Junior Dinos and has the stuff and makeup to be successful right out of the gate. The left-hander throws a fastball mid to upper 70’s with good arm-side run to both sides of the plate with command. He can spin the breaking ball for strikes while his changeup might be his best pitch with good depth and deception as he keeps good arm speed and consistent action on all his pitches. The uncommitted 2020 looks poised on the mound and is always prepared with an approach of how he is going to get outs, Shields has what it takes to be one of top first year players in the NorWest league this summer.

Jared Arnold RHP / Vauxhall Academy, AB / 2019

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 165-pounds
Summer Team: Red Deer Braves
Breakout Report: Arnold will coming off his first full winter of offseason training with a full-time Academy having left his hometown of Red Deer, AB taking the next step in his baseball career moving to Vauxhall, AB to train with the coach McTavish and the Jets. The uncommitted 2019 grad was selected to the Top 40 list with Team Alberta in 2017 where he caught the eye of Jets head coach showing off a very live arm during his limited time on the mound. He had a lot to learn headed into this past fall and has been making major strides throughout the year according to his coaching staff. It will be very exciting to see the progress that Arnold has made when he takes the mound this spring.

Joe Karall RHP / Prospects Academy, AB / 2018

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 210-pounds
Summer Team: St. Albert Cardinals
Commitment: Cloud County CC
Breakout Report: Karall has been a key piece of the Cardinals pitching staff over the past two summers in the NorWest league where he has had repeated success as a starting pitcher. The right-hander is ready to take things up a notch with the work he’s been putting in at Prospects Academy. We recently re-tweeted a video of him touching 90 mph for the first time in a bullpen session this past week, he was sitting 84-86 this past fall. With college selection off his mind having recently committed to play next season with Cloud County CC, he is primed and ready for a big 2018 season where he will be looking to establish himself as one of the top senior arms in Alberta.

Tyrese Johnson OF / William Aberhart, AB / 2020

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 155-pounds
Summer Team: Okotoks Dawgs
Breakout Report: Johnson is just one of the young and exciting 2020 prospects that are training daily out of Okotoks. As a sophomore, he will making the jump to the bigger diamond this season after his second full year under the tutelage of the Dawgs coaching staff. He has the quickness and athleticism to play both the outfield and middle infield at a high level, the power and bat speed are not quite there, as he continues to mature and develop physically he definitely has the actions and movements that could translate into a very attractable 4-year school player that will do damage in the middle of a good lineup.