Owen
Slater

2024 RHP Owen Slater (Missouri St. commit) got the start Sunday for OBJ and it was a dominant performance, picking up nine punchouts in four innings without allowing a hit. While it wasn’t the hardest velocity we’ve seen from him, it may have been the most horizontal movement we’ve seen from the pitch which gave hitters problems. The fastball sat 86-88 T89 and had the ability to land the slider for strikes or pound it down for swings/misses. Slater has some of the more intriguing pitch characteristics in Ontario’s 2024 class and that was on full display Sunday.

We got a look at Slater’s off-season gains last month at OBJ Scout Day and it carried over into game action here in Kamloops. Continues to trend upwards and oozes projectability at 6-foot-3, 165-pounds, Slater dominated out of the pen for OBJ with 7 K’s over 4 innings allowing no hits. The FB sat 88-90 T91 with ASR that got in-zone swing and miss while locating the SL down in the zone at 78-81 with good sweeping action and a CH with heavy fade. The Missouri State commit is one of the best arms in the country with more to come.

Slater’s stock continues to trend upwards after he made a jump in velo here now living in the high 8’s with ease. A fluid delivery from a arm slot,  nothing is straight with a ton of ASR on the FB that induced soft contact last summer at the Future Games. The Missouri State commit has tight, horizontal action on the SL and a heavy fading CH. Really good stuff from Slater, he is one of the top 2024 arms in the country and he proved why at OBJ Scout Day.

Slater came out and continued his upward trend this season, using a three-pitch mix to keep hitters off-balance. The 6-3,165-pound ex-Future Gamer lived mid-high 80s with his fastball, located to both sides of the plate, and landed his secondary for strikes. An easy follow into the Fall season, Slater has a chance to be one of the better arms around.

Slater is another Future Games member continuing to impress at the Canada Summer Games. The right handed pitcher is a lanky 6-foot-3, 165lbs with a whippy arm action that hides the ball well. Sits mid 80’s with his fastball but has a strong feel for his curveball and changeup, mixing his speed and locations well. Looks comfortable on the mound and had a strong Team Saskatchewan lineup off balance and guessing. Has potential to increase his velocity, and will be interesting to watch as he continues to add strength and mature. 

Slater, 6-foot-3, 165-pounds, came out and showed out at the Future Game Frenzy on the mound. The RHP was the best we’ve seen him to date. The FB was mid 8’s T86.7 mph and down in the zone, locating it to both sides of the plate with arm side run. The SL was sharp and generated swings and misses and the CH was fading nicely out of the hand. Not one of his pitches are straight, and the sink on the FB combined with the horizontal break of the SL creates a tough AB for hitters. The most impressive thing about this outing from Slater was his pitchability, having confidence in all 3 pitches and being able to mow down hitters with ease. Everytime we see Slater he gets a little bit better, and is definitely one of the more intriguing arms in the 2024 class.

We got our first league play look at Slater on Monday night and worked five innings against OBJ White, flashing a three-pitch mix. The fastball sat 82-84 and induced the most swing/miss with the armside run. His best secondary pitch was the changeup at 75-77 and there wasn’t any hard contact in the outing. Our staff continues to like what we see from Slater and the velocity jump will be what takes him to the next level.

Slater, 6-foot-3, 165-pounds, continued his strong year on the mound at the Ontario Youth Team Tryouts. The frame is projectable, the stuff is there, we’re just waiting on the velo. None of Slater’s pitches are straight, as he flashed a good 3 pitch mix from a arms slot on Sunday. The Sinking FB lives low to mid 80’s with a sweeping SL that has a Sweep+ score of 95 and feel for the CH. Very intriguing arm from the 2024 class that creates tough AB’s for hitters.

Slater, a 6-foot-3, 165-pound two-way player, was his usual self on the mound, sitting 83-84 with the fastball and showcasing a good three-pitch mix. The surprise on the day from Slater came with the right-handed bat that produced some loud swings and one of the best rounds of the day. His average exit velocity of 89.3 mph was second best at the event.