The First-Year Player Draft in MLB always garners my attention, both leading up to the actual draft day and during draft days. As a Dodger lifer I naturally wait to see who the Dodgers will select during the three days of the draft.

Being a Canadian, I also follow players who have at least Canadian roots and since Canadian players are subject to the MLB draft I take note of young Canadians who succeed in getting drafted. During the 2016 draft I was hoping the Dodgers could select pitcher Cal Quantrill, son of former major leaguer Paul Quantrill who played with the Dodgers during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. The younger Quantrill, from Port Hope in Ontario, was selected eighth overall by the San Diego Padres.

Over the years there have been a number of Canadians who were successful in getting drafted by MLB teams, albeit usually out of an American college. Catcher Russell Martin and pitcher Eric Gagne were two of my favorite Dodgers for a period of time. Martin, from Montreal, Quebec, was selected in the 17th round of the 2002 draft out of Chipola College in Marianna, Florida. Gagne, also from Montreal, was actually selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 30th round of the 1994 First-Year Player Draft out of Polyvalente High School in Mascouche, Quebec in Canada.

Two of the best known Canadian players were never drafted. Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins and outfielder Larry Walker were signed as non-drafted free agents. That is not surprising as Canadian players only became draft eligible in 1991. All-star first baseman Joey Votto was signed in the second round of the 2002 June Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. That was the same year the Dodgers selected first baseman James Loney with their first-round selection. In all 48 Canadians were picked by MLB teams in the that 2002 draft. That total has never been matched again.

My ears naturally perked up on Tuesday when I learned that the Dodgers had selected Zach Pop in the seventh round of the current draft and that Pop is a native of Brampton, Ontario. Brampton is a suburban city in the greater Toronto area. Pop is a third year player with the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

Zach Pop
(Photo credit – Pablo Alcala)

He had previously been drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft in the 23rd round. However, after his graduation from Notre Dame Catholic High School in Brampton, where he also played volleyball, hockey and golf, he chose to pursue his education and baseball at the University of Kentucky.

In his junior year with the Wildcats the 6’-4” / 225-lb right-hander served primarily as the set-up man and appeared in 22 games where he struck out 20 in 20.2 innings, giving up 19 hits and holding batters to a .247 average.

Pop missed much of the second half of Kentucky’s season and made just one appearance in the team’s postseason run due to an arm injury but was considered the top draft-eligible pitching prospect on the roster.

MLB Pipeline describes Pop’s pitching arsenal: “He has one of the most powerful arms in the Southeastern Conference, though his inability to consistently harness it has led the Wildcats to keep him in the bullpen for most of the last three years. In short stints, Pop works in the upper 90s and can reach 99 mph with nice sink on his fastball. The Canadian pitcher routinely reached the upper 90’s with his fastball, which paired with a late-breaking and hard slider made him difficult to hit. He lowered his ERA more than a run and a half from 2016 to 2017 as he was matched up nicely out of the bullpen.”

A Perfect Game Scouting Report projects Pop as being an eventual late innings reliever: “He can work in the mid-90’s with his fastball consistently, touching as high as 97-98 mph at times–an extremely tough pitch considering the deception he creates with his angle and delivery. He’ll flash a 55 slider (on the 20-80 scale) as well; diving it down under the hands of left-handed hitters and really looking the part of a solid 7th-8th inning type of reliever at the next level.”

Pop didn’t go into the draft unnoticed. Baseball America ranked him No. 71 in it’s Top 100 College Prospects list while D1 Baseball slotted him at No. 69.

While scouts like his mid-to-upper 90’s fastball, coaches like his heavy two-seam fastball and the way he attacks hitters mostly with that pitch. Of note, his improving slider plays well off his fastball.

Jerry Weinstein of the Colorado Rockies has drawn a MLB comparison with Zach Pop.

“My major-league comparison is Justin Masterson. He has a plus sinker with above average velocity. Resilient arm.” said Jerry Weinstein, special adviser to scouting and player development for the Colorado Rockies, as well as Pop’s Cape Cod league manager.

Hopefully Pop will sign with the Dodgers as he seems pleased to have been selected by them. He no doubt will spend some time in the Arizona League so the Dodgers staff can view him at work and begin work on command.

For his part Zach Pop is pleased to continue on wearing blue – first Kentucky Blue and now Dodger Blue.