Ethan Mota-Dias stepped to the plate. The Georgetown outfielder had made it to the second tryout for the Canadian Futures Showcase. After hours of individual skill assessment, the remaining players were finally getting a chance to demonstrate their ability in a game situation.
Mota-Dias said he couldn’t help but feel nervous as he dug into the batter’s box.
“I was scared,” he said. “We had two teams of 25 players so most of us were only getting up once.”
Mota-Dias made the most of his opportunity, ripping a line drive into the left-centre field gap and then putting his speed to use to stretch the hit into a triple.
The evaluators took notice. The 15-year-old earned one of the coveted spots at the annual tournament for college and draft-eligible players across Canada. Operated by the Toronto Blue Jays, the tournament will held at the Rogers Centre from Sept. 19-23.
“I think it’s going to help a lot,” said Mota-Dias, who joined the Ontario Terriers last season after playing minor ball with the Halton Hills Eagles. “There will hundreds of college scouts there so it’s a good amount of exposure.”
Mota-Dias, a forward with the Halton Hills Thunder AA team, once thought his sporting future was on the ice.
“I was always huge into hockey. I was playing any chance I could get,” he said. “Then the last three or four years, especially since I started playing with the Terriers, playing in more tournaments and seeing how huge (baseball) is in the States and the opportunities that are available, I decided this is what I want to do.”
Mota-Dias has garnered attention on the diamond with his combination of speed and power at the plate. He also boasts a strong arm, which has allowed him pitch for the Terriers as well, though he sees the outfield as the best fit.
And later this month he’ll get to roam the same outfield as Blue Jays Kevin Kiermaier and George Springer.
“It’s actually pretty crazy to think about it,” Mota-Dias said. “It’s a tournament, but it’s something you dream about, playing in a major league baseball stadium. It’s a surreal thing to think about it, especially to be able to play there at such a young age.”
