OTTAWA – Brett Lawrie of Langley, BC and Phillippe Aumont of Gatineau, Québec both made the cut as Major League Baseball unveiled its annual Top 50 Prospects list.
Lawrie, who became the highest Canadian position player ever drafted when he went 16th overall to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, is ranked 26th in the Top 50 list. Aumont, who was selected 11th overall by the Seattle Mariners in 2007, is ranked 47th on the list.
Lawrie made it all the way to Double-A in his first full season of professional baseball, and at the age of 19, that is quite impressive. He hit .274 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI in 118 games between Class-A Wisconsin and Double-A Huntsville.
The Brewers drafted him as a catcher, but have since moved him to second base. However it is his bat that will get him to the big leagues. As one scouting report on Lawrie said on MLB.com: “A high-quality offensive-minded second baseman, a la Jeff Kent.”
“Brett defines an athlete. He was able to move from catching to second base without missing a beat. His desire to reach his goals is unrivaled,” says Brewers farm director Reid Nichols on MLB.com.
Aumont’s name has been mentioned often in recent months after being part of the blockbuster three-way trade that saw Roy Halladay go to the Phillies and Cliff Lee shipped to the Mariners. Aumont landed with the Phillies when all was said and done and it took the 6-foot-7 right hander a bit by surprise.
“I was surprised. I never thought I was going to get traded. I was comfortable with them (Mariners), they were talking about the future. When I first heard I was being traded, I kind of took a step back and tried to view the possibilities with the other teams being mentioned. I feel pretty good about it now. I'm really excited,” says Aumont to MLB.com
The 21-year-old went 2-6 with 16 saves and a 3.88 ERA in 44 appearances between Class-A High Desert and Double-A West Tennessee. Originally drafted as a starter, scouts believe he has a faster track to the big leagues out of the bullpen.
Equipped with a 97 mph fastball and a plus slider, he can still be a top-of-the-rotation type ace or, according to some scouting reports on MLB.com, a nasty, dominant closer.
