Dasan Brown Grateful For Opportunity With Canadian WBC Team

Blue Jays prospect Dasan Brown will join the Team Canada at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Baseball Canada

LAKELAND, FL— When Dasan Brown got the call from Blue Jays Player Development Director Joe Sclafani, his answer was a quick yes.

Sclafani was phoning to ask if the Blue Jays’ outfield prospect wanted to join the Canadian World Baseball Classic squad, replacing Andy Yerzy on the roster. It was late notice and Brown would have to leave Toronto's spring camp three days later, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity.

"Everyone wants to represent their country," Brown said. "And I'm grateful for the opportunity."

Though Brown wasn’t initially selected to Canada’s WBC roster, the tournament was on his radar for a while, hoping to play for his country once again. Brown is part of an emergent group of Canadian prospects alongside Oakland prospect Denzel Clarke, Cleveland's Bo Naylor, and another Toronto youngster, Damiano Palmegiani. Brown played with Clarke and Naylor for the Canadian Junior National Team in 2018, winning a bronze medal at the U18 Qualifier in Panama and earning a spot in the World Cup the following year in Korea.

Brown was a key member of that U18 squad, reaching base twice and stealing a base in the bronze medal game, but he's going to have to compete for a role on this squad when Canada begins group play in Arizona next week.

"Looking to compete, obviously nothing's given and you have to earn every opportunity," Brown said. "So I'm looking to go over there compete and enjoy the experience."

Brown's hoping to help Canada earn its way out of a difficult Group C, but he's also looking forward to "picking the brains" of established big leaguers like Freddie Freeman and Tyler O'Neill, he said, seeing how the vets go about their business ahead of meaningful games. While Brown could be away from Blue Jays spring training for up to two weeks, for a guy that's expected to start the 2023 season in High or Double-A, both he and the Jays agree the opportunity to play on baseball's biggest international stage is worth a break from camp.

"I was thrilled for him," Jays manager John Schneider said. "You can kind of see his career trajectory going in the right way. I think it's an awesome experience for anyone to represent their country and I think he's gonna really enjoy it."