‘I get to rep Canada at the World Series’: 12-year old from London, Ont. wins MLB Competition

Evan James is about to get a taste of the big leagues.

The 12-year-old Londoner won the MLB Pitch Hit and Run competition.

“I get to rep Canada at the World Series,” said James, who played for the London Tincaps 12U team this summer.Evan James is considered one of the “best pitchers at the 13U level” in London, Ont. (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London)

Now he’ll attend game two of the upcoming World Series and compete there in the competition finals.

“We wait till where the World Series is hosted and then when it comes, we get flown down there,” said James. “We compete on the field, and we also get to watch the game.”

Evan’s coach believes he has the talent to win the competition.

“He’s one of the best pitchers in town at 13U level,” said Chris Devlin,13U coach and president of the Oakridge Optimist Minor Baseball Association. “He’s got strong mechanics. He’s got a strong arm. He’s got a strong bat. He just kind of is a whole package as far as a baseball field and he’s a great kid.”Evan James fields a ground ball during tryouts for the 13U London Tincaps in London, Ont. (Source: Brent Lale/CTV News London)

Evan first had the opportunity to showcase his skills in Strathroy, Ont. at a free, regional MLB event.

“We went out to the local event just for something to do, something just for fun and no pressure kind of thing,” said Melissa Yee-James, Evan’s mom. “He just had fun with it and then we got the news that he advanced to the next round.”

That next round, was the Canadian finals at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ont.

“You go through three stages of marking,” said James. “You get a card, and you go to each stage. One stage you need to hit a target, and each target is worth points. The next part is running, and you get points on how fast you run. Then you hit off a tee in the field and then you get points for how far you hit which was my best part.”

He would go onto win that competition but had no idea he’d potentially be headed to the Fall Classic.

Evan scored 1,330 points in the 11/12U division which was the eighth highest score of all competitors in Canada and the US.

Evan James scored the 3rd highest total in North America in the hitting portion of the MLB Pitch Hit and Run Competition (Source: Brent Lale/CTV News London)

“We found out this week through an email,” said Yee-James. “As soon as I found out, I called Evan over to read it. As soon as he was started reading it, his mouth dropped.”

Ahead of the finals, he’ll keep his skills sharp during fall tryouts for the London Tincaps 13U team.

“We’re thrilled to have him part of the MLB Hit Pitch and Run,” said Devlin. “We think he’s going to do a great job and we’re super thrilled to see him at the World Series.”

At this rate, maybe one day he’ll be back at the World Series playing for the Commissioners Trophy.