Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

While the Canadian province of Alberta has produced some big league arms like Mike Soroka and Chris Reitsma, there has never been a high school hitter to be drafted and signed from the area to make it to the highest level. Flewelling, a young catcher who helped offset a relative lack of exposure by performing well at the MLB Draft Combine in June, hopes to be the first.

Flewelling checks off one sought-after demographic box by being a left-handed-hitting backstop. He has a short path to the ball with decent bat speed that generates some power to the gaps and produced some elite-level exit velocities at the Draft Combine. It's not difficult to dream on more pop to come as he matures. Another plus in his favor is his age, as he won’t turn 18 until November.

While he’s a bit raw as a catcher, he has some defensive characteristics that already stand out, showing off good lateral movement, blocking skills and exchange and some pop times under two seconds when throwing to second base. He gets high marks for his makeup and wants to stick behind the plate, something teams want to see from someone who will need to work to develop behind the dish. If a team doesn’t take a chance on him at some point on Day 2 of the Draft, it’s easy to think he could emerge from Gonzaga as a much better prospect in a few years.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 35 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

Not to say Flewelling comes from an unusual baseball background, but at the time he was drafted, most of his catching instruction had come from YouTube videos and stuff he picked up on while watching Major League games. Taken out of St. Joseph High School in the city of Red Deer, Alberta, Flewelling was the Rays’ third-round pick in the 2024 Draft and has quickly become an organizational favorite. He’s attempting to become the first high school hitter ever drafted and signed out of his home province to reach the Majors.

Flewelling was only 17 when the Rays drafted him, and they aggressively pushed him to Single-A Charleston at the age of 18, believing he would be better for the experience even if he struggled. Instead, he posted a .393 on-base percentage while impressing staff with his work behind the plate over 102 games and earned a late-season promotion to High-A. He’s still extremely raw, but the combination of his size (6-foot-2, 200 pounds and growing) and already-advanced plate discipline provides reason for optimism offensively. He has a short, left-handed swing that can produce elite-level exit velocity, and he’s still putting on strength that should help his raw power show up in games. The real draw here is Flewelling’s strike-zone awareness, which led to a 20.4 percent walk rate in 2025.

Defensively, Flewelling offers a lot of intriguing tools. He’s a big target behind the plate, but he’s a surprisingly agile athlete with good feet, lateral movement and blocking ability. He has a strong and accurate enough arm to handle the position. He earns rave reviews for his makeup, maturity, presence behind the plate and desire to continue learning. He also got high marks for playing through minor injuries, which is crucial for a catcher (and bound to inspire many remarks about the young Canadian having a hockey player’s mindset). He’ll play the entire season at 19 and still has a long way to go, but he is worth watching as a catching prospect who has a chance to be the complete package.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 35 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

Flewelling could be something of a trailblazer out of the city of Red Deer in the Canadian province of Alberta. While Alberta has delivered a handful of Major League pitchers, including Mike Soroka and Chris Reitsma, there has never been a high school hitter drafted and signed out of the province who reached the Majors. Could it be Flewelling, the Rays’ third-round pick in the 2024 Draft out of St. Joseph High School in Red Deer?

Flewelling has a fascinating profile as a left-handed-hitting catcher who was only 17 when the Rays drafted him. He’s still quite raw and will require some patience, especially defensively, but he put together a strong performance at the MLB Draft Combine that captured clubs’ attention. And his first Spring Training with Tampa Bay was promising enough that the organization sent him to Single-A Charleston rather than keeping him back at the complex. He’s more of a contact hitter than a slugger at this point, but his short swing produces solid bat speed and has generated some elite-level exit velocities. And he’s a physical player, listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, so he could grow into more power as he matures.

Flewelling is a rarity for the Rays: a catching prospect whose offense is ahead of his defense. He has some tools and characteristics that should allow him to succeed behind the plate, including good lateral movement, blocking skills and pop times and a strong enough arm. Evaluators believe he has the presence of a good catcher at a young age, but considering his relative lack of experience, it will take time for him to learn the finer points of the position. Flewelling also earns rave reviews regarding his makeup and maturity, which could go a long way toward helping him master a challenging position.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	02/22/2026	C Nathan Flewelling assigned to Tampa Bay Rays.
	09/02/2025	C Nathan Flewelling assigned to Bowling Green Hot Rods from Charleston RiverDogs.
	04/01/2025	C Nathan Flewelling assigned to Charleston RiverDogs from FCL Rays.
	03/08/2025	C Nathan Flewelling assigned to Tampa Bay Rays.
	03/06/2025	activated C Nathan Flewelling.
	08/19/2024	C Nathan Flewelling assigned to FCL Rays.
	07/26/2024	Tampa Bay Rays signed C Nathan Flewelling.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated C Nathan Flewelling.
	06/11/2024	C Nathan Flewelling assigned to College Workout.
	09/23/2023	C Nathan Flewelling assigned to Team Blue.
	09/22/2023	C Nathan Flewelling assigned to New Blue.
	09/14/2023	New Blue activated C Nathan Flewelling.
	09/24/2022	C Nathan Flewelling assigned to Team Stairs.
	09/10/2022	C Nathan Flewelling assigned to Navy.