Cummins takes his talents to the Canadian Futures Showcase

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Vauxhall Advance

By Tyson Shushkewich
For Vauxhall Advance

The tenth annual Canadian Futures Showcase had a bit of Taber flavour this year, as Langdyn Cummins made the journey out west to participate in the week-long event at the Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Cummins was one of the handful of players from Vauxhall Academy who attended the try-outs earlier this summer and was named to the early showcase roster. The event hosts high school players from across the country to play in front of scouts and coaches from post-secondary programs and professional organizations and is organized by the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy. 

“The showcase is a real neat experience,” said Cummins, speaking just outside the third base dugout at the Rogers Centre. “You are playing against some of the top players from across the country in front of scouts and coaches and the pressure is at an all-time high, especially in a stadium of this size. I just wanted to go out and play well and I think I did exactly that this week.”

The first day of the showcase is a scouting day, where players take batting practice on the field, run the 60-yard dash, and take reps in the field in front of the scouts and coaches in attendance. Swinging from the right side, Cummins was hitting line drives with ease during the batting practice portion and ran a 6.67-second time. 

“The showcase is such an important event for Canadian baseball players,” said Cummins. “It allows players like myself to play against the best of the best across the Nation and to get some exposure to try and take my game to the next level once I graduate high school.”

The Head Coach of Vauxhall Academy of Baseball, Les McTavish, got the chance to see Cummins and the rest of the Jets in person as one of the coaches of the teams at the showcase. 

“Langdyn is a really special player and I have had the privilege of coaching both him and his brother (Dallas),” said McTavish. “He competes hard day in and day out and has a really good work ethic both on and off the field. It’s always fun to have local guys like Langdyn on the roster and it’s great to see him continue to get better every day on the diamond. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

In Toronto, Cummins suited up for Team New Blue, one of the six squads of the divided players, and while his team went 0-3 and tied once, the 17-year-old had a very successful tournament. 

Suiting up in centre field for three of the four games, his lone hit was a double to opposite field off one of the top pitching prospects in the country. The ball was way out of reach of the right fielder, coming 76.7 MPH off the bat, and his extra-base hit scored the first run of the game against Team Grey to give the club early momentum in the game.

By the end of the tournament, Cummins boasted one of the top OPS on his squad (1.000) due to his five walks and made zero errors patrolling centre field on numerous balls hit his way, with the outfielder able to showcase both his glove and arm for the crowd. He even led off the final game against Team Black, where he amassed three free passes and scored one run for his team. 

“I think I had a really good showing,” said Cummins. “We had a couple of calls not go our way but I think we as a team continued to battle and make things interesting each day for the other squad. It was awesome to put that double on the board and to just get a chance to play in this tournament is a success in my opinion. I had an amazing time.”

Even when he stepped into the batter’s box where the likes of José Bautista, Joe Carter, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have stood before, Cummins went back to the basics that he learned in Vauxhall and with the Team Alberta Bighorns squad.

“My mentality at the plate is just to not overthink and look for a pitch to drive to the outfield,” said Cummins. “I want to be patient in the batter’s box and not swing at pitches that I can’t do damage on and I think that approach worked well for me this week.”

A 2025 grad, Cummins is currently uncommitted to a post-secondary program but after a successful showing in Toronto and another campaign ahead of him in Vauxhall, there will no doubt be a line of suitors for the outfielders’ services by the time next summer rolls around.

“When I think about the future and potential college programs, I want to play somewhere that is going to help me grow both as a person and a player,” said Cummins. “I want to contribute right from the get-go and just get a chance to take the field every day. I love being on the diamond and just want to keep playing for as long as I can.”

Tyson Shushkewich is a contributor at the Canadian Baseball Network, Just Baseball, and Blue Jays Nation.