Blue Jays Nation’s Top 25 Canadian Baseball Prospects for 2026: #6 Slater de Brun
The sixth-best Canadian prospect we’ll look at in this article was involved in one of the biggest trades this off-season.
# 6 – Slater de Brun
Born: Santa Monica, California
Organization: Tampa Bay Rays
Drafted: 1st Round; Competitive Balance A; 2025 (BAL)
Position: Outfield
Bats/Throws: Left/Left
Born in Santa Monica, California, Slater de Brun grew up in the United States and played high school ball with Summit High School in Oregon. Although he represented the United States’ 18U National Team, de Brun holds a Canadian passport as his mother is a Canadian and USA citizen.
de Brun had a strong senior year of high school and was committed to Vanderbilt University heading into July’s 2025 draft.
2025 season
With the 37th overall pick in the 2025 draft, the Baltimore Orioles selected the left-handed batting outfielder. They were able to pull him away from his Vanderbilt commitment with a signing bonus of $4 million, well over the slot value of $2.631 million. Funnily enough, this pick initially belonged to the Tampa Bay Rays, but was traded to the Orioles for former Toronto Blue Jay reliever Bryan Baker.
What’s so funny about that? Well, the Rays and Orioles made another trade this past off-season, as the Rays sent starting pitcher Shane Baz to the Orioles in exchange for Austin Overn, Caden Bodine, Michael Forret, and de Brun. It was one of the largest trades of the off-season, but the Rays did pretty well for themselves.
de Brun isn’t the first Canadian on this list to be a part of the Rays’ organization, as both Émilien Pitre and Nathan Flewelling were drafted by the Rays during the 2025 draft. However, de Brun has yet to make his professional debut.
Looking ahead to 2026
Having yet to make his professional debut, it stands to reason that de Brun will likely begin his season in the bottom of the Rays’ organization, likely in either the Florida Complex League or Single-A. If he can prove his hit tool and speed can play professionally, it wouldn’t be surprising to see de Brun set himself up nicely to get some helium heading into the 2027 season.
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