Nathan Flewelling of Red Deer, Alberta became the second Canadian player all-time to be named the Major League Baseball Futures Game Most Valuable Player on Sunday. Flewelling, who is a catcher in the Tampa Bay Rays system, had a two-run home run as the American League defeated the National League 6-1 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The first Canadian to be named the most valuable player of the MLB Futures Game was Rene Tosoni of Toronto, Ontario. At the 2009 MLB Futures Game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, Tosoni had a game-winning RBI double in the seventh inning as Team World beat Team United States 7-5. Tosoni was an outfield prospect for the Minnesota Twins at the time.
From 1999 to 2018, the MLB Futures Game had a format where Team World played Team United States. In 2019, the format was switched to the American League versus the National League, like we see for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
Flewelling currently plays for the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the South Atlantic League (A+). He is batting .261 with 16 home runs and 47 runs batted in. During 73 games, 272 at bats and 335 plate appearances, Flewelling scored 52 runs and had 71 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, six stolen bases, 55 walks, 135 total bases, two sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .394 and a slugging percentage of .496.
