During a springtime practice in 2015, the coaching staff of the Toronto Mets suggested to Landon Leach that he consider shifting his focus to pitching instead of catching. Already a big boy on his way to his current standing of six-foot-four, 220 pounds, his body type was ideal for pitching and his right arm could really bring the heat. As he matured, the thinking went, the native of Pickering, Ont., would grow into the pitching frame big-league teams covet.

“I went back and forth pitching and catching, but as we went along further in the spring, I needed to focus on pitching because I could see the results and I trusted my coaches, as well. I took their advice and switched,” says Leach, who consulted with his parents on the decision. “The transition was kind of difficult at first because all I knew was catching. Now that I see the results I’m really glad I did it.”

As well he should be, given that he’s expected to be the first Canadian selected in next week’s MLB draft, industry chatter projecting him to land somewhere between the second and fourth rounds. Baseball America has the 17-year-old right-hander ranked No. 86 on its most recent top 500 list but one scout suggested teams expecting him to last into the third round would be disappointed.

Talented shortstop Adam Hall – from London, Ont., via Bermuda – is likely to be the next Canadian selected, as he’s ranked by Baseball America at No. 100. Jason Willow of Victoria at 272, outfielder Clayton Keyes of Calgary at 312, outfielder Cooper Davis of Mississauga, Ont., at 369 and infielder Edouard Julien of Quebec City at 452 are other Canuck high-schoolers to keep an eye on.

On the college side, hard-throwing Kentucky righty Zach Pop of Brampton, Ont., is the top Canadian prospect. Speedy Edmonton outfielder Tanner Kirwer of Niagara University and Indiana infielder Matt Lloyd of Okotoks, Alta., will get some interest, too.

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Interest has certainly grown in Leach in recent months, with teams sending multiple people down to his outings with the junior national team. Projections on his frame aside, it’s his ability to sit at 92-94 m.p.h. with sink while touching 96 that’s pushed him up the board, in combination with a sharp slider and a developing change-up.

“You’ll see him in the fifth inning and it’s still 94, 95, 96 and that’s rare for a high-school kid to be able to hold velocity, in my mind anyway,” says Greg Hamilton, Baseball Canada’s director of national teams. “And he’s not working for it. When you watch him, there’s not a lot of effort to get there. It’s a heavy ball and he’s got the makings of a plus slider.”

Leach’s relative inexperience on the mound is one thing teams will be sure to consider, although his time with the junior national team certainly exposed him to much higher competition levels, teaching him that “you have to be a pitcher, not just a thrower trying to throw as hard as you can on every pitch.”

That lesson was certainly reinforced in March when the junior national team played its annual game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla. Leach came into a jam during the sixth inning and allowed four runs on five hits and two walks in two innings of work.

He surrendered a double to fast-rising Blue Jays prospect Bo Bichette the first time they faced one another but got him to hit into a 6-4-3 double-play the second time.

“Just to see the calibre of player on the other side of the field, it was incredible pitching against Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the talent they had over there was amazing,” says Leach. “Even if they got hits off me, it was a great experience either way. I’m glad I was able to do that so in the future I’ll know what I can do better.”

First comes the final bit of waiting before the draft, which starts Monday evening with the first two rounds and competitive balance rounds A and B. Rounds 3-10 are on Tuesday with things wrapping up Wednesday.

Leach, who has a commitment to the University of Texas, has worked to push the anticipation aside in the buildup to the draft.

“It’s in the back of my mind, I really try not to think about it,” he says. “It’s hard to describe but I don’t really think about it when I’m on the mound, I’m just focused on that game itself and not really about the future, just being me out there.”