Homegrown Talent

Trying to compete in this country with hockey as popular as it's ever been is a tough task for a young man by the name of Justin Morneau.

Sure there are baseball fans in Canada, but I'm not convinced people realize what they are missing out on by not knowing what this power hitting slugger from New Westminster has done for baseball in this country.

Justin Morneau grew up in New Westminster, British Columbia where, like most Canadians, he thought he would some day dress in a sweater with an NHL logo on it. Not only as Justin grew up was he a prospect for WHL and NHL scouts, but somewhere along the way he fell in love with the game of baseball.

Morneau played his rookie season of Premier baseball in Vancouver, before packing his bags and arriving in North Delta. During his final two seasons of high school ball Morneau completely abused opposing pitching, won two provincial titles, a pair of national championships and crushed 47 homeruns his senior year.

During the 1998 Red Deer National Championships in Alberta, Canada, Justin was named the top hitter and top catcher as he led Team B.C. to it's third straight National crown.

While Morneau was doing all that he also stayed busy with Canada's National team. As June approached and it was time for the Major League Baseball Ametuer Draft, Justin sat by the phone waiting on a call that would change his life forever.

During the third round the Minnesota Twins decided that this kid from a place on the map where only hockey talent was suppose to come out of, might be one of those diamond in the rough kind of players and was lucky to be still around.