Every Major Leaguer Has a Starting Point - Mitchell Bratt’s journey from the Ontario Youth Team to Major League Baseball.

On June 24, 2026, Mitchell Bratt accomplished what nearly every young baseball player dreams about.

The Newmarket native made his Major League debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Bratt pitched three innings, allowing one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out three in Arizona's 9-4 victory. His first Major League strikeout came against Jordan Walker, a moment he'll undoubtedly remember for the rest of his life.

For many baseball fans, it was their first opportunity to watch the young Canadian left-hander pitch on the biggest stage in the game.

For me, it brought back memories of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Seven years earlier, I had the privilege of coaching Mitchell on the Ontario Youth Team at the 2019 Baseball Canada Cup. At the time, he was a young pitcher competing against the best players in the country and trying to help Ontario win another national championship.

That roster included an extraordinary collection of talent. Owen Caissie, Calvin Ziegler and Connor O'Halloran were also members of that team and would eventually become highly regarded professional players.

But when I watched Mitchell take the mound for Arizona, my mind went back to a few specific moments from that summer, moments that had little to do with scouting reports, professional contracts or the Major Leagues.

They were moments about learning how to compete, how to prepare and how to carry yourself as a pitcher.

Practicing Winning Before It Happened

One of the exercises I put that Ontario team through was something we called Practice Winning.

The purpose was to prepare the players mentally for the moments we hoped to experience during the tournament.

We would create game situations and ask the players to play them out. Sometimes it was a walk-off hit. Sometimes it was recording the final out of an important game. Sometimes it was making the defensive play that protected a one-run lead.

We also wanted them to visualize those moments before they happened.

What would the situation feel like?

How would they control their emotions?

How would they respond to the pressure?

How would they celebrate without losing sight of the job that still needed to be done?

The exercise was not about pretending we were guaranteed to win. It was about teaching players that success should not feel unfamiliar when the opportunity finally arrives.

We wanted them to see themselves succeeding before they were asked to do it in front of a crowd, with their province across their chest and the outcome of a national championship game hanging in the balance.

Players often practice their swings, pitches, footwork and defensive movements. They do not always practice the emotional side of winning.

We wanted that team to be prepared for both.

A Lesson on the Mound

Another memory involving Mitchell came during our second game of the Canada Cup.

I went to the mound intending to remove him from the game. My reasoning had nothing to do with how he was pitching. In fact, he was pitching extremely well. I was already thinking ahead and wanted him available for the semifinal or championship game.

Mitchell did not know that.

When he realized he was being taken out, he began walking away from the mound visibly upset. He was a competitive young pitcher who wanted to remain in the game, and in that moment, he did not understand the larger plan.

I remember stopping him and telling him to stay at the mound and hand me the baseball.

It may seem like a minor detail, but it mattered.

That's how baseball is done at the highest level. Professional pitchers stay on the mound, look their manager in the eye and hand over the baseball. I wanted Mitchell to learn that lesson long before he ever reached professional level.

That moment was not about embarrassing him or taking away his competitive edge. I never wanted Mitchell to become comfortable with leaving a game. I wanted him to understand that frustration and professionalism can exist at the same time.

You can be angry that your day is finished.

You can believe you still have more to give.

You can want the baseball.

But you still respect the decision, respect your coach and leave the mound the right way.

Years later, Mitchell would be handing the baseball to a Major League manager.

Those lessons begin long before a player reaches a Major League stadium.

The Journey Continued

When I coached Mitchell in Regina, I was not thinking about what his Major League debut might look like seven years later.

I was coaching a young pitcher who loved to compete.

He was learning how to prepare for important games, how to handle pitching decisions, how to control his emotions and how to represent something larger than himself.

His baseball journey continued long after the Canada Cup.

During the COVID shutdown, Mitchell moved to Georgia so he could continue playing and developing. The Texas Rangers selected him in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He worked his way through professional baseball, continued to represent Canada on the international stage and eventually joined the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.

One thing people don't always see is the family behind the player. Mitchell's journey wasn't his alone. His family has been incredibly supportive from the very beginning, making the sacrifices that so many baseball families quietly make behind the scenes. They are genuinely wonderful people who have always supported Mitchell with humility and class. Seeing them experience his Major League debut was every bit as rewarding as watching Mitchell throw his first Major League pitch.

Then, on June 24, 2026, he stood on a Major League mound for the first time.

The surroundings were different.

The hitters were better.

The pressure was greater.

But the expectations were not entirely new.

Compete.

Stay composed.

Trust your preparation.

Handle success and adversity professionally.

Give your team a chance to win.

Those lessons do not suddenly appear when a player reaches the Major Leagues. They are developed slowly through years of practices, tournaments, difficult conversations, pitching changes, failures and opportunities.

That Is Why Amateur Baseball Matters

Coaches rarely know exactly where a player’s journey will lead.

Some players will finish after high school. Some will continue into college. A smaller number will enter professional baseball, and only a tiny percentage will eventually reach the Major Leagues.

Our responsibility is not to treat every young player as though becoming a professional is guaranteed.

Our responsibility is to prepare them properly for wherever the game takes them.

That means teaching skills, but it also means teaching players how to think, compete and behave.

It means practicing winning before the winning moment arrives. It means explaining why a pitcher may be removed even when he wants to continue. It means expecting a player to hand over the baseball properly, even when he is disappointed. It means helping players understand that professionalism begins long before anybody is paid to play.

Owen Caissie, Calvin Ziegler, Connor O'Halloran and several other talented players were part of that remarkable 2019 Ontario roster. Each followed his own path after Regina.

Mitchell Bratt’s path eventually led to Busch Stadium and an Arizona Diamondbacks uniform.

Watching him make his Major League debut was a proud moment, but it was also a reminder of something every coach should understand. Major Leaguers do not suddenly become Major Leaguers on the day they are promoted.

The foundation is built years earlier, often in moments that seem insignificant at the time.

A visualization drill.

A pitching change.

A conversation on the mound.

Lessons that seemed ordinary at the time, but helped prepare a young pitcher for extraordinary moments years later.

Every Major Leaguer has a starting point.

For Mitchell Bratt, one of those starting points was a baseball field in Regina, Saskatchewan.