They are here for a few summers and then they move on.

In many cases, Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) players move on to careers in professional baseball. 

There are currently dozens of WCBL alumni who have signed on with Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations to pursue their big-league dreams. A few have already made it to The Show.

Here's a closer look at some former WCBL players and where they've landed with MLB teams in 2025:

ATLANTA BRAVES

There are four Okotoks Dawgs products who are in the Braves system.

Shay Schanaman was a two-way player with the Dawgs in 2019 and won a WCBL championship with that team. The righthander from Nebraska is now a relief pitcher with the Double-A Columbus Clingstones and he recorded the first win in the franchise's history recently.

Titus Dumitru - an outfielder who batted .364 in 34 games with Okotoks in 2023 - is taking the field with the High-A Rome Emperors and has three runs batted in (RBI) in his first three games at that level.

The Single-A Augusta GreenJackets have a pair of Dawgs on their squad. Eric Hartman, who took the field at Seaman Stadium in 2023 and 2024, got off to a torrid start with the Greenjackets. The outfielder had two homers, four RBI, three runs, and a stolen base in his first four games to earn Minor League Player of the Week honours from the Canadian Baseball Network. 

Infielder Mason Guerra, a member of the Dawgs in 2022, played in Augusta last year and he's starting this year with Hartman and the GreenJackets.

MIAMI MARLINS

The Marlins have four prospects with ties to the WCBL.

Justin King, a position player with the Okotoks Dawgs in 2016 and 2017 before converting to a southpaw pitcher as a pro, is in his fourth season in the minors. He is now working as a reliever with the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the International League.

The High-A Beloit Sky Carp have a pair of WCBL alumni in their ranks. Ike Buxton made 34 appearances with the Fort McMurray Giants in 2018 and 2019 and the starting pitcher is now in his second season with the Sky Carp. 

Outfielder Eric Rataczak, who was the 2023 WCBL Rookie of the Year as a member of the Brooks Bombers, will look to climb the minor-league ranks by smacking around Midwest League pitchers during his time in Beloit.

Fellow outfielder Micah McDowell honed his skills with the Dawgs during the 2019 and 2022 summer seasons. The Nova Scotia product, a 17th-round pick of the Marlins, will look to get his pro career on track with the Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

A trio of high-end WCBL prospects with the Cardinals will look to break through to the bigs in 2025.

Matt Lloyd, the 2017 WCBL Canadian Rookie of the Year as a two-way player with the Dawgs, is looking to will himself from the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds roster to Busch Stadium. Lloyd was a 15th-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds back in 2019 and has been working through injuries and setbacks to get to where he is. The Okotoks native is off to a hot start as a first baseman with the Redbirds, registering six RBI on six hits through his first five games.

Joining Lloyd on the Triple-A affiliate is Curtis Taylor, a former pitcher with the Edmonton Prospects who also spent some time playing in Mexico. The righty reliever has been toiling in the minors for years. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and has moved around a lot since then. Taylor pitched for Canada at the World Baseball Classic in 2023.

Chase Adkison, a long-time member of the Fort McMurray Giants who played in northern Alberta in the WCBL between 2017 and 2019, is now with the High-A Peoria Chiefs. The undrafted free agent is a versatile player, capable of taking the field as a catcher, outfielder or first baseman.

TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Rays also have three WCBL prospects in their system.

Tristan Peters, the 2019 WCBL Rookie of the Year and Playoff MVP with the Okotoks Dawgs, is knocking on the door of an MLB debut. The 25-year-old outfielder has made a name for himself with his highlight-reel catches and is in his second season with the Triple-A Durham Bulls, where he has four runs and four RBI in his first nine games this year.

A third-round pick of the Rays in the 2024 MLB Draft, Nathan Flewelling will look to climb the minor-league ladder. The former backstop with the Sylvan Lake Gulls starts his pro journey at Single-A with the Charleston RiverDogs. Flewelling hails from Innisfail and he wowed Gulls fans last summer by producing 19 RBI in 20 WCBL games. 

His teammate, Jack Lines, played for the Dawgs Black squad during the WCBL's pandemic-abbreviated season in 2021. The middle infielder from Okotoks will compare Carolina League pitching notes alongside Flewelling.

ATHLETICS

The A's have another three WCBL alumni.

Former Dawg Alejo Lopez has already played in the bigs. He suited up in 74 games with the Cincinnati Reds between 2021 and 2023. The infielder played all of 2024 at Triple-A in the Atlanta Braves organization and he will start at that level for the Athletics with the Las Vegas Aviators. If all goes according to plan he'll be back in the major leagues later this season.

Another alum of the Dawgs, Sam Stuhr, will get his pro start with the Single-A Stockton Ports. The right-handed pitcher, a fifth-round pick of the A's last year, will work out of the bullpen.

Joining Stuhr in Stockton is Ryan Magdic, a well-traveled outfielder and first baseman from Ontario. Magdic was a .353 hitter with the Swift Current 57's during his 37 games in the WCBL in 2019.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

The Guardians have a pair of stellar Canadian southpaws that came through the Western Canadian Baseball League.

Erik Sabrowski - a two-way star with the Edmonton Prospects - provided Alberta baseball fans with the feel-good baseball story of the year in 2024 by overcoming a pair of Tommy John surgeries and persevering in the minors until he cracked Cleveland's lineup and provided clutch innings out of the bullpen in the regular season and in the postseason. Sabrowski started the season on the injured list but is expected to return to the Guardians later this year.

Meanwhile, Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson was phenomenal during his first full year of pitching in the pros. The former moundsman with the Okotoks Dawgs has racked up 182 strikeouts over 122.2 minor-league innings, while posting a 1.83 earned run average (ERA). Tugboat also helped guide the High-A Lake County Captains to a Midwest League championship. The lefty is starting this season with the Captains but he could be in Double-A soon.

NEW YORK YANKEES

The Bronx Bombers have a pair of players who made their way through Alberta and Saskatchewan before they began their professional careers.

Versatile infielder and outfielder Jose Rojas - who suited up for the Swift Current 57's in 2015 - played a total of 83 MLB games with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and 2022. Now in the Yankees organization, he's started the 2025 campaign at Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Rojas played in the International League last year.

Starting pitcher Edgar Barclay has reached the Triple-A level but is still waiting for that call to the bigs. A member of the 2018 Edmonton Prospects, Barclay is currently with the Double-A Somerset Patriots. He's hoping to pitch his way back to the RailRiders and ultimately end up at Yankee Stadium.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Phillies have a pair of familiar pitchers on their Double-A squad, the Reading Fightin' Phils.

Former Moose Jaw Miller Express hurler Travis Kuhn continues to chase his baseball dreams. The 2019 draft pick of the Seattle Mariners spent the previous three seasons at Double-A in the M's system. The Californian is hopeful a change of scenery can help him move up.

Kuhn and Wesley Moore can chat about their time in the WCBL during bus trips. The lefty Moore was on the Lethbridge Bulls in 2017. He split time in High-A and Double-A in 2024.

SAN DIEGO PADRES

Two more pitchers can be found among the prospects of the San Diego Padres.

Saskatchewan's Garrett Hawkins was a standout with the Swift Current 57's in 2018 and 2019, producing 76 Ks in 71.1 innings, as well as a 7-2 record and a 2.40 ERA. The 6-foot-5 righty is returning from Tommy John surgery - which wiped out his 2024 season - with the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps.

The Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm have Vicarte Domingo on their pitching staff. The righthander was a reliever with the WCBL champion 2023 Okotoks Dawgs and is now in his first pro season after the Padres drafted him in the 19th round in 2024.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Canada's team has a former WCBL player who could make his MLB debut in 2025. Corner infielder Damiano Palmegiani, once a member of the Lethbridge Bulls, is entering his second season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. Palmegiani has 70 home runs and 257 RBI over 397 minor-league games. 

Jay Schueler, who was on the roster of the 2024 Okotoks Dawgs, was signed by the Jays following last year's MLB Draft. He got in some games with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays last year and is back with the team this season.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

The D'backs have a couple of catchers from Okotoks in their system.

Gavin Logan, who won a WCBL title with the Dawgs in 2019, was a ninth-round selection of the Diamondbacks in 2022. He's returning to the High-A Hillsboro Hops of the Northwest League this season with 145 minor-league contests under his belt.

After nine years and 432 games in the minors, Jordan Procyshen is no longer masking up behind the dish. But the former Dawg hasn't left baseball. The Calgarian is now the bench coach with the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Double-A affiliate of the D'backs. Procyshen reached the Triple-A level with the Round Rock Express of the Pacific Coast League in 2023, where he played 25 games. He was also Canada's bullpen catcher at the World Baseball Classic that year.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Andrew Kittredge has pitched in 255 MLB games, most of them with the Tampa Bay Rays. After logging middle-relief innings for the Cardinals in 2024, the former swingman with the Okotoks Dawgs is now a member of the Orioles. He's been an effective bullpen ace and was an American League All-Star in 2021. The righthander started the season on the 15-day injured list but is working his way back into game shape.

TEXAS RANGERS

Once a menacing moundsman with the Medicine Hat Mavericks, Jacob Webb has been setting down batters in the majors since 2019. The journeyman righthander has played for the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels and he now tosses pitches for the Rangers. Webb is 13-10 with a 3.06 ERA, six saves and 192 strikeouts in his 194 MLB innings of work.

MINNESOTA TWINS

Kody Funderburk broke through with the Twins in 2023 and proceeded to make 38 relief appearances for Minnesota over two seasons. The former two-way threat with the Okotoks Dawgs and Edmonton Prospects is starting this year with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints but a return call to the majors is a strong possibility.

HOUSTON ASTROS

Also expecting a call to The Show is Jacob Melton, a top outfield prospect with the Astros. The lefty batter from Oregon split time between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024. He's back in the Pacific Coast League with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys and could be in the bigs soon. Melton was a member of the 2019 WCBL champion Okotoks Dawgs.

DETROIT TIGERS

Righty pitcher Matt Merrill also played briefly on that 2019 Dawgs team. The native of Tulsa, Oklahoma moved over from the Washington Nationals system to Detroit last year, where he pitched for the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps. The reliever earned a promotion to the Erie SeaWolves to start this season and has already picked up his first Double-A save in his debut with the club.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Fans of the Regina Red Sox will want to keep an eye on who is moving up in San Francisco's system. Speedy infielder Zane Zielinski, a ninth-round pick of the Giants in the 2024 MLB Draft, stole 20 bases in 55 games with Regina in 2022. He was assigned to the High-A Eugene Emeralds but landed on the seven-day injured list. Zielinski hopes to make his first professional appearance soon.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Former Edmonton Prospects slugger Matt Coutney showed off his power at High-A with the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2024 by hitting 22 doubles and eight homers. That performance earned him a promotion to the Rocket City Trash Pandas. The corner infielder is starting his 2025 campaign with the Single-A Inland Empire 66ers.

COLORADO ROCKIES

Righty reliever Tyler Hampu - who went 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 10 appearances with the Sylvan Lake Gulls in 2022 - embarks on his pro career this year. The 18th-round pick of the Rockies is starting out with the club's Single-A affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies.

CHICAGO CUBS

Also on the WCBL circuit in 2022 was Luis Martinez-Gomez, who took the bump for the Fort McMurray Giants and went 3-2 with a 2.25 ERA and 76 Ks over 56 innings and 14 games. The Californian is entering his third pro season and will begin this year with the Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Jim Henderson hasn't pitched in the majors for a while but he's still a big part of the Brew Crew. The veteran reliever - who played in 155 MLB games for the Brewers and Mets between 2012 and 2016, picking up 31 saves along the way - is now an assitant pitching and strategy coach for Milwaukee. Henderson was an original member of the Dawgs, playing for the team when they started in the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL) in Calgary in the early 2000s.

BOSTON RED SOX

Another former Dawg has advanced through the minors, but not as a player. Alex Jensen is at the Triple-A level as a broadcaster of Worcester Red Sox games. Jensen, a three-time WMBL champ with the Okotoks Dawgs, made the move to Massachusetts after being the play-by-play voice of the Springfield Cardinals. 

In addition to the people mentioned above, Stu Scheurwater of Saskatchewan is the only Canadian who is part of Major League Baseball's 74-man umpiring crew. He's been making big-league decisions since 2014. Before jumping to the majors, Scheurwater called games in the WMBL, the predecessor of the WCBL.

As well, there are a number of WCBL alumni who have graduated to the professional ranks with teams that are not MLB affiliates. Several pitchers and batters are now plying their trade in independent leagues, international circuits and in MLB partner leagues.