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Local teen scouted to play with the Chicago Cubs in California

Newmarket teen Paul Xenophontos is looking to make the most of his latest baseball opportunity

Local baseball player Paul Xenophontos has been recently scouted to play with the Chicago Cubs scout team in southern California.

The 16-year-old student plays third base and pitcher and lives in Newmarket but trains six days a week at his family’s indoor baseball training centre in Holland Landing.

Xenophontos has been playing since the age of five. He is a student at Dr. John M. Denison Secondary School in Newmarket and began playing with the Markham Mariners AAA baseball team and the Oshawa Legionaries elite baseball team.

“My parents put me in many different sports when I was young, but I really took a liking to baseball," notes Xenophontos.

The baseball star has been the YSBA All Star for three consecutive years, was selected to play for the Nomadic International Team in Denver, Colorado last year, and has been scouted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and now the Chicago Cubs.

“Playing with the Chicago Cubs scout team gives him opportunities like no other organization could,” comments his mother, Victoria Xenophontos. “The Chicago Cubs scout team objective is to have all rostered players sign letters of intent to play ball at the university/college level, or to be chosen through the MLB First Year Player Draft."

Xenophontos has had the opportunity to travel all over the U.S. and was playing in California last month and recently played in a tournament in Arizona over Thanksgiving weekend.

“The Cubs are made up of a select group of elite players that compete against top competition all while getting you seen by both professional and college scouts,” explains Xenophontos. “You can get scouted to play for the Cubs by either going to the tryout which has about 200-300 players or being scouted by the management.”

Xenophontos’ ultimate goal is to make it to the MLB level and live his dream as a professional baseball player. It is the only sport he has played competitively where he spends most of his time training.

Xenophontos and his family look forward to the upcoming training in California.


Jackie Kozak

About the Author: Jackie Kozak

Jackie Kozak is a reporter/writer whose work appears on both BradfordToday and InnisfilToday
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