Texas baseball lands top 2017 Canadian prospect Landon Leach

David Pierce may be known for searching every crevice of the state of Texas for talent, but now the Texas Longhorns head baseball coach is going international — Canadian right-handed pitcher Landon Leach has committed to the Longhorns for the 2017 class.

Like many Pierce commits, Leach already has a college-ready frame at only 17 years old. The Pickering, Ontario native stands at 6’4, 214 pounds on the mound, using that size to unleash a 93 mile per hour fastball, in the 99th percentile for his class.

Leach currently plays club ball for the Toronto Mets, a team which has generated MLB draft picks in all but one year since 2009. The righty was also chosen to participate in the Canadian Junior National team spring training this year, and was one of three new players subsequently selected for the official team in October.

The Canadian appears to be less of a project, and more of an immediate impact player. Leach already may have the skill to be an MLB draft pick out of high school, but there’s no signs of him being a lock to skip high school for the pros.

Texas now has a solid seven-man 2017 class which features two pitchers and five position players. Pierce still may need to find that elusive lefty arm to add to the group, and a few more players overall. For now, Texas holds the 47th-ranked class for 2017, and is still looking to fill out more spaces than most elite programs.