Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list ...
From small town roots to the bright lights of the major leagues, Carnduff, Sask. athlete Carter Beck can now call himself a Major League Baseball prospect.
Beck became the highest drafted player ever out of Saskatchewan on Saturday, as he was selected 26th overall by the Atlanta Braves at the 2026 MLB Draft.
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He was taken in the prospect promotion incentive round and was ranked 68th in the class by Baseball America heading into the draft.
The 21-year-old outfielder surpassed the previous record held by Muenster pitcher Logan Hofmann, who was taken with the 138th overall selection in the 2020 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Beck is also the first Saskatchewan-born player to be picked in the MLB Draft since 2021, when Garrett Hawkins and Thomas Ireland were taken in the ninth and 13th rounds.
A standout over two seasons with the Western Canadian Baseball League’s Saskatoon Berries, Beck most recently wrapped his second year at Indiana State University where he was named the Missouri Valley Conference’s most valuable player.
Beck dominated conference play with the Sycamores this past spring, recording a .348 batting average with 80 hits, 56 RBIs, 14 home runs and 12 stolen bases.
The Pick Is In!@carterbeck2023 becomes the second-highest @IndStBaseball player to be selected at the #MLBDraft since Bill Hayes (Rd. 1, Pick 13) in 1978.#MarchOn | #ProTrees pic.twitter.com/gEoCOUHOqi
— Indiana State Baseball (@IndStBaseball) July 11, 2026
It was in Saskatoon with the Berries where Beck became the franchise’s first superstar, leading the team in nearly every offensive category while being named the WCBL’s Most Outstanding Canadian and Rookie of the Year in 2024.
He followed that up with another stellar season in 2025 for the Berries with a .385 batting average with 65 hits, nine home runs and 43 RBIs before being named a league all-star for the second year in a row.
Beck also delivered the most iconic moment in franchise history with an extra innings, walk-off grand slam in Game 3 of WCBL East Division semifinals over the Moose Jaw Miller Express to advance to the second round.
At the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara, Ont., Beck also helped Team Saskatchewan earn a bronze medal.
Prior to participating in the MLB Draft Combine last month, Beck commented on the possibility of being the highest drafted player ever out of Saskatchewan.
“I’ve joked around about it before with my close friends and family probably a year ago or so,” Beck said. “You never know what happens in the draft.”
As for the Toronto Blue Jays, they used their first pick of the draft at 39th overall to select Arizona State University pitcher Cole Carlon.
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