Theo Millas would have plenty of reasons for him to regard himself as one of the top high school pitchers in Canada. An 0.88 ERA and 0.53 WHIP across the 2018 BC Premier Baseball League season. A full season with the Canadian Junior National Team as a grade 10. Three pitches that he can throw in any count, including a fastball that has touched 91 mph. And a no-hitter in July to boot.
Yet Millas talks modestly about how he stacks up against the nation's best.
"I wouldn't think of myself as one of the best arms in the country," said the 6-foot-4, 185-pound righty. "I like to think of myself as a good player in the country, and hopefully I can prove that as I go into my grade 11 year."
Millas' head coach with the Langley Blaze, Jamie Bodaly, sings a different tune.
"I think he's the top arm in the country," said Bodaly, who will coach the BC team at T12. "He came out to fall ball with us, and he was low 80s. But he had size, his arm action was really good, and it came out clean. And then this spring, he came out and you were like, 'This guy's special.'"
Millas started playing baseball at age 5, playing with his older brother, Nicholas, who now plays at New Mexico Junior College. Theo also played hockey and soccer, but come his teenage years, he realized that baseball was what he liked most -- and knowing that if he wanted to stick with it down the road, he'd have to make it a priority and put in hard work. His parents, Tellis and Evelyn, have also been there to help him succeed, as Theo made a specific point of thanking them for their support.
As he entered high school, Millas made his way onto the radar when he was picked up by Langley for the 2016 Bantam Nationals and promptly earned Pitcher of the Tournament honours as a grade eight in a tournament of predominantly grade nines. Yet grade 10 was when he fully established himself -- earning a regular spot on the Junior National Team and becoming the ace of a Blaze team with three other JNT pitchers.
"He sits consistently 90-91, he's got a really good slider, and a really good changeup," said Bodaly. "He can throw three pitches any time he wants. As a grade 10, I would call him the ace of our staff, and we had a couple of big impact players. … I can't say enough good things about the guy."
Millas will head into his second T12 in 2018 -- having played last year on the Futures team -- and he hopes that this year's tournament plays out similarly.
"I just took away the experience of having people watch you, and the exposure. It was just overall a great tournament; I had a lot of fun," said Millas.