Bob Prentice was a multi-sport star in high school at Toronto’s Riverdale Collegiate. An all-star quarterback and standout hockey player, Prentice chose to focus on a baseball career. After signing with the Cleveland Indians as an 18-year-old, the Canadian infielder would hit .273 and belt 151 minor league home runs from 1948 to 1956. Unfortunately, the presence of stars Al Rosen and Bobby Avila at the major league level prevented Prentice from cracking the big league roster.
After retiring as a player, he became a part-time scout with the Detroit Tigers in 1959 and was responsible for the Tigers signing John Hiller, Mike Kilkenny and George Korince. On November 1, 1976, Prentice joined the fledging Toronto Blue Jays as their director of Canadian scouting, a post he would hold until 1990. Part of a Blue Jays scouting department that was considered the best in the business, Prentice played a role in the signings of Canadians Paul Hodgson, Rob Ducey, Denis Boucher and Nigel Wilson.
Prentice passed away in 1995, but a trophy named in his honour (Prentice Cup) is awarded annually to the Ontario high school baseball champion.
