Blaine Fortin was born in Lundar, Manitoba on August 1, 1977. Fortin started his baseball career in Lundar, where he played minor baseball. He later moved on to play for the Interlake Orioles, Legion 141, and the Teulon Cardinals. He was drafted in the 6th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1995. Fortin played minor league baseball for the Blue Jays’ affiliates in Dunedin, St. Catherine’s and in Medicine Hat, where he picked up a solid .329 batting average. Fortin also played for both Team Manitoba and Team Canada, he was the Manitoba Baseball Association (MBA) Youth Player of the Year in 1994, the Canadian Player of the Year in 1994, and the Manitoba Youth Athlete of the Year in 1995. Fortin also played on Team Canada in the 1994 World Youth Championships held in Brandon, where he put up a .346 batting average. In 1997, Fortin played with the Winnipeg Goldeyes. He served as president of the Interlake Minor Baseball Association for four years and was a member of the Baseball Manitoba Grassroots and Competition Committee. His career fielding percentage was .993 as a catcher.
