Betts: Kiermaier, Varsho … Brown? Canuck impressing Blue Jays with Gold Glove defence

Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum Dasan Brown (Oakville, Ont.) holds his 2024 minor league Gold Glove Award. Photo: Toronto Blue Jays

March 15, 2025

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

As a team that values run prevention like no other, the Toronto Blue Jays brass has to love what they’ve seen from No. 28 prospect Dasan Brown.

Earlier this week before a spring training game at TD Ballpark in Dunedin against the Baltimore Orioles, Brown (Oakville, Ont.) received his 2024 Rawlings MiLB Gold Glove Award.

It was an honour bestowed upon him after posting a sparkling .996 fielding percentage with the High-A Vancouver Canadians and double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Brown’s climb from an Ontario Blue Jays college hopeful, to Texas A&M commit and now one of the Blue Jays’ top prospects in part began at the same field he accepted the award.

Eight years ago he stood in the outfield at TD Ballpark as a member of the Canadian Junior National Team.

Playing against players he idolized from afar, he was admittedly nervous. But little did he know at the time, he’d be rubbing elbows with big leaguers almost decade later trying to make an impression on his hometown team.

Brown has always been known for his defence and speed, as he also stole 35 bases in 2024 and has 113 in 365 career minor league games, but it was last spring he made a concerted commitment to catching people's attention with his glove.

In a world where clichés and noncommittal goals can be frequent, Brown was blunt.

“At the beginning of the season last year I told one of my coaches that was my goal, to be recognized for something like that,” Brown said following the Friday matinee where he replaced Myles Straw defensively and drew a walk against Orioles reliever Yennier Cano.

“In the moment, it’s ambitious. Being able to actually receive that award and to be recognized for it, it adds respect, setting a goal and achieving it.”

Despite the expectations he put on himself, accepting the award was still a thrill for the 23-year-old.

“Something like that in the minor leagues to me is very special,” Brown said.

“With it being so limited in the amount of guys that get it and where I’m coming from as a Canadian, it means so much more than just the award.”

It’s safe to say he’s had some valuable mentors along the way.

Brown spent part of the offseason at the Blue Jays’ Player Development Complex with Major League Baseball Gold Glover Daulton Varsho.

Combined with new special assistant Kevin Kiermaier, it’s hard to imagine a better place to develop as an outfielder.

“Just getting to work with him (Varsho) has been pretty cool,” he said.

“It’s very easy to find certain things those guys have done at the highest level and take bits and pieces.”

But before he ever met what he hopes will be his future big league teammates, Brown made sure to emphasize that he received high quality coaching very early in his career.

Pat Visca, Sean Travers and Eddy Largy were the first that came to mind.

More than just a Gold Glove outfielder, Brown’s entire game is beginning to round into form. Last season, he hit .246 with eight home runs, 41 RBIs and a .723 OPS in 386 at bats.

With eyes on him this spring, including during Toronto’s Spring Breakout game, Brown remains focused on the day-to-day of his development.

“It’s just consistency,” he said.

“Those guys at the highest level, they do it everyday. To me, I feel like physically the tools are there, the mindset is there, it’s just having my teammates and coaches know exactly what they’re getting out of me every single day.”