July 21, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Cooperstowners in Canada

Some Canadian baseball news and notes:

-Thirty-three years ago today, Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) became the first Canadian inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. The Canadian pitching legend was elected in his third year of eligibility along with fellow right-hander Gaylord Perry and seven-time American League batting champion Rod Carew. The Canadian pitching legend retired with 284 career wins and as the only pitcher in major league history to record more than 3,000 strikeouts (3,192), while allowing fewer than 1,000 walks (997). Greg Maddux, Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez have since joined that elite group. You can listen to his induction speech here:

The Toronto Blue Jays assigned Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) to the triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Friday. It’s the latest stop of his long rehab assignment. Most recently, Votto went 8-for-38 (.211 batting average) with a home run and seven RBIs for the class-A Dunedin Blue Jays. After signing a minor league deal with the Blue Jays on March 10, Votto homered in his only Grapefruit League at bat in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater on March 17. Unfortunately, after returning to the dugout, he turned his ankle on a bat. It was initially deemed a minor injury, but the road back from it has been much longer than expected. The 40-year-old Votto played 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds before signing with the Blue Jays. A seven-time winner of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award and the 2010 National League MVP, Votto has 2,135 major league hits, which leaves him just 25 behind Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) for most by a Canadian. Votto already owns Canadian major league records for most games (2,056), plate appearances (8,746), walks (1,365), All-Star Game selections (6) and on-base percentage (OBP) (.409).

-Chicago White Sox right-hander Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) was placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday with a right shoulder strain. The move is retroactive to July 16. This is the latest in a long string of injuries woes for Soroka who has torn his right Achilles tendon twice. To say Soroka has had a challenging season is an understatement. His record is 0-10, but for the most part, he has been excellent out of the bullpen for the Sox after beginning the season in the rotation. As a reliever, Soroka owns a 3.49 ERA in 12 relief appearances and has 47 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings.

-Twelve years ago today, Bob Elliott (Kingston, Ont.) became the first – and still only – Canadian baseball writer to be honoured with the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s BBWAA Career Excellence Award. It is awarded annually for “meritorious contributions to baseball writing.” I was fortunate to be in Cooperstown for this and wrote this article in the wee hours of the night in small motel in Rome, N.Y.

-Oakland A’s infielder Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.) was assigned to the triple-A Las Vegas Aviators on Friday to continue his rehab assignment. He has been on the injured list with a strained right hamstring since June 22. In 73 contests with the A’s this season, the 27-year-old Canuck was hitting a team-leading .260 with six home runs, 24 RBIs and a .689 OPS. He is currently third on the A’s with 72 hits. Now in his sixth MLB season, the versatile ABC alum has been used at first base, second base, third base and in the outfield by the A’s.

-Twenty years ago today, Rich Harden (Victoria, B.C.) made his MLB debut with the A’s. The first batter he faced was Kansas City Royals outfielder Aaron Guiel (Vancouver, B.C.). Harden allowed one run on four hits in seven innings but got a no-decision. The A’s eventually won 6-1.

Eleven years ago today, Carlos Delgado had his name added to the Toronto Blue Jays’ Level of Excellence in a pre-game ceremony at Rogers Centre. With the honour, Delgado became the 10th member of the Level of Excellence. “Twenty years ago on this very field I started living a dream,” Delgado told the crowd during his acceptance speech. “I want to say thank you to the Toronto organization for giving me the opportunity to come to professional baseball. For giving me the opportunity to become a major leaguer.” Tony Fernandez, Candy Maldonado, Shawn Green, Alex Gonzalez and Jose Cruz Jr. were among his former teammates in attendance. While playing for the Blue Jays, Delgado rewrote much of the club’s record book and remains the team’s all-time leader in home runs (336), RBIs (1,058), doubles (343), runs (889), total bases (2,786), slugging percentage (.556), extra-base hits (690) and walks (827). You can find a list of all of the members of the Blue Jays’ Level of Excellence here.

-Happy 26th Birthday to Baseball Canada alum and Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Noah Skirrow (Cambridge, Ont.)! He is currently pitching for the Phillies’ double-A affiliate in Reading and is 4-3 with a 5.34 ERA in 16 appearances (10 starts). This is his fourth season with the Phillies’ organization after signing with them as a free agent out of Liberty University. Canadian baseball fans will best remember him for his excellent start against Colombia in last year’s World Baseball Classic in which he tossed five scoreless innings to lead Canada to a win.

-Last week in this column, I gave a shoutout to Guardians scout Kyle Bamberger for signing right-hander Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) as a free agent out of the University of Hawaii in 2020. Smith has been outstanding for the Guardians in his rookie season. In 44 relief appearances, he has a 4-1 record with a 2.22 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. Smith’s father, Tim, reached out to me on Twitter to point out that Canadian scouting legend Walt Burrows was actually the first big league scout to show a deep interest in his son for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins drafted Smith in the 16th round in 2017, but Smith opted to go to the University of Hawaii instead.

-Longtime Montreal Expos scout and minor league manager Pat Daugherty passed away on Thursday at the age of 89. Thank you to Marie and Frank Fanning for letting me know. Daugherty managed the Expos low-A New York Penn League affiliate in Jamestown for five seasons from 1977 to 1981 and helped hone the skills of players like Tony Phillips, Razor Shines, Wallace Johnson and Andres Galarraga. He then served as the Expos’ minor league field coordinator from 1982 to 1985. He was also a respected scout for the Expos before moving on to the Colorado Rockies organization, where he served as their scouting director during the 1990s. “We’re saddened to learn of the passing of longtime Rockie Pat Daugherty,” the Rockies said in a statement on Thursday. “Pat was our first scouting director, serving in that capacity from 1991-98, before transitioning to the role of special assistant to the general manager until his retirement in 2014. Pat was responsible for drafting many all-time Rockies, including Hall of Fame electee Todd Helton. We will remember Pat as a great baseball man, but even more as a wonderful family man who cared deeply about the Colorado Rockies. Our thoughts are with Pat’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

-Former Toronto Blue Jays knuckleballer Tom Candiotti‘s son, Clark, was selected in the fourth round of the MLB draft by the San Diego Padres. He, too, is a right-handed pitcher. Unfortunately, he doesn’t throw a knuckleball. The younger Candiotti, who is 23, went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 16 starts for the Arizona Wildcats (NCAA) in 2024.