Glew: Who is Canada’s team this October?
Bo and Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) will be playing together in the post-season for the Cleveland Guardians. Photo: Bo Naylor/Twitter
October 1, 2024
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
There have never been four Canadians on the post-season roster of a major league team.
But it could happen this year.
Bo and Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) and reliever Cade Smith (Abbotsford, BC) are shoo-ins for the Cleveland Guardians’ playoff roster. And with his 12 2/3 scoreless innings in eight relief appearances since his August 28 call-up, left-hander Erik Sabrowski (St. Albert, Alta.) is also a strong contender to be added.
The Guardians, who have a bye until the Division Series, don’t have to announce their post-season roster until later this week.
One thing we know for sure is that the Guardians will have the most Canadian players competing in this year’s post-season.
So, with the Blue Jays not qualifying, the Guardians are clearly the most Canadian big-league team this October.
But which of the other 11 squads has the most Canadian content? We researched that question, and here’s your answer:
1. Cleveland Guardians
According to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, there have been five previous post-season major league teams that have had three Canadians on them.
But an argument could be made that this year’s Guardians squad is the most Canadian yet. Bo and Josh Naylor will be starting at catcher and first base respectively, while Smith will be used in high leverage situations out of the bullpen. Sure, the Guardians have Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan and Emmanuel Clase, but their success this October will largely hinge on this trio of Canucks.
Josh Naylor belted 30 home runs and recorded more than 100 RBIs for the first time in his big league career this season. His younger brother, Bo, clubbed a career-high 13 home runs and has been solid defensively behind the plate. And Smith should earn strong American League Rookie of the Year consideration after posting a 6-1 record and 1.91 ERA in 74 appearances.
So, if you need your Canadian baseball fix this October, Progressive Field in Cleveland is only 477 km from the Canadian border.
Players: C Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.), 1B/DH Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.), LHP Erik Sabrowski (St. Albert, Alta.), RHP Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.)
Minor league players: RHP Sean Heppner (Richmond, B.C.), LHP Adam Tulloch (Toronto, Ont.), LHP Matt Wilkinson (Ladner, B.C.), RHP Jacob Zibin (Richmond Hill, Ont.)
Minor league coaches: Dr. Stephen Osterer (Ottawa, Ont.), director of pitching development
Okotoks Dawgs alum Jim Henderson (Calgary, Alta.), right, is the bullpen coach of the Milwaukee Brewers. He is pictured here with former Brewers closer Josh Hader. Photo: Milwaukee Brewers/Twitter
2. Milwaukee Brewers
When Doug Melvin (Chatham, Ont.) was the general manager of the Brewers from 2002 to 2015, and Gord Ash (Toronto, Ont.) was his assistant GM, the Brewers consistently seemed to have the most (or close to the most) Canadian players in their system. This changed under more recent regimes, but it has rebounded somewhat in the past few years when thanks to input from the club’s special assistant of scouting and international player development, Taylor Green (Comox, BC), and scout Pete Orr (Newmarket, Ont.), the Brewers selected Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) 3rd overall in the 2021 MLB draft and INF Dylan O’Rae (Sarnia, Ont.) 102nd overall in 2022.
Black made his major league debut this season and went 10-for-49 (.204 batting average) with seven walks in 18 games. The 23-year-old infielder was spotted in the Brewers’ clubhouse on the final day of the season, which has led to some speculation that he might be added to the post-season roster. However, he could also be in Milwaukee as a potential 26th man in case a player is injured in the Wild-Card series.
Left-hander Rob Zastryzny (Edmonton, Alta.) also appeared in nine contests for the Brewers and posted a 1.17 ERA before being placed on the 60-day injured list with elbow tendinitis.
Former Okotoks Dawgs right-hander and ex-Brewers closer Jim Henderson (Calgary, Alta.) is the Brewers’ assistant pitching coach.
Players: INF Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.), LHP Rob Zastryzny (Edmonton, Alta.), 60-day injured list
Coach: Jim Henderson (Calgary, Alta.), assistant pitching coach
Minor league players: INF Dylan O’Rae (Sarnia, Ont.), INF Adam Hall (London, Ont.), RHP Jake Polancic (Langley, BC), C Andy Yerzy (North York, Ont.)
Executives: Doug Melvin (Chatham, Ont.), special assistant to the general manager; Gord Ash (Toronto, Ont.), vice-president, baseball projects; Taylor Green (Comox, B.C.), special assistant of scouting and international player development
Minor league coaches: Brad McKay (Fredericton, N.B.), performance scientist, training design
Scouts: Tyler Hollick (Calgary, Alta.), Doug Mathieson (Langley, BC), Pete Orr (Newmarket, Ont.), Jeff Simpson (Nashville, Tenn.), Taylor Frederick (Ottawa, Ont.)
Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos (Montreal, Que.) has built Braves clubs that have won advanced to the postseason in seven consecutive campaigns. Photo: YouTube
3. Atlanta Braves
It was just over nine years ago that Blue Jays fans were chanting “Thank you, Alex!” to their GM, Alex Anthopoulos, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, as the Blue Jays clinched their first American League East division title since 1993. The Montreal native has since moved on to the National League and his Braves have won a World Series (2021) and six division titles (2018 to 2023) during his reign as general manager and president of baseball operations. This year’s Braves enter the playoffs as a Wild-Card team in the National League.
Though they don’t have a Canadian on their roster, the Braves are well-stocked with Canucks in their organization.
Executives: Alex Anthopoulos (Montreal, Que.), president, baseball operations and general manager, Mike Shaw (Oakville, Ont.), vice-president, team travel.
Minor league players: RHP Cedric De Grandpre (St-Simon, Que.), OF Eric Hartman (St. Albert, Alta.), RHP Adam Maier (North Vancouver, BC), INF David McCabe (Oshawa, Ont.), LHP Adam Shoemaker (Cambridge, Ont.)
Minor league coaches: Michael Saunders (Victoria, BC), outfield/baserunning coordinator; Mike Steed (Beamsville, Ont.), pitching coach, High-A Rome Braves
Off-field Canadian talent: Michael Copeland (Whitby, Ont.), lead developer, baseball systems
In 2022, Philadelphia Phillies dugout boss Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.) became the first Canadian to manage a team in the major league post-season since the 19th century. Photo: Twitter
4. Philadelphia Phillies
In 2022, Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.) became the first Canadian skipper to manage a team in the big-league post-season since Bill Watkins (Brantford, Ont.) led the National League’s Detroit Wolverines to a World Series title in 1887. It goes without saying then that Thomson is the first Canadian big-league manager to lead a major league club to three consecutive playoff appearances.
After piloting the Phillies to a National League pennant in 2022 and a National League Championship Series berth in 2023, Thomson has high expectations for this year’s team which handily won the National League East.
But even prior to his tenure as Phillies manager, Thomson had plenty of post-season experience. During his close to three decades as a coach in the New York Yankees’ organization, he earned five World Series rings and was the Bombers’ third base coach on their most recent World Series-winning squad in 2009. He was also a bench coach on multiple Yankees squads that advanced to the post-season.
Thompson will, of course, continue to share his post-season wisdom with his players, but if they’re looking for further inspiration, perhaps they can call former general manager and now senior advisor and part-owner, Pat Gillick (Canadian citizen), down for a pep talk. He has three World Series rings - two with the Blue Jays (1992-93) and one with the Phillies (2008) - on his Hall of Fame resume.
Major league manager: Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.)
Executive: Pat Gillick (Canadian citizen), senior advisor and part-owner
Minor league players: OF Avery Owusu-Asiedu (Saskatoon, Sask.), C Ryan Leitch (Whitby, Ont.), LHP Wesley Moore (Surrey, BC), OF Dante Nori (Toronto, Ont.), RHP Noah Skirrow (Cambridge, Ont.)
Scouts: Alex Agostino (St-Bruno, Que.), Les McTavish (Stettler, Alta.)
Mike Smith, the owner of Joe Kool’s, a popular restaurant and bar in London, Ont., has always welcomed Detroit Tigers fans at his establishment. If you look on the far right of the photo, you’ll see one of the many Tigers photos on display. Photo: Fixt Point
5. Detroit Tigers
Geographically, the most Canadian team in this year’s postseason is the surprising Detroit Tigers, who play in Comerica Park just across the bridge from Windsor, Ont. After being sellers at the trade deadline, the Tigers went 34-18 in their final 52 games to leapfrog the Minnesota Twins for an American League Wild-Card spot. It’s the Tigers’ first playoff berth since 2014.
There are still a large number of Tigers fans in Southwestern Ontario. Many of them established their allegiance before the Toronto Blue Jays were born in 1977. I live in London, Ont. - two hours from Detroit - and I can assure you that Joe Kool’s - a local downtown restaurant and bar - will be hopping with Tigers fans. For years, the restaurant’s owner, Mike Smith, who I understand is a diehard Tigers fan, has decorated part of his establishment with Tigers memorabilia.
There are no Canadian players on the Tigers’ post-season roster, but Robin Lund (Peace River, Alta.) serves as an assistant pitching coach with the team.
Coach: Robin Lund (Peace River, Alta.) assistant pitching coach
Executive: Jim Devellano (Scarborough, Ont.), executive/minority owner
Minor league players: C Archer Brookman (Pointe-Claire, Que.), C Brady Cerkownyk (Etobicoke, Ont.), INF Trei Cruz (Toronto, Ont.), C Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.)
Scouts: Dale Tilleman (Tabor, Alta.)
Scott Thorman (Cambridge, Ont.) was the manager of the triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers in 2022.
6. Kansas City Royals
The Royals are returning to the post-season for first time since they eliminated the Blue Jays in the 2015 American League Championship Series and went on to win the World Series.
There may not be a Canadian suiting up for the Royals, but a good percentage of their players - including Bobby Witt, Michael Massey, Brady Singer and Alec Marsh - were managed by Scott Thorman (Cambridge, Ont.). Thorman was a skipper for seven years in the Royals’ organization - including stretches at class-A Burlington, class-A Lexington, class-A Wilmington, double-A Northwest Arkansas and triple-A Omaha. He is now the club’s minor league field coordinator.
Executive: Scott Thorman (Cambridge, Ont.), minor league field coordinator
Minor league players: RHP Eric Cerantola (Oakville, Ont.), RHP L.P. Langevin (Quebec, Que.), LHP Jordan Woods (Oakville, Ont.)
Minor league staff/coaches: Kyle MacKinnon (Cheltenham, Ont.), assistant hitting coach, Royal development; Yannick Plante (Hearst, Ont.), triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers’ strength and conditioning coach
Off the field Canadian talent: Pete Berryman (Burlington, Ont.), major league strategy analyst
Scouts: Chris Reitsma (Calgary, Alta.), Adam Stern (London, Ont.).
Elizabeth Benn (Toronto, Ont.) is the New York Mets’ director of major league operations. Photo: New York Mets
7. New York Mets
Determination and resilience are two words that describe Elizabeth Benn (Toronto, Ont.), who was hired to be the New York Mets’ director of major league operations on February 28, 2022. Benn was often the only female on her High Park Little League teams in Toronto when she was growing up and more than once it was suggested to her that she didn’t belong. But she persevered and her passion for the sport and commitment to breaking barriers to ensure that women are able to obtain prominent positions in pro baseball have made her a leader and an inspiration. In August, it was reported that Benn will leave the Mets after the season to pursue other opportunities. Before she departs, however, Benn will do anything she can to help the Mets in their second post-season appearance in three seasons.
Also, after serving as the Blue Jays’ mental performance coach for four years, national team alum Jimmy Van Ostrand (Vancouver, B.C.) moved on to become the Mets’ director of mental performance this year.
Executive: Elizabeth Benn (Toronto, Ont.), director of major league operations
Major league coaches: Eric Langill (Kirkland, Que.), bullpen catcher; Jimmy Van Ostrand (Vancouver, BC), director of mental performance
Minor league players: RHP Jonah Tong (Markham, Ont.), RHP Calvin Ziegler (Heidelberg, Ont.)
Yankees scout Steve Wilson takes questions in Seoul in 2019. Sun Dong-Yuhl, former head coach of the South Korean national team, is on the left. Photo: Yonhap News
8. New York Yankees
There isn’t a Canadian on the Bronx Bombers’ post-season roster, but there’s no shortage of Canucks working in the organization. The club employs a trio of Canadian scouts in Steve Wilson (Victoria, BC), Shawn Hill (Georgetown, Ont.) and Denis Boucher (Laval, Que.). They also boast a Canadian broadcaster in Nancy Newman (Toronto, Ont.), who sits in the same chair Mel Allen once sat.
And in the last two drafts, the Yankees have added two players with Canadian roots. In 2023, they selected left-hander Kyle Carr in the 3rd round. He was raised in California, but his father Darcy was born in Sydney, N.S.
This year, the Bombers chose Steve Wilson’s son, Tyler, an outfielder from Grand Canyon University, in the 10th round.
Minor league players: LHP Kyle Carr (father is from Sydney, N.S.), RHP Indigo Diaz (North Vancouver, BC), OF Tyler Wilson (father is from Victoria, B.C.)
Scouts: Steve Wilson (Victoria, B.C.), Shawn Hill (Georgetown, Ont.), Denis Boucher (Lachine, Que.), Cory Melvin (Doug Melvin’s son)
Broadcaster: Nancy Newman (Toronto, Ont.) New York Yankees Magazine, host, YES Network
Off the field Canadian talent: Jessica (Lack) Ventura (Calgary, Alta.), class-A Tampa Yankees, manager, partnership and community activation; Andrew Wright (Woodstock, N.B.), director of Dominican Republic operations
Ellen Harrigan (Beeton, Ont.) is the Los Angeles Dodgers’ senior director, business adminstration
9. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers don’t have a player born in Canada on their roster, however, first baseman Freddie Freeman’s parents were born north of the border, and he played for Canada in the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classics. Prior to the 2022 season, Freeman inked a six-year, $162-million contract with the Dodgers. And he certainly hasn’t disappointed. He has been an All-Star in each of his three seasons with the club and was among the National League leaders in most key offensive categories in 2022 and 2023. This season, he batted .282 and had a .378 on-base percentage with 22 home runs and 89 RBIs in 147 games. He injured his ankle in the Dodgers’ division-clinching win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday and missed the final series of the season. But the Dodgers have a bye until the Division Series and manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Sunday that he expects Freeman will be in the lineup for Game 1 this coming weekend.
The Dodgers also employ Beeton, Ont., native Ellen Harrigan, who is one of Major League Baseball’s most respected executives. After beginning her career with the Blue Jays as an administrative aide in player development in 1981 and later becoming the general manager of the club’s New York Penn League affiliate in St. Catharines, Harrigan moved on to the Dodgers and has risen through the organization’s ranks to hold a number of key executive positions. Now in her 24th season with the club, she is currently the team’s senior director, baseball administration.
Player: Freddie Freeman (Villa Park, Calif.), WBC eligible
Executive: Ellen Veronica Harrigan (Beeton, Ont.), senior director, baseball administration
Minor league players: RHP Lucas Wepf (Georgetown, Ont.)
Doctor: Dr. Keith Payne (Niagara On The Lake, Ont.), medical consultant
Durham Lords alum Chris Kemlo (Bowmanville, Ont.) is a scout with the San Diego Padres. Photo: Durham Athletics
10. San Diego Padres
Prior to the August 31, 2020 trade deadline, the Padres were unquestionably Canada’s team south of the border. But on deadline day that year, they shipped Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) and Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) to the Guardians as part of the package for right-hander Mike Clevinger. Then, on the same day, they swapped Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.) to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Taylor Williams. They followed that up almost four months later by dealing outfield prospect Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) to the Chicago Cubs as part of the deal for right-hander Yu Darvish. But despite being down four Canucks thanks to these transactions, the club is still stocked with some Canadian prospects thanks in large part to highly regarded scout Chris Kemlo (Bowmanville, Ont.).
Scouts: Chris Kemlo (Bowmanville, Ont.), Lou Pote (Okotoks, Alta.), Geoff White (Kelowna, BC)
Minor league players: LHP Miguel Cienfuegos (Montreal, Que.), RHP Vicarte Domingo (Vancouver, B.C.), RHP Garrett Hawkins (Biggar, Sask.), C Lamar King (Vancouver, BC), RHP Carter Loewen (Abbotsford, BC).
Dan Vertlieb (left) with Bruce Springsteen and Vertlieb’s wife Emma at the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, 2016. Photo: Twitter
11. Baltimore Orioles
There might be at least one Canadian cheering for the Baltimore Orioles this post-season. That would be Dan Vertlieb (Vancouver, BC) who is the Beverly Hills Sports Council agent of O’s All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman. Vertlieb helped negotiate a then record $8.1 million signing bonus for Rutschman after he was selected first overall by the O’s in the 2019 MLB draft. Given Rutschman’s performance offensively and defensively over the past few seasons, it was money well spent by the O’s.
Vertlieb is also the agent for Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.) who underwent Tommy John surgery in May after an outstanding 2023 season for the Seattle Mariners.
Minor league players: RHP Cohen Achen (Calgary, Alta.)
Jim Stevenson (Leaside, Ont.) has become a key scout for the Houston Astros. Photo: Twitter
12. Houston Astros
Forty-four years ago, Melville, Sask., native Terry Puhl set a then National League Championship Series record with 10 hits in 19 at bats (.526 batting average) in the Astros’ epic five-game series against the Phillies. Until Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.) had a pinch-hit at bat in the 2020 American League Championship Series, Puhl was the last Canadian to appear in a post-season game with the Astros.
There will not be a Canuck on the Astros’ post-season roster this year, but rest assured that Puhl, one of the team’s recent Hall of Famers who still lives in the area, will be at Minute Maid Park cheering on his old club.
Scout: Jim Stevenson (Leaside, Ont.)