February 21, 2025

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

The day was Dec. 28, 2020.

Owen Caissie had been told that the San Diego Padres were close to making a deal and he might be part of the package.

So, the next day, Cassie’s signing scout Chris Kemlo setup up a “hangout session,” to meet Caissie at the FieldHouse Pirates facility in Burlington. Social media was buzzing with Caissie’s name. Caissie was hitting in the batting cage when his phone went off.

It was Caissie’s agent Mike Bonanno, who told his client that he had been traded to the Chicago Cubs.

“It didn’t phase him for a second, he went ‘OK’ and he went back to hitting,” Kemlo said. “This kid is wired right, he knew a trade didn’t matter and his plan was not altered.”

Caissie, the 2024 winner of the Judge Randall Echlin award as the Canadian Baseball Network’s best offensive hitter in affiliated ball, was asked if he tried hit the next pitch all the way through the back of the netting, through the back wall and all the way to Stoney Creek?

He shook his head no when we spoke to him before the Baseball Canada banquet on January 11.

“I wasn’t angry I hadn’t played a game for the Padres organization, it was business decision, not a personal one, remember (outside of Chris) I had zero connection with the Padres,” Caissie explained.

Oh yeah ... that seemed so long ago. The COVID-19 pandemic hit North America in March of 2020, the minor leaguers were shut down and Kemlo convinced his bosses to select Caissie in the second round -- 45th overall in North America on June 10.

And now exactly 200 days later he was on the move.

San Diego sent RHP Zach Davies, along with minor leaguers INF Reginald Preciado, INF Yeison Santana, OF Ismael Mena and Caissie to the Cubs in exchange for stud starting pitcher Yu Darvish and C Víctor Caratini.

Caissie was given a $1,200,004 bonus from the Padres and now he was headed elsewhere. And there was zero smashing of bats, tossing of helmets or pulling a major-league snit as minor-leaguer.

That’s composure.

“Give me nine Owen Caissie’s all-day, every day,” Kemlo said. “I have yet to come across someone more determined than Owen.”

He remained determined in 2024, batting .278 in 127 games. He had 29 doubles, three triples, 19 homers and 75 RBIs with an .848 OPS. He was also 11-for-13 stealing bases. The honour is for his performance in 2024, but it should be pointed out in four seasons with the rookie-class Arizona Complex League Cubs, class-A Myrtle Beach, class-A South Bend, double-A Tennessee and Iowa he owns a .278 average with 92 doubles, seven triples, 59 homers, 246 RBIs and an .854 OPS.

Caissie credited Justin Stone, Cubs’ minor league hitting director with being a big help. Playing at triple-A is a stubbed toe or a hamstring pull away from Wrigley Field. The Cubs’ outfield is crowded with Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki. Tucker arrived from the Houston Astros in December deal for Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski and minor-leaguer Cam Smith. Says Caissie, “I just have to break through.”

The Cubs work out at Sloan Park in Mesa, but he lives in Scottsdale, not far from his favourite birria tacos spot.

“I pretty honoured with the award, it’s a pretty impressive list of players, I read bout it on the net,” Cassie said, of the list of former winners which includes 10 former winners who made the majors. “I wanted to perform to the best of my ability.”

He said he would not have minded another double or homer -- finishing one shy of 30 doubles and one short of 20 homers.

He cut his teeth and honed his batting stroke playing for his hometown FieldHouse Pirates under coaches Jimmy Richardson and Lee Delfino. And T. J. Singh helped him “bulk up.”

His workout partners are usually INFs Bryce Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.) of the Toronto Blue Jays system, Nathaniel Ochoa Leyva (Burlington, Ont.) of the Washington Nationals and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero (Burlington, Ont.) who plays for the Sacramento State Hornets.

On his way to FieldHouse, he played for the Burlington Bulls and ex-minor leaguer Phil Duffy, whose son RHP Matt Duffy (Burlington, Ont.) went in the fourth round to the Boston Red Sox in 2023.

His best two games in 2024 came against Louisville ... going 4-for-6 in a 17-10 loss to the Bats on September 15. In that game, he hit his 29h double of the season off starter David Buchanan in the second inning and greeted reliever Ian Gibaut with a homer in the sixth. He also singled to lead off the game and singled in the ninth. And at Louisville on June 1, he went 3-for-5 in 3-2 win with a double and a home run against Alan Busenitz, which stood as the winning run.

In all, he had 11 three-hit or better games.

A 10-man panel voted for the best hitter and pitcher in affiliated ball, plus the best hitter and pitcher in independent ball. Cassie was the only winner to win with a unanimous total. Matt Lloyd (Calary, Alta.) and Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) rounded out the top trio.

Offensive Hitter Of The Year

(Starting in 2011 the award was named after the The Honourable Mr. Justice Randall Echlin, former head of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame selection committee and a great man with a baseball-shaped heart the size of a box of new Rawlings.)

2008 _ Tim Smith (Toronto, Ont.) Rangers.

2009 _ Tyson Gillies (Langley, BC) Mariners.

2010 _ Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) Brewers.

2011 _ Taylor Green (Comox, BC) Brewers and Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) Jays.

2012 _ Oscar Taveras (Montreal, Que.) Cardinals.

2013 _ Sean Jamieson (Simcoe, Ont.) Diamondbacks.

2014 _ Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.) Blue Jays.

2015 _ Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) Mariners.

2016 _ Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) Mariners.

2017 _ Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) Mariners/Cardinals and Vladimir Guerrero (Montreal, Que.) Blue Jays.

2018 _ Vladimir Guerrero (Montreal, Que.) Blue Jays.

2019 _ Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.) Astros.

2020 _ Minor league seasons cancelled, COVID-19.

2021 _ Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.) Blue Jays.

2022 _ Edouard Julien (Quebec, Que.), Twins.

2023 _ Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) Brewers.

2024 _ Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) Cubs.

Bold indicates major league service time.

By province: BC 6, Quebec 6, Ontario 5.

By Organization: Blue Jays 5, Mariners 4, Brewers 3, Cardinals 2, Astros, Cubs, Diamonbacks, Rangers, Twins, one each.