May 28, 2021

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Albert Einstein once said, “The only source of knowledge is experience.”

If that’s the case, the Canadian national team should be one of the most savvy and competitive squads at the Americas Olympic qualifier in Palm Beach and St. Lucie, Fla., set to begin on Monday.

The Canuck roster is chock full of veterans who have helped them win medals at previous competitions, and some of the players have suited up for Canada as many as 10 times.

“We have a lot of experience on this roster, players that are familiar with international baseball and know what tournament baseball is all about,” said Canadian manager Ernie Whitt in a Baseball Canada news release. “Our team realizes what’s at stake at this event so we’re highly motivated to compete for ourselves, our teammates and most of all, for Canada.”

What’s at skate is a spot in the Olympics in Tokyo this summer. And Canada is going to need to draw on all of its experience to finish on top in this tournament, which will feature eight countries vying for one Olympic berth.

Canada will compete in Group B and play Colombia on Monday before battling Cuba on Tuesday and Venezuela on Wednesday.

Group A consists of the U.S., Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico. The top two countries in each group will advance to the Super Round, where they will compete in two more games. The country with the best Super Round record will become the fifth national team to advance to the Olympics, joining Japan, South Korea, Mexico and Israel.

The second- and third-place teams will have another chance to qualify at a tournament in Mexico (date to be determined). The winner of this event will be the sixth and final nation to compete at the Olympics.

It won’t be easy, but Canada has an experienced group of players, many of whom have stepped up in international competitions before.

So just who are these Canadians that are set to battle for an Olympic berth this summer?

Well, here some key facts about them:

Average age

The average age of the players is 30, which illustrates that this is, indeed, a veteran roster. With an average age of 31, the pitchers are a little older than the position players, who have an average age of 29.

Oldest Player – Scott Richmond, RHP, Vancouver, B.C., 41

Youngest Player – Will McAffer, RHP, North Vancouver, B.C., 24

Oldest Position Player – Josue Peley, INF, Montreal, Que, 33

Youngest Position Player – JD Osborne, C, Whitby, Ont., 25

Five provinces represented

The roster features 11 players from Ontario, eight from B.C. and two each from Quebec and Saskatchewan. Twenty-four-year-old left-hander Ben Onyshko is the sole player from Manitoba. Meanwhile right-hander Brendan McGuigan, in his first appearance with the national team, was born in Austin, Texas, but both his parents are Canadian and he has Canadian citizenship.

Major league experience

The six players – Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.), John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.), Chris Leroux (Mississauga, Ont.) Scott Mathieson (Aldergrove, B.C.), Dustin Molleken (Regina, Sask.) and Scott Richmond (Vancouver, B.C.) – that have major league experience are pitchers and each of them is 35 or older.

Axford, 38, who hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2018, is tops amongst this group in most major league pitching categories, including games (543), wins (38), innings pitched (525 1/3), strikeouts (589) and saves (144). And if you subtract, Axford’s 543 big league appearances, the other five hurlers have pitched in an average of 32 major league games each.

Keep in mind, however, that Mathieson, 37, was a standout reliever for the Yomiuri Giants (Japan’s equivalent of the New York Yankees), for eight seasons and when he retired in 2019, he was hailed as one of the best foreign relief pitchers in Japan Central League history.

Other pro experience for pitchers in affiliated minors, independent and foreign leagues

Though only six of them have toed the rubber in the big leagues, this 13-man staff has plenty of experience pitching in the professional ranks, including with affiliated minor league clubs and in foreign and independent circuits.

These 13 pitchers (nine right-handers and four left-handers) have combined to make 2,723 appearances in the pro ranks, spanning 7,048 innings, while striking out 6,297. They own 424 wins and a 4.10 ERA. Between them, they’ve averaged 209 pro appearances and 542 innings each.

Most pro appearances: Mathieson, 621

Fewest pro appearances: Trevor Brigden, RHP, North York, Ont., 10

Most pro innings: Richmond, 1,741 1/3

Fewest pro innings: Brigden, 18 1/3

Most pro wins: Richmond, 97

*These numbers exclude major league appearances.

Pro experience for position players in the affiliated minors, independent and foreign leagues

Of the 12 position players on the roster, Osborne is the only one who has played less than 400 pro games. The players in this group have played an average of 696 professional games each and collectively have registered 7,485 hits and belted 673 home runs.

Most pro games – Michael Crouse, OF, Port Moody, B.C., 1,167

Fewest pro games – Osborne, 162

Most pro hits – Crouse, 1,046

Most pro home runs – Crouse, 148

Previous international experience

Just two players – Brigden and McGuigan – will make their debut for Canada at this tournament. Nine of the players have suited up for the national team at least six previous times.

Here’s a look at the players on the roster who have suited up for Canada the most in the past:

11 – Richmond

10 – Leroux

10 – Jonathan Malo, INF, Joliette, Que.

10 – Molleken

7 – Albers

7 – Mathieson

6 – Kellin Deglan (Langley, B.C.)

6 – Crouse

6 – Tyson Gillies (Vancouver, B.C.)

Previous gold medal winners

Several of the players were on one of or both Canadian teams that won gold at Pan Am Games in 2011 and 2015. Both of these teams have been inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Albers – 2011, 2015

Crouse – 2011

Deglan – 2015

Gillies – 2015

Jesse Hodges, INF, Victoria, B.C. – 2015

Leroux – 2015

Malo – 2011

Molleken – 2011

Richmond – 2011, 2015

Evan Rutckyj, LHP, Windsor, Ont. - 2015