March 31, 2020

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

While Major League Baseball is on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, let’s take a look at how Canadian position players fared in big league camps this spring.

Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.)

Born in the Dominican Republic but raised in Montreal, this 21-year-old shortstop went 2-for-6 (both of his hits were doubles) with three runs in limited Grapefruit League action with the Toronto Blue Jays this spring. His 2019 season definitely put him on the club’s radar. Last season with the low-A Lansing Lugnuts, the 5-foot-10, 160-pound infielder batted .324, posted a .371 on-base percentage (OBP) and had 145 hits - including 20 doubles, five triples and five home runs - in 108 games. He also had 20 stolen bases. MLB.com ranks him as the 13th best prospect in the Blue Jays’ organization.

Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.)

Naylor was battling for a starting outfield position with the San Diego Padres this spring. Despite missing some time with a neck injury, he went 5-for-20 (.250 batting average) and had four runs and an RBI in eight games. The stocky slugger, who was taken in the first round of the MLB draft in 2015, made his major league debut on May 24, 2019 against his hometown Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. In all in 2019, the 22-year-old batted .249 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs in 94 big league games. He also hit .314 with 10 home runs in 54 contests for the triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas.

Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.)

O’Neill was considered the No. 1 contender for the St. Louis Cardinals’ starting left field job this spring. That position opened up when slugger Marcell Ozuna signed a one-year, $18-million deal with the Atlanta Braves in January. In 11 Grapefruit League games this spring, the 24-year-old Canuck went 7-for-32 (.219 batting average) with two home runs and five RBIs. He also recorded five walks. The muscular Canadian split the 2019 campaign between the Cardinals and the club’s triple-A and double-A affiliates. In 60 big league contests, he batted .262 and clubbed five home runs.

Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.)

Pompey arrived very quietly in Arizona Diamondbacks’ camp this spring on a minor league deal. Though his contract didn’t include an invite to big league camp, the speedy outfielder did manage to get three Cactus League at bats with the D-Backs (0-for-3). After parts of 10 seasons in the Blue Jays’ organization, Pompey became a minor league free agent in November. Selected in the 16th round of the 2010 MLB draft, Pompey got his first taste of major league action in 2014 when he batted .231 with two triples in 17 games and he began the following season as the Blue Jays’ starting centre fielder and served as a valuable pinch runner for the club in their 2015 playoff run. Unfortunately, in the six seasons since, he has been hampered by a variety of injuries – including three concussions. In all, the 27-year-old Canadian has competed in parts of four big league seasons with the Blue Jays. In 590 minor league games, he has batted .278 and posted a .364 on-base percentage, while swiping 167 bases.

Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.)

It was a rough spring for this 23-year-old Quebec native. In 13 Grapefruit League contests, he went 3-for-24 (.125 batting average). One of his hits was a double. Toro, a versatile infielder, had been battling for a super-sub role with the Astros. After batting a combined .324 with 17 home runs and a .527 slugging percentage in 114 games in double-A and triple-A in the Houston Astros’ organization, the switch-hitting Canadian made his big league debut on August 22, 2019. In 25 games for the American League pennant winners, he batted .218 with two home runs. One of his homers was a two-run shot at Rogers Centre that accounted for the only two runs in Justin Verlander’s no-hitter against the Blue Jays on September 1. His minor league efforts earned him Astros’ Minor League Player of the Year honours.

Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.)

Votto struggled this spring, going 2-for-21 (.095 batting average) in 10 games, but with his nine walks, he still managed a .367 OBP. By his lofty standards, the veteran Cincinnati Reds first baseman is coming off a disappointing season. But even though his 2019 numbers were down, he still topped all Canadian big leaguers in games (142), hits (137), doubles (32) and walks (76). In all, he batted .261, posted a .357 on-base percentage and had 15 home runs.