June 3, 2024

Philippines Baseball Group stages Filipino Night Wednesday at Rogers Centre

By Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

The friends he surrounded himself with growing up didn’t play baseball, but Ryan Asis drew all the inspiration he needed from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Standing in front of the TV as an eight-year-old, he’d come set like the pitchers, and swing for the fences inside his childhood home.

“I fell in love with it that way,” said Asis (Mississauga, Ont.).

Back then, he was an eight-year-old with a baseball dream, fueled by the golden years of the Blue Jays winning the World Series in 1992 and 1993. If the Jays hadn’t been good, he probably would have retired as a kid in the 90’s, he said, but they were on fire, and became Asis’s motivation.

Thanks to that incredibly talented roster, including manager Cito Gaston, he now has a dream of helping grow the game for other members of his Filipino community. He’ll be taking 40 players with the Philippines Baseball Group to the Blue Jays game against the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday at Rogers Centre as the director of the Canadian chapter.

The goal is to inspire the young athletes, and show them there is a possible future for them in the sport.

Having representation in the baseball world is everything, including off the field, he said. Players will be able to see Hazel Mae at the Jays game, a broadcaster who was born in Tagbilaran City in the Philippines, and is a prominent face with the organization as a Sportsnet broadcaster.

On the field, it’s as important for aspiring young Filipino athletes to be able to see themselves in successful ball players.

“We need those motivational figures to continue to rise through the ranks, so that Filipinos have a realistic image of themselves putting on a big league uniform and playing the game,” he said.

The ultimate goal of the Philippines Baseball Group is to grow the game not only in the Philippines, but also amongst Filipino communities in North America, so that they can be competitive during the World Baseball Classic.

Although it started in Canada in 2022 - the group is based in Los Angeles - the group has already made strides towards that goal. He’s had some help from some baseball minded people along the way, including Sean Travers, of the Mississauga Tigers High Performance Program.

Born in Toronto and raised in Mississauga, Asis began playing for Travers with the Mississauga North Tigers at age 10. Workouts were held at Playdium, near Square One, then Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School.

“That’s where I’d learned about NCAA schools,” said Asis, who remembers “doing our sprint work in a hallway that was filled with graduating athletes who went to the likes of Rice University and Old Dominion University. And Asis said Travers educated players on scholarships and levels of play amongst US colleges.

Last year, Asis took 10 players from Ontario to L.A. to play in the first ever Filipino World Series, with five from British Columbia. The tournament had more than 100 of the best Filipino North American players playing against each other. Often at showcase events, Filipino players may get overlooked, he said, and this gives them an opportunity for exposure they wouldn’t have had otherwise.

In grade 9, Asis played for Team Ontario and then joined the Ontario Blue Jays, where Travers coached.

It’s a role he’s happy to be in and brings a lot of knowledge to, after committing to a JUCO: the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions. Then he transferred to a NCAA-D2 school in Delta State University Statesmen where he red-shirted. Next, he transferred to NCAA-D1 Canisius College Golden Griffins. Upon graduating, he was invited back as a graduate assistant coach for three seasons.

Playing for the Griffs, he had a .308 batting average in two seasons, with 45 RBIs, and a .383 on-base percentage.

Now he’s back with the Tigers coaching the 16U and overseeing the off-season program which includes speedy Filipino outfielders Liam Celemen and Jayden (The Jet) Felipe-Abug.

Only two players born in the Philippines have made the majors. The first was lefty Claudio Manela, born in Cavite City, who played for the 1921 Cincinnati Cuban Stars in the Negro National League and 1925 Cuban Stars East in 1925. He appeared in 25 games going 4-10 with a 4.19 ERA.

And the second was right-hander Bobby Chouinard, born in Manila, who pitched in 111 games from 1996 until 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Oakland A’s and Milwaukee Brewers. He was 11-8 with one save and a 4.57 ERA.

“To have this avenue to allow kids to get exposure across the border, it’s another opportunity that I’m able to give back to them more, especially my blood line, and give them an opportunity for exposure,” he said.

In addition to pursuing US Collegiate and having pro ball aspirations, the Phillipines Group (@philippinesbaseballcanada on Instagram) is set up as a non4profit organization and is seeking financial assistance via donations, sponsorships, etc. to travel more frequently in the US for further development and exposure.

It’s a promising avenue to pursue and potentially get a scholarship for, he said, even if they’ve never played before. If you’ve got speed and athleticism, “all you’ve got to do is learn how to hit a baseball,” he said.