But What Do I Know? . . . Rowan Wick, Justin Morneau, Edouard Julien, Larry Walker

January 21, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Cooperstowners in Canada

Some Canadian baseball news and notes from the past week:

-Thank you to Adam Morissette, of Baseball Canada, for sharing that Rowan Wick (North Vancouver, B.C.) signed with the Yokohama BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan on December 15. The terms of the contract have not been disclosed. After being released by the Chicago Cubs in mid-July last year, the 31-year-old right-hander inked a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays and was assigned to the triple-A Buffalo Bisons where he proceeded to strike out 38 batters in 21 innings, while allowing just 10 hits. That was good for a 16.3 strikeout-per-nine-inning rate. Prior to that, in parts of five big league seasons with the San Diego Padres and Cubs, Wick registered a 3.82 ERA and 20 saves in 146 relief appearances.

-The MLB Network’s coverage of the 2024 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees announcement on Tuesday will feature a video essay about likely inductee and longtime Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer narrated by his longtime pal and teammate Justin Morneau (New Westminster, B.C.). Morneau, who was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020, was teammates with Mauer on the Twins for 10 seasons. The two still regularly play hockey together on Morneau’s home rink near Minneapolis.

-The MLB Network ranked Twins infielder Edouard Julien (Quebec City, Que.) as the eighth-best second baseman in the majors in their Top 10 Right Now series. The top three second basemen on the list were Mookie Betts, Jose Altuve and Marcus Semien. After going 7-for-13 with two home runs as Canada’s leadoff hitter in the World Baseball Classic, Julien vaulted up the Twins’ prospects ranks and into the major leagues in 2023. During 109 regular season games, Julien set a record for most home runs by a Canadian second baseman in a major league season with 16. He also topped Twins’ regulars in walks (64) and on-base percentage (OBP) (.381). For his efforts, he finished seventh in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.

-Catcher Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) has received an invite to big league spring training from the Texas Rangers. The Rangers made the announcement on Wednesday. Selected in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Rangers, the Toronto Mets alum has made steady progress in the pro ranks over the past three seasons. In 2023, in 92 games between High A and double-A, the 24-year-old backstop batted .275 with a .414 OBP and had four home runs and 45 RBIs. In total, in three seasons in the minors, he owns a .286 batting average and a .424 OBP in 152 games.

-It was four years ago today that slugger Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) was finally elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. After 10 long years on the ballot, his name was checked on 76.6% of baseball writers’ ballots (75% was required to be elected) in his final year of eligibility. With his induction, Walker became the second Canadian player – and the first Canadian position player – to be honoured with a plaque in Cooperstown. Pitcher Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) was inducted in 1991. Walker suited up for 17 big league seasons with the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals and is the all-time leader among Canadian major leaguers in hits (2,160), home runs (383), doubles (471) and stolen bases (230). The seven-time Gold Glove Award winner also compiled a .313 career batting average, .565 slugging percentage and won the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award nine times.

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-The following arbitration-eligible Canadian big leaguers recently signed one-year contracts with their respective clubs.

OF Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.), Boston Red Sox, $5.5 million

RHP Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.), Boston Red Sox, $7.5 million

RHP Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.), Chicago White Sox, $3 million

1B Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.), Cleveland Guardians, $6.55 million

RHP Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.), Colorado Rockies, $6.55 million

RHP Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.), Toronto Blue Jays, $7.75 million

-The only Canadian-born player headed to arbitration is Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.). He is asking for $19.9 million in 2024, while the Blue Jays have countered with an offer of $18.05 million. The two sides can still settle before an arbitration hearing. A multi-year deal could also be worked out.

-It was 15 years ago today that left-hander Erik Bedard (Navan, Ont.) signed a one-year $7.75-million contract with the Seattle Mariners to avoid arbitration. In 15 starts with the Mariners in 2009, Bedard went 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 83 innings before a shoulder injury ended his season that August. He would undergo shoulder surgery and miss the entire 2010 season.

-The reported mass layoffs at Sports Illustrated is sad news. My heart goes out to the writers, editorial staff and others that work for the publication. Up until a few years ago, I still subscribed and read the magazine every week. By my count, five Canadian baseball players (Jenkins, Walker, Jeff Francis (North Delta, B.C.), Pete Ward (Montreal, Que.) and Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.)) have been featured on the cover over the years. All of these issues were published except for the June 7, 1965 edition which was to picture Ward on the cover. Ward was bumped by Muhammad Ali just before the magazine went to press. The editor did, however, send Ward a copy of what the cover would’ve looked like (See below) which he proudly displayed at his home.

-On this date 13 years ago, the Blue Jays traded Vernon Wells to the Los Angeles Angels for outfielder Juan Rivera and catcher Mike Napoli. Four days later, Napoli was flipped to the Rangers for reliever Frank Francisco. It was considered one of Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos’s best moves at the time. Wells was due $86 million in the final four years of his contract and the Blue Jays GM managed to trade the veteran outfielder without having to absorb any of his salary.

-Fanshawe College broadcast and film student Sean Hodgins has made an excellent mini-documentary about the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont. It’s just over seven minutes long and definitely worth watching. You can watch it here.

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-This week’s trivia question: Who holds the record for most home runs hit by a Canadian player for a Canadian major league team in a single season? Please provide your answer in the “Comments” section below.

-The answer to last week’s trivia question (Who was the first pitcher inducted onto Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence?) was Ryan Dempster in 2013.

*You may notice some links encouraging you to buy books throughout my column this week. If you click on these links and purchase one of these books, I will receive a small commission that will help me pay the expenses involved with this site.