But What Do I Know? . . . Cade Smith, James Paxton, Josh Naylor, George Bell

August 11, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Cooperstowners in Canada

Some Canadian baseball news and notes:

-The Cleveland Guardians have started a social media campaign (see photo above) to advocate for reliever Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) to be the American League Rookie of the Year. In 55 big league appearances this season, the Junior National Team and Abbotsford Cardinals grad is 6-1 with a 2.09 ERA and has struck out 78 in 56 innings. The 6-foot-5 right-hander will have some serious competition for the top rookie honour. Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser is seen as the favourite heading into the season’s final month and a half. A strong case could also be made for New York Yankees right-hander Luis Gil and Oakland A’s closer Mason Miller. No Canadian has ever won the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.) captured the National League honour in 2004.

-Congratulations to Boston Red Sox left-hander James Paxton (Ladner, B.C.) who, with his four strikeouts against the Kansas City Royals on Monday, now has 1,005 in his big-league career. This moved him past former right-hander Kirk McCaskill (Kapuskasing, Ont.) and into sixth place on the all-time Canadian MLB strikeout list. Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) is the leader with 3,192 strikeouts. Paxton, a North Delta Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum, allowed just two runs in six innings in his start against the Royals to pick up his ninth win of the campaign.

-Paxton’s fellow Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) also recorded his 1,000th strikeout earlier this season. The hat Pivetta wore in that milestone-setting contest has been donated to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont (See photo above). The Junior National Team alum recorded his 1,000th strikeout in the third inning of his start against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 25 when he fanned Brewers catcher William Contreras. Pivetta has since struck out 84 more batters and now has 1,084 big league Ks, which are the fourth-most by a Canadian.

-The Red Sox placed Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday (retroactive to August 4) with a left leg infection. It’s O’Neill’s third stint on the injured list this season. He was sidelined by a concussion in April and by knee inflammation in May. Despite his injuries, O’Neill has enjoyed a fine comeback season in his first year with the Red Sox. In 80 games, the Langley Blaze and Junior National Team grad is hitting .268 with 22 home runs, a .544 slugging percentage and a .900 OPS. The leg infection is not expected to keep O’Neill off the field for longer than 10 days.

-In his first big league action since 2022, infielder Charles Leblanc (Laval, Que.) has gone 1-for-6 with a walk in two games for the Los Angeles Angels. Prior to being called up by the Angels on August 3, he was batting .262 with a .382 on-base percentage (OBP) with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs in 81 games with the triple-A Salt Lake Bees. Leblanc last played in the big leagues with the Marlins in 2022 when he batted .263 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 48 contests. The 28-year-old ABC alum spent the 2023 campaign with the Marlins’ triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

-Cleveland Guardians slugger Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) belted his 26th home run of the season on Friday. He also has 85 RBIs, so he is definitely on pace for a 30-home run, 100-RBI season. So how many Canadian-born players have had 30-home run, 100-RBI seasons in the majors? By my count, there have been six: Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.), Matt Stairs (Fredericton, N.B.), Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.), Justin Morneau (New Westminster, B.C.) Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.).

-Chicago White Sox right-hander Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.), who has been on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain since July 19, has “played long toss” and hopes to be throwing off a mound next week, according to James Fegan of Baseball America.  To say Soroka has had a challenging season is an understatement. His record is 0-10, but for the most part, he had been excellent out of the bullpen for the Sox after beginning the season in the rotation. As a reliever, Soroka owns a 3.49 ERA in 12 relief appearances and has 47 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings. A graduate of the Calgary Redbirds and Junior National Team, Soroka was a first-round pick (28th overall) of the Atlanta Braves in 2015. He has pitched in parts of five major league seasons.

-I forgot to mention last week that Rob Zastryzny (Edmonton, Alta.) was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Brewers on July 25 with left elbow tendinitis. After being called up on Canada Day, the 32-year-old southpaw had made three starts and six relief appearances for the Brewers and owned a 1.17 ERA with five strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. Prior to his promotion, Zastryzny was 4-0 with a 3.18 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings in 28 appearances in triple-A. Last season, the Edmonton, Alta., native posted a 4.79 ERA in 21 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

-Right-hander Trevor Brigden (North York, Ont.) was released by the Tampa Bay Rays on August 5. The 28-year-old Canuck had posted a 7.64 ERA in 32 relief appearances for the triple-A Durham Bulls this season. Despite his high ERA, he still managed to register 45 strikeouts in 35 innings. An Ontario Terriers and Okanagan College alum, Brigden was taken in the 17th round of the 2019 MLB draft by the Rays and was in his fifth season in the organization. The 6-foot-3 right-hander also spent 2023 with the triple-A Bulls, posting a 3.46 ERA, while recording 95 strikeouts in 78 innings, in 44 relief appearances.

-Forty years ago today, with the Toronto Blue Jays trailing the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning at Exhibition Stadium, Rick Leach led off with a single and then George Bell belted a two-run, walk-off home run to give the Blue Jays a 3-2 win. Jim Gott picked up the win with two scoreless innings in relief of starter Luis Leal.

-It was 36 years ago today that New York Mets catcher Gary Carter belted his 300th MLB home run (Watch it above or here). It was a solo shot in the second inning off Chicago Cubs righty Al Nipper at Wrigley Field. The Mets won the game 9-6. As a Canadian baseball enthusiast, I feel it’s important to note that Carter hit 220 of his MLB home runs with the Montreal Expos.

-This week’s trivia question: What Canadian pitcher finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 1997? Please provide your answer in the “Comments” section below.

-The answer to last week’s trivia question (Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) has 26 home runs for the Cleveland Guardians this season. Who is the only other Canadian-born player to hit 20 home runs in a major league season for Cleveland?) was Jeff Heath who clubbed 21 home runs for Cleveland in 1938 and 24 in 1941.