By: Adam Morissette

Canadian Baseball Network

OTTAWA-It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since Pete Orr raced around the bases to score with winning run on a botched pick off play as Canada defeated the United States, 7-6, to claim the gold medal on home soil at the Pan Am Games.

The names, faces and personalities that made up Canada’s 24-player roster will live forever in Baseball Canada’s history books not only for what they accomplished on the field, but for the way they bonded quickly off the field. At a short training camp in Cary, North Carolina before the games started, returning players had a reunion of sorts, while new players were quickly welcomed into the National Team fold. No matter what role a player had on the team, each one knew that at the end of the day, team success would be the only measure that mattered.

Team Canada got off to an excellent start and carried the momentum through the round-robin portion of the tournament as crowds grew larger each and every game at President’s Choice Pan Am Ballpark in Ajax. By the time the semi-final contest against Puerto Rico rolled around, the park was a sea of red and white, while the boys on the field were firing on all cylinders. The dream of a gold medal was realized when Orr crossed home plate in extra innings, with the ball laying on the ground next to American catcher Tom Murphy, Orr raised his hands for a brief moment before his teammates stormed the field to celebrate Canada’s second consecutive Pan Am Games baseball gold medal.

Following the game, after a short victory celebration, players were back with their minor league or independent clubs, while one went from retired to unretired to retired again.

A lot has happened in the past 367 days, so let’s find out what’s happening with the members of the squad that brought Baseball Canada its second Pan Am Games gold medal.

LHP Andrew Albers
Albers rejoined the Buffalo Bisons following the games and went on to represent Canada at Premier 12 last November. After a brief sting in Independent ball, Albers was signed by his former club, the Minnesota Twins, and is currently with Triple-A Rochester where he has an 8-3 record with a 3.36 ERA in 15 starts with the Red Wings.

RHP Phillippe Aumont
Aumont signed with the Blue Jays after the Pan Ams where he had a brief sting with Triple-A Buffalo before playing for Canada at Premier 12 last November. After a strong spring training with the Chicago White Sox, where he was one of the last cuts from the big league club, he was assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. On June 6th, the Gatineau, Québec native retired from baseball.

LHP Shane Dawson
A first time National Teamer at the Pan Am Games, Dawson is currently in his fifth professional season in the Blue Jays organization where he has a 5-4 record with a 3.69 ERA in 17 starts with Double-A New Hampshire.

C Kellin Deglan
Deglan returned to the National Team in November for Premier 12 and began the ’16 season with Double-A Frisco in the Texas Rangers organization. The former first round pick has 4 home runs and 13 RBI for the RoughRiders this season.

RHP Brock Dykxhoorn
A Junior National Team graduate and 2014 draft selection of the Houston Astros, Dykxhoorn is a member of the Lancaster JetHawks of the California League where he’s primarily working out of the starting rotation.

LHP Jeff Francis
Canada’s gold medal game starter and most experienced arm in terms of big league time, Jeff Francis rejoined the Buffalo Bisons following the games before earning a September call-up to the Blue Jays where he was part of the team that celebrated the American League East pennant. Following the season, Francis announced his retirement from the game before being inducted onto Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence in January.

OF Tyson Gillies
Gillies made a return to the National Team last November for Premier 12 where he teamed with Rene Tosoni for a highlight reel catch in a memorable contest against host Chinese Taipei. Gillies began the 2016 season with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League and is currently a member of the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association.

RHP Shawn Hill
Hill, a National Team veteran who pitched at the 2004 Athens Olympics, represented Canada at Premier 12 in November. He is currently a Professional Scout with the New York Yankees organization.

3B Jesse Hodges
Hodges returned to the South Bend Cubs in the Chicago Cubs organizations after the games as is back with the club this season where he was a Midwest League All-Star. The 22 year-old is currently hitting .292 with 20 RBI.

SS Sean Jamieson
Jamieson also made his return to the National Team last fall for Premier 12 and is back with the Arizona Diamondback organization in ’16 where he is getting his first taste of Triple-A. The Kitchener native is teammates with fellow-Canadian Adam Loewen with the Reno Aces of the Pacific Coast League.

OF Brock Kjeldgaard
After tying for the team lead with three home runs at the Pan Am Games, Kjeldgaard returned to the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association before playing for Canada at Premier 12 last November. Kjeldgaard is currently coaching in his hometown of London, Ontario with the Great Lake Canadians organization along with fellow gold medalist Chris Robinson and former National Teamer Adam Stern.

1B Jordan Lennerton
Lennerton returned to the Toledo Mud Hens following the Pan Am Games before the Detroit Tigers released the first baseman in late July. The Atlanta Braves immediately signed the Langley, BC native and assigned him to Triple-A Gwinnett before he rejoined Team Canada for Premier 12. The 30 year-old is currently with the Québec Capitales of the Can Am League and just last week recorded with 1000th professional hit.

RHP Chris Leroux
Leroux finished last season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Philadelphia Phillies organization before winning two games for Team Canada at Premier 12. The former Junior National Team member was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays organization just prior to the start of the season where he’s gone 7-6 with a 3.96 ERA with Triple-A Buffalo.

RHP Kyle Lotzkar
Another member of the Pan Am team that travelled to Taiwan to represent Canada at Premier 12, Lotzkar is now a member of the Winnipeg Goldeyes where he has a 2.76 ERA over 13 innings pitched out of the bullpen.

RHP Jared Mortensen
Another player who made his National Team debut at the Pan Am games, Mortensen jumped at the chance to represent Canada a second time and wore the red and white at Premier 12 in November where he picked up the win over Italy. Now a knuckleball pitcher, Mortensen is at Double-A Montgomery in the Tampa Bay Rays organization where he’s racked up an impressive 72 strikeouts in 52.2 innings pitched.

OF Tyler O’Neill
He led Canada in home runs at the Pan Ams and Premier 12 with three in each event and hasn’t slowed down one bit in ’16 as he’s belted 17 long balls and driven in 69 runs to go along with a .303 batting average with Double-A Jackson in the Seattle Mariners system. The 21 year-old is arguably the M’s top prospect and recently participated in the Futures Game at Petco Park in San Diego.

3B Pete Orr
After scoring “the run” Orr returned to Colorado Springs, Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers system, to finish the season before rejoining Team Canada for Premier 12. The 37 year-old was a guest coach with the Junior National Team program during spring training and will play on a team of former big leaguers next month at the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kansas.

RHP Jasvir Rakkar
Like Mortensen, Rakkar wore the maple leaf for the first time at the Pan Am games and couldn’t resist the chance to represent Canada at Premier 12 where he was a key arm out of the bullpen. Rakkar is a teammate with Jordan Lennerton on the Québec Capitales where he’s 6-1 with a 3.11 ERA.

RHP Scott Richmond
A mainstay on the National Team since 2006, Richmond was back in a Canadian uniform in Taiwan for Premier 12 where he piqued the interest of clubs in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. As it turns out, Richmond is currently pitching for the EDA Rhinos of the CPBL where he’s tied for third in the league for wins with seven.

C Chris Robinson
Asked to come out of retirement to act as back-up catcher for the Pan Am Games, Robinson happily moved back into retirement when the tournament was over and is back in his hometown of Dorchester, Ontario with his young family. The former Olympian is an instructor with the Great Lake Canadians Baseball Club.

LHP Evan Rutckyj
A draft pick of the New York Yankees back in 2010, Rutckyj was selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the Atlanta Braves in the offseason but was returned to the Yankees before the conclusion of spring training where he was assigned to Double-A Trenton. Late April arm surgery has caused the left-hander to miss most of the season although he is scheduled to start throwing bullpens, soon.

OF Tim Smith
A fan favourite in Ajax due to his plethora of facial hair, Smith returned to the Québec Capitales following the Pan Ams. He is currently a baseball instructor at the Butler Baseball Academy in Ajax.

2B Skyler Stromsmoe
A key piece of both Canadian baseball Pan Am teams, Stromsmoe last played baseball at Premier 12 in November and is now raising a young family in his hometown of Etzikom, Alberta.

OF Rene Tosoni
Tosoni’s three run homer in the gold medal contest erased a three run deficit and breathed new life into a Canadian side that needed the newfound energy. He brought his gritty style to Premier 12 last November as is currently with the Sugarland Skeeters of the Atlantic League.