By: Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

I have a lot in common with Mason Verge.

We have the same last name, we have the same initials, we both like to eat pizza, and we are both Canadian.

Other than the obvious differences that he is a guy and I am a girl, and he can grow a beard and I (fingers crossed) won’t ever be able to.

He also has a higher tolerance for chowing down on large amounts of pizza in one sitting “I can just down the whole pizza no problem,” he said, and he is on the right track to join the list of Canadians in Major League Baseball.

“I would expect Mason Verge to get drafted into Major League Baseball in the next year or two,” his coach Daniel Philips said.

OF Verge (Surrey, BC), signed a letter of intent to attend Lewis Clark State College. The college has had 16 major leaguers come out of its baseball team since the program began in 1946.

“Physically he’s built like Mike Trout and he’s explosive like Mike Trout,” coach Philips said.

It is an accurate description. From my search of Google images, Verge looks strong enough to pick up one of those raccoons that frequent Toronto garbage cans, and throw it far, far away. The chubby raccoon, fat flapping over its eyes as it was tossed through the air, wouldn’t know what hit him.

Verge also has a competitive edge that may be a factor in his success so far this season, batting .355.

“I’m eager to win. I want to win,” he said. “I’m a sore loser as it is.”

And although Verge is one of the stars on the team, coach Philips said that he doesn’t treat anyone as any less of an equal. “He’s very inclusive as a teammate and as a friend,” he said.

“He’s the kind of guy that would give a guy a ride home after practice, extend a hand out to somebody who needs help. He doesn’t put himself on a pedestal even though physically and talent wise he’s definitely one of those guys.”

Verge says he keeps to himself and he enjoys going to the gym “I’m a big fitness freak,” he said, “I love the gym.”

It takes dedication to love the gym.

 It’s so much more immediately satisfying to chow down on those giant Costco bags of Chicago mix. I would much rather be eating popcorn off my stomach and watching the Blue Jays on TV then picking up heavy weights and running on a treadmill.

That’s what separates Verge from a lot of people, and it could be that dedication that eventually leads him to the Majors.

He says that his Dad has been a big influence on his early career. “He’s constantly pushed me and directed me on the right path. He’s always wanted the best for me,” he said.

Verge is hoping to go all the way with baseball.  “Hopefully the pros,” he said. “That would be the next step.”

Coach Philips added “He’s so fast and so strong that if he keeps working on his base running, his defensive skills, and his hitting mechanics, he could really take the next step and become a professional baseball player.”