February 11, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Some Canadian baseball news and notes from the past week:

-Canadian Baseball Network editor-in-chief Bob Elliott landed an exclusive interview with free agent slugger Joey Votto this week in Etobicoke, Ont. The 40-year-old Votto is training diligently and is fully committed to playing in 2024. “My agent (Dan Lozano) has been talking to teams. I don’t think I’m far off from signing,” Votto told Elliott. You can read the full article here.

–Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) has been invited to the Milwaukee Brewers big league camp this spring. This was reported by Adam McCalvy and Joe Trezza of MLB.com on Friday. Fresh off winning the Canadian Baseball Network’s 2023 Randy Echlin Award, as top Canuck hitter in the affiliated minor league ranks, Black will begin his quest for a major league roster spot this month. The 23-year-old infielder split 2023 between the double-A Biloxi Shuckers and the triple-A Nashville Sounds, batting a combined .284 with a .417 on-base percentage (OBP) in 123 games. The Toronto Mets and Butler Prospects alum had 25 doubles, 12 triples, 18 home runs, 73 RBIs, 105 runs and 55 stolen bases. His combined 12 triples were the most in the affiliated minor league ranks and he also topped Brewers’ minor leaguers in runs, stolen bases and extra-base hits (55). Black, who primarily played third base last season, was named a Southern League All-Star and the Milwaukee Brewers co-Minor League Player of the Year.  

–Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) told Matt Betts during a recording of the Canadian Baseball Network podcast on Thursday that he has been invited to the Chicago Cubs big league spring training camp. After starting 2023 with a home run and four RBIs in three games for Canada at the World Baseball Classic in March, Caissie, who turned 21 in July, enjoyed a breakout season with the Cubs’ double-A Tennessee Smokies. In 120 games, he batted .289 with 22 home runs and 84 RBIs. He also had 31 doubles, a .399 OBP and a .918 OPS. For his efforts, he was named the Cubs’ Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America, Cubs’ Hitting Prospect of the Year by MLB Pipeline and was the recipient of Baseball Canada’s Canadian Futures Award, presented by the Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Caissie was also selected to the Southern League’s All-Star Team, to the MLB All-Prospects First Team and to the Cubs Organization All-Star Team by Minor League Baseball (milb.com). Chosen by the San Diego Padres in the second round of the 2020 MLB draft, the Junior National Team and Fieldhouse Pirates alum never played a game in the Padres’ organization before he was dealt to the Cubs as part of the package for right-hander Yu Darvish in December 2020.

-On Friday, the Los Angeles Angels announced that infielder Charles Leblanc (Laval, Que.) has been invited to their big league spring training camp. Leblanc had been signed to a minor league contract by the club on November 26. The 27-year-old infielder spent 2023 with the Miami Marlins’ triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, batting .253, while posting a .384 OBP, in 94 games. He made his major league debut with the Marlins on July 30, 2022 after batting .302 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs in 87 games with the Jumbo Shrimp that year. In 48 big league contests with the Marlins in 2022, he batted .263 with four home runs, 10 doubles and 12 walks. Selected by the Texas Rangers in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB draft, Leblanc spent five seasons in the Rangers’ organization, rising as high as triple-A in 2021. He was then chosen by the Marlins in the Rule 5 draft that December.

–Andy Yerzy (North York, Ont.) signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers on February 2 (Hat tip to Tyson Shushkewich, of the Canadian Baseball Network, for bringing this to my attention). The 25-year-old catcher/first baseman split 2023 between double-A and triple-A in the Cincinnati Reds’ system and the Kansas City Monarchs of the independent American Association. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Toronto Mets and Junior National Team grad was taken in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played parts of six seasons in the D-Backs’ minor league ranks. Initially, during his pro career, he was used exclusively as a catcher but in recent years, he has seen more action at first base. In total, in six minor league campaigns, he has socked 65 home runs in 455 games.

–Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.) was designated for assignment by the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. The move was made to create a roster spot for newly signed reliever Jay Jackson. “Jordan obviously has had some ups and downs along the way. Has been on a good track at times and then has struggled at different times. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a great future ahead for him and you never know how this shakes out,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told Dan Hayes of The Athletic. After pitching 3 2/3 scoreless innings in his major league debut for the Twins against the Detroit Tigers on June 18 last season, Balazovic proceeded to make 17 more big league appearances in 2023. In all, the former Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team hurler posted a 4.44 ERA and struck out 17 batters in 24 innings. The 25-year-old also fanned 54 in 45 2/3 innings in 22 appearances for the triple-A St. Paul Saints. Chosen in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB draft by the Twins, the 6-foot-5 right-hander has pitched in parts of seven seasons in the Twins’ system.

-The Toronto Blue Jays designated infielder Otto Lopez for assignment on Friday to make room on their roster for Cuban pitcher Yariel Rodriguez. Lopez, who spent part of his youth in Montreal, batted .258 in 84 games with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 2023. He missed a large chunk of the season due to a left oblique strain. Lopez joined the Bisons after going 5-for-17 (.294 batting average) with a home run and a team-leading six RBIs in four games for Canada at the World Baseball Classic. Born in Santo Domingo, D.R., Lopez was signed as an international free agent by the Blue Jays prior to the 2017 season. He has hit well at every stop in the Blue Jays’ organization, registering a .298 batting average and a .364 OBP with 90 stolen bases in 510 minor league games. The versatile 25-year-old can play second base, shortstop and third base, as well as centre field. Lopez got into eight games with the Blue Jays in 2022 and went 6-for-9 (.667 batting average).

-Forty-three years ago today, the Blue Jays re-signed right-hander Jim Clancy to a one-year deal that paid him close to $200,000. Clancy was coming off a 1980 season in which he collected 13 wins, recorded a 3.30 ERA and tossed 15 complete games in 250 2/3 innings. The deal made him the second highest paid player on the Blue Jays to first baseman John Mayberry. Here’s the CP report about the signing:

-Joe McFarland and Ian Wilson, the masterminds behind the outstanding Alberta Dugout Stories website, have launched another site that will focus on Saskatchewan baseball. It’s called Saskatchewan Dugout Stories. “In recent years, we have been able to watch the likes of [Saskatchewan natives] Andrew Albers, Dustin Molleken, Garrett Hawkins and Logan Hofmann chase their dreams of playing big-league ball. Meanwhile, umpires like Stu Scheurwater have officiated some of Major League Baseball’s biggest moments,” wrote McFarland and Wilson in their site introduction. “The sport also has a rich history in this province. Star-studded teams like the Melville Midget Elks and Indian Head Rockets brought local fans to their feet every time they hit the diamond, while the individual prowess of Terry Puhl, Reggie Cleveland and Mary “Bonnie” Baker have allowed future generations to believe they could make it to the highest levels of baseball. All of these stories and many more deserve to be told and shared. We want to create a unique place for that to happen.” I’m sure they will do a fantastic job. You can check out Saskatchewan Dugout Stories here.