Toronto Mets grad Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) made his major league debut with the Miami Marlins on Friday. Photo: Miami Marlins

March 30, 2025

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Some Canadian baseball news and notes from the past week:

Hicks makes MLB debut

Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) made his major league debut with the Miami Marlins on Friday. Starting at catcher and batting seventh, he went 0-for-3 with a walk in the Marlins’ 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at loanDepot Park in Miami.

Close to 20 of his friends and family were in attendance. They saw him robbed of a hit in his first at bat when Pirates’ pitcher Mitch Keller snagged a line drive (105.4 mph exit velocity) that Hicks hit back at him.

“I was just trying to make it seem like it was another ordinary game, but it was really cool,” Hicks told reporters about his debut. “A lot of family here, a lot of people that have kind of been with me along the road, so it’s really special . . . It hasn’t really sunk in, but I’m sure it will eventually.”

Hicks is the Marlins’ backup catcher to begin the season. The Marlins selected him in the Rule 5 draft from the Detroit Tigers in December, which meant he had to be on their Opening Day roster or be offered back to the Tigers.

Hicks impressed both offensively (.400 on-base percentage in 15 games) and defensively during spring training.

A Toronto Mets alum, Hicks was chosen in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers. He has since played parts of four minor league seasons. He split 2024 between double-A in the Rangers’ and Tigers’ organizations and batted .264 with a .379 on-base percentage (OBP) with six home runs in 113 games.

Lopez first Canadian national leaguer to homer during regular season

In the same game Hicks made his major league debut, Otto Lopez, who spent part of his youth in Montreal and has played for the Canadian national team, belted a two-run home run in the ninth inning off Pirates closer David Bednar. With that, he became the first Canadian National League player to homer in the big leagues this season.

Lopez, who started at second base and batted fifth in Friday’s contest, is entering his second full season with the Marlins. In 117 games with the Marlins in 2024, the 26-year-old infielder hit .270 with six home runs and 39 RBIs.

Signed as an amateur free agent by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016, he played in a combined nine games with the Blue Jays in 2021 and 2022. On February 13, 2024, the Blue Jays sold his contract to the San Francisco Giants. He spent spring training with the Giants before he was designated for assignment and claimed on waivers by the Marlins.

O’Neill still Mr. Opening Day

As you’ve already heard, Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) socked a three-run home run for the Baltimore Orioles on Opening Day in their 12-2 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. With that, he added to his own record by homering on Opening Day for the sixth consecutive time. No other player has homered on more than four straight Opening Days.

You can watch all of O’Neill’s Opening Day home runs here:

O’Neill also became the first Canadian American League player to homer during the 2025 regular season. That round-tripper was also the 110th of O’Neill’s major league career, which is good for 10th all-time among Canadians. He is 14 back of Corey Koskie (Anola, Man.), who ranks ninth.

Black suffers hamate fracture

Milwaukee Brewers’ infield prospect Tyler Black will be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks with a hamate fracture in his right hand.

The Stouffville, Ont., native, who had been one of the Brewers’ final cuts out of spring training, was set to start the year with the triple-A Nashville Sounds.

The 24-year-old infielder made his big-league debut with the Brewers on April 30, 2024 and promptly doubled in his first at bat. In all, Black went 10-for-49 (.204 batting average) with three stolen bases and seven walks in 18 big league games last season. He spent the bulk of the year with the triple-A Sounds. In 102 contests with the Sounds, he belted 14 home runs, stole 20 bases and registered a .375 OBP.

Selected 33rd overall by the Brewers in the 2021 MLB draft, Black, who is the son of legendary Canadian sports broadcaster Rod Black, is entering his fifth season in the Brewers’ organization.

Toro begins season in triple-A

Despite batting .310 in 21 games with the Boston Red Sox this spring, Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.) has started the season with the triple-A Worcester Red Sox.

On Opening Day, he started at first base for Worcester and hit a solo home run in the ninth inning in their 4-3 loss to Syracuse.

Toro signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in late January after batting .240 with six home runs and 26 RBIs in 94 games with the Oakland A’s in 2024.

In total, Toro has played in parts of six major league seasons with the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners and A’s. In 365 big league games, he owns a .220 batting average with 34 home runs and 134 RBIs.

Happy Birthday to Jason Dickson!

Happy 52nd Birthday to former American League All-Star and current Baseball Canada CEO Jason Dickson! Born in London, Ont., Dickson moved to Miramichi, N.B. when he was seven. He developed into a key right-hander on the Junior National Team that won gold at the World Youth Baseball championships in Brandon, Man., in 1991 and three years later, he was chosen by the Angels in the sixth round of the MLB draft. In 1997, his rookie season with the Angels, he finished 13-9 with a 4.29 ERA in 33 appearances (32 starts) and was selected to the All-Star Game. In all, he toed the rubber for parts of four seasons with the Angels. Since hanging up his playing spikes, he has served in numerous executive roles, including as president of Baseball Canada and in his current role as Baseball Canada’s CEO.

Pop designed for assignment by Blue Jays

The Blue Jays designated right-hander Zach Pop (Brampton, Ont.) for assignment on Thursday.

With this move, the Blue Jays have up to five days to find a trade partner for him. If they can’t work out a deal, the 6-foot-4 right-hander will be placed on waivers for a 48-hour period. If he is not claimed, he could be assigned to triple-A Buffalo.

Pop was shut down by the Blue Jays on March 21 with elbow discomfort. At the time, they said he would not throw for seven-to-10 days. The 28-year-old righty, who signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Blue Jays in January to avoid arbitration, registered a 5.40 ERA in seven relief appearances this spring.

The 2024 campaign was a rough one for Pop. Although he made a career-high 58 relief appearances for the Blue Jays, the Junior National Team grad recorded a 5.59 ERA in 48 1/3 innings.

Soroka to pitch against Blue Jays

Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) will make his Washington Nationals regular season debut on Monday or Tuesday against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Nationals haven’t officially announced which day Soroka will start.

This will be Soroka’s third start and fourth appearance at Rogers Centre, where he owns an 0-1 record and a 4.15 ERA in 13 innings.

Soroka struggled in his final two spring training starts with the Nats, allowing six earned runs in each, and finished the Grapefruit League season with a 7.47 ERA in four starts.

On a positive note, Soroka, who has been hobbled by injuries throughout his career, is healthy. He signed a one-year, $9-million contract with the Nationals on December 19 after pitching for the Chicago White Sox in 2024.

In total, in parts of five major league seasons, the 27-year-old Soroka owns a 17-18 record and a 3.67 ERA in 69 appearances (52 starts).

Terriers alum Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) will make his Miami Marlins’ regular season debut on Monday. Photo: Miami Marlins

Quantrill to make Marlins’ regular season debut on Monday

Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) will make his regular season debut with the Marlins when he starts on Monday against the New York Mets at loanDepot Park.

The veteran right-hander was outstanding in his final two Grapefruit League starts, allowing just one hit in seven scoreless innings. That improved his Grapefruit League record to 3-0 and lowered his ERA to 5.91.

The Ontario Terriers and Junior National Team grad got a late start this spring when he didn’t sign with the Marlins until February 12.

Quantrill, who turned 30 on February 10, went 8-11 with a 4.98 ERA in 29 starts for the Colorado Rockies last season and was non-tendered following the campaign.

In all, he is 43-34 with a 4.07 ERA in 161 appearances (123 starts) in six big league seasons with the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians and Rockies.

Remembering Dick Fowler

Former big league pitcher and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Dick Fowler was born on this date in 1921. The Toronto native was signed by Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics in 1940 and the 6-foot-5 right-hander made his big league debut on September 13, 1941.

After his first full season in the majors, he was called for military duty and served in the Canadian Army for three years. In his first start upon his return, Fowler no-hit the St. Louis Browns on September 9, 1945 to become the first Canadian to throw a no-hitter in the majors.

On an A’s staff that also boasted fellow Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Marchildon (Penetanguishene, Ont.), Fowler tossed at least 14 complete games in each season from 1946 to 1949. During his 10-year big league career, he won 15 games twice (1948, 1949) and finished in the top 10 in shutouts three times (1947, 1948, 1949). He passed away in 1972.