November 25, 2024

By Kevin Glew 

Canadian Baseball Network 

Left-hander Matt Wilkinson was named the Canadian Baseball Network’s Wayne Norton Award winner, as the top Canadian pitcher in the affiliated minor league ranks, last week. 

The 21-year-old Wilkinson (White Rock, B.C.) was outstanding in his first full pro season with the Cleveland Guardians’ Low-A Lynchburg Hillcats and High-A Lake County Captains, posting a combined 1.90 ERA in 24 starts, spanning 118 2/3 innings. 

Thanks to that performance, Wilkinson has joined major leaguers like Jim Henderson, Andrew Albers, Nick Pivetta, Michael Soroka, Matt Brash and Cade Smith on the list of winners of the Wayne Norton award. 

“I used to look up to some of those guys so to have my name mentioned with them is definitely cool,” said Wilkinson in a phone interview. “I’m just happy about the year I had and hoping I can build off it.” 

About that year he had: the Okotoks Dawgs alum struck out 174 batters, which were the second-most by any pitcher in the affiliated minor league ranks. Wilkinson also led minor league pitchers in strikeout percentage (38%) and was second in ERA and batting average against (.169).  

To close out the campaign, the 6-foot-1, 270-pound left-hander nicknamed “Tugboat” posted a 2.19 ERA in two post-season starts for Lake County to help them to a Midwest League championship. And to top it off, he was recently selected as the top pitching prospect in the Guardians’ organization by MLB Pipeline.   

“Matt has always had a little chip on his shoulder,” said Jeff Duda, Wilkinson’s longtime coach at the Dawgs Academy in Okotoks, Alta. “You know PTW – Prove Them Wrong. He’s just got that mindset. It’s unbelievable. I'm not surprised he dominated [in his first pro season].” 

Wilkinson earned eight first-place votes from a panel of 10 baseball experts from across North America for the Wayne Norton Award, which is named after the legendary Canadian scout and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. New York Mets prospect Jonah Tong (Markham, Ont.), who posted a combined 6-4 record with a 3.03 ERA in 25 appearances (23 starts) between class-A, High-A and double-A, finished second. 

A significant portion of Wilkinson’s success can be attributed to his deep love of the game, which was ingrained in him by his father, Gavin, and older brother, Garrett, at a young age. Wilkinson’s dad and older brother were both right-handed throwers. 

“My dad says he made me throw left as a kid,” said Wilkinson with a chuckle. “But I don’t know how true that is.” 

Wilkinson started playing T-ball when he was six but he soon developed a love of pitching. 

“I kind of knew I was going to be a pitcher early on,” said Wilkinson. “Hitting was never my strength. I always had a good arm and I loved pitching.” 

Wilkinson pitched for strong Little League teams in White Rock, B.C. and by that time, he had already been nicknamed “Tugboat” by his one of his father’s best friends. 

“That nickname has been around a very long time,” said Wilkinson. “It’s stuck with me ever since I was young, and I’ve embraced it. I love it.” 

For many of us, our introduction to “Tugboat” came when he struck out 16 batters in five scoreless innings for his White Rock team against Mexico in the Little League World Series on August 21, 2015 in a game that was televised. 

“That was cool. As a 12-year-old, it was kind of like heaven,” said Wilkinson about his Little League World Series start. “If you were a baseball fan that was one of your dreams when you were growing up.”  

Duda, head coach of the Dawgs Academy, was one of those who saw that Little League start. He made mental notes, but it wasn’t until a few years later when Wilkinson was pitching for an elite team near Seattle that he got a better look at the young lefty and invited the 15-year-old to join the Dawgs Academy. 

“On the baseball side of things, I can remember how smooth and repeatable his delivery was, especially for his age,” recalled Duda. “There really wasn’t a lot of mechanical tweaking that needed to be done. His delivery was clean and repeatable.” 

When Wilkinson arrived at the Dawgs Academy, he was throwing 79 to 85 mph. Duda says one of the first things they began working on with Wilkinson was getting the lefty to maximize the strength in his lower half. They also finetuned his changeup and slider. 

“Everything we threw at him as a staff, he picked up on it really quick,” said Duda. “By the end of his first year with us, he was able to put the ball almost anywhere he wanted.” 

At the tender age of 16, Wilkinson made his debut with the Western Canadian Baseball League Dawgs, pitching against college players. Wilkinson says one of the most important things he learned at the Dawgs Academy was how to prepare for a college schedule. 

“They gave me an idea of what I needed to go through,” said Wilkinson. 

“Tugboat” was part of championship-winning Dawgs teams in 2019 and 2022. And by the time he headed to Central Arizona College, the velocity on his fastball had risen to 88 to 92 mph. 

In his first year at Central Arizona in 2022, he posted a 1.87 ERA and struck out 85 batters in 53 innings in 19 appearances (three starts) to help lead the Vaqueros to a National JUCO Baseball Title. 

The following season, he dominated again, going 10-2 with a 1.07 ERA in 16 games (14 starts), while fanning 136 batters in 84 innings. For his efforts, he was named Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and NJCAA Baseball D1 Pitcher of the Year. 

Wilkinson returned to the Dawgs to start on Opening Day in 2023 and then joined the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League where he permitted just one hit and struck out 10 in nine scoreless innings. By this time, he was generating considerable interest from scouts ahead of the MLB draft. But he was surprised when the Guardians selected him in the 10th round. 

“I talked to Cleveland one time. I didn’t think there was going to be an opportunity there,” said Wilkinson. “I thought I was going to be a Blue Jay or a Ray or a Ranger, but I’m happy to be in this organization. They have proven they can develop pitchers year in and year out.” 

Wilkinson’s 2024 campaign offers more proof of how well the Guardians can develop pitchers. Wilkinson began the season with the Low-A Lynchburg Hillcats and went 3-1 with 1.12 ERA in eight starts, striking out 71 batters in 40 1/3 innings.  

On April 25, in his fourth professional start, he tossed six no-hit innings and struck out 15 for the Hillcats against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. 

“I didn’t know much about pro ball at all, but in my first month to have a performance like that is kind of eye-opening,” said Wilkinson. 

His dominance with the Hillcats earned him a promotion to the High-A Lake County Captains in late May, where he continued to strike out batters at an eye-popping rate. 

Kevin Erminio, the Captains’ pitching coach, says the reason Wilkinson was able to rack up so many strikeouts despite a fastball that generally registers in the low-90s is a combination of the arm angle Wilkinson throws it from and the “ride” and movement on the pitch. 

“His fastball is just special,” said Erminio, who also worked with Wilkinson on his slider and changeup. “It’s not one of those super fastballs in terms of velocity. He throws it in the low 90s and guys still have a really tough time with it.” 

Playing for a team called the Captains who employ a boat on wheels as one of their promotional props was a perfect fit for a pitcher nicknamed “Tugboat” and Wilkinson quickly became a fan favourite. They even sold tugboat t-shirts at the stadium. 

“They sold out of the tugboat t-shirts they had in the store,” said Erminio. “On the day that Matt pitched, some of his teammates would wear the tugboat t-shirts.” 

Wilkinson continued to dominate with the Captains, recording a 2.30 ERA, while fanning 103 batters in 78 1/3 innings.  

On September 17, with the Captains trailing their best-of-three Midwest League championship series 1-0 to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Wilkinson started Game 2 and allowed just two runs in 6 2/3 innings to propel the Captains to a 6-2 win and save their season. The Captains won the next game to capture the championship. In the post-game celebration, “Tugboat” was photographed driving the Captains’ boat on the field.  

“That was definitely cool, being a part of that champaign shower, but hopefully there are more to come,” said Wilkinson. 

This off-season, Wilkinson has divided his time between the Dawgs Academy and the Guardians’ complex in Goodyear, Ariz. He also plans to spend some time at his parents’ home on Vancouver Island before heading back to Arizona in January. 

The young left-hander is happy about his success in 2024, but he’s preparing himself to be even better next season. 

“I just have typical off-season goals: Get stronger, throw harder and just build on what I did last year and try to do it again,” said Wilkinson. 

If he does that, he’s likely to start 2025 in double-A, which would make him just two minor league rungs from joining four Canadians – Bo and Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.), Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) and Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) - on the Guardians’ big-league roster. 

Duda could see that happening. 

“He’s just got an absolute killer mentality on the mound. It’s predator versus prey and he is the apex predator . . . I would not be surprised if he got that opportunity [to pitch in the big leagues] next year. I really wouldn’t,” said Duda. “On top of that, he probably has the most marketable nickname in all of baseball.” 

Erminio offers a similar assessment. 

“I think that if Matt can maintain the fastball and nothing changes with how he throws that and he continues to work on his strength and power, that his velo is going to tick up enough where it is going to be super special . . . I think he’s going to be a big leaguer for sure,” he said. 

Past Winners of the Wayne Norton Award, for top Canadian minor league player (affiliated ranks)

(Named the Wayne Norton award starting in 2021)

2008 _ Scott Diamond (Guelph, Ont.) Braves.

2009 _ James Henderson (Calgary, Alta.) Brewers and John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) Brewers.

2010 _ Scott Mathieson (Langley, BC) Phillies.

2011 _ Mark Hardy (Campbell River, BC) Padres.

2012 _ James Henderson (Calgary, Alta.) Brewers.

2013 _ Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) Twins

2014 _ Nick Pivetta (Victoria, BC) Nationals.

2015 _ Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC) Phillies and Shane Dawson (Drayton Valley, Alta.) Jays.

2016 _ Jameson Taillon (The Woodlands, Tex.) Pirates and Nick Pivetta (Victoria, BC) Phillies.

2017 _ Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) Braves.

2018 _ Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) Jays.

2019 _ Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.) Twins.

2020 _ Minor league seasons cancelled, COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 _ Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.) Mariners.

2022 _ Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, Ont.) Rangers.

2023 _ Cade Smith (Abbotsford, BC) Guardians.

2024 _ Matt Wilkinson (Surrey, BC) Guardians.

*Bolded winners have played in the major leagues.