Darvill to return to Goldeyes
All-star infielder Wes Darvill (Langley, B.C.) will return to the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 2020. Photo: Winnipeg Goldeyes
December 16, 2019
By Steve Schuster
Winnipeg Goldeyes
The Winnipeg Goldeyes re-signed infielder Wes Darvill on Monday.
Darvill returns for his fourth overall season with the Goldeyes and is coming off an all-star campaign in which he batted .317 in 88 games with 66 runs scored, 21 doubles, seven home runs, 34 RBI, and 26 stolen bases in 28 attempts. Over the course of the calendar year, Darvill has also served as the starting shortstop for the Canadian National Team at the Pan-Am Games in Lima, Peru and the Premier12 Olympic qualifier in Seoul, South Korea.
Darvill’s 26 stolen bases last season ranked second in the American Association, and his 94 percent success rate on the base paths (74-for-79) is first on the league’s career list among players with at least 50 steal attempts.
The Langley, B.C., native was a key factor in the Goldeyes’ record-setting defence, posting a .990 fielding percentage in 47 games at shortstop (two errors) and a .968 fielding percentage in 42 contests at third base (four errors). Darvill started at shortstop for the North Division at the All-Star Game in St. Paul, and having started at third base at the 2017 event, Darvill became only the second player in the 14-year history of the American Association to start multiple All-Star Games at different infield positions.
“I’m thrilled to have Wes back in the fold for 2020,” said Goldeyes’ manager Rick Forney. “Wes has been one of the top-10, all-around players in the American Association the last few years. I’m hopeful he can repeat his 2019 success and also take on more of a leadership role within the clubhouse.”
Darvill heads into his 12th season of professional baseball and is a lifetime .253 hitter over 897 games played. The 28-year-old was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round in 2009 out of Brookswood Secondary School in Langley. Darvill spent seven seasons in the Cubs’ organization, reaching the double-A level in 2014 and 2015, and earning an assignment to the Arizona Fall League in 2013.
Darvill first joined the Goldeyes in 2016 where he helped Winnipeg to an American Association championship. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound infielder returned to Winnipeg the following year where he garnered both Mid-season and Postseason All-Star honours, and helped the Goldeyes to another championship. In 21 combined playoff games from 2016-17, Darvill hit .311 and has an active 12-game postseason hitting streak.
After the 2017 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers purchased Darvill’s contract. A left-handed batter and right-handed defender, Darvill made the Dodgers’ double-A club (Texas League’s Tulsa Drillers) out of spring training and later earned his first career promotion to triple-A. At the end of the year, Darvill helped the Drillers win the Texas League championship. It marked the fifth time in a six-year stretch Darvill was a member of a championship team.
The Goldeyes now have five players under contract for the 2020 season. American Association clubs may carry up to 28 players during spring training, which begins May 7.
2020 Winnipeg Goldeyes Signings
RHP Victor Capellan
IF Wes Darvill
OF Jonathan Moroney
IF Darren Seferina
RHP Andrew Vernon
Notes: Darvill finished 12th overall among American Association position players with 3.3 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2019, and contributed the third-highest defensive WAR (0.49) among infielders…Darvill is one of eight players to win both the 2016 and 2017 American Association championships, joining Reggie Abercrombie, Victor Capellan, Edwin Carl, Kevin McGovern, Mikey O’Brien, David Rohm, and Josh Romanski…Darvill is expected to again play for Team Canada in their Olympic bid at the Americas Qualifying Event in Arizona next March…Darvill was a member of the Canadian Junior National Team in 2009…Darvill has averaged 77 runs scored, 25 doubles, 59 RBI, 25 stolen bases, and 58 walks per 162 games during his professional career
The Winnipeg Goldeyes open the 2020 season on May 19 on the road against the Cleburne Railroaders. The Goldeyes’ 2020 home opener is on Tuesday, May 26 versus the St. Paul Saints.