Elliott: Two-time gold medalist Canucks off to Brazil for Pan Am qualifier
Former Ontario Blue Jays teammates OF Jacob Robson (Windsor, Ont.) and INF Daniel Pinero (Toronto, Ont.) will be reunited as Canada, defending gold medalists, gather at the Pan Am qualifier in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
*Originally posted on December 16, 2018
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Former major leaguers, triple-A players and even retired players will suit up for Canada way south of the border down Sao Paulo way next month.
The goal will be a third straight Pan Am Games gold medal after Canada won in Mexico in 2011 and Ajax in 2015.
Canadian Junior National Team gave us baseball in December winning the 18U Pan Am qualifier and now the Team Canada seniors head to Sao Paulo, Brazil for the Pan Am Game Qualifier Jan. 29-Feb. 3.
Canada will compete in the same pool with Brazil, Nicaragua and Mexico. Canada needs to finish in top two to qualify for the Pan Am games in Lima, Peru from July 26th to Aug 11th, 2019. Team USA is not competing because USA Baseball does not like the timing of the event..
There will be seven former major leaguers in Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.), still on the Blue Jays 40-man roster; Michael Saunders (Victoria, BC), who was with the triple-A Charlotte Knights and Norfolk Tides; Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC), who was at triple-A Round Rock; RHP Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Que.) Triple A Toledo Mud Hens; Dustin Molleken (Regina, Sask.) of the independent Atlantic’s league’s Somerset Patriots, RHP Scott Richmond (North Vancouver, BC) Citta di Nettuno in Italy and RHP Chris Leroux (Mississauga, Ont.), who did not pitch this year working Blue Jays games from the radio booth.
Prospects on the squad include OF Jacob Robson (Windsor, Ont.) who was with triple-A Toledo and double-A; INF Daniel Pinero (Toronto, Ont.) class-A Lakeland, LHP Ryan Kellogg (Whitby, Ont.) class-A Myrtle Beach; and OF Tristan Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.) class-A Jupiter, who will share the same dugout with his older brother Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.)
Former Blue Jays catcher Ernie Whitt will manage — as he did in 2011 and 2015 — with coaches Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC), Denis Boucher (Lachine, Que.), Paul Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.), Greg Hamilton (Ottawa, Ont.) and Tim Leiper,
Partial Roster
Pitchers
Phillippe Aumont, Gatineau, Que., Tigers
Teams W-L ERA G S IP BB SO
Toledo-AAA Erie-AA 2-4 6.23 31 3 56.1 26 64
Andrew Case, St. John, NB, Blue Jays
Teams W-L ERA G S IP BB SO
Buffalo-AAA NH-AA 1-3 4.96 40 7 49.0 15 35
Jay Johnson, Sussex Corner, NB, independent
Teams W-L ERA G S IP BB SO
Quebec 7-2 2.63 28 1 89.0 29 77
Ryan Kellogg, Whitby, Ont. Cubs
Teams W-L ERA G S IP BB SO
Myrtle Beach-A 3-1 3.58 37 4 78.0 29 52
Adam Loewen, Surrey, BC, Rangers
Teams W-L ERA G S IP BB SO
Round Rock-AAA 0-1 1.80 5 0 5.0 1 4
New Britain-Ind 3-0 1.64 26 0 22.0 4 28
Dustin Molleken, Regina, Sask. Independent
Teams W-L ERA G S IP BB SO
Somerset 4-2 3.58 43 1 55.1 18 58
Jared Mortensen, Abbotsford, BC independent
Teams W-L ERA G S IP BB SO
Kansas City/Cleburn 4-6 4.36 21 0 132.0 56 122
Dylan Rheault, Garson, Ont., Giants
Teams W-L ERA G S IP BB SO
San Jose-A Richmond-AA 2-1 2.70 55 21 60.0 22 46
Evan Rutckyj Windsor, Ont., independent
Teams W-L ERA G S IP BB SO
Ottawa 2-6 5.64 26 0 67.0 29 65
Also on the staff are: Scott Richmond (North Vancouver, BC) who pitched for Citta di Nettuno in Italy, as well as Chris Leroux (Mississauga, Ont.) and Jasvir Rakkar (Brampton, Ont.) who did not play this season but were both on the 2015 Pan Am team will also pitch.
Catchers
Kellin Deglan, Langley, BC, Yankees
Team G D T HR RBI SB-CS Avg. OPS
Trenton-AA, Tampa-A 36 6 0 2 14 0-0 .179 .544
Dustin Houle, Penticton, BC, Brewers
Team G D T HR RBI SB-CS Avg. OPS
Colorado Springs-AAA Carolina-A Biloxi-AA 49 7 0 1 20 1-0 .258 .686
Infielders
Wes Darvill, Richmond, BC, Dodgers
Team(s) G D T HR RBI SB-CS Avg. OPS
Oklahoma City-AAA Tulsa-AA 57 5 1 2 16 0-3 .190 .515
Jesse Hodges, Victoria, BC, Cubs
Team(s) G D T HR RBI SB-CS Avg. OPS
Tennessee-AA 100 17 1 3 26 1-1 .199 .541
Otto Lopez, Montreal, Que., Jays
Team G D T HR RBI SB-CS Avg. OPS
Vancouver-A Bluefield-A 58 12 6 3 28 14-6 .308 .855
Daniel Piniero, Toronto, Ont., Tigers
Team G D T HR RBI SB-CS Avg. OPS
Lakeland-A 119 26 1 9 59 5-0 .263 .748
Eric Wood Pickering, Ont., Pirates
Team G D T HR RBI SB-CS Avg. OPS
Indianapolis-AAA 88 26 1 12 41 6-0 .270 .822
Adam Loewen’s bat will also be available.
Outfielders
Dalton Pompey, Mississauga, Ont. Jays
Team(s) G D T HR RBI SB-CS Avg. OPS
Blue Jays 5 0 0 0 0 2-1 .000 .000
Buffalo-AAA NH-AA Dunedin-A 52 12 0 5 23 11-2 .272 .771
Tristan Pompey, Mississauga, Ont. Marlins
Team(s) G D T HR RBI SB-CS Avg. OPS
Jupiter-A Greensboro-A GCL Marlins 52 9 0 3 23 10-5 .299 .805
Jacob Robson, Windsor, Ont., Tigers
Team(s) G D T HR RBI SB-CS Avg. OPS
Toledo-AAA Erie-AA 124 29 4 11 47 18-10 .295 .816
Michael Saunders, Victoria, BC, Orioles, White Sox
Team(s) G D T HR RBI SB-CS Avg. OPS
Norfolk-AAA Charlotte- AAA 38 4 1 2 18 2-0 .158 .521