*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