Max Grant: Conference Player of Year and one to watch for 2023 draft
Vauxhall Jets grad 2B Max Grant (Fredericton, NB) earned Metro Atlantic Player of the Year honors.
July 8, 2022
By Neve Van Pelt
Canadian Baseball Network
Despite having a father who pursued hockey, Fredericton, N.B. native Max Grant decided that his future was going to look a little different than his old man’s.
It wasn’t that he didn’t receive the good hockey genes. The kid could put the puck in the back of the net like it was his day job.
The difference with Grant was that he had a passion for more than just hockey.
Lucky for him, baseball is played at the opposite time of year, allowing him to get a taste of both.
Unsure which sport to pursue in his younger years, grade 10 creeped around and it came with a very tough decision to make: Hockey with the Fredericton Caps U18 AAA in 2017-18 or baseball?
Deep down Grant always knew he had a greater love for ball, and with the help of head coach Les McTavish, he found himself moving across the country to attend Vauxhall Academy in Vauxhall, Alta.
“I was still in high school at the moment and moving away from home that young I felt was tough,” Grant said. “But it’s something I had to get used to if I wanted to get to where I am today … being around guys who have the same mindset and wanted to play college ball at that age really helped me.”
This was a huge step in the Maritimer’s career but also an essential one.
Vauxhall helped finetune his skills and prepare him for Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. where he lit it up this spring.
After bouncing around through multiple positions, he settled into his role at second base nicely, playing there for almost a year and a half now.
“Where I want to play is where I keep my bat in the lineup,” Grant said. “That seems to be the best spot for me and that keeps my bat in there every day, so I’m glad to be there.”
Vauxhall is known for developing young athletes and each year graduates about five or six Division I type players.
What separated Grant from others was not only his high level of competence and pure talent, but also his relentless work ethic always being the first one there and the last one to leave.
Grant became just the second player in program history to have a 90-hit season, joining Connor Panas (Toronto, Ont.) who had 92 in 2015
“Max is extremely competitive. He’s gifted athletically and he’s got just gifted strength to him,” McTavish said. “He has the drive to win and be successful … he’s as hard of working player as you’ll find on a field, and he wants to be great. But the best part about him is he wants his teammates to be great, he makes others around him better.”
Grant’s 90 hits rank him 10th -- tied with Texas State’s Dalton Shuffield -- and his .398 batting average ranks him 14th in the NCAA this season.
The sophomore second baseman slugged six triples, eight home runs, scored 49 runs and had 46 RBIs.
These stats combined with his overall demeanor earned him the 2022 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He led 996 Canucks in hits, triples, and average, as well as being second in on-base percentage (.489), plus being third in RBIs and OPS (1.135).
Scouts say his bat is his best weapon and Grant concurs.
“I would have to say my best asset would be my bat,” said Grant. “I’ve always enjoyed hitting and I think that’s a big reason. I like the one-on-one challenge you have against the pitcher and that competition drives me to be the best hitter I can be.”
As exciting as this news was, the humble infielder didn’t celebrate this achievement for long.
He and his fellow Golden Griffins were on the bus to their next game and all that was on Grant’s mind was trying to help his teammates win a championship.
They went on to claim the 2022 MAAC Championship, but unfortunately didn’t fare as well in the Coral Gables Regional of the NCAA Division I championship where their season came to an end. They lost the opener to sixth-ranked Miami 11-6 and were eliminated with a 7-5 loss to Arizona at Alex Rodriguez Park At Mark Light Field.
Many athletes have their superstitions and certain pregame rituals but rather than stressing himself and others out, Grant doesn’t get caught up in these mind games. He just likes to have fun and keep it loose.
“This year I felt like I learned a lot,” Grant said. “Dylan Vincent who was a senior this year sort of took me under his wing in the aspect of having the mentality to leave the baseball at the field and no matter how things go … you always have tomorrow, and you go to live your life day by day.”
The game can be a very tough sport mentally so developing this attitude early has helped Grant find a lot of success, including a spot on our 2023 projected draft list, as he has already drawn attention from scouts. And he says his goal is to play pro ball some day.
Ask any player who their favorite player is and they will usually give a line-drive answer.
“I wouldn’t say I have one solid favourite player but the easy one for me to pick out of the group I like to watch would obviously be Mike Trout,” said Grant. “He plays the game the right way day in, day out and he never gets caught up in any of the drama that’s around the league. He’s a great player but I definitely enjoy watching the way he carries himself on such a high stage.”
There’s been a lot of influential people throughout Grant’s career including great coaches at both Vauxhall and Canisius. But one coach that happened to double as his dad has had the biggest impact of them all. Right from day one he’s supported Grant and always pushed him to follow his dreams.
“He watches every game no matter if it’s at the field or through the internet,” Grant said. “He always has words, somewhere for me to improve no matter how our game goes … he pushes me and makes sure I’m never gratified where I’m at.”
Grant has made a lot of people very proud this year and his future is looking very bright.
“It’s the start of hopefully a great career,” McTavish said. “You do it as a sophomore, now see if you can have an encore as a junior. I’m certainly optimistic he’ll be every bit as good next year.”