Ontario Blue Jays grad Dasan Brown (Oakville, Ont.) started the season 2-for-13 with a solo as the Vancouver Canadians opened on the road. The Canadians are at The Nat Tuesday night.

April 9, 2024

By Tyson Shushkewich

Canadian Baseball Network

Dasan Brown stepped into the batter’s box and looked to the mound under the bright lights Friday night at Avista Stadium in Spokane.

The arrival of Brown (Oakville, Ont.) signified the start of the 2024 season for the class-A Vancouver Canadians, who opened against the Spokane Indians.

The Canadians open their home schedule Tuesday night, welcoming the Hillsboro Hops to Nat Bailey Stadium for a six-game set. The Canadians dropped their first three games and will be looking to get into the win column.

Vancouver started the new campaign as the defending Northwest League champions, their fifth title since the South Oregon Timberjacks moved north of the border to bring the game to Vancouver again. Sports executive Art Savage took the previous Canadians, who called Vancouver home for over 20 years, south to triple-A Sacramento, Calif., before the 2000 campaign. The void was quickly filled to ensure those out west wouldn’t be without baseball for long.

An affiliate of the Oakland Athletics from 2000 to 2010, the Canadians have been associated with the Toronto Blue Jays since 2011, participating as class-A level entry.

They are the only current minor league squad in Canada but many other teams had previously found a home north of the border, including the Montreal Royals (Los Angeles Dodgers), Calgary Cannons (Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox), Winnipeg Whips (Montreal Expos), Medicine Hat Blue Jays (Toronto Blue Jays) and Lethbridge Black Diamonds (Arizona Diamondbacks). In all, 47 cities have had affiliated teams in Canada.

Over the years, the home of the Vancouver entry has taken on different names. First it was called Capilano Stadium before it was renamed after owner and restaurateur Nat Bailey. The ballpark has also held numerous tenants since 1951, including the Vancouver Capilanos (Western International League), Vancouver Mounties (Pacific Coast League), University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (NAIA), and now, the Canadians.

Starting this year, Rogers purchased the naming rights to the stadium and the Canadians’ ballpark will legally be referred to as Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium (although locals will remind you that it’s called The Nat).

Similar to their parent organization, the Canadians’ home stadium is slated to receive some upgrades over the coming seasons as a $20 million renovation is on the horizon as mandated to meet the growing requirements for all minor league teams.

This includes renovations to the clubhouses, a new training centre, and improved food and beverage options amongst other projects to make the stadium even more modern and attractive. The stadium is owned by the city of Vancouver while the organization was purchased by Diamond Baseball Holdings last year, owners of numerous Minor League franchises across the United States and now Canada.

Drawing thousands of fans for almost every home game in recent years, Nat Bailey Stadium has not only been a fan favourite for the Vancouver faithful but also a player favourite for prospects near and far.

“Nat Bailey is such a magical place to play and one of the best minor league parks around,” said pitcher Ryan Jennings, speaking to Blue Jays Nation. “To routinely pitch in front of 4,000-to-5,000 fans every single night and to win it all for them helped the team go that extra mile.”

“Playing in Vancouver is such a great experience, the fans, Nat Bailey Stadium, it really is an incredible environment and something that I will remember for a really long time,” said Blue Jays pitching prospect Adam Macko (Stony Plain, Alta.), who is also a former Vauxhall Jet. “Meeting lots of fans and making great connections with the staff and my teammates, it was a great first year with the Blue Jays organization.”

The Canadians have seven division titles under their belt since the 2000 campaign and are one of only three Northwest League teams to secure three straight championships, doing so from 2011 to 2013. Those teams boasted some current and former big leaguers, including INF Jon Berti, RHP Noah Syndergaard, LHP Justin Nicolino, RHP Aaron Sanchez, RHP Marcus Stroman and OF Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.).

Last season, the Canadians secured a spot in the playoffs after winning the first half of the campaign with a 36-26 record. They finished with a Northwest League-leading 77-54 record, heading to the championship round after falling short the year prior. This time around, the Canadians didn’t leave anything to chance, securing the win in Game 4 of the five-game series 10-2 over the Everett AquaSox in front of the home crowd at Nat Bailey Stadium.

This year’s squad features plenty of top-prospect talent, including Kendrys Rojas (No. 10 ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline), Dahian Santos (No. 21), Jace Bohrofen (No. 22), Dasan Brown (No. 26), and Adrian Pinto (No. 30).

Prospect watchers will also enjoy seeing recently drafted players such as Bohrofen (sixth round in 2023), Nick Goodwin (seventh), Chay Yeager (12th), Brennan Orf (13th), and Jackson Hornung (16th).

Brown takes the title of the lone Canadian-born player on the current roster to start, but there is plenty of Canadian influence. The manager is Brent Lavallee (North Delta, BC) and the coaching staff has Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Ashley Stephenson (Mississauga, Ont.).