Well-travelled Darvill focused on helping national squad at Pan Am qualifier

Langley Blaze alum Wes Darvill (Richmond, BC) is hoping to help Canada qualify for the 2019 Pan Am Games at the qualifying tournament in Sao Paulo, Brazil that begins today. Photo Credit: Twitter

By Jonathan Hodgson

Canadian Baseball Network

He is as well-travelled as just about anybody over the course of his 10-year career in professional baseball, but Brazil is a new one for veteran infielder Wes Darvill (Richmond, BC).

Darvill, 27, is a former fifth round draft choice of the Chicaco Cubs in 2009, has worn 12 different uniforms since that day in places like the Arizona rookie league, Oklahoma City in the Pacific Coast League, and the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the independent American Association and several points in between.

An infielder and a veteran of 10 seasons in professional baseball, Darvill is a member of Canada’s Senior National Team for the Pan Am Games Qualification Tournament taking place this week in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The graduate of Brookswood Secondary School in Langley, BC flew south last week to join the team at the Washington Nationals spring training facilities in West Palm Beach, Fla., for a few days of workouts and exhibition games before taking off for the tournament in Brazil, which begins Tuesday

This will be the first time playing for Canada’s senior national team for the former graduate of the Langley Blaze.

“I got the call a couple of months ago saying that they were putting the team together and I jumped at the opportunity,” Darvill said. “I played with the Junior National Team when I was in high school, so I have a bit of a rapport with some of the coaches. Paul Quantrill was on some of those trips (with the Junior National Team), and obviously Greg Hamilton was the head coach, so I’m pretty excited about it.”

Of the seven-team field in Brazil, the top four nations will qualify for the Pan American Games, which will take place this July in Lima, Peru. Canada is the two-time defending baseball gold medalists at the Pan Am Games, having defeated the United States for the title in 2011 and again in 2015.

Though he is a Senior National Team rookie, Darvill has plenty of familiar faces on the team with him.

Darvill will be reunited with with catcher Kellin Deglan (Langley, BC) in high school with Canada’s Junior National Team (2008-09) as well as with the Langley Blaze. He also has a history with southpaw hurler Evan Rutckyj (Windsor, Ont.), winning a championship together in Winnipeg in 2016. Finally, Darvill trains with catcher Dustin Houle (Penticton, BC) in the off season.

A versatile defender who can play multiple positions on the infield, Darvill brings more than 800 games of minor league and professional experience. He played his first seven seasons with the Cubs organization where he reached double-A in 2014-15 before being released and signing with Winnipeg where he became a core piece of the Goldeyes’ American Association titles in 2016-17. Most recently, Darvill was with the LA Dodgers where he played at three different levels in 2018 and reached triple-A for the first time in his career.

“It’s been a long 10 years playing professional baseball all over the place,” Darvill reflected. “It’s been a ton of fun, I pretty much grew up in the game as a high school draft pick and did a lot of learning and maturing, and growing into my body early in my pro career.”

Wherever Darvill goes, success seems to follow, having been a part of five championship teams.

“I’ve been privileged to be part of a lot of really good organizations from the Cubs to the Goldeyes who are a first-class organization, and then the Dodgers who are another great organization,” Darvill said. “I’ve been fortunate to be a part of five championships in 10 years, so I think I’ve got a pretty good idea what it takes to win at the highest level and be part of a team and be a good teammate.”

Carrying the wisdom of all those experiences, Darvill knows that part of his role in the game is to pass down what he can to the next generation of players. To that end, he has joined the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) as an off-season assistant coach the past three seasons.

The coaching staff of the Cascades, who compete in the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC), is headed by Shawn Corness, a former assistant at the University of British Columbia and a former head coach at Kwantlen University. Kyle Lotzkar (Delta, BC), a first-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2007 and a teammate of Darvill’s in Winnipeg, is an assistant.

“I was was taking some classes, and Kyle mentioned to me that he was involved in coaching the UFV program, and I jumped aboard,” Darvill said.

Darvill attends the team’s practices during the off season and contributes in a range of areas including base running, fielding and hitting.

“I think I’m able to pass on a lot of experience from playing a lot of positions at almost the highest level and tell them and show them what it takes to get to that level,” Darvill said. “The type of work ethic and respect for the game you need to have, and having your daily process to have your body ready and keep it strong for a long season.”

Just as important to the physical side, Darvill is able to help players with the mental side of their game.

“I help them think about in-game adjustments and the mindset of staying positive and embracing failure to an extent, and working past it,” Darvill said. “I try to pass on my experience any way I can.”

Having been a part of five championship teams as a professional, Darvill says he encourages players to try to simplify their focus by controlling what they can control and be a good teammate.

Currently a free agent, Darvill does have some irons in the fire as he does hope to continue his career, but right now, he is solely focused on being part of another winning team by helping his country qualify for the Pan Am Games.

“I’ve been working hard, training five, six days a week and doing what I can to control what I can control,” Darvill said. “I’ll go to this tournament and if an opportunity presents itself afterwards, I’ll be ready. It’s been a lot of fun and I’m just looking to keep the journey going.”