BWDIK: Brash, Naylor, O'Neill, Pivetta, Smith, Soulliere, Stieb
Junior National Team alum Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) has a National League-leading nine wins for the San Diego Padres this season. Photo: San Diego Padres
July 6, 2025
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Some Canadian baseball news and notes from the past week:
Pivetta strengthens All-Star case
The reserves for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be announced at 5 p.m. E.T. today and San Diego Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) should be one of the National League selections.
The Canadian right-hander boosted his chances when he picked up his NL-leading ninth win on Wednesday when he allowed just one run in six innings in his start against the Philadelphia Phillies. He also struck out six batters and now has 1,246 strikeouts in his big-league career, which ties him with Erik Bedard (Navan, Ont.) for the third-most by a Canadian.
Pivetta is also first among NL starting pitchers in winning percentage (.818), fifth in WHIP (1.041), seventh in hits per nine innings (7.144) and ninth in strikeouts per nine innings (9.928).
The 32-year-old Canuck has never been an All-Star. He is in his ninth big league season, but his first with the Padres after signing a back-loaded four-year, $55-million contract in February.
Cade Smith returns to Guardians’ bullpen
On Thursday, Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) struck out two and hurled a scoreless sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs in his return to game action. He had been sidelined with back spasms since June 22.
He fanned two more in another scoreless inning against the Tigers on Saturday.
The Canuck right-hander has followed up his outstanding rookie season with a superb sophomore campaign. So far in 2025, the 6-foot-5 reliever owns a 2.23 ERA and has fanned 57 batters and recorded 15 holds in 36 1/3 innings in 38 appearances.
Like Pivetta, Smith is also worthy of an All-Star nod.
Last season, Smith had a 6-1 record and a 1.91 ERA in 74 relief appearances and struck out 103 batters in 75 1/3 innings. For his efforts, he finished fifth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and ninth in AL Cy Young voting.
Freeman, Guerrero Jr. voted All-Star Game starters
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) has been voted the American League’s starting first baseman for the third time in the last four seasons. It will be his fifth All-Star Game overall. The right-handed hitting slugger has been solid but not spectacular for the Blue Jays this season, batting .279 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs in 87 games.
Freddie Freeman was voted the National League’s starting first baseman. This was Freeman’s ninth All-Star Game selection. He has been a starter in five of the last eight seasons. Freeman, who was born in California to Canadian parents, is batting .308 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs in 77 games this season.
Josh Naylor returns from neck injury
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor returned to the D-Backs’ lineup on Wednesday after missing four games with a neck injury.
He has gone 3-for-12 with three RBIs in three games since being back.
Naylor leads Canadian-born big leaguers in several offensive categories this season, including batting average (.302), hits (92), doubles (18), RBIs (56) and stolen bases (10).
He played in his first All-Star Game last season while he was with the Guardians.
Most RBIs by a player born in Canada in 2025
56 – Josh Naylor
44 -Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
28 – Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.)
20 – Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.)
17 – Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.)
11 – Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.)
8 – Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.), Edouard Julien (Quebec City, Que.)
4 – Jared Young (Prince George, B.C.)
Brash’s scoreless streak ends
Seattle Mariners reliever Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.) finally permitted a run in his 20th appearance of the season on Wednesday. He surrendered a run on three hits to the Kansas City Royals in the eighth inning but still registered a hold in the M’s 3-2 victory.
Prior to that, Brash had made 19 consecutive scoreless relief appearances since being activated on May 3. His season ERA sits at 0.47. He has 20 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings.
It has been a remarkable return for Brash who had not pitched in the big leagues since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2024.
In 2023, the 6-foot-1 righty developed into a go-to late-inning reliever for the Mariners. He led major league pitchers with 78 appearances and had a 9-4 record and a 3.06 ERA.
Otto Lopez, who spent part of his youth in Montreal, plans to play for Canada in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Photo: Miami Marlins
Lopez confirms plans to play for Canada at WBC
Miami Marlins infielder Otto Lopez told Alfre Alvarez of Con Las Bases Llenas in an interview on Canada Day that he plans to play for Canada in the World Baseball Classic this coming March.
This will mark his second appearance for Canada in the tournament. He played in all four of Canada’s games at the 2023 WBC and went 5-for-17 (.294 batting average) with four runs, a home run, a triple and a team-leading six RBIs.
Lopez, who spent part of his youth in Montreal and played for the Junior National Team, has been hot for the Marlins. In his last 15 games, he is 19-for-60 (.317 batting average) with three home runs, 12 runs and 19 RBIs.
Lopez, an ex-Blue Jay, is in his second full season with the Marlins.
O’Neill activated from IL by O’s
The Baltimore Orioles activated Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) from the seven-day injured list on Friday and he went 1-for-3 with a walk in his first game back. He followed that up by clubbing a solo home run on Saturday.
He had been out with an impingement in his left shoulder since May 16. That represented O’Neill’s second tenure on the injured list with the O’s this season. He was previously sidelined by neck inflammation from April 26 to May 9.
In total, in 26 games in 2025, O’Neill is batting .193 with three home runs and 11 RBIs.
He signed a three-year, $49.5-million contract with the O’s in December. He belted 31 home runs for the Red Sox last season and played his first six big league campaigns with the Cardinals.
Pop signs with the New York Mets
Right-hander Zach Pop (Brampton, Ont.) has signed a major league contract with the New York Mets.
This came after he posted a 13.50 ERA in four relief appearances with the Mariners who designated him for assignment on June 26.
The Mets are Pop’s third major league organization this year. He spent the bulk of spring training with the Blue Jays before he was shelved with elbow discomfort and then subsequently released.
He was signed by the Mariners on April 16.
The 2024 campaign was a rough one for Pop. Although he made a career-high 58 relief appearances for the Blue Jays, he recorded a 5.59 ERA in 48 1/3 innings. In total, the Junior National Team grad recorded a 4.89 ERA in 90 appearances for the Blue Jays after being acquired from the Marlins on August 2, 2022.
Stieb became first Jays pitcher to start All-Star Game 42 years ago
Forty-two years ago today, Dave Stieb became the first Blue Jays pitcher to start an All-Star Game when he got the nod for the Midsummer Classic at Comiskey Park. He would toss three hitless innings, allowing only an unearned run, to earn the win for the American League over the National League. Stieb also had a sacrifice bunt in the contest that the AL won 13-3.
Happy Birthday to Bernie Soulliere!
Happy 88th Birthday to legendary Canadian baseball coach and executive Bernie Soulliere!
A local, provincial and national volunteer for more than half a century, Soulliere has helped transform Windsor, Ontario into one of Canada’s baseball hotbeds. The never-say-no Windsor native coached hometown teams to four Ontario championships and two national titles. He has also acted as chair of the three World Junior Championships hosted by Windsor in 1986, 1987 and 1993.
On a provincial level, Soulliere was the president of Baseball Ontario from 1993 to 1995 and served as the general manager of the Ontario teams that won three consecutive gold medals at the Canada Summer Games in 1981, 1985 and 1989. Nationally, he was vice-president of Baseball Canada from 1992 to 1997 and has acted as Team Canada’s business manager countless times, including at the World Baseball Classic.
Fun Fact of the Week
Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) was 7-5 with a 2.30 ERA with eight complete games in 15 appearances (14 starts) in Canadian big league ballparks (Jarry Park, Olympic Stadium and Exhibition Stadium) during his career.