Glew - BWDIK - 2026 MLB draft, Caissie, Hicks, Lopez, O'Neill, Peters, Romano, Smith
Miami Marlins catcher and Toronto Mets alum Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) deserved serious All-Star Game consideration.
July 12, 2026
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Some Canadian baseball news and notes
Canadians selected in MLB draft
Three Canadians and one dual Canadian/American citizen were selected on the first day of the MLB draft on Saturday. Here’s a summary (You can click on their names to read a Canadian Baseball Network profile about them.):
OF Carter Beck (Carnduff, Sask.) – first round, 26th overall by the Atlanta Braves
INF Taj Marchand (Charleston, S.C.) – first round, 33rd overall by the Tampa Bay Rays. His father was born in Montreal.
SS Elliot Lascelles (Toronto, Ont.) – second round, 60th overall by the San Diego Padres
LHP Sean Duncan (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) – second round, 63rd overall by the New York Yankees
Rounds 1 through 4 of the MLB draft were held on Saturday. The draft continues with rounds 5 through 20 today.
Peters named All-Star after cycle
On the day after he hit for the cycle, Chicago White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) was named to the American League All-Star team as an injury replacement for Oakland A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz.
In first full major league season, Peters is batting .302 with six home runs and 35 RBIs in 90 games. His 3.0 WAR ranks second on the White Sox.
Over the past couple of days, Canadian baseball stats guru Neil Munro and I have heard a few times that Peters became the second Canadian to hit for the cycle in the majors when he accomplished the feat against the A’s on Friday.
(Note: I wrote about Peters’ cycle yesterday. You can read my article here.)
Peters was, in fact, the fourth Canadian to hit for a major league cycle (per both Munro and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame).
Milwaukee Brewers catcher George Kottaras (Scarborough, Ont.) completed the feat on September 3, 2011 against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
But as Munro noted to me an email yesterday, two Canadians – Tip O’Neill (Woodstock, Ont.) and George Wood (Pownal, P.E.I.) – hit for the cycle before the 20th century. Munro even had the dates.
Wood did it for the National League’s Detroit Wolverines against the Chicago Cubs on June 13, 1885.
And amazingly, O’Neill hit for the cycle twice in just over a week while with the American Association’s St. Louis Browns in 1887 – on April 30 against the Cleveland Blues and on May 7 against the Louisville Colonels.
O’Neill finding power stroke
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) belted home runs in three consecutive at bats against the White Sox on Wednesday and Thursday.
With this power outburst, he has four home runs in his last seven games. It also gives him 124 in his major league career, which moves him into a tie with Corey Koskie (Anola, Man.) for the ninth most by a Canadian.
On Thursday, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame also noted that O’Neill played his 700th MLB game, which made him the 26th Canadian-born player to reach that milestone.
Lopez headed to All-Star game as MLB leader in hits, batting average
Coming off winning the National League’s Player of the Week award for June 29 to July 5, Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez has four more hits this week to up his major league-leading total to 127. He also leads MLB with a .339 batting average.
After today’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, Lopez will head to Philadelphia to play in his first MLB All-Star Game.
The 27-year-old shortstop spent part of his youth in Montreal. He has played for Canada at the last two World Baseball Classics.
Miami Marlins outfielder and Fieldhouse Pirates grad Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain.
Caissie placed on injured list
Marlins outfielder Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain.
It’s unfortunate timing because the Canuck slugger had been swinging a hot bat. On Thursday against the Seattle Mariners, he belted his 12th home run of the season.
In his last 15 games, Caissie is batting .306 with four home runs and 10 RBIs and has a healthy .667 slugging percentage.
For the season, he’s hitting .239 with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs in 80 games.
The Fieldhouse Pirates and Junior National Team grad is in his first season with the Marlins after being acquired from the Chicago Cubs as part of the package for right-hander Edward Cabrera on January 7.
Hicks should’ve been an All-Star
A strong case could be made that Marlins catcher Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) deserved to be selected to the MLB All-Star Game.
The 27-year-old Canuck is batting .289 with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs in 84 games in his breakout sophomore campaign. He has a .459 slugging percentage and an .821 OPS. Most of his offensive numbers rank near the top among National League catchers. But the fact that he also been used at first base and DH by the Marlins probably hurt his All-Star chances.
Jordan Shusterman, a senior writer at Yahoo! Sports, has Hicks as the DH on his 2026 All-Snub MLB All-Star Team. Shusterman notes Hicks is also just one of eight qualified major league hitters with more walks (32) than strikeouts (30) this season.
The Marlins chose Hicks in the Rule 5 draft from the Detroit Tigers in December 2024. He was originally taken in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers.
Smith headed to first All-Star Game as MLB saves leader
Guardians closer Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) is headed to his first All-Star Game with a major league-leading 28 saves.
In 41 appearances this season, he owns a 2-1 record and a 2.70 ERA and has fanned 61 in 43 1/3 innings.
And if there’s a player out there reading this who’s looking for a little inspiration on MLB draft weekend, Smith was initially selected in the 16th round by the Minnesota Twins in 2017. He opted not to sign and to attend the University of Hawaii.
In 2020, he was signed by the Guardians as a free agent.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Since making his MLB debut in 2024, Smith has arguably been the best reliever in the majors. In 191 career appearances, the 6-foot-5 right-hander owns a 16-7 record and a 2.48 ERA. He has struck out 268 batters in 192 1/3 innings. That’s good for a rate of 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
Romano closing for Rockies
Speaking of Canadian closers, Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) is back in the big leagues and closing games for the Colorado Rockies.
Since being activated by the Rockies on July 4, Romano has registered two saves. His first came against the Giants on Sunday and his second on Tuesday against the Dodgers. In total, in four appearances with the Rockies, he has a 2.45 ERA and five strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.
The veteran reliever started the season with the Los Angeles Angels before he was designated for assignment on April 26 after posting a 10.13 ERA in 11 games.
The Rockies signed Romano to a minor league contract on May 6 and he recorded a 3.72 ERA in 10 outings between Rookie ball and triple-A prior to his promotion.
The 33-year-old right-hander had a rough 2025 season with the Philadelphia Phillies, but prior to that, he notched 105 saves and was a two-time All-Star in his six seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Terry Puhl (Melville, Sask.) made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros 49 years ago today.
Anniversary of Puhl’s MLB debut
Forty-nine years ago today, Terry Puhl (Melville, Sask.) made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros.
He was sent in as a defensive replacement for left fielder Jim Fuller in the top of the eighth inning in an Astros’ 8-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Astrodome.
The following day, he recorded his first MLB hit when he singled in the 13th inning and scored the game-winning run on a walk-off double by Bob Watson in the Astros’ 3-2 win over the Dodgers.
First episode of Blue Jays Way doc to debut on Sportsnet tonight
The first of seven one-hour episodes of the much anticipated “The Blue Jays Way” documentary, created to celebrate the club’s 50th season, will air at 8 p.m. E.T. tonight on Sportsnet.
“The Blue Jays Way traces the franchise’s evolution from an ambitious expansion club in 1977 to a championship contender and cultural institution that has united generations of Canadian baseball fans,” says a release from Sportsnet about the doc. “Through exclusive stories from current players and alumni, rare archival footage, and never-before-heard stories from players, executives, and broadcast personalities, the series explores the defining moments that shaped one of Canada’s most iconic sports franchises.”
Tonight’s episode will focus on the early years of the team.
A new episode will be broadcast on each of the following six Sundays.
Cerantola claimed off waivers by Giants
After being designated for assignment by the Kansas City Royals on July 2, right-hander Eric Cerantola (Oakville, Ont.) was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco Giants on Monday.
He has been assigned to the Giants’ triple-A Sacramento River Cats where he is pitching alongside fellow Canadian Matt Wilkinson (Ladner, B.C.).
Cerantola tossed a scoreless eighth inning and recorded a hold against the Salt Lake Bees in his River Cats’ debut on Thursday.
The Royals let Cerantola go after he walked six batters in 1 1/3 innings in an outing against the Rays on June 30. He had been called up for the second time this season by the Royals on June 27.
The 26-year-old right-hander was excellent in relief for the Royals’ triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers this year, notching 14 saves while posting a 2.67 ERA in 27 appearances. He struck out 43 batters in 30 1/3 innings.
Taken in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB draft out of Mississippi State University by the Royals, he is in his sixth pro season.
Remembering Ron Fairly
Ron Fairly, the only player to be named an All-Star as a member of the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays, was born on this date in 1938 in Macon, Ga.
The left-handed hitting Fairly was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1958. He would play parts of 12 seasons with the Dodgers and collect three World Series rings (1959, 1963, 1965).
On June 11, 1969, he was dealt to the Expos with Paul Popovich for Maury Wills and Manny Mota. The outfielder/first baseman proceeded to bat .289 and post a .358 on-base percentage (OBP) and belt 12 home runs in 70 games for the Expos in their inaugural season. Four years later, he enjoyed his best campaign with the Expos, batting .298, socking 17 home runs and recording a .422 on-base percentage. That season he walked 86 times and struck out only 33 times. For his efforts, he was named to the National League All-Star team.
After parts of six seasons with the Expos, Fairly was swapped to the St. Louis Cardinals for minor league infielders Rudy Kinard and Ed Kurpiel. He hit .289 in 180 games with the Cardinals before his contract was purchased by the Oakland A’s on September 14, 1976.
Fairly played just 15 games with the A’s prior to be dealt to the Blue Jays on February 24, 1977 for minor leaguer Mike Weathers. When the 39-year-old Fairly suited up for the Blue Jays in 1977, it made him the first – and only – big leaguer to play for both the Expos and the Blue Jays in their inaugural seasons.
Hitting in the middle of the order for the Blue Jays, Fairly was one of the club’s only consistent offensive threats in their first season that saw them lose 107 games. In 132 contests for the Blue Jays, he batted .279 and set a career-high with 19 home runs and became the first Blue Jay selected to the All-Star game.
Following the 1977 campaign, the Blue Jays dealt Fairly to the Angels, where he batted .217 in 89 contests to close out his playing career.
In all, in 2,442 big league games spanning 21 seasons, Fairly batted .266 with 215 home runs.
He went on to enjoy a successful second career as a broadcaster, first with the Angels, then with the Giants starting in 1987 before joining the Mariners broadcast crew as a colour commentator in 1993. He worked 14 seasons in the M’s booth before retiring in 2006.
He passed away in 2019.