Pivetta, Naylor, Guerrero Jr., Smith headline list of candidates for Tip O’Neill Award
Victoria Eagles alum and San Diego Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) and Ontario Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners slugger Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) are two of the top candidates for the 2025 Tip O’Neill Awad.
November 17, 2025
Official Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame News Release
St. Marys, Ont. – With so many Canadians enjoying standout seasons in 2025, it will be a close competition for this year’s Tip O’Neill Award.
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame presents this award annually to the Canadian player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball’s highest ideals.
San Diego Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) enjoyed his best major league season in 2025, topping his club and all Canadian big league hurlers in wins (13), innings pitched (181 2/3) and WAR (5.3). For his efforts, he finished sixth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.
Meanwhile, Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) led all Canadian big leaguers in batting average (.295), RBIs (92) and stolen bases (30) in a season split between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners.
Reigning Tip O’Neill Award recipient Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) also had a strong season, batting .292 with 23 home runs before taking his game to the next level in the postseason where he led major league players with eight home runs and was named MVP of the American League Championship Series.
In Cleveland, Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) took over as the Guardians closer in the season’s final two months and finished with 16 saves and 104 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings.
And they weren’t the only Canadians to star in the big leagues in 2025. Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) set a career-high with 14 home runs for the Guardians, while right-hander Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.) and left-hander Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) were key late-inning relievers for the Mariners’ and Guardians’ respectively.
And no less than five Canadians – Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.), Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.), Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.), Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) and Jonah Tong (Markham, Ont.) – made their MLB debuts.
So, in a year with so many highlights, how do you choose which Canadian stood out the most?
That’s the dilemma the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame faces, and they would like your input to determine Canada’s top performer as they prepare to choose their 2025 James “Tip” O’Neill Award winner.
The Hall encourages you to vote for the players you think are worthy of this award by 5 p.m. E.T. on Thursday, November 20. You can e-mail your top three choices (please be clear on your first, second and third selections) to baseball@baseballhalloffame.ca.
Fan votes will be one of the criteria the Hall will take into account when selecting the winner, which will be announced on December 4.
Here’s a summary of the prime contenders for the 2025 Tip O’Neill Award in alphabetical order. (The Hall also welcomes write-in votes for players not on this list):
Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.)
Black spent the bulk of the campaign with the Milwaukee Brewers’ Triple-A Nashville Sounds, where he batted .243 and had a .369 on-base percentage with four home runs and 22 stolen bases in 61 games. He also hit .250 with an RBI in five games with the big league Brewers.
Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.)
Brash served as a key setup man for the Mariners after his return from Tommy John surgery in early May. In 53 relief appearances, the 6-foot-1 right-hander posted a 2.47 ERA and had 21 holds and four saves. He fanned 58 batters in 47 1/3 innings. He also recorded a 2.00 ERA in eight postseason appearances, striking out 10 batters in nine innings.
Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.)
In 99 games with the Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa, Caissie batted .286 and posted an .937 OPS with 22 home runs, 55 RBIs and five stolen bases. For his efforts, he received his first big league call-up on August 14. He belted a home run and had four RBIs in 12 major league games. Following the season, the left-handed hitting slugger was named a Triple-A All-Star by Minor League Baseball.
Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.)
Clarke also made his big league debut in 2025. In 31 games for the A’s Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators prior to his call-up on May 23, the speedy outfielder batted .286 and posted a .436 on-base percentage. After his promotion, he made several highlight reel catches in centre field for the A’s, which made him the first player to win the MLB Electric Play of the Week award in three consecutive weeks and earned him the Capital One Premier Play of the year at the MLB Awards. In total in 47 major league contests, he batted .230 with three home runs, eight doubles and two triples.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.)
The Blue Jays slugger, who was selected to the All-Star Game, topped Canadian-born major leaguers in home runs (23), on-base percentage (.381), OPS (.848), hits (172), runs (96), doubles (34) and walks (81) in 2025. Overall, his on-base percentage was the sixth-best in the majors, while he ranked 10th in hits. In 18 games in the postseason, he batted .397 and topped all batters in home runs (8 tied), RBIs (15) and OPS (1.289). For his efforts, he was named the MVP of the American League Championship Series. He was also a finalist for the American League’s Hank Aaron Award, the AL Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards at first base.
Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.)
In his rookie season with the Miami Marlins, this 26-year-old catcher batted .247 with a .346 on-base percentage with six home runs and 45 RBIs in 119 games. His 43 walks were the fourth-most by a rookie and his on-base percentage ranked eighth among first-year players. His 45 RBIs were the fourth-most by a Canadian in the majors in 2025.
Edouard Julien (Quebec City, Que.)
Julien hit .220 with three home runs, 12 RBIs, 10 doubles and 22 walks in 64 games in his third season with the Minnesota Twins. He saved his best for last, hitting .310 in his final 16 games. The 26-year-old infielder also had 11 home runs and a .415 OBP in 70 games for the Triple-A St. Paul Saints.
Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.)
The younger Naylor brother set career-highs in home runs (14), doubles (22), RBIs (47) and walks (45) during the regular season for the Guardians. The 25-year-old catcher also posted a career-best 1.1 dWAR. Naylor was at his best in the season’s final month when he batted .290 with three home runs, 16 RBIs and an .872 OPS in 19 games. Off the field, the Junior National Team alum was named the Guardians’ Roberto Clemente Award nominee for his charitable efforts.
Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.)
Splitting his season between the Diamondbacks and the Mariners, Naylor topped all Canadian major leaguers in batting average (.295), RBIs (92) and stolen bases (30). He also finished second among Canuck big leaguers in hits (160), runs (81), home runs (20), doubles (29) and walks (48). Like his younger brother, Naylor was at his best in September when he batted .364 and had a .982 OPS in 22 games for the Mariners. He also became the fourth first baseman in MLB history and just the second Canadian to record 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season (Larry Walker was the first with the Colorado Rockies in 1997). In 12 games in the postseason, the Junior National Team alum batted .340, with a .966 OPS and led the M’s with 16 hits. Naylor also set several Canadian postseason records, including becoming the first Canuck to have four, three-hit games in the same postseason. In Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, he belted a two-run home run to become the first Canadian to homer against the Blue Jays in Canada in the postseason.
Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.)
In his first season with the Baltimore Orioles, O’Neill batted .199 and clubbed nine home runs and had 26 RBIs in 54 games. He recorded 36 hits, 22 runs, four stolen bases and 22 walks in an injury-shortened campaign.
Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.)
Thanks to his defensive heroics in the outfield with the Tampa Bay Rays’ Triple-A Durham Bulls, Peters became a regular on the minor league highlight reels this season. He was also a strong contributor at the plate for the Bulls, hitting .266 with a .355 on-base percentage with 15 home runs, 76 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. For his efforts, he was named the Bulls’ MVP. He also made his big league debut with the Rays, getting into four games with them in August.
Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.)
After signing a four-year contract with the Padres in the off-season, Pivetta proceeded to lead all Canadian big league pitchers in wins (13), starts (31), innings pitched (181 2/3) strikeouts (190) and WAR (5.3). His WAR made him just the ninth Canadian-born pitcher in MLB history have a WAR of 5 or better in a season. He was also fourth among all major league pitchers in opponents’ batting average (.195), fifth in WHIP (0.985) and hits per innings pitched (6.39), ninth in ERA (2.87) and 10th in quality starts (19). His regular season performance earned him the start in the first game of the Padres’ Wild-Card series against the Chicago Cubs. In that start, he allowed just two runs on three hits in five innings and struck out nine batters, which tied a single-game Canadian postseason record (set by James Paxton with the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the 2019 ALCS). For his efforts, he finished sixth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.
Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.)
Quantrill signed with the Miami Marlins in February and went 4-10 with a 5.50 ERA in 24 starts with them before making his final two starts with the Atlanta Braves in late August. His 26 starts and 117 2/3 innings pitched were second among Canadian-born MLB hurlers in 2025.
Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.)
In his first year with the Phillies, Romano, the 2022 Tip O’Neill Award winner, registered eight saves and posted an 8.23 ERA in 49 relief appearances. He had 47 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings before he was sidelined by a season-ending finger injury in late August.
Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.)
After missing the first three months of the season with left elbow inflammation, Sabrowski returned to become a key member of the Guardians’ bullpen. In 33 relief appearances, he posted a 1.84 ERA and fanned 42 batters in 29 1/3 innings. That was good for a 12.9 K/9 rate. He permitted just one earned run in his final 11 regular season appearances.
Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.)
Smith continued to be an extremely valuable member of the Guardians’ bullpen in his second big league season. The 26-year-old right-hander posted an 8-5 record and a 2.93 ERA in 76 relief appearances and struck out 104 batters in 73 2/3 innings. This made him just the third Canadian reliever to have back-to-back 100-strikeout seasons (joining John Hiller (Toronto, Ont.) and Eric Gagne (Mascouche, Que.)). Smith took over as the Guardians’ closer in late July and finished with 16 saves, which was the most by a Canadian major leaguer this season. His 76 games were the fifth-most by a major league reliever.
Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.)
Last December, Soroka signed with the Washington Nationals and he would post a 3-8 record and a 4.87 ERA, while striking out 87 batters in 81 1/3 innings, in 16 starts for the Nats before he was dealt to the Cubs at the trade deadline. He made one start with the Cubs before suffering a shoulder strain which sidelined him for almost six weeks. Upon his return, the Cubs used him exclusively as a reliever. He didn’t permit an earned run in five September relief appearances for the Cubs. He also pitched in two postseason games.
Jonah Tong (Markham, Ont.)
Tong put together one of the most dominant minor league seasons in recent history, combining to go 10-5 with a 1.43 ERA in 22 starts between the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Triple-A Syracuse Mets. His 179 strikeouts were the most by any pitcher in the affiliated minor league ranks this season. He also topped all minor league hurlers in ERA and opponents’ batting average (.148). For his efforts, he was named Mets’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Eastern League Pitcher of the Year and Baseball America’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He was also selected a First Team Minor League All-Star by Baseball America. His minor league dominance earned him his first big league call-up in late August. In five major league starts with the Mets, he went 2-3 with a 7.71 ERA and had 22 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings.
Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.)
The versatile Toro was a valuable contributor for the Boston Red Sox for a significant part of the season. In 77 games, he batted .239 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. He had 62 hits – including 13 doubles – and 33 runs. He spent the rest of the season with Triple-A Worcester where he hit .272 with eight home runs and recorded an .839 OPS in 51 games.
Jared Young (Prince George, B.C.)
Signed by the Mets last December, Young batted a combined .303 with 18 home runs, 52 RBIs and a .969 OPS in 79 games with the Class-A St. Lucie Mets and the Triple-A Syracuse Mets. He also belted four homes in 22 games with the big league Mets.
Rob Zastryzny (Edmonton, Alta.)
After beginning the season in Triple-A in the Yankees’ organization, Zastryzny was purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers on May 16. With the Brew Crew, he developed into a go-to left-handed reliever for the club. In 26 appearances, he went 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA and fanned 20 in 22 innings.
The Hall’s Tip O’Neill Award is named after Woodstock, Ont., native James “Tip” O’Neill who was one of Major League Baseball’s first legitimate stars. With the American Association’s St. Louis Browns in 1887, O’Neill set then big league records in hits, doubles, slugging percentage and total bases, while compiling a major league record .492 batting average. Walks were counted as hits in 1887, but if O’Neill’s average was calculated by today’s standards, it would be .435. With so many Canadians enjoying standout seasons in 2025, it will be a close competition for this year’s Tip O’Neill Award.
Past winners of the James “Tip” O’Neill Award:
1984 – Terry Puhl
1985 – Dave Shipanoff
1986 – Rob Ducey
1987 – Larry Walker
1988 – Kevin Reimer
1989 – Steve Wilson
1990 – Larry Walker
1991 – Daniel Brabant
1992 – Larry Walker
1993 – Rob Butler
1994 – Larry Walker
1995 – Larry Walker
1996 – Jason Dickson
1997 – Larry Walker
1998 – Larry Walker
1999 – Jeff Zimmerman
2000 – Ryan Dempster
2001 – Corey Koskie
2001 – Larry Walker
2002 – Eric Gagné
2002 – Larry Walker
2003 – Eric Gagné
2004 – Jason Bay
2005 – Jason Bay
2006 – Justin Morneau
2007 – Russell Martin
2008 – Justin Morneau
2009 – Jason Bay
2010 – Joey Votto
2011 – Joey Votto
2011 – John Axford
2012 – Joey Votto
2013 – Joey Votto
2014 – Justin Morneau
2015 – Joey Votto
2016 – Joey Votto
2017 – Joey Votto
2018 – James Paxton
2019 – Mike Soroka
2020 – Jamie Romak
2021 – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
2022 – Jordan Romano
2023 – Josh Naylor
2024 – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.