The Canisius view: Siddall named No. 43 Most Influential Canadian in baseball

Canisius baseball grad Brett Siddall (Windsor, Ont.), along with his, dad, ex-big league catcher and current Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster, Joe, share the No. 43 spot on the 2018 Most Influential Canadians in Baseball list. Photo Credit: Cansius

Official press release from Canisius Athletics

Former Canisius baseball standout Brett Siddall was named one of the most influential Canadians in baseball by the Canadian Baseball Network on Sunday. Siddall and his father, former major league catcher and current Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Joe Siddall, came in at No. 43 on the list of 100.

This is the second year that the younger Siddall has made the rankings next to his father.

The annual list is compiled by Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network. Elliott has covered baseball for more than 30 years, covering the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays before announcing his retirement in 2016.

Elliott was the recipient of the 2012 J.G. Taylor Spink Award by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The Spink Award is the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

The younger Siddall, a 13th round pick by the Oakland Athletics in 2015, split the 2018 season between Oakland's class-A and AA affiliates, the Stockton Ports and Midland RockHounds. The outfielder finished the season with a .208 batting average with 15 doubles, eight homers and 50 RBI over 119 games. Siddall also appeared in five postseason games for the Ports, collecting six hits, one home run, five RBI and a .500 on-base percentage.

At Canisius, Siddall was a two-time All-MAAC First Team selection and the 2015 MAAC Player of the Year, also earning All-American and All-Canadian honors during his time as a Golden Griffin. The Windsor, Ontario native was a member of the 2013 and 2015 MAAC Championship teams.

Former Canisius head coach Mike McRae was also on the annual list, ranking at No. 51, while former Griffs pitcher John Axford, most recently with the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers, was an honorable mention.

Head Coach Matt Mazurek and the 2019 Canisius baseball team begin its title defense on Feb. 15, when the squad opens a three-game series at North Carolina Central in Durham, N.C. The season opener is set for 4 p.m.