Glew: California Winter League stint helps Barker land with Titans
“If you’re a Canadian baseball prospect in search of your first professional contract, there are far worse ways to spend a month of the winter than showcasing your skills in Palm Springs, Calif.
Carson Barker (Alliston, Ont.) can attest to this.
From mid-January to mid-February, the 22-year-old catcher competed in the California Winter League, an eight-team circuit that recently concluded its 15th season.
“Palm Springs was absolutely gorgeous,” said Barker. “I loved Palm Springs. It was a really, really great experience.”
On top of the beautiful weather, Barker’s tenure in the California Winter League helped him land a contract with the independent Frontier League’s Ottawa Titans in early February.”
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Elliott: Martin, Manoah , Bonilla, Hechavarria, Guerrero are Jays top bonu$ babie$
Why not take a look at the previous Toronto Blue Jays signing bonuses on Spring Breakout weekend?
Like any list for organizations, there are hits, there are misses and as always — there are memories.
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Glew: Canadians in pro baseball off-season tracker
Canadian Baseball Network editor Kevin Glew has attempted to document all of the updates and transactions involving Canadians in the professional ranks this off-season.
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Otto the Swatto Lopez goes deep for San Fran
Otto López (Montreal, Que.) hit a two-run home run in his first game in a San Francisco Giants uniform.
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Blue Jays purchase Elliott's contract from Ottawa Titans
The Toronto Blue Jays purchased the contract of Ottawa Titans’ right-handed pitcher Evan Elliott (Toronto, Ont.) on Friday.
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Ottawa Titans sign Conor Angel
The Ottawa Titans have signed right-hander Conor Angel (Pointe-Claire, Que.).
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Pineau returns to hometown Thunder Bay Border Cats
Hometown hurler Jack Pineau is one of the first three players the Thunder Bay Border Cats have signed for the 2024 season.
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McFarland: Coutney focused on what he can control heading into second pro season
“Matt Coutney remembers the exact moment when he realized that professional baseball was going to be a grind.
In his final two seasons at Old Dominion University (2021-2022), the Wetaskiwin product played a total of 117 games.
On his way to playing 121 games in 2023 in the Los Angeles Angels’ farm system, it was a roadtrip to California when he started to understand what many others had told him about life in the pros.
“It was game 32 and I was thinking to myself, ‘I have 100 games left – there’s no way I’m going to be able to make it through this,’” Coutney told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. “As the year goes on, you hit certain benchmarks – you make it another week, you make it another month – and the next think you know, the season is over.”
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Ottawa Titans sign Barker
The Ottawa Titans have signed catcher Carson Barker (Alliston, Ont.).
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Fitzpatrick: Kole Cottam wins Canadian Baseball Network’s Murray Zuk Award
Slugger Kole Cottam, whose family is from Burlington, Ont., is the winner of the Canadian Baseball Network’s 2023 Murray Zuk Award winner, as the top Canadian hitter in the foreign or independent pro ranks.
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Betts: Black honoured to join buddy Julien as Randy Echlin Award winner
Toronto Mets alum Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) was in Arizona at the Milwaukee Brewers facility when he found out he’d been named the Canadian Baseball Network Randy Echlin Award winner as the top Canadian hitter in the affiliated ranks.
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Shushkewich: Dykxhoorn takes Claude Pelletier award, as top arm in foreign ranks
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions ace Brock Dykxhoorn (Goderich, Ont.) has won the Canadian Baseball Network’s 2023 Claude Pelletier Award, as the top Canuck pitcher in the independent or foreign pro ranks.
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Verge: Cade Smith wins CBN's Wayne Norton Award, as top minor league pitcher
Abbotsford Cardinals alum and Cleveland Guardians pitching prospect Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) has been named the Canadian Baseball Network’s 2023 Wayne Norton Award winner, as top Canadian pitcher in the affiliated minor league ranks.
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Goldeyes sign Adam Hall
Great Lake Canadians and Junior National Team alum and former Baltimore Orioles prospect Adam Hall (London, Ont.) has signed with the Winnipeg Goldeyes.
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Black, Smith, Cottam, Dykxhoorn 2023 CBN award winners
The Canadian Baseball Network named the winners of its 2023 awards for top Canadian minor league hitter and pitcher and top foreign/independent ball hitter and pitcher on Friday.
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McFarland: Bourassa back for fourth season with Goldeyes
“It won’t be long before Landen Bourassa has the key to the city in Winnipeg.
The Lethbridge, Alta., native has become a staple of the starting rotation for the independent American Association’s Winnipeg Goldeyes over the past three years, while taking pride in becoming an involved member of the sports community.
In that time, he has posted a 20-11 record with a 4.17 ERA in 43 games for the Goldeyes, and is set to improve those numbers as he has a new contract with the team for 2024.”
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Shushkewich: MacKinnon excited about his new role with KC Royals
“If you look across Canada, you will see a wide array of teams from coast to coast — from travel ball teams such as the Ontario Blue Jays out to the prairies, where the Medicine Hat Mavericks suit up in the Western Canadian Baseball League.
For Cheltenham, Ont. product Kyle MacKinnon, these teams were just some of the organizations that were stepping stones for his newest opportunity. He was recently named the assistant hitting coach of the Columbia Fireflies, the single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.”
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Final 2023 minor league/affiliated top 10 Canuck stats
Final 2023 minor league/affiliated top 10 Canuck stats
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Betts: Who’s Canada’s next Edouard Julien, Matt Brash?
Who will be the first Canadian to make their major league debut in 2024?
Canadian Baseball Network writer Matt Betts offers three strong candidates.
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Verge: Trailblazing Stephenson preparing for second season as pro coach, World Cup
“I like to think that I was always going to be someone who really tries to push boundaries and tries to make things happen in whatever I want to do,” Women’s National Team great and Vancouver Canadians coach Ashley Stephenson (Mississauga, Ont.) recently told Canadian Baseball Network writer Melissa Verge. “I don’t want to be mediocre at things, I want to be exceptional at things. And sometimes to do that you’ve got to take scary steps.”
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