Oh Canada! C's debut six Canadians this summer
All six of them knew that there was to be a certain amount of pressure being 'Canadian', but all six took it in stride and have made great progress over the course of the summer. Let's take a look at how they fared out at Scotiabank Field this past season.
RHP Eric Brown:
One of two University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to make the squad, Brown struggled out of the gates with a rough June and early July. But the right-handed pitcher from Thunder Bay, ON caught fire on a warm summer night in Yakima, WA striking out five over his three innings of work. He would strike out the final three batters he faced and suddenly the Northwest League had caught wind of who was packin' one of the best sliders in the game.
From Yakima, Brown who make five more appearances for the Canadians going 9 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball including 2 2/3 shutdown innings against Tri-City in a pressure packed game out at Scotiabank Field.
Brown was promoted to Lansing of the Midwest League on August 31st just hours after pitching 1 1/3 of scoreless baseball while striking out two.
RHP Brandon Kaye:
The other half of the UBC Thunderbirds tandem has also had an impressive first season as Brandon Kaye heads into the final week of the season. With a 1-2 record and a respectable ERA of 3.74, Kaye has had flashes of dominance over the course of the 2011 season.
Between July 30th through to August 19th, Kaye would not allow a run over five outings where he would pitch 6 2/3 innings while striking out seven and walking just a pair of hitters. He would go two scoreless innings against the top offense in the Northwest League helping the Canadians top the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes back on August 15th.
Kaye's innings have been limited in the second half only pitching 13 2/3 in his past ten games dating back to July 19th, but considering he's carrying an ERA of 1.54 vs. right-handed hitters heading into the final playoff push, expect interim manager Rich Miller to make the call for Kaye a few times before the dust has finally settled.
RHP Nick Purdy:
Of all the Canadians on this year's squad, Purdy's body of work is the smallest to work from as the native of Ajax, ON pitched in eight games for the C's before finding his way to both the Gulf Coast League (Rookie) and Bluefield of the Appalachian League.
With the Canadians, Purdy would struggle with an ERA well over eight (8.62) giving up 15 earned runs in just 15 2/3 innings pitched. But to the Toronto Blue Jays credit, they saw the issues with Purdy and since his assignment, he has gone a combined 4-0 with 44 strikeouts against just 13 walks and has an ERA under three (2.78).
Expect to see the return of Nick Purdy to the Canadians roster in 2012.
RHP Zach Breault:
The Vancouver Canadians opening day starter has been one of the rotation's bulldogs this summer as RHP Zach Breault has not missed an appearance all year racking up 66 1/3 innings over his 14 starts for the C's.
It's been a mixed bag for Breault this season with flashes of brilliance and mediocrity over the course of his season out at Scotiabank Field.
Between July 23rd and August 5th, Breault went 15 innings allowing just three earned runs while striking out 15 including four scoreless innings against the Tri-City Dust Devils (July 29) leading the C's to a key victory out at Scotiabank Field.
LHP Shane Davis:
After throwing nearly 100 innings out at Canisius College (NY) , left-handed pitcher Shane Davis has been used primarily as a 'specialist' out of the Canadians bullpen this summer as the Blue Jays try to preserve his arm for the years ahead.
Vancouver has been fortunate to have a left-hander in both Shane Davis and Alex Pepe, but it has been Davis who has been called upon in several key situations this 2011 season.
On August 13th, Davis came into pitch against the Yakima Bears who were on the verge of sweeping the Canadians out at County Stadium. Davis would come in and silence the Bears offensive attack pitching a scoreless frame while striking out two. Walks have been Davis' Achilles Heel as the Belmont, ON native has issued 17 walks to just 16 strikeouts this summer.
1B Randy Schwartz:
It was apparent early that Randy Schwartz was going to be one of the leaders on a young, Vancouver Canadians squad in 2011. The 6'4" product of King City, ON had a diverse pro baseball background that led him to Vancouver as Schwartz caught on with the Toronto Blue Jays system.
Schwartz would assert himself early as an offensive power threat in the first half of the season hitting the first home run of the summer, one of five he would take into the final week of the regular season.
The emergence of 1B Kevin Patterson and development of INF Balbino Fuenmayor on both corners of the diamond has limited Schwartz's ability to get onto the line-up card as of late, as the lone Canadian-born position player has only played in a handful of games in the month of August going 2-for-20 (.100) over his past ten games with seven strikeouts.
Schwartz would hit four of his five home runs in the month of July and three of them as the Canadians made a late season push toward the Northwest League first-half pennant going head-to-head against the Eugene Emeralds.