Canada begins quest for Pan Am baseball 3-peat at 'terrible' time
Qualifying tournament takes place in dead of winter, conflicts with spring training
On Tuesday in Toronto, the weather forecasts to feel like -14 C with 20 km/h wind gusts.
Hardly baseball weather.
Still, that's the day Canada will begin its journey towards a third straight Pan Am gold medal in baseball. Thankfully, the qualifying tournament takes place across two cities in Brazil, where the weather promises to be more fit for the sport.
Seven teams will participate in the qualifier, with the top four advancing to the Pan Ams in Lima, Peru, beginning July 26. Canada, ranked 10th internationally, is grouped with No. 13 Panama and No. 14 Colombia.
No. 9 Venezuela was originally in Canada's group but has since withdrawn.
Canada's three-peat quest begins on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET against Panama.
The other group includes Mexico (ranked sixth), the Dominican Republic (12th), Nicaragua (15th) and Brazil (17th). The top two teams from each group earn a spot in the semifinals, and a place in Peru.
It's also worth noting that while baseball is returning to the Olympics in 2020, the Pan Am Games bear no significance. For that reason, the United States chose to sit this cycle out in preparation.
Finding a way
Of course, Canada's inclusion in a tournament with seven warm-weather countries presents an immediate disadvantage. Still, manager Ernie Whitt is optimistic.
"The players that we're bringing in haven't played since last September and now we're coming in and competing to qualify where a lot of the other teams have been playing winter ball," said Whitt. "So they're gonna be in better shape than we are.
"But we seem like we always find a way of coming out and doing well."
One disadvantage shared by all countries is the placement of the tournament relative to the MLB season. Pitchers and catchers begin reporting to spring training on Feb. 11. The tournament ends eight days before.
"The timing of it is terrible, you know. Everyone's just getting ready for spring training and now we have to try to go out and compete and try to qualify. It's tough," said Whitt.
Come July, the decision will be made even tougher for players on the fringes of the MLB who are forced to choose between their country and their career.
Country or career?
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey is committed to playing in Brazil, but should Canada advance to the real dance, he likely wouldn't be able to attend.
"I would love to, but we'll see where I'm at in terms of the season," said Pompey. "Obviously I have a career that I have to honour and I have to worry about first."
It's a decision Pompey has wrestled with before. In 2017, Pompey competed for Canada in the World Baseball Classic but suffered a concussion sliding into second base.
The outfielder ended up playing just 13 minor-league games in the ensuing season. But he maintains that playing for his country is important.
"They gave me the opportunities that I have now in sports. Any time I get the opportunity to play I will and obviously I love Canada, I love living in Toronto, I love everything about being Canadian. So any time I get the opportunity I take that 100 per cent," said Pompey.
Vying for Vlad
Joining Pompey on the roster will be former Blue Jay Michael Saunders, as well as former major leaguers Adam Loewen, Scott Richmond, Phillippe Aumont, Chris Leroux (of Bachelor Canada fame) and Dustin Molleken.
Tristan Pompey, Dalton's younger brother and a top prospect in the Miami Marlins organization, will also play.
Missing from the roster are any current players on the 25-man roster of an MLB club, as well as the MLB's top prospect, Montreal-born, Dominican Republic-bred Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.
Is Baseball Canada trying to court the future phenom?
"We would love for him to play but I don't think his dad would allow it," said Whitt. "I think he'll probably be committed with the Dominican. But he would be a great ballplayer on our club."
Hall-of-Fame eligible Larry Walker will join Whitt on the coaching staff, though Walker says his coaching credentials aren't quite there.
"I've admitted a million times: I'm not the greatest coach. You can have a really [terrible] hitter that can tell you how to hit and he's really good at it, and you can have a really good hitter that has no idea to communicate that to a player. And I'm the latter of the two," said Walker.
"I did good in my career, but I have trouble relaying to somebody on how I went about it every day."
Walker is likely underselling himself — he was part of the coaching staff that earned gold at the last two Pan Am Games.
Full roster:
Pitchers: Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Que.), Andrew Case (Saint John, N.B.), Jay Johnson (Sussex Corner, N.B.), Ryan Kellogg (Whitby, Ont.), Chris Leroux (Mississauga, Ont.), Adam Loewen (Surrey, B.C.), Dustin Molleken (Regina), Jared Mortensen (Abbotsford, B.C.), Jasvir Rakkar (Brampton, Ont.), Dylan Rheault (Garson, Ont.), Scott Richmond (Vancouver), Evan Rutckyj (Windsor, Ont.)
Catchers: Kellin Deglan (Langley, B.C.), Dustin Houle (Penticton, B.C.), Andy Yerzy (Toronto)
Infielders: Wes Darvill (Richmond, B.C.), Jesse Hodges (Victoria), Otto Lopez (Montreal), Daniel Pinero (Toronto), Eric Wood (Oshawa, Ont.)
Outfielders: Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.), Tristan Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.), Jacob Robson (Windsor, Ont.), Michael Saunders (Victoria)