by Graham Anderson, Last Word On Baseball
The land north of the border is viewed by many as hockey nation. However, not a single Canadian team made the NHL playoffs this past season. That was difficult to swallow, but the Toronto Blue Jays post-season run in MLB certainly brought an entire country together in October 2015. With a 77-59 record, they hold a slim one game lead over the Boston Red Sox, and three over the Baltimore Orioles, in the AL East. With strong September play, they will look to have Canadians up on their feet at the diamond, not just the rink, next month.
Baseball Canada Strong in 2016
It is not just Canada’s team that has excelled this season; many of the players that hail from the Great White North are having noteworthy campaigns as well. The Blue Jays have three Canadians wearing the blue and white after the September call up of Dalton Pompey, but two have been key contributors to Toronto’s success since the season began in April.
Toronto Blue Jays
First-time All-Star Michael Saunders is having a career-year and, given his impending free agent status, is doing so at the right time. His .267 batting average is thirty points above his career average and, in his 110 games played this season, has already set a new career high in home runs with 23. He is also encroaching on a new career high RBI total. He recorded 57 in 2012 as a member of the Seattle Mariners but, with 54 this year and 26 games remaining, should eclipse that total as well.
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