Watch above: Global’s Lisa MacGregor catches up with some Blue Jays legends, inspiring young Alberta basebball players to follow their dreams.
CALGARY – When you’re a little league rookie at baseball camp, you can easily get lost in the crowd. That storyline shows up in almost every old baseball movie: Young wannabe stars checking to see if their name made “the list” over hundreds of other kids with the same dream to make the big leagues one day.
It’s something the boys of summer know all too well, except they beat the odds and want more Canadian players to do the same.
A handful of former Blue Jays All-Stars were in Okotoks on Monday, spreading that message by sharing the “Major League Experience” to amateur baseball players ages nine to 16.
From pitching, to batting, to listening, to direction–it was no walk in the park but if it was easy, everyone would do it.
“I want them to listen and understand, that for them to get better – it’s up to them,” said former Jays pitcher Duane Ward.
The kids at the Jays baseball camp at Seaman Stadium are too young to have a Duane Ward, Lloyd Moseby or Roberto Alomar baseball card, but learning big league fundamentals is just as priceless.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to be around big league ball, I didn’t grow up in an area that had big league ball close by or anything, so this is a great opportunity for these kids,” Ward said.
No one appreciates the chance to practice with legends more than baseball player Quinn Tassie, who grew up in Fort McMurray, where competitive baseball is limited.
At just 15, Tassie decided to leave home to billet with the Okotoks Dawgs to work towards his dream.
“I want to play in the big leagues, or at least go to college for baseball. I think that’d be fun,” Tassie said.
Just like in Toronto, registration for the Blue Jays camp in Okotoks sold out. It’s an indication that the popularity of Canada’s baseball team is stronger than ever.
“This province is a great province; Alberta has a lot of talent. It’s up to us to keep them fired up,” said former Blue Jay Lloyd Moseby.
The Jays legends aren’t the only ones bringing the MLB spotlight out west.
For the first time in nearly two decades, a Calgary product was drafted to the majors this past spring.
Mike Soroka, a few weeks shy of his 18th birthday, was picked 28th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2015 draft.
For many fans watching, it was an exciting moment to hear Soroka’s name, city and high school announced.
Soroka, who’s now training in Orlando, Florida, left days after he graduated from Bishop Carroll High School.
He says having major league stars in the town this week hosting camps helps expand the sport in Canada.
“Alberta, even more, is hockey or nothing. I think it’s good that they’re opening it up. At least interesting kids in the notion of playing baseball and taking it more seriously,” Soroka said.
The fact that Soroka got drafted is reassuring for young players like Tassie, who made a big move hoping it will brighten his baseball career.
“It lets you know that people are watching us and there is a chance for you if you try hard enough to go all the way,” Tassie said.
More and more Canadians are popping up on rosters in professional North American baseball leagues.
“Look at the guys in the big leagues now and all the guys in the minor leagues systems right now from Canada. …There’s a lot of them and there’s a lot more coming. So this is, I think, just a stepping stone for the kids to learn a way of thinking outside of the box,” Ward said.
You just might see one of the young ball players that was in this year’s camp, with their name on the back of a Jays jersey one day.
The Blue Jays Honda Super Camp runs for two more days in Okotoks and then makes its way throughout Canada all summer. The next stop in July is Grande Prairie, Alberta.
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