Alberta’s NL Dugout Connections

There was a time when if you wanted to play Major League Baseball (MLB), you were likely to make a minor-league stop in Canada first.

Either as visitors or members of the home squad, countless players in the Pioneer League or the Pacific Coast League (PCL) would find their way to Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary or Edmonton.

In our second of a two-part series, we explore the coaches and managers from the National League (NL) who played in Alberta before finding their way in the majors.

Alberta’s AL Dugout Connections

Major League Baseball (MLB) may feel like it is far removed from the ball diamonds of Alberta, but if you play a quick game of six dugouts of separation you’ll discover there are plenty of coaching connections between the majors and our province.

In our first of a two-part series exploring those connections, we look at the American League squads who have former Alberta players on the payroll.

Online Silent Auction: Nov. 23-30

With the Christmas season upon us, we have just the gifts for the baseball fans in your life! Introducing the Alberta Dugout Stories Silent Auction!

The Snake Who Could Rake

They call him “The Bat from The Hat.”

And while baseball eventually delivered Drew Miller to Medicine Hat, he actually grew up in Schuler, a small town about 60 kilometres northeast of The Gas City.

Baseball fans in Calgary, meanwhile, are more likely to recognize Miller from his time with the Vipers, an independent league team that played out of Foothills Stadium between 2005 and 2011.

If a Record Falls at Foothills Stadium …

It was an underappreciated moment for an underappreciated ball player, who was playing in an antiquated ballpark.

But when Cam Williams went 4-for-4 on April 27th against the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) WolfPack, it was also a record-setting day for the 21-year-old third baseman.

Playing in relative obscurity for the University of Calgary Dinos of the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) – a six-team league featuring post-secondary student athletes from Alberta and British Columbia – Williams was well aware of the record he was chasing.

Soroka picks up win in MLB debut

Calgary pitching prospect Mike Soroka made his Major League Baseball debut last night, taking the mound for the Atlanta Braves during a start against Noah Syndergaard and the New York Mets at Citi Field.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound righty ended up picking up the win after putting in six innings of work. He gave up six hits and one earned run – a solo home run off the bat of Yoenis Cespedes – while issuing no walks and striking out five, en route to a 3-2 Braves victory.

Here’s a look at Soroka’s special day and the reactions to it …

Golden Moment

Theo Fleury will never be remembered for his baseball career, but a decade ago he proved he could go from gold-medal winning hockey player to Golden Baseball League outfielder with relative ease.

And looking back on the publicity stunt, the former Olympian has nothing but fond memories of his conversion from NHL sniper to Calgary Viper.

Travelin’ Man

Calgarian Geoff Freeborn has seen a lot of baseball. Six continents worth, to be exact.

The 36-year-old southpaw has played in European Championships, pitched in the Colombian Winter League, toured around the South Australian Baseball League, represented Canada at the Hong Kong Invitational and he was an All Star with the Calgary Vipers.

We caught up with him for a Q&A. Find out what he had to say.

Derby Downers

It’s not uncommon for players to struggle during the home run derby.

But to come away from a home run derby with zero home runs, well, that’s just depressing.

We catch up with a couple of players who posted goose eggs at the worst possible time.

Showing Up The Ultimate Showman

When Brent Cooper stepped up to the plate for batting practice at Foothills Stadium on June 28, 2011, he could not believe what was happening.

Not only was the Calgarian playing on the same team as famed slugger Jose Canseco, he was suddenly engaged in an impromptu home run derby of sorts against the 6-4 , 240-pound baseball beast.