Key to the Game

Jimmy Key put up some fantastic numbers in his short visit with the Medicine Hat Blue Jays in 1982.

A 2-1 record with a 2.30 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 31+ innings of work earned the young lefthander a promotion.

However, the move didn’t sit well with everyone, even if the team went on to win the Pioneer League championship.

California Dreamin’

It was a dream ride for Medicine Hat trainer Mike Frostad in Atlanta.

But the Los Angeles Angels made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, and now he’s taking that dream to California.

Swipe West

For the first time in his professional career, Tanner Kirwer is changing organizations.

The Sherwood Park native had been with the Toronto Blue Jays organization since they drafted him in 2017.

During the MLB Rule 5 Draft, the Seattle Mariners decided to add the speedy outfielder to their depth charts.

Ageless Wonder

Happy birthday Junior Felix!

Err … happy belated birthday?! Or is it tomorrow?

As elusive as he was on the base paths at times during his playing career, the actual date of birth of Junior Francisco Felix Sanchez also proved hard to run down.

His official birthday is listed as October 3rd, 1967, but it was long suspected that the outfielder from Laguna Salada in the Dominican Republic was much older than that date would suggest.

Beaumont’s Field of Dreams

The buzz of baseball is beckoning in Beaumont.

With summer fast-approaching and the hope that COVID-19 restrictions will be eased for summer sports to begin, the community recently received another blast of positive news.

On May 7th, it was announced the city just southeast of Edmonton was one of 14 communities to receive a Jays Care “Field of Dreams” grant.

Here Comes The Boom

David Wells could barely navigate connecting flights, let alone figure out where Medicine Hat was when he made his way outside of the United States for the first time.

The trip north in 1982, his introduction to professional baseball, offered the left-handed pitcher an education in sports and life. Wells was forthcoming about both aspects of his journey in his 2003 autobiography, Perfect I’m Not. One chapter of the book provides a compelling look at the minor-league experience at the lowest level.

Palm Before The Storm

Damiano Palmegiani is back with a vengeance.

The Surrey, B.C. native was a highly-touted prospect coming out of Vauxhall Academy of baseball, being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018.

After a couple of years of struggles, the hard-hitting infielder has found his swing again with the College of Southern Nevada, which has many thinking he’s ready for the pros.

In The Cards: 1993 Medicine Hat Blue Jays

With so much excitement surrounding the Toronto Blue Jays after their first World Series victory in 1992, you would think their affiliates would enjoy similar attention.

Unfortunately, the Medicine Hat Blue Jays still struggled at the turnstiles, despite a massive improvement in the standings compared to their cellar-dwelling 1992 campaign.

We take a look at some of the players who suited up for the 1993 edition of the Baby Jays in our latest In The Cards feature.

Dante’s Peek

The unlikely return of the Toronto Blue Jays to the postseason in 2020 put the spotlight on several of the club’s rising stars.

Shortstop Bo Bichette is one of them. But there is another Bichette with the organization who may prove just as valuable to the team – Bo’s father Dante, who serves as an assistant hitting coach on the Blue Jays.

Many of the most valuable lessons that life and baseball had to offer, were learned by Dante Bichette as a member of the Edmonton Trappers.

Between Innings

Love can take a toll on you.

Whether it’s a family bond, the intimacy of marriage, or even the fondness of sport, love can be exhausting.

It can leave you at a crossroads wondering whether or not the passion that was such a part of you exists at all anymore.

Blue Jays Central host Jamie Campbell was at such an intersection when he came to Alberta in the 1990s to work as a sports anchor for CBC Edmonton.