From Nat Bailey Stadium to baseball’s biggest stage: The Blue Jays who played for the Vancouver Canadians

One Blue Jays star pitcher played right here in Vancouver just a few months ago, and he’s not the only one whose career included a stop with the Canadians.

Five months before Trey Yesavage helped propel the Blue Jays to the World Series, he was pitching at Nat Bailey stadium for the Vancouver Canadians, the club’s single A affiliate.

“You could tell Trey Yesavage certainly had that X factor to be successful and to be successful quickly,” said Vancouver Canadians broadcasting and media relations manager Tyler Zickel.

Yesavage played four games for the Canadians, including one at Nat Bailey Stadium on May 31. While he was good, Zickel says the 22-year-old’s meteoric rise is still surprising.

“I don’t think anybody can say truthfully that they knew Trey Yesavage was going to be starting for the Blue Jays in the postseason back in April, but that’s the beauty of the game,” said Zickel.

Yesavage isn’t the only current Blue Jays pitcher who played in Vancouver recently.

“Mason Fluharty was making his pro debut for the Vancouver Canadians back in 2022. He had never pitched professionally before he put on a Canadians jersey. That’s a nice little feather in our cap from what he’s now gone on to do,” said Zickel.

Jays third baseman Addison Barger also played for the Canadians.

“Addison Barger doing what he did in game six of the ALCS to hit that big home run and drive in another run as well, he was doing that for us starting in 2021 in the final week of the season and then for most of 2022, said Zickel.

Blue Jays skipper John Schneider also managed the Canadians in 2014 and 2015. After the team’s Game 7 win Monday, he shouted out Canada’s fans and the city where it started.

“From coast-to-coast to have this team to grasp on to is really cool, and it’s easy for me to say that because I’ve been part of it for a long time,” said Schneider.

“I felt the connection when I was managing in Vancouver the minor-league affiliate to a Canadian big-league team too, so it’s special for everyone that’s involved in the organization.”

For Zickel, watching Vancouver Canadians make the jump to a team contending for the World Series has been incredible.

“For me personally, it’s really awesome to see these guys go on and have this success. It’s stuff that I’ve been able to see internally for a long time – and now the world gets to see on the biggest stage.”

The long-time broadcaster who watched these players journeys from single A to the majors thinks the Jays have a real shot at winning it all.

“I certainly think that if it was going to be anybody beating the Dodgers, it’s going to be the Blue Jays,” said Zickel, who is going to the World Series games in L.A.

“To be able to make it down south to Los Angeles just to try and represent for the C’s, Vancouver and Canada will be terrific,” he said.

Trey Yasavage may get the start when the World Series kicks off on Friday, just 146 days after he was striking out batters in front of Vancouver Canadians fans at Nat Bailey Stadium.

“We’ve now got this team that’s headed to the World Series that has a number of players that played right here in Vancouver,” said Zickel.

“To be able to get to witness that close up, I think, is one of the many reasons seeing games at ‘the Nat’ is a special minor league experience.”