Tonight begins baseball’s mid-summer classic, the All Star Game and Events. With the ever popular home run derby taking place tonight, Canadian’s can cheer for BC native Justin Morneau who represents the Twins in the event.
Tomorrow night’s game has a few Canadians in the line-up, although none are starters. The NL side includes L.A. Dodgers’ catcher Russ Martin and Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster, with Justin Morneau the sole AL player.
Three Canadian players are not a lot, but this is probably a fair representation given the year a lot of Canadian players are having. Francis and Bay are experiencing off-years, and even though some players like Joey Votto and Matt Stairs are having good years, they’re not all-star caliber.
Phillipe Aumont (Mariner’s #1 draft pick) was the lone Canadian in the futures game. Although these numbers look a little bleak for Canadians in the game, there’s not only a solid core in the majors right now, but a growing number of prospects making their way through the minor system. With the growth we’ve seen in the past few years, I think it is safe to expect more in the future. Maybe we will look back at 2008 as an off year, but of course, it’s not over yet!
