Trent Palmer Named Northwest League Pitcher Of The Week 

Minor League Baseball has named Vancouver Canadians pitcher Trent Palmer as the Northwest League Pitcher of the Week for April 25 to May 1. He is the second C’s pitcher to earn the honor after Chad Dallas was recognized in the first week of the season.

Palmer retired all 18 batters he faced in six perfect innings on Sunday, May 1 in Hillsboro to lead the C’s to a 7-0 shutout win. The right-hander induced three first inning groundouts, struck out the side in the second then logged a pair of strikeouts on two 3-2 pitches to stay perfect in the third. He threw one ball in a seven-pitch fourth before a 10-pitch fifth that featured a pair of punch outs. Palmer wrapped up his outing with a flyout, a groundout and a backwards K on a 3-2 pitch to his 18th and final batter. He delivered a first-pitch strike to 11 of 18 hitters and went to a three-ball count only three times.

“I think the fastball command was the biggest thing today,” Palmer said after his performance. “Being able to land the slider and changeup were huge and the defense behind me was amazing. [The early offense] makes you a little bit more comfortable to attack hitters more, limit walks, and keep the defense entertained.”

When asked about his approach in the rare instances when he did fill the count – including twice to the number nine hitter – the Anoka, MN native kept it simple.

“The biggest thing the Blue Jays and I have stressed is to limit the walks,” Palmer continued. “I went at him and if I gave up a hit I gave up a hit, but I was lucky enough to strike him out both times.”

Palmer, 23, was Toronto’s third-round pick (77th overall) in 2020 out of Jacksonville, where he posted a 1.30 ERA with 41 strikeouts and five walks in 27.2 innings before the season was cancelled and finished his three-year collegiate career with a 3.32 ERA over 133 frames. Palmer also has a 1.45 ERA in 18.2 innings in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2019 on his amateur resume.

MLB.com ranks the right-hander as Toronto’s #23 prospect and says “[Palmer’s early] success in the Minor Leagues came thanks to one of the most unique and diverse pitch-movement profiles in the organization. Using his deep arsenal, Palmer can comfortably work all quadrants of the zone and uses an above-average changeup to keep hitters off balance from either side. With a fastball that sits in the 92-93 mph range and reaches a touch higher, Palmer also has a slider that's still ahead of his curveball with some good depth. You’ll hear the “bulldog” tag applied to Palmer often, and while his thick build on a 6-foot-1 frame is unique in the organization, the Blue Jays were pleased with how he improved his physicality towards the end of ’21 and through the offseason.”

He will next take the ball on Sunday, May 8 at Nat Bailey Stadium when the C’s square off against Everett at 1:05 p.m.

The Canadians return home May 3-8 for a six-game set against the Everett AquaSox (Mariners). Tuesday through Thursday games begin at 7:05 p.m. while games Friday through Sunday start at 1:05 p.m. Tickets are available by visiting the box office, calling 604-872-5232 or logging on to CanadiansBaseball.com.