Despite modest numbers, C's found way in 2017
(Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium - Vancouver, B.C.) - Sometimes it can take a few days to truly let a full-season of professional baseball sink in. From the long hours on the road to the game-after-game schedule that sees the Canadians play 76 games in 81 nights, it can
(Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium - Vancouver, B.C.) - Sometimes it can take a few days to truly let a full-season of professional baseball sink in. From the long hours on the road to the game-after-game schedule that sees the Canadians play 76 games in 81 nights, it can take a while for you to truly formulate a reason for one team doing better than another.
I am asked what it was that made the Vancouver Canadians the "best" team in the Northwest League in 2017 as they rallied for a 5-1 (.833) post-season record after finishing the regular season with a 43-33 (.566) mark, which by the way was the most wins amassed of the eight-teams on the circuit. I'm not sure even after having this amount of time off that I can pin it specifically on one player or element.
Vancouver had the perfect balance of "just enough" of everything to fend off the likes of Spokane and Eugene in the playoffs. Certain teams I am sure wish they could have gotten a hold of Vancouver in the post-season as both Boise and Hillsboro would have proven to be very formidable in a five-game series. What got Vancouver to the Bob Freitas Trophy at the end of the season was the philosophy of "bending but never breaking."
Here's a few moments that I look back on as key;
i) The Canadians like each and every team in the Northwest League started the season at a slight disadvantage as Major League Baseball pushed back its First-Year Player Draft. This gave teams in the NWL almost two full weeks of having to play a collection of players either in their second or third seasons, or perhaps not quite ready for the calibre of play at the Class-A, Short-Season level. Vancouver had a formidable pitching rotation regardless of this slight alteration as while newly drafted players were still getting their physicals and assignments down in Florida, the C's arms here at Nat Bailey Stadium were fending the NWL off with a 7-3 (.700) record in the first 10 games and 10-6 (.625) record in June.
This gave Vancouver a chance to stay even with Tri-City (10-6) while breaking from both Everett (7-9) and Spokane (4-12), with the Canadians eventually winning its first ever First Half North Division pennant which will play right into my second point.
ii) With Vancouver claiming a first-half pennant, not once did the pressures and energy of having to secure a second half pennant ever factor into the Canadians good days and bad. The C's would only lose back-to-back games three times in the entire month of August as Rich Miller led Vancouver to a 16-12 (.571) record before going 8-1 (.889) in the month of September. Not having to strain and allowing key players to rest heading down the stretch was a definite advantage for the Canadians heading into the post-season.
iii) Blue Chips and Castaways: It didn't matter if you were a first rounder or a guy playing out the season in hopes of simply catching someone's eye, everyone got their chances in 2017. Pitching Coach Jim Czajkowski was as valuable as ever as he led a pitching staff that had no bonafide star before the arrival of RHP
iv) Offensively, the Canadians had no player that ripped up our record books. The top home run hitter(s) this past season were 1B
v) Led by Leaders: When the Canadians received C
There was no record-breaking performance in 2017. Not one. But the Canadians had 25 players all pulling the rope the same way, all working toward a common goal and it ended up being the blueprint for what you should want from a team at this level as they enter into professional baseball. No flashy numbers, no overbearing personalities, just wins. Something the Toronto Blue Jays should be excited about as the future begins to brighten by the season.
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