Jeff Francis

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Published on Monday, 13 December 2004 17:00

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Jeff signed a contract for 2012 with the Cincinnati Reds. The contract pays $1.5 million, but only if he makes the major league roster.

Jeff's 2011 season with the Kansas City Royals did not go especially well. He went 6-16, 4.82 ERA, with 91 strikeouts. However, several of his losses can be blamed on the lack of run support from the Royals.

Jeff made 20 appearances (19 starts) in a 2010 season impacted by injuries. His record was 4-6, 5.00 ERA, with 67 strikeouts. At the plate, he had two hits in 22 at-bats, but drew four walks, giving him an on-base percentage of .222.

He missed the entire 2009 season due to arthroscopic surgery.

 2008 was Jeff's fourth full season in the Major Leagues. The Rockies didn't repeat their late-season run, and Jeff was injured for a good part of the season. He was 4-10 in 24 starts, 5.01 ERA, struck out  94 in 143 2/3 innings. At the plate, he had five hits in 39 at-bats, for a .128 average. He had to make a reconditioning stint in mid-season with the Tulsa Drillers; he had three starts there, went 1-0, 0.63 ERA, 19 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings pitched.

 He had an excellent regular season in 2007. His record was 17-9, 4.22 ERA, 165 strikeouts and 63 bases on balls in 215 1/3 innings pitched. At the plate, he was .188, hit three doubles, and bunted successfully 13 times. His 17 wins led the Rockies pitching staff, and ties the club record. He deserves an ample share of the credit for the Rockies' first playoff appearance since 1995.

His playoff numbers were 2-1, 4.86 ERA, 15 strikeouts, and six bases on balls in 16 2/3 innings pitched. Jeff was the first Canadian ever to start the first game of a World Series. CBC's The National did a story about it, with film clips of him working on the infield at Nat Bailey Stadium, and a short interview with Coach McKaig. Click here to view the MP3 clip.

His numbers for 2006 were 13-11, 4.16 ERA, and 117 strikeouts. His ERA was good enough for 21st place in the National League. At the plate, he was .115, but he drew an exceptional eight bases on balls, which brings his on-base percentage to a not-bad .211. He was also credited with nine sacrifice bunts (also not bad) and two sacrifice flies. For his complete numbers, click here.

In 2005, Jeff's record was 14-12, 5.68 ERA, and 128 strikeouts. At the plate, he was .103, but hit two doubles, and drew seven walks, one of which was with the bases loaded.

Mark Hardy

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Published on Tuesday, 04 September 2007 18:00

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Mark spent the entire 2011 season with the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Class A Midwest League, and he led the team with 129 1/3 innings pitched. His record was 11-10, 2.78 ERA, 96 strikeouts. His ERA was the fifth best in the Midwest League.

He made three appearances (one start) for Canada at the 2011 World Cup of Baseball in Panama. He pitched six innings, allowed four earned runs, struck out two. He went on to Mexico to play for the team that won the Gold Medal in the Pan American Games. He made one appearance (against Cuba), went three innings, allowed one run on three hits.

He started the 2010 season in the Arizona Rookie League, and moved up to he Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League in mid-season, and had a record of 2-1, 3.00 ERA, 28 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched. He finished the season with the San Antonio Missions of the Class AA Texas League. He had two starts, pitched 10 1/3 innings, allowed six runs on 12 hits, struck out ten. He also got two hits and an RBI in two at-bats.

A LHP from Campbell River, Mark was a four-year starter for the Thunderbirds. He was drafted by the Padres in the 43rd round in 2010.

In 2010, Mark was 7-2, 3.77 ERA, and a team-leading 68 strikeouts. He was switched from a starter to a closer late in the season, and got two saves, one of them on two pitches. However, he got a start in the last game of the regular season against College of Idaho, and came up with a big win. He got two more big wins against the College of Idaho in the NAIA West tournament, and Fresno Pacific in the NAIA Opening Round. He pitched a no-hitter against Concordia-Portland on April 11. He won an NAIA West Rawlings Gold Glove.

Mark had an excellent season in 2009. His record was 10-1, 2.97 ERA, and he led the team with 61 strikeouts.

He played for Team Canada at the World University Games in Brno, and received the "Best ERA" award. He also played for Team Canada at the World Baseball Challenge in 2009.

Mark had 14 starts in 2008.  He had a 6-6 record, with an ERA of 4.67 and 54 strikeouts.

His numbers for 2007 were 0-2, 5.61 ERA in six starts in 33 2/3 innings pitched. What turned some heads, however, is that two of the starts became wins against Lewis-Clark State, but he wasn't the pitcher of record for them.

During the summer of 2007, he played for the Nanaimo Coal Miners team that won the Western Canada championship. He made two appearances for the Okotoks Dawgs during the summer of 2009.

Fort Wayne TinCaps site

Eric Brown

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Published on Thursday, 16 April 2009 13:23

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Eric is a right-hand pitcher from Thunder Bay, ON. He was drafted in the 50th round by the Blue Jays, and he spent the 2011 season with the Vancouver Canadians. He made 18 appearances (all in relief), had a record of 0-1, 3.62 ERA, a respectable 30 strikeouts, and only 7 bases on balls in 27 1/3 innings pitched.

In 2011, his senior year, he led the Thunderbirds with 83 1/3 innings pitched and 75 strikeouts. He went 7-2, 2.27 ERA.

In 2010, his record was 7-2, 3.92 ERA, with 53 strikeouts. He was named to the NAIA West all-region team.

He had a breakout year in 2009. He had a record of 4-2. 2.95 ERA, and 45 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched. He had an especially good start vs. College of Idaho in the NAIA West tournament; he went eight innings, scattered seven hits, and struck out seven.

He had ten starts in 2008. His record was 5-1, 4.42 ERA, 28 strikeouts. He put in a very good performance in the Region I tournament against Concordia-Portland; four hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Eric made two appearances for Canada at the World Baseball Challenge in 2009. He went a total of six innings, and did not allow an earned run. He spent the rest of the summer of 2009 with the Medicine Hat Mavericks of the WMBL, and got a respectable 48 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings pitched.

During the summer of 2010, he played for the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the Northwoods league. He had a record of 3-1, 1.66 ERA. He also played for Canada at the World University Games in Japan. He had two starts, and a record of 1-1, 3.38 ERA.

Vancouver Canadians site

Brandon Kaye

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Published on Monday, 26 April 2010 14:51

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A right-hand pitcher from Langley, Brandon was signed as a free agent by the Blue Jays. He played for the class A Vancouver Canadians in 2011, had a record of 1-2, 3.65 ERA, 24 2/3 innings pitched (all in relief), 14 strikeouts, and 14 bases on balls. He also pitched a hitless inning in the Northwest League playoffs, struck out 1, and walked 1.

In 2011, his Senior year, Brandon was 4-5, 5.09 ERA, with 31 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings pitched.

Brandon had 13 starts in 2010. He pitched a complete-game shutout against Concordia-Portland on April 11. His record was 7-3, 3.42 ERA, with 51 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings pitched.

Brandon was a transfer from Douglas College, and was good enough to be drafted by the Blue Jays in the 45^th round of the 2009 MLB draft. He played for Team Canada during the Summers of 2008 (World University Games) and 2009 (World Baseball Challenge). He played for the Okotoks Dawgs of the WMBL during the Summer of 2009, and pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings during the playoffs. He is the half-brother of Blue Jays pitcher Scott Richmond.

Shawn Hetherington

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Published on Tuesday, 28 April 2009 13:27

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An RHP from Tsawassen, Shawn is the second Thunderbird to play for the Calgary Vipers of the North American Baseball League; Jeff Brewer played for them in 2005. Click here for the news release about his signing.

The Vipers placed him on the inactive list on July 12. At that time, his record was 1-2, 4.99 ERA in 12 appearances (one start), and 21 2/3 innings pitched. He recorded 17 strikeouts.

In 2011, his Senior year, Shawn had a record of 3-0, 1.91 ERA. He led the team in saves again, with five. He had two starts, and got complete-game wins in both of them; one of the games was a shutout. He was selected to the NAIA West all-region team.

Shawn's numbers for 2010 were 1-2, 3.33 ERA, seven saves (most for the team), and 19 strikeouts in 18 appearances.

Shawn made 25 relief appearances for the Thunderbirds in 2009, and led the team with ten saves. In 37 2/3 innings, he struck out 24, and allowed 34 hits. His won-lost was 1-3, and his ERA is 2.87.

Shawn is a transfer from the University of Calgary, which competes in the CCBC with Thompson Rivers and Kwantlen. He was the ace of the Dinos' pitching staff for two years, and had a record of 5-3 in 2008.

He has also played for the White Rock Tritons, and played for the Burnaby Collegiate Bulldogs during the Summers of 2008 and 2009. He pitched for Team Canada at the World Baseball Challenge in 2009.

He played for the Medicine Hat Mavericks of the Western Major Baseball League during the Summer of 2010, and had a record of 3-1, 3.02 ERA.

Calgary Vipers site

Sammie Starr

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Published on Sunday, 02 December 2007 17:00

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Sammie was drafted in the 34th round by the Orioles in the 2010 MLB draft. He spent the 2010 season with the Aberdeen Ironbirds of the Class A New York Penn League. He batted .242, with four doubles, and six RBI.

He started the 2011 season with the Frederick Keys of the Class A Carolina League, went to the Delmarva Shorebirds of the South Atlantic League, then to the Aberdeen Ironbirds. He batted .284 for the Ironbirds, with 6 doubles, a triple, two home runs, and 15 RBI.

Sammie was a four-year starter at shortstop for the Thunderbirds for the 2007-2010 seasons.

he batted .366, with 15 doubles, four triples, three home runs, and 41 RBI in his senior year. His on-base percentage was .429.

In 2009, he lead the team in hitting with a .353 average. He had 14 doubles, three home runs, and 26 RBI. He drew 26 walks, and stole 13 bases.

He won Rawlings Gold Glove awards for NAIA West in 2009 and 2010. He fielded .966 in 2009, and .951 in 2010.

In 2007, he hit .320, with three doubles, 11 RBI. In the field, he started 24 double plays, and had a fielding percentage of .948.

In 2008, he hit .268, with two home runs and 15 RBI. His fielding percentage was .959.

He played for Canada at the World University Games in Brno during the Summer of 2008, and the World Baseball Challenge in 2009. He also played for the Okotoks Dawgs during the summers, and hit .314 for the Dawgs in 2009.

Sammie is from Toronto. His grandfather, Sam Starr, was a part-owner of the Class AAA Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1960's and 70's.

Aberdeen Ironbirds site

Taylor King

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Published on Wednesday, 18 May 2011 20:37

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RHP Taylor King got his first start with the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball on May 15, 2011. His record for 2001 was  nine appearances (seven starts), 2-1, 5.67 ERA, and 36 strikeouts.

Taylor led the Thunderbirds with 78 innings pitched in 2009. His record was 7-2, 3.23 ERA, and 53 strikeouts. He won the Rawlings Gold Glove for pitchers for NAIA West.

He made 19 appearances in 2010, had a record of 3-1, 3.41 ERA, five saves, and 31 strikeouts.

Taylor came to UBC from Pierce College in the Los Angeles area. His college career started at Cal State-Northridge, but he ran into arm trouble followed by surgery. He had two starts in the series against the French Senior National Team in 2007, and pitched six scoreless innings in the first one.

His 2008 season ended, after only two starts, with an injury. His numbers were 1-1, 5.25 ERA.

He pitched seven innings for Team Canada at the 2009 World Baseball Challenge, got a win, recorded nine strikeouts, and had an ERA of 1.29. He is from Nanaimo.

Sioux City Explorers official site

Sheldon McDonald

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Published on Sunday, 18 April 2010 09:51

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A left-hand pitcher from Spruce Grove, AB, Sheldon was drafted in the 33rd round by the Cubs. His first assignment was with the Cubs of the rookie Arizona League. He pitched 8 innings for the AZL Cubs, had a record of 0-0, 2.25 ERA, and 9 strikeouts. He then went to the Boise Hawks of the Northwest League, pitched 11 innings, had a record of 0-0, 4.91 ERA, 7 strikeouts, and only 2 bases on balls.

Sheldon was 7-2, 1.46 ERA, with 55 strikeouts in 55 2/3 innings pitched in 2011, his Senior year with the Thunderbirds. He had eight starts, walked only 13. His ERA was the lowest for UBC starters.

He had 12 starts and two relief appearances for the Thunderbirds in 2010. His record was 9-2, 2.94 ERA, with 65 strikeouts.

Sheldon transferred to UBC after pitching for two years for Division I Northeastern University in Boston. His record for 2008 was 9-2, 2.86 ERA, and 72 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings pitched. He was named to the Colonial Conference All-Conference team as a reliever. He played for Team Canada during the Summers of 2008 (World University Games) and 2009 (World Baseball Challenge). He played for the Junior National Team earlier. He also played for the Edmonton Prospects of the WMBL during the Summer of 2009, and had a record of 1-0, 1.37 ERA, and 23 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings pitched.

He pitched a no-hitter for Team Canada at the 2010 Grand Forks International tournament.

Others

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Published on Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:34

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Brooks McNiven was drafted in the fourth round of the 2003 draft. He spent six years in the Giants organization, making it as high as the AAA Fresno Grizzlies. He spent three seasons with the Class A San Jose Giants, and two seasons with the Class AA Connecticut Defenders. In his first season with the Defenders, he was named Eastern League Pitcher of the week for the week ending July 22, 2007.

He got two wins (one of them a complete game) playing for Canada at the 2009 Baseball World Cup in Sweden and Italy.

He started for Canada at the 2008 Olympics against The Netherlands, and got a win. He allowed only one hit in six innings. He had another start against Cuba.

He was released by the Giants during the 2009 season, and is now an assistant coach at Douglas College.

Jonathan "Joe" Forest was signed as a free agent by the Phillies in March, 2007. His he played for Gulf Coast League Phillies in Clearwater, FL and had a record of  4-1, 3.56 ERA, 40 strikeouts and 21 bases on balls in 30 1/3 innings pitched. He was released by the Phillies in March, 2008.

Connor Janes was drafted in the 27th round of the 2006 MLB draft by the Diamondbacks. He started the 2006 season with the Missoula Osprey of the rookie-level Pioneer League, but his stay there was a short one. After hitting .391 over eight games, he was moved up to the Yakima Bears of the Northwest League. He returned to the Osprey at the start of the 2007 season, but was released by the Diamondbacks at the end of June after hitting .267, with a home run, in 15 at-bats. He is now an assistant coach for the Thunderbirds.

Cory Stuart was drafted by the Yankees in the fifth round of the 2003 draft. He spent most of the 2003 minor league season on the Disabled List. He had one outing with the Gulf Coast Yankees; went two innings, allowed no runs, two hits, struck out three.

Cory had surgery on his arm in early 2004, and was on a rehabilitation program. He pitched two innings for the Gulf Coast Yankees, gave up two hits, one run, and was credited with a save.

He had an excellent year with the Class A Staten Island Yankees in 2005. He had an ERA of 0.83, 3-1 won/lost, 32 2/3 innings pitched, and 50 strikeouts.

He played for the Class A Charleston Riverdogs in 2006. His record was 6-1 (very high for a closer), 3.06 ERA, 9 saves, and 48 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched. He was named to the South Atlantic League all-star team.

He was assigned to a AAA team during 2007 spring training, then unceremoniously released by the Yankees just before the start of the season.

Stuart also pitched for the Canadian Olympic Team in 2006, in the qualifying tournament in Havana. His record was 4 1/3 innings pitched in three appearances, three runs allowed on six hits, two strikeouts, and three bases on balls.

Derran Watts was the first UBC player drafted, in 2001. He spent three seasons at the Class A level with the Mets organization. His best record was with the Class A Hagerstown (MD) Suns, where he hit .285, with four home runs. He retired from pro ball in 2006.

Mark Zamojc was signed by the Minnesota Twins, who drafted him in the 42nd round of the 2003 MLB draft.

Mark played for two years at the Class A level. He played for the Swing of the Quad Cities during 2004. He batted .236, 46 RBI, and 74 strikeouts.

Mark started the 2005 season with the Beloit Snappers of the Class A Midwest League. He was moved to the Fort Myers Miracle of the "High Class A" Florida State League at the beginning of July. He hit .237, with five homes runs, for the Snappers, and .222 for the Miracle. He was cut at the end of spring training in 2006, despite hitting .400.

Jeff Brewer was drafted in 2002 by the Mets. He played two seasons with the Class A Kingsport Mets. His record for 2003 was 0-2, 7.71 ERA. His record for 2004 was 5-3, 3.81 ERA, and a team-high four saves. He was unceremoniously released by the Mets at the end of the 2004 season.

He continued his career with the Calgary Vipers of the independent Northern League. His record with the Vipers for 2005 was 4-5, 4.95 ERA. He was released by the Vipers in April, 2006.