Vancouver Canadians

This article is about baseball team competing since 2000. For the earlier team of the Pacific Coast League, see Vancouver Canadians (PCL).

The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. They are currently the only MiLB team based in Canada.

Vancouver Canadians
Founded in 2000 Vancouver, British Columbia
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Class	High-A (2021–present)
Previous classes	Class A Short Season (2000–2020)
League	Northwest League (2000–present)
Major league affiliations
Team	Toronto Blue Jays (2011–present)
Previous teams	Oakland Athletics (2000–2010)
Minor league titles
League titles (5)	2011 2012 2013 2017 2023
Division titles (7)	2004 2005 2011 2012 2013 2014 2017
First-half titles (1)	2023
Second-half titles (2)	2022 2024
Team data
Colors	Red, dark red, black, silver, white
Mascot	Bob Brown Bear[1]
Ballpark	Nat Bailey Stadium (2000–present), Ron Tonkin Field (2021)
Owner(s)/ Operator(s)	Diamond Baseball Holdings[2]
General manager	Allan Bailey
Manager	José Mayorga[3]
Website	milb.com/vancouver

A game at Nat Bailey Stadium in 2007

History

Prior to the 1999 season, the Vancouver Canadians Pacific Coast League franchise was purchased by a group led by Art Savage with the intention of relocating to Sacramento, California.^[4] Despite winning the Pacific Coast League title and Triple-A World Series, the Canadians moved to California's capital city. Vancouver would not be without baseball as the Southern Oregon Timberjacks of the Northwest League announced relocation to fill the void in Vancouver.^[5] The Canadians name resumed as members of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League in 2000.

Like the predecessor Pacific Coast League franchise, the new Canadians signed a player development contract with the Oakland Athletics. The Canadians had players such as Nick Swisher, Jeremy Brown, Jason Windsor, Joe Blanton, Rich Harden, Travis Buck, Dallas Braden, and Dan Straily during this period.

2007

In 2007, local Vancouver businessmen Jake Kerr and Jeff Mooney purchased the Vancouver Canadians and secured a 25-year lease with the City of Vancouver Parks Board. Extensive work began that offseason in a full-scale stadium renovation which improved washrooms, concessions, concourses, and children's play area. Point-of-purchase concessions increased substantially.

In January 2008, former Washington Nationals executive Andy Dunn become the President and General Manager of the Canadians.

2010

In spring 2010, the Vancouver Canadians and Scotiabank announced a long-term partnership that would see Nat Bailey Stadium renamed to Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium.

The Canadians became the Short-Season A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays following the 2010 season. The team's attendance rose to 162,162 in 2011, a team record. In September 2011, the Vancouver Canadians won their first Northwest League title, defeating the Tri-City Dust Devils, 9–2, to win the final series, 2–1. The following year, the Vancouver Canadians became back-to-back champions for the first time in franchise history, defeating the Boise Hawks, 12–9, to win the final series, 2–1.

2013

In August 2013, outfielder Kevin Pillar became the first alumnus of the team to play in the major leagues for Toronto.^[6]

On September 9, 2013, the Canadians became just the third Northwest League team to win three straight championships, defeating the Boise Hawks, 5–0, at Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium to win the final series, 2–1, in front of a sellout crowd.^[7] The 2013 season also saw the Vancouver Canadians draw over 195,000 fans to Scotiabank Field, a fifth consecutive team record which included 23 sold-out games.

On November 4, 2013, the Canadians were named the 2013 recipient of the John H. Johnson President's Award, given to Minor League Baseball's top organization. It was the first time a Canadian-based franchise won the award.^[8]

2016

In 2016, the Canadians led the Northwest League with a total attendance of 222,363, averaging 6,177 per game.^[9] This earned them the 2016 Esurance "Home Field Advantage Award", given to the organization in each affiliated minor league with the greatest attendance per percentage capacity.^[10] In 2017, the Canadians won another championship, defeating Eugene, 2–1, to win the series, 3–1.^[11] They beat their previous record with 239,527 people in total attendance for the 2017 season, averaging 6,303 per game. On January 26, 2018, Toronto extended their player-development contract with Vancouver through the 2022 season.^[12]

2018

Although the Canadians were unable to make the playoffs in 2018, coming in a close second in both the first and second half of the season, they still lead the league in attendance with an impressive 239,086 in total attendance.

2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minor League Baseball season was cancelled. In the winter of 2020 as part the reorganization of minor league baseball, Vancouver received an invitation to continue as the Blue Jays' High-A affiliate.^[13] In a further change, they were organized into the High-A West along with five other teams previously of the Northwest League.^[14]

2021

The team began the 2021 season playing its home games at Ron Tonkin Field (the home field of the Hillsboro Hops) in Hillsboro, Oregon due to COVID-19 border restrictions.^[15] The Canadians finished 5th in 2021, missing out on playoffs.

2022

Prior to the 2022 season, the High-A West became known as the Northwest League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.^[16] Vancouver finished 2nd in the 2022 season, qualifying for the first time to the new Northwest League playoffs system. Under the new playoffs system, a single best-of-5 series is played to determine the championship winner. Vancouver lost 3–0 to Eugene to finish runner-up.

2023

In the 2023 season, the Canadians had the best overall record in the Northwest League at 77–54 and qualified for the playoffs by winning the first-half title with a 38–27 record. Vancouver defeated Everett 3–1 to win their first High-A Northwest League Championship.^[17]

2024

The 2024 season saw the Canadians again qualify for the playoffs, but they lost the championship series 3–1 to Spokane.

2025

In the 2025 season, the Vancouver Canadians set a new franchise record with an eight-game losing streak from May 15 to 23.^[18] The skid began with a 5–4 home loss to the Everett AquaSox on May 15. During the same series, the Canadians also dropped both games of a May 18 doubleheader to Everett. They then traveled to Eugene, Oregon, where their struggles continued with four more losses to the Eugene Emeralds. The losing streak finally ended on May 24, when the Canadians shut out the Emeralds, 9–0, at PK Park.

In June, the Canadians set a new franchise record for consecutive wins. The streak began on June 5, with a 9–4 victory over the Tri-City Dust Devils in Pasco, Washington, at Gesa Stadium. They matched their nine-game winning streak record on June 14 with a 6–1 home victory over the Spokane Indians in front of a sold-out crowd, and then set a new franchise record the following day with a 3–2 win over the Indians before another sold-out home crowd. The Canadians also swept the six-game series, marking the first time in Spokane Indians history that they had been swept since being promoted to High-A.

The franchise record was extended to an 11-game winning streak on June 17, 2025, with a 12–8 victory over the Emeralds at PK Park. The Canadians fell short on June 18 with an 8–1 loss, ending their record-setting winning streak. The Canadians had previously matched their nine-game winning streak three times in the past four years but had not been able to break that record until the 2025 season.^[19]

On August 13, the Canadians turned their first triple play in High-A franchise history against the Indians in Spokane.^[20] A 1-6-3-2 double play that happened in the bottom of the 7th, where pitcher Aaron Munson threw to shortstop Arjun Nimmala, who then threw to first baseman Carter Cunningham, who threw home to catcher Edward Duran who tagged the runner out.^[21]

Early professional baseball in Vancouver

Vancouver was an influential entity in the early history of the Northwest League. They were charter members of every version of the league that would eventually form the NWL, most notably as the sole team that survived the collapse of the Western International League (WIL) in 1922 when it reformed in 1937, winning four pennants in the WIL (1942, 1947, 1949, and 1954) as the Vancouver Capilanos (1939–1954).^[22] However, even though they were the final champions of the WIL, Vancouver was not part of its reformation into the Northwest League, due to the NWL's shedding of all of its Canadian teams in order to focus on the American Pacific Northwest. Vancouver was without professional baseball in 1955, but in 1956 the highest calibre of minor league play, in the form of the Open classification Pacific Coast League, came to British Columbia when Oakland Oaks transferred there as the Vancouver Mounties. The Mounties played in the PCL from 1956 through 1962, and from 1965 through 1969.^[23]

Ballpark

The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium which had hosted previous minor league teams.

Season-by-season records

Main article: List of Vancouver Canadians seasons

Season-by-season records (last five seasons)

Season	League	Regular-season					Postseason			MLB affiliate	Ref.
		Record	Win %	League	Division	GB	Record	Win %	Result
2020	NWL	Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)[24]								Toronto Blue Jays	[24]
2021	A+W	55–64	.462	5th	—	14	—	—	—	Toronto Blue Jays	[25]
2022	NWL	67–62	.519	2nd	—	14	0–3	.000	Won Second-Half title[26] Lost NWL championship vs. Eugene Emeralds, 3–0[27]	Toronto Blue Jays	[28]
2023	NWL	77–54	.588	1st	—	—	3–1	.750	Won First-Half title[29] Won NWL championship vs. Everett AquaSox, 3–1[29]	Toronto Blue Jays	[30]
2024	NWL	68–61	.527	2nd	—	10+1⁄2	1–3	.250	Won Second-Half title[31] Lost NWL championship vs. Spokane Indians, 3–1[32]	Toronto Blue Jays	[33]
Totals	—	267–241	.526	—	—	—	4–7	.364	—	—	—

Canadians attendance

Year	Total Attendance	Average	Percent Change	Ref
2000	109,576	2,884	N/A	[34]
2001	118,357	3,115	+8.0%	[35]
2002	127,099	3,345	+7.4%	[36]
2003	137,026	3,606	+7.8%	[37]
2004	140,037	3,685	+2.2%	[38]
2005	124,708	3,370	–8.5%	[39]
2006	123,878	3,260	–3.3%	[40]
2007	126,491	3,419	+4.9%	[41]
2008	129,073	3,585	+4.9%	[42]
2009	149,297	3,929	+9.6%	[43]
2010	154,592	4,068	+3.5%	[44]
2011	162,162	4,267	+4.9%	[45]
2012	164,461	4,445	+4.2%	[46]
2013	184,042	4,843	+9.0%	[47]
2014	180,187	4,870	+0.6%	[48]
2015	215,535	5,825	+19.6%	[49]
2016	222,363	6,177	+6.0%	[50]
2017	239,527	6,303	+2.0%	[51]
2018	239,086	6,292	–0.2%	[52]
2019	235,980	6,210	–1.3%	[53]
2020[Note 1]	-	-	-	[54]
2021[Note 2]	15,822	286	-	[55]
2022[Note 3]	313,256	4,746	+1879.88%	[55]
2023	297,437	2,306	–5.05%	[55]
2024	274,892	4,262	–7.58%	[56]

Roster

Vancouver Canadians roster

• v
• t
• e

Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 39 Edinson Batista 25 Bo Bonds  4 Irv Carter 15 Javen Coleman 43 Chris McElvain 35 Brett Garcia 31 Colby Holcombe 36 Austin Marozas  5 Aaron Munson 45 Julio Ortiz 37 Fernando Pérez 30 Kai Peterson 40 Grant Rogers 38 Yondrei Rojas  3 J. J. Sanchez 23 Johan Simon 22 Greg Stanifer 33 Jonathan Todd 41 Jackson Wentworth		Catchers 26 Nicolas Deschamps 35 Hayden Gilliland  6 Aaron Parker 12 Peyton Powell Infielders  8 Bryce Arnold 28 Cutter Coffey 26 J.R. Freethy  7 Nick Goodwin 10 Jay Harry 21 Sean Keys 18 Arjun Nimmala  1 Adrian Pinto Outfielders 16 Carter Cunningham 20 Edward Duran 19 Eddie Micheletti Jr.  9 Sam Shaw		Manager -- Jose Mayorga Coaches -- Robelin Bautista (assistant pitching) -- Petr Stribrcky (coach) 12 Ryan Wright (hitting) -- Matt Van Roemer (bench) -- Eric Yardley (pitching) 60-day injured list 26 Connor O'Halloran (full season) 15 Brennan Orf (full season) -- Carson Pierce 22 Jacob Wetzel 7-day injured list * On Toronto Blue Jays 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated August 9, 2025 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB • Northwest League → Toronto Blue Jays minor league players

Media

In the 2019 season, radio rights moved from CKST to CISL Sportsnet 650. As part of the deal, Sportsnet Pacific also gained rights to air a package of Canadians games on television.^[57]

Notable former players in the major leagues

• Alan Roden (2023)
• Mason Fluharty (2022–2023)
• Leo Jiménez (2022)
• Steward Berroa (2022)
• Lazaro Estrada (2021, 2024)
• Addison Barger (2021–2022)
• Orelvis Martínez (2021)
• Brandon Eisert (2021)
• Hagen Danner (2021)
• Max Castillo (2021)
• Adam Kloffenstein (2019, 2021–2022)
• Davis Schneider (2019, 2021–2022)
• Will Robertson (2019, 2021)
• Cam Eden (2019, 2021)
• Luis De Los Santos (2019, 2021)
• Spencer Horwitz (2019, 2021)
• Alek Manoah (2019)
• Vinny Capra (2018)
• Zach Logue (2017)
• Travis Bergen (2017)
• Cavan Biggio (2016)
• Lane Thomas (2015)
• Tim Mayza (2014)
• Tim Locastro (2014)
• Miguel Castro (2014)
• Ryan Borucki (2014)
• Franklin Barreto (2014)
• Richard Urena (2014)
• Roberto Osuna (2012)
• Daniel Norris (2012)
• Dalton Pompey (2012)
• Marcus Stroman (2012)
• Kevin Pillar (2011)
• Aaron Sanchez (2011)
• Noah Syndergaard (2011)
• Justin Nicolino (2011)
• A. J. Griffin (2010)
• Ian Krol (2009)
• Dan Straily (2009)
• Max Stassi (2009)
• Sean Doolittle (2007)
• Andrew Bailey (2006)
• Justin Sellers (2005)
• Jeff Gray (2005)
• Anthony Recker (2005)
• Travis Buck (2005)
• Kurt Suzuki (2004)
• Dallas Braden (2004)
• Landon Powell (2004)
• Gregorio Petit (2004)
• Alexi Ogando (2004)
• Omar Quintanilla (2003)
• Andre Ethier (2003)
• Santiago Casilla (2002)
• Jared Burton (2002)
• Joe Blanton (2002)
• Mark Teahen (2002)
• Nick Swisher (2002)
• Nelson Cruz (2002)
• John Baker (2002)
• Mike Wood (2001)
• Rich Harden (2001)
• Neal Cotts (2001)
• Dan Johnson (2001)
• Franklyn Germán (2000)
• Ron Flores (2000)
• Freddie Bynum (2000)

Notes

1. The 2020 Minor League Baseball season was cancelled due to the advent of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
2. Due to pandemic restrictions during the 2021 MiLB Season, the Canadians played in front of reduced crowds at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro, OR.
3. Due to being promoted from Class A Short Season to High-A, Northwest League teams began playing an increased number of games beginning in 2021.