Canadian Little League World Series Players To Reach MLB

The nation of Canada has been participating in the Little League World Series since 1952, when a team from Montreal, Que. became the first foreign entry into the tournament before being knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Little League has been in Canada since the early 1950s, but not every province participates in the program to date. Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and the three territories have not taken part.

Since 1958, Canada has been given an automatic berth in the tournament and has sent a squad to Williamsport every year in search of a championship.

The country’s top showing was back in 1965, when a team from Stony Creek, Ont. finished as the runner-up in the tournament – dropping a 3-1 decision to Connecticut.

The Canadians have reached the international semifinal multiple times, and their top showings post-1965 have come in the form of two third-place finishes (1990 & 1998).

To earn the honor of representing Canada, a team needs to win the Canadian Little League Championship. This event takes the top team from each affiliated province and has them battle it out in a winner-take-all tournament amongst seven teams (all six provinces and the host team).

Since 2005, the province of British Columbia has represented Canada at the World Series all but two times, and the newest champion for this year’s tournament was crowned yesterday, as the Major Allstars of Whalley Little League (B.C.) beat the Medicine Hat Major Mavs (Alberta) for the title.

While many think of Canada for its endless number of talented hockey players, the game of baseball is gaining steam in the northern nation, and every MLB organization features a Canuck in some form, whether player, coach, scout, or executive.

Look left or right and you’ll be bumping into someone saying “sorry” sooner or later somewhere near a ball diamond.

This includes the LLWS. Canada boasts three natives who have suited up in the Little League World Series and have taken the field at a major league stadium over the years.

These Canadians Played in MLB and the LLWS

Jason Bay (OF) – Trail Little League (1990)

A product of Trail, B.C., outfielder Jason Bay was part of the Trail Little League team that finished third at the 1990 LLWS – Canada’s top showing at the tournament since their runner-up finish back in 1965.

Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 2000 MLB draft, Bay found himself in the Padres organization two years later through a series of trades that saw him also have a brief stint in the Mets farm system.

Bay made his MLB debut a year later, collecting his first big league hit as a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 23, 2003.

Bay would be traded to the Pirates late in the season and exploded on the scene in 2004, earning the National League Rookie of the Year Award while posting a .282/.358/.550 slash line with 26 home runs, 82 RBIs, and a .907 OPS through 120 games.

He would earn two All-Star nods with the Pirates (2005 and 2006), one with the Boston Red Sox (2009), and a Silver Slugger Award (2009).

While injuries kept him on the sidelines several times throughout his career, Bay finished with a .266/.360/.481 slash line and 222 home runs after additional stints with the Mets and Mariners throughout his 11 seasons in the big leagues.

The B.C. product would retire in 2014 and walk away a three-time winner of the Tip O’Neill Award (best Canadian baseball player). Bay would be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019, and the city of Trail recently opened Jason Bay Field in honor of the Canadian outfielder.

His career home run total ranks fifth amongst Canadians to play in the major leagues. He ranks tenth among Canadians in games played (1278).

Adam Loewen (OF & LHP) – Kennedy-Surrey Little League (1996)

Repping the city of Surrey, B.C. at the 1996 LLWS, Adam Loewen‘s squad posted a 1-2 record in the international bracket, beating Saudi Arabia by a score of 3-2.

Loewen holds the distinction of being the highest-drafted Canadian-born player, with the Baltimore Orioles using their fourth overall pick of the 2002 MLB draft on the left-handed pitcher.

The southpaw made his major league debut in 2006 and posted a 5.37 ERA through 22 outings (19 starts) with an 8.9 H/9 and a 7.9 K/9.

Injuries to his elbow limited him in 2007, and the Orioles prospect struggled to regain his form on the mound, making just 13 big league appearances through the 2008 season.

Due to his elbow problems, Loewen converted into a position player, splitting his time between first base and the outfield. He made his big league debut as a position player in 2011 with the Toronto Blue Jays, collecting six hits and one home run through 32 at-bats. He bounced around a few more organizations while playing in the minor leagues.

Loewen returned to the mound in 2014 with the Phillies organization. Over the next five seasons, he spent the majority of his time at Triple-A in the Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Rangers systems, though he had a couple more brief stints in the majors.

He played his last professional game in 2018.

At the international level, Loewen suited up for Team Canada at numerous tournaments including the World Baseball Classic (2006, 2013, and 2023), the Baseball World Cup (2013), the Pan American Games Qualifier (2019), and the WBSC Premier12 Tournament (2019).

Loewen also pitched a no-hitter against the Pirates’ Dominican Summer League squad as a high schooler.

For his efforts at the international level and his storied professional career, Loewen was named to Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence last year.

Michael Saunders (OF) – Gordon-Head Little League (1999)

Suiting up for Gordon-Head Little League, a squad out of Victoria on Vancouver Island, B.C., Michael Saunders and his team posted a 1-2 record in the LLWS. Their win came against the European team out of Germany by a score of 5-3.

An 11th-round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2004, Saunders made his big league debut in 2009 and collected 27 hits through 46 games. Over six seasons with the Mariners, Saunders amassed a .231/.301/.384 slash line with 51 home runs, 182 RBIs, and a .685 OPS while patrolling the outfield.

The left-handed batter would be traded to the Toronto Blue Jays during the 2014-15 offseason and spent parts of three seasons with the team, collecting 24 home runs and 61 RBIs to the tune of a .784 OPS.

Saunders also found himself on the 2016 postseason roster, where he went 8-for-21 (.381) with one double and one home run through the Jays run to the ALCS, where they fell to Cleveland.

He would spend the first half of the 2017 season with Philadelphia before he was DFA’d and returned to Toronto to round out the campaign.

That would be his last foray in the big leagues, although a series of minor league deals kept Saunders on the field until he was released by the Colorado Rockies in early 2019.

Internationally, Saunders repped the Maple Leaf at the 2008 Olympics and the 2013 World Baseball Classic as well as the 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier and 2019 WBSC Priemier12 tournament alongside Loewen.

Following the Premier12 tournament, Saunders officially retired and became a coach in the Atlanta Braves organization.

After nine years in the big leagues, Saunders retired with a .232/.305/.397 slash line and a .701 OPS through 775 games. He was named to Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence this past winter and should be on the radar for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame over the next few years.