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Looking at the Vancouver Canadians’ season at the All-Star break
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Ryley Delaney
Jul 18, 2024, 21:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 18, 2024, 21:17 EDT
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The Vancouver Canadians are seeking a trip to their third consecutive Northwest League Final.
Vancouver’s  first-half wasn’t going to get them there, as they finished with a 30-33 record, the second worst in the six team league and 7.5 games behind Spokane, who won the first-half. However, the Canadians have regained their usual pedigree in the second-half, as they have a 16-5 record, tied with Spokane for the lead in the second half.
If Spokane were to win both halves, the team with the second best record overall would play Spokane in the finals. As it stands, the Canadians have a 46-38 record overall, four games ahead of the Eugene Emeralds.
Let’s look at some key players for the reigning Northwest League champions.

Peyton Williams

Peyton Williams missed the first two months of Vancouver’s season, but returned on June 4. Since returning, the 6’5”, 255 lb first baseman is slashing .277/.385/.420 with four homers in 143 plate appearances, along with a 15.4 BB% and a 20.3 K% for a team-high 131 wRC+.
Since returning to the team, the Canadians have gone 23-15, but there’s a very real possibility that he’s promoted in the near future as the Canadians will surely get some players from the Dunedin Blue Jays.
Still, Williams has helped the Canadians significantly since returning, and it’ll be fun to watch his career progress.

Dasan Brown

In 2022, it finally looked as if Dasan Brown was breaking out, as he slashed .283/.383/.420 with six homers in 360 plate appearances, along with three additional home runs in Vancouver’s three postseason games. The K% of 28.3% was worrisome, but his 131 wRC+ was the fourth-most of qualified batters.
The Oakville, Ontario born outfielder struggled in 2023 though, slashing .218/.309/.315 with a career-best seven homers in 463 plate appearances. While his K% dropped to 25.1%, the 74 wRC+ he posted was a career-worst.
Brown’s 2024 season has been one of his best, as he’s slashing .270/.374/.425 with six homers in just 265 plate appearances for a 129 wRC+. More importantly, his BB% of 12.5% is one of the best in his career, while his K% has dropped to 23.8%. He’s also been a better base stealer, stealing 17 of 18 bases as opposed to 26 of 37 last season.
Like Williams, he may find himself in Double-A sooner rather than later.

Brennan Orf

Selected in the 13th round of the 2023 draft, Brennan Orf has had an interesting first full season in the Blue Jays organization.
So far, he’s slashing .219/.348/.438 with a 122 wRC+, but has had just 89 plate appearances as he’s missed time with injury. Recently, the Blue Jays sent him on a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Jays.
While he isn’t hitting for average, he’s doing damage. In total, Orf has 16 hits, eight of which are singles.

Jace Bohrofen

Bohrofen was drafted a little bit earlier in the 2023 draft, as the Jays used their sixth-round pick to select the 22-year-old outfielder.
After a great half season in 2023 where he hit seven home runs in under 100 plate appearances with the FCL Jays and Dunedin Blue Jays, his power production took a bit of a hit in 2024. So far with Vancouver, he’s slashing .215/.335/.373 with seven homers in 311 plate appearances, along with a 12.5 BB% and a 26.7 K%.
Like Orf, it’d be nice if Bohrofen could start to hit for power, but he’s been useful in the Canadians’ lineup.

Rafael Sánchez

Rafael Sánchez is an intriguing prospect to me, because he just munches innings.
This season with the Canadians, the 24-year-old righty from Cuba has a 4.18 ERA and a 2.56 FIP in 71 innings pitched, along with a 27.7 K% and a 6.7 BB%. He is the team’s only qualified pitcher.
Since June 9, Sánchez has a 3 ERA and a 2.13 FIP, along with a 32.6 K% and a 7.2 BB% in 33 innings pitched, along with a 12 strikeout game on June 23.

Conor Larkin

Conor Larkin has been one of Vancouver’s best relievers out of the pen this season. The 25-year-old was drafted in the ninth-round of the 2021 draft and posted an okay 4.30 ERA and 3.35 FIP in 46 innings pitched with Vancouver last season. That included a 29.5 K% and a 10.9 BB%.
However, Larkin’s 1.82 ERA is the third lowest in the entire organization (min: 20 innings pitched), while his FIP has increased to 3.79 and his BB% to 14.6%. Still his K% is a fantastic 32%.
He’s someone worth monitoring in the future, but needs to be tested in the upper-minors.

Lazaro Estrada

One of three players that we’ll look at that has been called up to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Lazaro Estrada could be one of the most underrated Blue Jays pitching prospects in the organization.
This season in High-A, he posted a 1.96 ERA and a 3.18 FIP in 41.1 innings pitched, along with a 32.7 K% and a 7.4 BB%. His two games with the Fisher Cats haven’t been great, posting a 4 ERA and a 4.99 FIP in nine innings pitched, along with an 18.9 K% and a 13.5 BB%.
However, his mid-90s fastball paired with a nasty slider and an incredibly spinny curveball makes me believe that he could be added to the 40-man roster at the end of the season.

Ryan Jennings

Selected in the fourth-round of the 2022 draft, Ryan Jennings was one of Vancouver’s best starters before a promotion to Double-A.
This season, Jennings had a 2.13 ERA and a 3.33 FIP in 50.2 innings pitched, which was much better than the 3.98 ERA and 3.52 FIP he had last season between Single-A and High-A. He had a decrease in K%, as it went from 30.9% to 26.5%, while his BB% remained relatively the same.
The 25-year-old righty was promoted to Double-A, where he pitched an inning out of the bullpen before an injury landed him on the Injured List.

Anders Tolhurst

Another one of Vancouver’s best relievers, Tolhurst’s career has been wild. Originally selected in the 23rd-round of the 2019 draft, he didn’t make his professional debut until 2022.
It wasn’t a great 2023 for the righty, as he posted a 5.63 ERA and a 3.19 FIP in 40 innings pitched, along with a 27.9 K% and a 7 BB% between Single-A, High-A, and the Florida Complex League. However, he was terrific out of the Canadians pen, posting a 1.73 ERA and a 2.12 FIP in 26 innings pitched, along with a 26.7 K% and a 4.8 BB%.
His tenure in New Hampshire hasn’t been great, as Tolhurst is currently rocking a 7.59 ERA and an 8.68 FIP in 10.2 innings pitched, along with a 23.5 K% and a 9.8 BB%. Still, he’s someone to keep an eye on over the next few seasons.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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