The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s class of 2025 was announced this morning, ushering in six new members. They are set to be enshrined on June 7th in St Marys, Ontario. The hall sets out to honour people who have made an impact on baseball in Canada, be it through their playing career, coaching, writing, broadcasting, and so on. Being a Canadian citizen certainly helps, but is not required for entry.

Let’s meet each of the new members, starting with those who made their mark as players.

‘Joey Bats’ may have been the player that many saw as a no-brainer to get into the Hall of Fame this year. The Dominican Republic native quickly became a fan favourite over his 10 seasons with the Blue Jays, emerging into one of the most feared hitters in the game. His 54 home runs in 2010 still stand as the highest single-season mark in Blue Jays history, while his 288 home runs in Toronto rank second all-time to Carlos Delgado.

You can’t talk about Jose Bautista’s impact on Toronto and Canada as a whole without mentioning the bat flip. With the Blue Jays back in the playoffs for the first time since 1993, Bautista’s ALDS Game #5 blast and bat toss put an exclamation point on the series, sending the club to the ALCS. It may be the most iconic moment in Blue Jays history since Joe Carter’s World Series-winning home run in October of 1993. The Blue Jays honoured Bautista by adding him to their Level of Excellence and has continued to be tied to the team since his retirement.

Bédard is set to be enshrined in the hall following his 11-year big league career in which he played for six different teams, most notably for the Baltimore Orioles. The Navan, Ontario’s best season came in 2007, when he went 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA while leading the major leagues in both H/9 (7.0) and K/9 (10.9). All told, he retired with the 4th most games started of any Canadian pitcher, while amassing the third most strikeouts, trailing only Fergie Jenkins and Ryan Dempster.

Bedard thrived in an era where Canadian-born players were a little less common than they are nowadays, and may just be the best left-handed pitcher in Canadian baseball history. He represented Canada for the only time back in 2006 when he participated in the inaugural World Baseball Classic.

Asay’s resume speaks for itself as one of the most successful women’s baseball players in Canadian history. She displayed some Shohei Ohtani-type skills on the international stage, excelling as a two-way player for Team Canada for the better part of 15 years. She was a part of five Women’s World Cup medal-winning teams, as well a silver-medal-winning team at the Pan Am Games in 2015. The Prince George, BC native earned National Team MVP honours in 2006 for her superb hitting, and then again in 2016 on the heels of her dominant pitching.

Elected to the BC Sports Hall of Fame last year, Asay was teammates with 2024 inductee Ashley Stephenson, another long-time member of Canada’s National Team. She will be honoured by the Hall of Fame posthumously, as she tragically passed away in 2022.

Hamilton is a true Canadian baseball lifer, having been a key member of national teams since 1992. He started as a pitching coach for the Senior National Team, before getting the opportunity to take over as head coach of the Junior National Team in 1995. This year marks his 30th season holding down the position, as he’s orchestrated a wave of success over that period. Hamilton’s teams have medaled three times at the U-18 Baseball World Cup: in 1997, 2006, and 2012.

In addition to coaching, the Toronto native also holds the role of GM of the Senior National Team. He was in charge of the roster that would go on to win gold at the 2011 and 2015 Pan-Am Games. Two years ago, he was honoured by Baseball America with the Tony Gwynn Award for his lifetime contributions to the game.

Noga was one of the pioneers of women’s softball in Canada, originally playing in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1944. She garnered a reputation for being a slick fielder, holding the single-season league record for fielding percentage by a third baseman (.942). She was also consistently in the lineup, as she was nicknamed the ‘Iron Lady’ after playing in over 300 consecutive games.

After playing in the AAGPL, she returned to her native Saskatchewan and continued to play softball, winning nine provincial championships. While continuing to play, she remained involved with the AAGPL, serving on the board of directors for the league and as a spokeswoman for Canadian women. After her playing days were over, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame inducted her in 1989. She passed away at the age of 93 in 2017.

Several Montreal Expos players have been inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame over the years. Without Gerry Snyder, there may have never been a team at all. As a city councillor, Snyder made it his mission to make sure that Montreal was on the radar for a major league team when the league announced expansion plans in 1967. His tireless efforts to convince an ownership group as well as Major League Baseball that Montreal was a good fit for a team cemented his place in Canadian baseball history.

After the Expos were awarded a team in 1968, Snyder continued on as a city councillor for the next 25 years, continuing to be an ambassador for sports in the city. He is credited for helping Montreal land the 1976 Olympics. He passed away in Montreal in 2007 at the age of 87.