The first series of the year is in the books for the high-A Vancouver Canadians, with the club taking two of three from the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Los Angeles Angels’ affiliate. The club opens up the season with a nine-game road trip, with the first full week series kicking off on Tuesday night against the defending Northwest League champion Spokane Indians.

After blowing a 4-1 lead and losing the season opener 5-4, the C’s stormed back and took games two and three by the scores of 3-0 and 10-2, respectively.

VLet’s take a look at some of the more noteworthy performances, which include a few high-A as well as professional debuts.

In game one, Grant Rogers spun four innings, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out five. He allowed just one unearned run, handing the ball over to the bullpen with a 4-1 lead. The pitch count got a little bit high for the six-foot-seven right hander – he needed 69 pitches to get through his four innings – which prompted the early hook from new C’s manager Jose Mayorga. Rogers figures to be one of the best starters for Vancouver this season, especially if his velocity jump is legit: he sat in the mid-90s this spring compared to low 90s last year.

After struggling to start the 2024 season with single-A Dunedin, Nimmala returned to the complex and had a bit of a swing reset, leading to a 15-home run breakout after returning to the D-Jays in late June.

That success led to his promotion to Vancouver to start the 2025 season, where he’s looked every bit ready for his next challenge. After walking and scoring in game one, the 2023 first-round pick collected his first three hits as a Canadian in game two of the series, following that up with two walks and a titanic home run in the final game on Sunday. He has started each of the team’s first three games in the two hole of the lineup, where he figures to be both a table setter and a source of power as the season carries on. Ranked #84 on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospect list this spring, there’s a good chance that he moves way up that list if his success continues over the first half of the season.

Jackson Wentworth – selected out of Kansas State with a 5th round pick last July – had about as good of a start to his pro career as you could ask for.

In game two of the series on Saturday night, he scattered just three hits and one walk across five innings, striking out six and earning himself the win in the process. In his last year of college, he punched out 115 batters in just 87 innings, limiting baserunners in the process. With some more success over the first couple of months of the year, there’s a chance that he will begin to be mentioned among Blue Jays’ top pitching prospects.

After logging a few starts in 2023 and the entire year in 2024 in Vancouver, Pat Gallagher is back with the Canadians, albeit in a new role.

With the club deciding on a five-man rotation in 2025 – compared to a six-man rotation the last couple of years – the Leominster, Massachusetts native will occupy a multi-inning relief role this season. We saw 2024 Canadian and current New Hampshire Fisher Cats pitcher Alex Amalfi thrive in that role last year, and the early results are encouraging for Gallagher as well. The six-foot righthander pitched two innings in Saturday’s 3-0 win, striking out three without allowing a single baserunner.

Given his experience at the high-A level, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s the first man called up if and when a bullpen spot becomes available in New Hampshire.

2023 third-rounder Juaron Watts-Brown got off to a great start to his season, striking out 10 Dust Devils over 4 2/3 innings during Sunday’s 10-2 win. The swing and miss stuff has always been there for the former Oklahoma State Cowboy, but walks have been his Achilles heel as a pro. He walked only one batter through his start while scattering three hits in the process.

His inability to complete five innings prevented him from earning the win, but it was a very encouraging first game for the #16 Blue Jays prospect.

Sean Keys had an excellent game on Sunday, reaching base a team high four times, including two hits and two walks. The fourth round pick from last year had a ludicrous .535 OBP and 1.333 OPS in his last year at Bucknell, prompting the Blue Jays to select him in the early few rounds of the draft.

Across 22 games with Dunedin following the draft, he produced an .829 OPS, allowing the club to feel comfortable with starting him off in high-A to start the season. There’s a good chance that the #19 Blue Jays prospect continues to rake in the middle of the order for the Canadians as the season moves along.