The Vancouver Canadians keep winning games even though they’re losing players to promotion.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ high-A farm team, winners of five straight and 13 of their past 15, heads into a Wednesday night (7:05 p.m. first pitch) visit from the Spokane Indians to Nat Bailey Stadium.
Vancouver started Wednesday tied for top spot in the Northwest League with the Everett AquaSox and Hillsboro Hops, with all three teams sitting at 30-28. There were eight games remaining in the first half going into Wednesday. The first half pennant winner secures a spot in the best-of-five league championship series in September.
The C’s might have to make that run at the post-season spot without right-hander Trey Yesavage. It hasn’t been announced by the team yet, but there have been various reports that the Blue Jays have bumped their 2024 first-round draft pick up to the double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats after just four appearances with Vancouver.
Yesavage did put together dazzling numbers in his time in Vancouver, fashioning a 1.56 earned run average while allowing a mere five hits in 17 and one third innings. He struck out 33 and walked 11.
The 21-year-old is the No. 2 ranked Blue Jays prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. They have him as the No. 67 prospect in all of baseball.
The C’s still have plenty of notable names, led by shortstop Arjun Nimmala, who’s the Blue Jays’ No. 1 prospect and No. 55 across all teams according to Pipeline. The 19-year-old Nimmala was hitting .273, with nine home runs and 27 runs batted in, going into Wednesday. He was a 2023 first-round pick for Toronto.
Also red-hot for the C’s of late has been second baseman Nick Goodwin, 23. Going into Wednesday, he was hitting .379 with six homers and 15 RBI through seven games in June. For the season, Goodwin was at .252, with nine homers and 30 RBI, heading into Wednesday.
Goodwin was a 2023 seventh-round pick by the Blue Jays. He hit .201, with nine homers and 44 RBI, last season in 113 games with Vancouver.
The C’s have now hit 16 home runs in their last seven games.
After the Spokane series, Vancouver has a six-game road set with the Eugene Emeralds that starts on Tuesday. The first three games of that series close out the first half schedule.
@SteveEwen
SEwen@postmedia.com