Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Mike Soroka-Tip O'neill Award Winner
Mike Soroka
The Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame is located in St. Mary's, Ontario, not far from
London. I plan to darken the doors there this summer.
Once a year,
Scott Crawford, the director of operations from the Hall announces
the winner of the Tip O'Neill Award. This year's winner is Mike
Soroka from the Atlanta Braves. The award is given to a Canadian
player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team
contribution while adhering to baseball's highest ideals.
I am sure
you would agree with me when I say that Soroka is just a good guy. He
is active in charitable and community endeavours. He works through
the Braves Foundation to help with the Dave Krache Foundation and the
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. During the season, he hosted
children and parents involved with the epilepsy unit from the
hospital. He also serves as the Kidsport Calgary ambassador.
I chatted
with former Major Leaguer Paul Quantrill this morning. His son Cal
has just completed his first year with the San Diego Padres.
Quantrill mentioned that Soroka was a “quality individual”.
Quantrill has been involved with Canadian baseball for many years
after retiring from the game. He has been instrumental in assisting
young Canadians as they attempt to find their way on the path to a
career in baseball.
Paul's son
attended Trinity College School in Port Hope before heading south. In
2016, he underwent Tommy John surgery, certainly a setback to his
young career. He rebounded however, to become a first round draft
pick by the Padres. He will likely be able to pay for his own ticket
when he goes to the movies with his family.
Scott
Crawford had this to say about Soroka: “Mike Soroka put together
one of the best rookie seasons by a Canadian pitcher in major league
history. He not only had an outstanding regular season with the
Atlanta Braves, but he was also dominant in his first post-season
start. He's definitely a worthy recipient of the award.”
In his first
full major league season, Soroka had a 13-4 record and a 2.68 earned
run average. He struck out 142 batters in 29 starts for the Braves.
His impressive ERA was third in the National League. He had a road
ERA of 1.35, the fifth lowest in the major leagues since 1913. (with
a minimum of 15 games started).
Soroka made
his major league debut on May 1, 2018, pitching five starts for the
Braves last year. He is an alumni of the Junior National Team.
Soroka
certainly appreciated the award. “When I had been told I would be
the recipient of the 2019 Tip O'Neill Award, it really did put me
back in a sense of awe. Having had the opportunity to grow up through
the Canadian Baseball Program, (Junior National Team), I have always
felt a sense of pride when there are Canadians excelling in this
game. I am always sure to mention to anyone watching other games in
the clubhouse when a Canadian is at the plate or on the mound. I am
beyond humbled to have the honour of sharing this award with some of
the greats of not just Canadian baseball, but Major League Baseball
period. The sense of pride has stemmed from others who represented
Canadian baseball so well before me, and is something I hope to carry
on as well.”
Tip O'Neill
was one of baseball's early stars. Born in Woodstock, Ontario, he
played for the St. Louis Browns in the 19th century.
Criteria for the award include on-field performance, contributions to
the team, community and charitable endeavours, and support in fan
voting.
Last year's
winner was James Paxton from the Yankees. Larry Walker, Justin
Morneau, Joey Votto, Eric Gagne, and Jason Bay have won the award on
more than one occasion.
There were
16 Canadians who played major league baseball last year. With global
warming clearing the snow earlier in the spring, there's no telling
how that number might increase in the future! Perhaps.
James Hurst
November 10,
2019.
# posted by James Hurst @ 4:04 PM 
