Deep Left Field with Mike Wilner Podcast

DeMarlo Hale, Athletics/Baseball Canada outfielder Denzel Clarke

 

This week in Deep Left Field, we sit down with DeMarlo Hale for his thoughts on the Blue Jays season so far. Hale thinks a season is best looked over after each third, so we look back at the first third and forward to what he thinks the team can accomplish over the next couple of months. We also introduce you to Denzel Clarke, a Pickering native who had his coming out party at Rogers Centre on the weekend. While the Jays were sweeping his A's in four straight games, Clarke belted his first big-league home run, had his first career multi-hit game and dazzled on defence, including going up and over the center field wall to take a home run away from Alejandro Kirk.

Guests: Former Blue Jays/current San Diego Padres coach Tim Leiper, major-league umpire Steven Jaschinski, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Board Chair Jeremy Diamond

 

This week in Deep Left Field is all about the true north strong and free! Tim Leiper joins us to reminisce about his Jays days and talk about Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Jose Bautista and Greg Hamilton. Leiper, a southern California native who now makes his home in Huntsville, Ont., was coaching first base when Bautista flipped his bat in 2015 and has coached third base for Canada's senior men's national team for more than two decades. Jaschinski made his major-league debut as an umpire on May 16 when the Jays hosted Detroit and the Burlington, Ont. native tells us how he got to the bigs all the way from Aldershot School. And with the CBHOF induction weekend coming up, Jeremy Diamond checks in to tell us what to expect in St. Marys.

 

Guests: Blue Jays centerfielder Daulton Varsho, third baseman Addison Barger, Buffalo Bisons manager Casey Candaele

 

This week, we talk to two of the players most consequential to the Jays' recent turnaround that has seen them win eight out of 12 games going into their May 22 series finale against the San Diego Padres.

 

Daulton Varsho leads the team with seven home runs despite only having been active since the end of April. He joins us to talk about his power prowess, his ongoing recovery from shoulder surgery and his advice to his teammates who had been struggling offensively when he arrived. 

 

Addison Barger got a chance to play every day when Andres Gimenez got hurt and been one of the Jays' best hitters since then. He talks about his time on the shuttle back and forth from Buffalo, his power potential and his record-setting day in right field back in April.

 

Also, we get the word on the Jays' to minor-league affiliate and the players down there who are on the verge of helping the big club from Bisons skipper Casey Candaele.