NEW YORK -- When Marlins catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks found out that he would be representing Team Canada at this spring’s World Baseball Classic, no one told him. There wasn’t a phone call or text, nor did he learn about it on TV the way some players discover they’ve been involved in a trade.
No, he found out in a list of interview questions he had been given before attending the annual Baseball Canada banquet to receive the Stubby Clapp Award – an honor named after the longtime national team player and coach that recognizes the Canadian player “who has stood out for their hard work, perseverance, positive attitude, and strong performance on the field.”
“They sent me a script about accepting the award that said, ‘How excited are you to play for Team Canada?’" Hicks told MLB.com when the Marlins were in New York recently. “I hadn't heard anything, so I called them and was like, ‘What's the deal? Am I playing?’ And they said, ‘Yeah, you are.’ So, it was a pretty funny surprise, but it was really cool.”
While the moment of discovery may have been amusing, the honor of representing his country – something he had never done at the junior level – was an immense honor.
“Seeing all the people after the fact that were supporting and cheering you on, having a whole country behind your back was pretty cool,” Hicks said.
While Miami is almost 1,500 miles away from Toronto, the Marlins’ lineup now features a trio of Canadian standouts who helped their nation advance past the first round for the first time in WBC history. Hicks entered Wednesday ranked third in the Majors in RBIs (46) – the only Marlin to ever top that category was Giancarlo Stanton when he had 132 RBIs in 2017. Shortstop Otto Lopez is second in the Majors with a .335 average, hoping to become the fourth Marlin to win the batting title (Luis Arraez, Dee Strange-Gordon and Hanley Ramirez were the others), while 23-year-old rookie outfielder Owen Caissie – acquired from the Cubs over the offseason – has shown flashes of the pop that made him a two-time Futures Game participant as he adjusts to an everyday role in the Majors.
The record for most Canadian-born players in a single lineup is three, set – of course – by the Blue Jays. Because Lopez was born in the Dominican Republic, the Marlins technically haven’t tied the record. However, Lopez – who represented both countries in international play in a single season when he played for Canada at the Pan American Games and the D.R. at the Premier 12 in 2019 – has deep love for both.
“Representing those two countries is something special,” Lopez said. “One I was born in and one I grew up with. It’s just special for me.”
Though Hicks isn’t sure if the Classic had much of an impact on his performance beyond benefiting from the extra and earlier reps he took to prepare, Lopez does credit the tournament for his breakout season.
“The experience that we had there, and the emotion, it was more like playoff games that we played there,” Lopez said. “To bring those things to the season, it just puts it all together where we are more in game mode, not like in Spring Training.”
The three also benefited from lining up with each other on the national team – with Cal Quantrill, a teammate alongside Lopez and Hicks in Miami last year, playing as well.
“It definitely made it a little bit more comfortable, knowing guys that you had played with, being able to talk to them about things, having them have your back,” Hicks said. “I really enjoyed having them there, and then also meeting all the new guys, too, because it was just such a supportive group, a really good group.”
“It felt great because we ended up in Spring Training all together and just worked out what we'll be doing,” Lopez said. “Then the WBC was a good moment. We trained together, played together the whole time, and now here, we just keep doing what we're doing there.”
While the Marlins may lead the league in Canadian national team members to suit up in a lineup together, that doesn’t make Miami a kind of Canada south. This is Fish country.
“I'm not gonna lie, no,” Caissie said with a sly grin when asked if it ever feels like Canada in the clubhouse. “We're here for the Marlins. I obviously love being Canadian, but that ship has kind of sailed, and now we're just focusing on being part of the Marlins.”
That’s the right attitude for playing on this team. Beyond hosting the last two World Baseball Classic championships, with loanDepot park transforming into a jam-packed, raucous party filled with flags, music, and cheers from fans all around the world, the team is stocked with World Baseball Classic veterans: there’s outfielder Jakob Marsee, who suited up for Italy, pitcher Sandy Alcantara and catcher Agustín Ramírez played for the Dominican Republic, and utilityman Javier Sanoja, whose 9th-inning steal helped give Venezuela its first championship.
“It's just amazing to see how many people from different countries that we have,” Lopez said. “I didn’t even know that Marsee was Italian. It's good to see those different cultures.”
It’s something the players feel when playing in Miami, too, a city known for its unique, multicultural blend.
“It feels more close to home than anything. Playing in Miami has been very special for me,” Lopez said. “It’s just the different culture, the lighting, and music – all around is just colorful.”
“You saw how many people were at the finals, how awesome the atmosphere was there,” Hicks siad. “I think if we just continue playing well, keep trying to put a good product on the field, [Miami is] definitely a hub for multicultural baseball, which is pretty cool to see.”
While the Marlins locker room displays a wide world of baseball talent, at the end of the day, it was Sanoja who finished with bragging rights:
“He wore his jersey into camp and I think he took his medal in [to the clubhouse],” Caissie said. “At home, he has two Venezuelan flags in his locker, so yeah, he can rub it in because he won.”
Though Venezuela may have taken the crown, Canada’s future is bright. Their roster was arguably the best they ever had in World Baseball Classic history and the talent pipeline is bursting.
“We can always hit,” Caissie said. “Pitching has always been our thing, where we have the guys, but it's just really getting them. In the future, I think we're going to be very, very good.”
Until then, though, they’ll have the World Cup to watch later this month.
“I met one of the players when he came in for the first pitch the other week,” Hicks said. “He gave me a Team Canada jersey with my name on it, so I'm gonna be cheering hard for them, obviously.”
Thank you to Sarah Langs and Thomas Harrigan for research assistance.