Canadians’ Fish no small fry delivering outs
Jake Fishman has to wonder if the gag will stick.
Canadians play-by-play man Rob Fai had some fun with words during an “all-nature” pitching showdown earlier this month between Vancouver southpaw Fishman and right-hander Matt Peacock of the Hillsboro Hops.
Fai talked about how the C’s had to get Fishman “some food and some things to play with at the bottom of the aquarium” at the end of a successful inning and how Vancouver had a chance “if the Fish can continue to blow bubbles.”
That was a TV broadcast night and the graphics folks at Shaw TV got on board, too, listing Fishman merely as “The Fish” at one point.
“It’s kind of goofy,” said Fishman, 22. “Nobody has ever called me that before. It didn’t bug me. It’s just kind of funny.”
A nickname of some sort might be appropriate if he continues to perform the way he’s been going, though.
Fishman, a 30th-round pick in 2016 by the Toronto Blue Jays out of Division 3 Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., hadn’t given up an earned run in six appearances spanning 11 innings for the C’s heading into Wednesday. He had allowed seven hits while striking out 14 and walking just two in that span.
It’s one of the good stories with Vancouver so far this Northwest League campaign, especially when you factor in that Fishman gave up 21 hits in 15 innings spanning seven appearances last summer with Toronto’s rookie-level Gulf Coast League team in Dunedin, Fla.
All told, he was 0-1 with a 4.80 earnedrun average during his 2016 stay one level below short-season, single-A Vancouver.
“One of the things they tell you when you come in is to learn who you are as a pitcher,” Fishman said of the Blue Jays’ brass. “My first year, I almost had an identity crisis. I was trying to change what I was doing. I’m a sinker, slider guy. I’ve gotten back to that.”
He is a 6-foot-3, 195-pounder with a swirling motion that seems to deceive left-handed batters and every majorleague bullpen has a job for a guy like that.
If Fishman could ever make it to The Show, there would be some pleased media people, because he’s loaded with storylines.
He’s your classic late bloomer. He was 5-foot-7 in Grade 11. He was an economics major and digital media minor in his three years at Union. Among the companies where he’s put those skills to use is a baby food startup.
He’s the first baseball draft pick out of the school and he led all levels of the NCAA in earned-run average in 2016 with an 0.41 mark, to go along with a 7-0 record in nine appearances.
He was on emergency reserve for Team Israel for this year’s World Baseball Classic. Fishman had played for Israel manager Jerry Weinstein on a team in the prestigious Cape Cod summer collegiate all-star league in 2016.
The kicker? It might be the fact that the Sharon, Mass., native grew up a Boston Red Sox fan and admits he was surprised when the Blue Jays drafted him.
“I wasn’t expecting them to be the ones to call me,” Fishman admitted. “It took a while for it to settle in: They play the Red Sox every year. But I came here and I love it.”
Vancouver has been a Toronto affiliate since 2011, highlighted by the C’s winning three straight Northwest League crowns from 2011-13. Vancouver is going back to the playoffs in September after capturing the North Division first-half pennant over the weekend.