O’Neill call-up no surprise, ex-coach says
Tyler O’Neill is heading to the big leagues, and one of his old coaches is surprised it didn’t happen a season ago.
“I thought he’d be there last September,” Doug Mathieson, who is the head man for the Langley Blaze program, said of slugging outfielder O’Neill getting called up by the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. “I think with the start he’s had in Triple A, how do you ignore that? He’s putting up Bryce Harper numbers at that level so far.”
O’Neill, 22, had hit six homers anddrovein18runstogowithan .388 average through 12 games with the Cardinals’ top farm team, the Memphis Redbirds of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
The barrel-chested Maple Ridge native could make his debut on Thursday, when the Cardinals look to complete a road series with the Chicago Cubs. Wednesday’s game between the teams at Wrigley Field was postponed.
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are concerned about injury issues with centre-fielder Tommy Pham (groin).
O’Neill batted .587 with eight homers and 49 RBI for the Blaze in 19 B.C. Premier League games in 2013, and was a third-round draft pick that June by the Seattle Mariners. He raced through the Seattle system, highlighted by nearly winning a Triple Crown at the DoubleA level in 2016 with his .293 average, 24 homers and 102 RBI.
There had been speculation in spring training even last year that he might make his debut with the Mariners before the season was out, with manager Scott Servais quoted in the Seattle Times in February 2017 as saying “it’s only a matter of time before he gets to impact us in Seattle. It could be sooner rather than later. The future is certainly bright for him.”
The Mariners changed course midway through the year, dealing O’Neill to the Cardinals for lefthander Marco Gonzales, 26, last July in a bid to help their pitching.
O’Neill was thought to be in the hunt for the reserve outfielder job with the Cardinals in spring training, but oblique and hamstring injuries limited him and he was reassigned to Memphis in March.
Mathieson isn’t surprised he’s made short work of PCL pitchers so far.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met a more determined human being. When he sets his mind to something, he makes it happen,” Mathieson said.
When he debuts with the Cardinals, O’Neill will become the third Blaze product to play in the bigs, following former Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie and one-time Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Scott Mathieson, who is Doug ’s son.
“If you’re looking at one common trait amongst those guys, it’s effort, it’s the work ethic,” said Doug Mathieson.
O’Neill will become the sixth Canadian on a big-league roster this season and the third player from B.C., following Ladner left-hander James Paxton of the Mariners and Victoria right-hander Nick Pivetta of the Phillies.