B.C.’s boy wonder on cusp of MLB
O’Neill says he’s ‘excited’ to suit up for Canada again
Tyler O’Neill is 21, on the doorstep of the major leagues — and seemingly as calm as can be.
“The goal this year? Start in triple-A and let my performance dictate my timeline to the big leagues,” the slugging Seattle Mariners prospect said.
“I’ve been told that I’ve moved through the system pretty quick here. I’m just trying to perform the best I can every day and let results take care of themselves.”
The product of Maple Ridge, B.C., has a non-roster invite to major league spring training with the Mariners, but Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto has said he won’t rush the outfielder and expects he’ll start the season with their top affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League.
The burly, barrel-chested O’Neill was named Baseball America’s double-A player of the year after tearing up the Southern League for the Jackson Generals, posting a .293 average, 24 home runs and 102 RBIs.
It’s worth noting that Baseball America’s 2015 double-A player of the year, Max Kepler, started last season at the triple-A level for the Minnesota Twins but played 113 games with the big-league club.
“It’s going to be great to share the major league locker-room and experience the big league life a little bit, but I know where I’m starting,” O’Neill said of his spring training invite. “I’m going to go to triple-A and make the most of it.”
Despite his gaudy numbers, O’Neill didn’t merit a call-up beyond double-A last year. He said he was “understanding” about not winning a promotion, and said he takes pride in helping Jackson win a league title.
O’Neill is slated to play for Canada in the World Baseball Classic. Canada is part of a pool based in Miami that includes the U.S., Colombia and the Dominican Republic. It won’t be his first time playing for the Maple Leaf — O’Neill was part of the Canadian team that grabbed the gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
“There’s nothing better than playing for Team Canada,” O’Neill said. “Everyone has this hockey accent you do not experience on a professional ball field. I’m really excited for it.
“I’m not going to be the No. 3 stick in the batting order in the WBC (like he was at the Pan Ams). I’ll be lower down. I’m not going to have that expectation from outside on me, but I’m going to have it for myself.”