2023 Vancouver Canadians pitcher Kevin Miranda is the latest to climb the mound for the latest C’s Chat.
The righthander played baseball in his native Panama before coming to the United States where he pitched for Clarendon College in Texas of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association). In his 2017-2018 freshman year, Miranda went 3-2 with two saves and struck out 54 batters in 47 innings but had an earned run average of 5.94. In 2018-2019, he struck out 71 batters in 74 frames with a similar ERA of 5.96.
A stint in summer ball saw Miranda enjoy his first sustained success on the hill when he went to Ohio to pitch for the Lima Locos of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. He won all five of his decisions and recorded a 2.79 ERA with a 24-6 K/BB total in 29 innings. That helped the Locos reach the semi-final where Miranda contributed eight shutout innings of one-run ball against Muskegon to help Lima pull out a 10-inning win in a clinching Game 2 in the best-of-three set. The Locos went on to defeat Licking County in the league final. For his efforts, Miranda was named a second-team GLCL All-Star.
The next stop for Miranda was the state of Louisiana as he joined the LSU-Shreveport Pilots, the same place Vancouver Canadians manager Brent Lavallee played and coached. Lavallee had just left the Pilots as he joined the Toronto Blue Jays organization prior to the 2020 season. That year, Miranda went 4-1 with a 4.39 ERA with a 29-8 strikeout-walk total in 26-1/3 innings with LSUS before COVID ended things. In 2021, he won six of nine decisions with a 5.19 ERA but he did average exactly a strikeout an inning with 78 whiffs in 78 innings and only walking 18.
Year three with the Pilots was when things really began to take off for Miranda. He went 13-1 with a 2.24 earned run average and racked up an eye-popping and NAIA-best 156 strikeouts against just 13 walks over 88-2/3 innings. That was instrumental in helping LSUS advance to the 2022 NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) World Series. Miranda was named a Tournament All-Star, an NAIA 2nd-Team All-American and the Red River Conference Pitcher of the Year.
Despite that banner campaign, no MLB team came knocking on the door yet so Miranda returned to his native Panama to pitch for the Federales de Chiriquí in the Liga Profesional de Béisbol de Panamá. Miranda helped Chiriquí advance to the championship final where they fell to Panama Metro.
The Toronto Blue Jays came knocking on Miranda’s door and signed him as a free agent on August 4, 2022. His first professional pitch would not come until 2023 but the wait was worth it. He ran off a scoreless streak of 14-2/3 innings to begin his career with the Dunedin Blue Jays. It began with four shutout innings of one-hit ball at Fort Myers on April 7. After back-to-back outings of five shout frames and five strikeouts against Tampa on April 14 and in Palm Beach on April 21, Miranda’s first professional win came after four innings of one-run relief against Bradenton on April 30.
Miranda began the month of May by earning his first professional save as he closed out a perfect fifth inning with a game-ending strikeout against Fort Myers on May 6. His last game with the D-Jays came when he put up a pair of zeroes in relief at Tampa on May 19 to lower his ERA to 1.11. A 21-3 K/BB mark in 24-1/3 innings convinced the Blue Jays to promote Miranda to Vancouver.
Miranda’s Northwest League debut came in Spokane on May 23 where he threw four shutout frames in an eventual win for the Canadians. His first win came in Everett on June 10 as he put up four more scoreless stanzas with six strikeouts to help the C’s start a doubleheader sweep and eventual series victory. Four solid frames of one-run ball led to another Vancouver victory against Hillsboro on June 18. The longest start of Miranda’s career came against Spokane on June 28 when he put up five zeroes in an eventual 10-inning win for Monty’s Mounties.
C’s Plus Baseball spoke to Miranda during the Canadians homestand against Hillsboro in mid-June. This interview has been edited for clarity.
C’s Plus Baseball – Let’s talk about how you wound up with the Blue Jays. How did that all come about?
Kevin Miranda – it was a little interesting because I finished playing college baseball, you know. I was waiting for an offer so I went to Panama to play in a professional league over there. After I was done there, nothing come out of it but one day just I got a call from the Blue Jays, ‘Do you want to sign with us?’ I was like, ‘Yeah! For sure!’ I was waiting for that moment, you know? So that’s how I got signed up by them.
CPB – Who reached out to you?
KM – First, I talked to Brent Lavallee because he used to be the manager at LSUS.
CPB – How does it feel to be back with Brent Lavallee again?
KM – It’s really amazing because honestly over there, he didn’t coach me in a real game (at LSUS) because I went there after him. He told me one day, ‘Hey, I would probably coach you in professional baseball, you know?’ I signed with the Blue Jays and now he’s the manager in High-A. So it’s really, really exciting to be here with him.
CPB – When did you get started playing baseball and when did you start pitching?
KM – I started playing baseball in Panama when I was like around four years old. I played for a while, but I started pitching when I was around 16 or 17 years old, something like that.
CPB – When did you move to the States?
KM – I came here in 2017. Somebody I knew told me, ‘Hey, you have to pay like around a thousand (dollars) and you go to the United States for a tryout in college.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to do that. I want to keep playing baseball.’ I actually went to a couple of colleges but no one didn’t want to offer me (a spot) because I didn’t know any English when I came here. One college in Texas, Clarendon College, gave me the opportunity without knowing English. I played there for three years, then I transferred to LSUS and now I’m here.
CPB – Well, I’ll tell you what. You speak great English. How long did it take you to pick it up?
KM – I just started speaking English without a translator after three years, three years and a half. That’s when I felt like really comfortable talking to someone because I was like really shy.
CPB – Well, thanks for talking to me today. What did you do (to learn English)? Did you watch lots of TV shows or did you go to classes?
KM – Yeah, I used to go to classes but I didn’t take like a lot of classes to learn English (specifically). I was just like going to normal classes. I was listening to the professor all the time. My teammates, it was me and two other guys that speak Spanish. So most of the time I was around people that speak English. So I was forced to learn, you know? So that’s one of the reasons why I learned English so fast.
CPB – You went to Clarendon College and then you went to LSUS. How did you wind up there?
KM – I had a couple of offers in the north, Kentucky, Georgia – a couple of schools over there, but the only one that was in the south was LSUS and I don’t like to pitch in the cold. I’m from Panama, you know? It’s kind of warm so LSUS sounded like a really good option. They had a pretty good record and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m just gonna sign with LSUS’. That’s how I ended up there. It was a pretty good school, a pretty good program. The head coach Brad Neffendorf. He was my manager over there. I learned a lot from him. He helped me a lot.
CPB – You got to pitch in the NAIA World Series and got named the All-Tournament team. What was that experience like?
KM – It was a really good experience. Honestly, it was the most exciting moment in baseball for me because I never pitched in a game like a World Series. When we got there, it was like 4,000-5,000 people in the stadium. Just helping the team trying to win the national title, it was really fun. I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders because I was the starter in the team so all the time, it was like ‘Kevin Miranda, Kevin Miranda is coming to start the game today so we need to win the game because he’s going to pitch’, you know? But that helped me to get here right now and just pitching all the time. I don’t feel any pressure, I just feel like having fun. That’s what I feel is helping me to do what I’m doing right now.
CPB – You get signed with the Blue Jays and you reported to Dunedin. You didn’t see any action so I guess they just decided to shut you down. Take us through what it was like when you first joined the Blue Jays?
KM – It was really nice but I was a little nervous. One of the reasons why I didn’t pitch in 2022 as soon I got signed was because I pitched 89 innings in college and then I went to the professional league in Panama for like 30 innings. So I threw like 120 (innings) or something like that. So they were like, ‘You threw too much this year. We’re gonna do a couple of bullpens, stuff like that, and then relax and then you’re gonna start in 2023.’ I started in Dunedin and it was a really good experience the first time being a pro baseball player. I was enjoying the time and that was really fun.
CPB – You got to check out the Player Development Complex with all the new bells and whistles, all the new technology. How did you like working there?
KM – As soon I got there, I see the complex and it was really crazy for me because I never was in a facility like that. You see the gym, the training rooms, the people there. In college, you have only one trainer but when I got there, you have like 10, 12 trainers like ‘Hey, do you need something?’ I was like, ‘This is amazing!’ I never had that experience. Every time down there, I’m just enjoying the moment and enjoying the process and I feel really blessed being here.
CPB – At the Player Development Complex, was there maybe anything you learned about yourself? Like ‘Okay, this is why my pitches work this way.’ Was there anything like that?
KM – Yeah, one of the things I didn’t know when I threw in the lab was my ball is running up. Someone from the team told me, ‘Your ball is going up 17 or 19 (inches) or something like that.’ I didn’t know that so they were like, ‘Okay, one of the things that’ll help you is to start pitching up’ And I was like, ‘Okay, I’m just gonna do that.’ Because in Panama and in college, they teach me that you need to throw down to be able to get a lot of outs. So I saw other guys pitching up, up, up all the time and here, they were ‘swing and a miss, swing and a miss’. Then I was like, ‘Okay, it’s my turn. I’m just gonna try to do it.’ I didn’t like to pitch up but now I see the difference here and it’s working. The resources and all the stuff like TrackMan, all the information is helping me now a lot and I’m just gonna take advantage of it.
CPB – Talk about what you are throwing right now.
KM – I throw a fastball, four-seamer, a slider and a changeup. The change is my best pitch. That’s what got me here. Some of my teammates, they are like, ‘Hey, why do you throw so many changeups?’ I’m like, ‘That’s what got me here,’ you know? I feel like really comfortable whenever I’m down in the count at 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2, I can throw a change. I have a lot of trust in that pitch and I feel it’s helping me a lot right now.
CPB – Is it a circle changeup?
KM – Yeah, it’s just a normal, simple changeup. My manager in college and other guys here teach me how you grip the changeup. I don’t know what I do. I just throw the changeup like another pitch like a normal fastball and it just moves. They can’t hit it so I’m just gonna keep doing it.
CPB – You start off very well with Dunedin and you get the call to Vancouver. How did you find out you were going to Vancouver?
KM – A couple days before I got called up, I had something (wrong with) my back that was bothering me and then I was pitching against the Yankees (farm club, the Tampa Tarpons) that day. I came from the bullpen and I was supposed to throw like three, four innings. I threw the first inning. I came (out for) the second and I finished well. I was waiting to go out and the manager (Donnie Murphy), he came to me and he was like, ‘Hey, you are done for the day.’ And then I was like, ‘What’s wrong?’ They were like ‘No, just because you just come back from something in your back so we don’t want that you get hurt again or anything.’ I was like ‘No, but I’m fine. I want to keep pitching, I feel good,’ you know? And then Cory Riordan, the pitching coach, he was like, ‘Yeah, just get ready. We’re gonna bring you again from the bullpen on Tuesday.’ And I was like, ‘Hey, I’m fine. I want to go out and keep pitching.’ And they saw was like a little bit like, not mad but (confused). And then after the game I was just changing to get into the shower and then Cory Riordan was like, ‘Come to the office. They want to talk to you.’ I was like,’ Now I’m in trouble because they know I was kinda mad’, you know? And then they say like, ‘Oh, you were mad because we pull you out from the game, you only threw two innings.’ I was like, ‘I just want to keep pitching more innings.’ And they were like, ‘Well, we pulled you out because you’re gonna start the game on Tuesday in Vancouver.’ And I was like, ‘No way.’ I wasn’t expecting that so it was a surprise. I was really excited and all my teammates were like, ‘Congratulations!’ and all that other stuff. I just went back to the hotel and I started packing because my flight was departing around 4:00 a.m. They were gonna pick me up to take me to the airport. It was a long, long day travelling here but it was a really good experience. I was really excited.
CPB – What was like for you to pitch here at Nat Bailey Stadium?
KM – I haven’t been pitching like with a lot of people (in the stands) so the first time when I came here to this field, I see the fans, my teammates, the manager and the coaches, it was really amazing. I feel like this is gonna be my home now, it’s great. I like to pitch like this now and I’m just really excited every time I go in there to pitch (in front of) the fans here.
CPB – Is this the first time you’ve been here in Canada?
KM – Yeah, it’s my first time actually being here in Canada and I love Vancouver. It’s awesome, this place.
CPB – Your performance Saturday (June 10) in Everett. Four shutout innings and you did a great job keeping that team down and pitching in that ballpark where any fly ball could very well be a home run. It’s such a small park but how were you able to be so successful that day?
KM – I didn’t know that ballpark and one of my teammates was like, ‘Yeah, that field is really small. Any fly ball to the outfield, it’s gonna be a home run.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, let’s see.’ Whenever I got there and I see that field, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s really small.’ I start warming up and I go into the game and I wasn’t thinking about it. I was like, ‘Okay, if it’s gonna happen. It’s gonna happen. I’m just going to pitch.’ I was just pitching. I threw a lot of changeups and it helped me get a couple of strikeouts. I just felt really comfortable during the game, but I never thought about (giving up) home runs or anything like that.
CPB – Starting or relieving. Does it matter to you?
KM – I mean, it doesn’t matter. If they tell me you’re gonna come from the bullpen or start a game, I will do it because I love to pitch. But I love to start games like I have been doing in college since I started being a pitcher. I have been starting games so I feel like really comfortable with the routine and other stuff, but now I’m a reliever so I’m enjoying that part too.
CPB – Did you have a favourite major league team growing up?
KM – My favourite team whenever I was little because it was my Dad’s favourite team too, it was the Red Sox. All the time when I grew up, my Dad was ‘Red Sox, Red Sox Red Sox’, but now I’m with the Blue Jays so it’s kind of funny.
CPB – And finally, a bit of an oddball question. The Canadians have five uniforms—red black, white, gray and blue. Do you have a favourite one?
KM – I like the black one. I feel really good with the black one and I just like it.
Kevin Miranda File
- Born – October 14, 1998 in Dolega, Panama.
- Height/Weight – 5-foot-10, 178 pounds
- Bats/Throws – Right/Right
- Uniform Numbers – Wore number 15 with LSUS in 2022. Wore number 10 with Dunedin in 2023 and number 12 with Vancouver before switching to 17.
- Instagram – @kevinmiranda6498
Thanks a million to Kevin Miranda and C’s broadcaster Tyler Zickel for getting this C’s Chat across the finish line.
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