C’s Chat – 2023 Vancouver Canadians INF/OF #32 Jeff Wehler – C's Plus Baseball

2023 Vancouver Canadians infielder/outfielder Jeff Wehler digs into the batter’s box for the latest C’s Chat.

The St. Marys, Pennsylvania native put the “multi” in multi-sport athlete during his high school days. The Western PA Sports Blog says Wehler played basketball, football and golf as well as baseball. His freshman and sophomore years were spent at Elk County Catholic High School in St. Marys where he batted .437 and .415 in 2014 and 2015, leading the Crusaders to the 2014 state final. The last two years of Wehler’s high school career were at St. Marys Area High School where he hit .508 for the Flying Dutch in his junior campaign in 2016. He also played safety for the football team where he had seven interceptions and was a three-year letterwinner in basketball and a two-year letterwinner in golf.

In 2018, Wehler left the Keystone State for the Buckeye State to attend Youngstown State University in Ohio. He batted. 241 with 15 extra-base hits and 25 runs batted in his freshman season while stealing 25 bases. That led to a spot on the Second-Team All-Horizon League and the league’s All-Freshman Team. He later played for the Butler Blue Sox of the Prospect Summer League where he batted .275/.352/.450 in 23 games.

Wehler was named a Second-Team All-Horizon League in his sophomore campaign of 2019, batting .290 with an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .814 while swiping 30 bases.

In the COVID-truncated 2020 season, Wehler had an on-base percentage of .373 in 14 games but his breakthrough season came in 2021 with the Penguins. That’s when he won First-Team All-Horizon League honours by slashing .332/.390/.552 with 27 extra-base hits, 28 RBI and 25 steals. That was among 88 swipes during his four-year stay at YSU. Wehler then went to the Coastal Plain League where he played 11 games for the Morehead City Marlins where he hit .278 and slugged .472.

The 2022 season saw Wehler return to his home state of Pennsylvania as he joined the University of Pittsburgh. He led the Panthers with 17 doubles and 10 stolen bases and had an OPS of .834 in 48 games. Wehler was named to the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) All-Tournament Team by hitting .438 and belting two homers with six RBI. Those homers came in one game against number-three-ranked Louisville. He joined the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the MLB Draft League and had nine extra-base knocks, 22 RBI and 10 swipes while hitting .287/.387/.426 in 38 games.

A turn in independent ball was next for Wehler in 2023 as he hooked up with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League. That allowed him to join forces once again with former Toronto Blue Jay and FerryHawks skipper Homer Bush, who managed Wehler in Mahoning Valley last season. Bush was a big backer of Wehler after telling DK Pittsburgh Sports last summer that Wehler is “an elite player. From my perspective he’s got ‘plus’ tools in pretty much every aspect of the game. He barrels the ball up very consistently, and that’s pretty impressive.” The story adds that “Wehler runs well and has a good arm, and is ‘above average’ as a prospect” according to Bush. With the FerryHawks, he batted .282 and slugged .427 with 11 XBH, 13 RBI and 12 SB in 27 games.

The professional opportunity Wehler was waiting for finally came on June 9 as he signed as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays. On just the second pitch he faced as a Dunedin Blue Jay, Wehler singled in his first professional at-bat and stole second at Bradenton on June 10. He went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a stolen base versus Lakeland on June 16. His first professional home run walked off Clearwater on June 25 after walking twice earlier in the game.

The best was yet to come for Wehler in the month of July. He went 5-for-5 with two doubles, one triple, two stolen bases and four runs scored at St. Lucie on July 1. Wehler was a triple shy of the cycle, driving five runs against St. Lucie on July 3. He reached base safely in all 16 games in July for Dunedin, hitting safety in 13 of them, including a two-home run, three-RBI effort in his final game with the D-Jays to spearhead a win at Tampa on July 25.

A promotion to Vancouver followed and just like he did with Dunedin, Wehler singled on the second pitch he saw and stole second base. He doubled in his second at-bat and later walked in the C’s victory against visiting Everett on July 27. That was the start of a six-game hitting streak for Wehler, who singled twice and walked twice in an extra-inning win at Hillsboro on August 3.

Wehler’s first home run with the C’s came in Eugene on August 19 and it turned out to be the winning run in Game 1 of a doubleheader sweep. He then doubled, singled and scored twice on August 20 to help the C’s gain a series split at P.K. Park.

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C’s Plus Baseball was able to catch up with the 24-year-old Wehler prior to the homestand finale against Tri-City in August. This interview has been edited for clarity.

C’s Plus Baseball – You are a recent addition to the Toronto Blue Jays organization. How did you get here?

Jeff Wehler – A little bit of luck, a few prayers. I was in the Atlantic League with the Staten Island FerryHawks. I ended up having a pretty good month there, and I was fortunate enough for the Toronto Blue Jays to buy my contract. It’s been a heck of a road to get here and I’m excited to get my foot in the door.

CPB – Who got a hold of you from the Blue Jays?

JW – It actually all went through my head coach at Staten Island, Homer Bush so they were talking to him, but (Blue Jays assistant general manager) Joe Sheehan was the one who reached out and that’s how things got finalized, through my head coach.

CPB – Homer Bush, a former Toronto Blue Jay. What was that like playing under him?

JW – It was pretty cool. He gave me an opportunity and a shot at that level as a young kid and with not much pro ball experience, very little. So I was just honoured to be in that league at such a young age to be given the opportunity.

CPB – What was his managing style like? Was he a player’s manager?

JW – It was fun. He’s a player’s coach for sure. Laid back but he wants the game played the right way and if it’s not played the right way, he’ll let you know about it. And there could be consequences with playing time if it’s not played the right way.

CPB – The MLB Draft League, I believe you took part in that as well. What was that experience like?

JW – That experience was pretty cool as well. That’s actually where I met Homer. So Homer was my manager actually in Mahoning Valley when I played in the Draft League. And then when he got hired up in Staten Island, he wanted me to come with him. So overall, that was a good experience.

CPB – Before that, you spent quite a while at Youngstown State. When you look back at your college career, how did that shape you as a player?

JW – I definitely took the road less travelled. I played mid-major for four years. I wasn’t really highly recruited out of high school. I was kind of a late bloomer. But yeah, I went to Youngstown State for four years and became a really good player there with the help of some really good coaches and a good program. And then played good enough baseball to get an opportunity to play at a Power 5 (conference) at Pitt so it was just overall a good experience.

CPB – Playing in Pitt, what was that like getting a chance to join, a bigger name school?

JW – Yeah, I’m a Pennsylvania guy and was actually a Penn State fan growing up so it was kind of tough to go to Pitt. I got a lot of stuff, a lot of messages from my family members. ‘I guess we’ll support Pitt for a year,’ they would always say. But yeah, it was pretty cool being close to home and my parents could watch my potential final year of baseball at a Power 5 school and a good ACC conference, so that was a fun time.

CPB – When did you get started playing baseball?

JW – My Dad (Dale Wehler) played in college at Division III up in Erie called Penn State Behrend. So he was a baseball player and then my two older brothers (Andy Wehler and Eric Wehler) ended up playing baseball there as well so I was always around a baseball family. And just growing up around with older brothers, I was always playing with older guys. So I think that gave me a head start a little bit and that’s kind of, I think, how my love for the game came about.

CPB – In high school, you took part in a few different sports. Golf was one of them. How beneficial was it to be involved in so many different sports and how that helped you on the field?

JW – Where I’m from, it’s really fun and kind of popular to play a lot of sports. To be the best at all the sports is definitely something that’s pretty cool. I played golf my freshman, sophomore, and junior year. And then my fall sport was football my senior year, which I ended up receiving the accolade of All-State Defensive Back, which was pretty cool for me. And then basketball, four years, that was a good time. And then, obviously, baseball. So to play a lot of sports, it gives you a competitive edge, I think it gives students a break on just what’s going on with life and to just kind of mix up your thought process of not just always one sport, you know what I mean? I think people nowadays try to focus on one sport too much. And I think if you become good at a lot of sports, I think it could help you out in the long run.

CPB – You get to the Dunedin Blue Jays and had a really successful time there. Having played recently in independent ball, was it a really big transition from there to Dunedin?

JW – Not much, actually. The Atlantic League is filled up. A lot of rosters are Double-A, and Triple-A, with a couple of former MLB guys as well. So, I mean, you’re seeing good pitching there. You’re seeing real pitchers. When I came to Dunedin, the velocity was a little bit more than what the Atlantic League was. I mean, yeah, a little bit, just velocity-wise but nothing crazy as far as crazy good pitches or anything. They’re young guys so they’re still working on their stuff. And that’s where I kind of got the advantage was just coming from that league.

CPB – In Dunedin, you had a 5-for-5 game. What led to your success that day?

JW – I don’t know. It’s just kind of the game of baseball. I remember texting my brother the night before that and I was a bit frustrated. I was like, ‘I don’t think I had a multi-hit game in like two weeks.’ And it just so happened the next day I ended up having five hits. But, I mean, just a plan, just like a good approach at the plate can work wonders. And, I mean, I ended up getting fortunate enough to get five hits and get five good pitches to hit.

CPB – Speaking of approach, what is your approach when you go to the batter’s box?

JW – I don’t know if you can break it down. I mean, early in the at bat, I’m definitely looking fastball. But it obviously depends on the guy. Some guys will throw a slider a little bit more than their fastball. So that’ll kind of mix up the approach a little bit. But, I mean, I’m mostly (looking) fastball all the time. And then a bad breaking pitch is meant to be hit so that’s my approach.

CPB – In your last game with Dunedin, you hit two home runs. What was going well for you that night?

JW – I just got a fastball in and then a fastball away. And I ended up hitting them pretty good. And obviously, I was on a fastball. That was a cool situation. I think that’s the second time I’ve ever did that in college in pro ball so that was awesome.

CPB – And the next day you’re here. I was shocked. We got word that you were coming up from Dunedin but you were here the next day. I mean, that must have been a very long travel day for you.

JW – I ended up having that game. And they called me in the office. And they were talking baseball stuff. And they said I was heading to Vancouver probably at about 10 o’clock at night. It was just a cool experience to hear from those guys. They had some nice things to say about me. And saying that, you know, it’ll be a little bit more competitive up here. But I think you’re ready for it for sure. And that was good to hear from Maddie (Dunedin hitting coach Matt Young) and Donnie (Dunedin manager Donnie Murphy) for sure. They’re two great guys. We ended up travelling back from Tampa, which is like 45 minutes. And we got back probably at about 11:30, 12 o’clock. I get a text message that I’m leaving at 5:00 a.m. the next morning. So I got picked up at the hotel at 5:00 a.m. and I jumped on the plane at 7:00 a.m.. And then the rest is history. I flew up here for six hours, seven hours and it was a long day. A quick turnaround and I remember sitting on the side of the field right before the game. And I was like, ‘Dang, I was just across the country 12 hours ago and playing in Florida 24 hours ago. So it was actually a pretty cool situation.

CPB -From Tampa, where did you connect? Seattle?

JW – I flew into Seattle, yep. And then Seattle to Vancouver so that’s how I got here.

CPB – And you still managed to take part in batting practice anyway. You must have been running on adrenaline at that point.

JW – Yeah, it was adrenaline for sure. And I remember going back into the clubhouse, having my meal. And I just remember, ‘Wow, I could use a nap right now.’ But yeah, I was definitely running off of adrenaline there for a while.

CPB – How’s it been so far playing in the Northwest League? Has it been a huge adjustment from the Florida State League?

JW – I’d say a little bit, yes, for sure. I think guys definitely pitch up here a little bit better. They’re around the zone a lot more so I think it’s a little bit tougher. But at the end of the day, it’s baseball. And the game’s always going to be tough, no matter what, you know?

CPB – Defensively, I know you played some outfield before you got to the pros but you’ve been in the infield only so far. Do you have a preference when it comes to a position?

JW – No, it doesn’t really matter. I want to try to be the best at every position I play. And wherever that opportunity is during that day or that game, I’m going to take it on.

CPB – If you had to give a scouting report of yourself, how would you describe yourself as a player?

JW – I give it my all, I can tell you that. That’s one thing for sure. I’ll always try to play the game at a high level. And that’s something you can control, you know what I mean? There are a lot of uncontrollables in this game but I think playing the game hard is most important. And I’d probably say a gamer. I just always want to compete, and I always want to be there, you know?

CPB – Did you have a favourite major League team or player growing up?

JW – The Pittsburgh Pirates. I’m about two-and-a-half hours from Pittsburgh so I just kind of grew up being a Pirates fan. And then Bryce Harper was my favourite player growing up. I just always looked up to him, how he handled adversity, and obviously being young and taking on what he did, so that was always pretty cool to me.

CPB – Final question, a bit off the wall. The Canadians have five different jerseys—-red, white, black, gray and retro blues. Do you have a favourite?

JW – I really like the black ones. I like the logo on the black ones. I think those are my favourite jerseys by far.

Jeff Wehler File

Born – January 10, 1999 in St. Marys, Pennsylvania.
Height/Weight – 6-foot-0, 195 pounds.
Bats/Throws – Right/Right
Uniform Numbers – Wore number 7 with Youngstown State from 2018-2021. Wore number 2 with the University of Pittsburgh and number 9 with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in 2022. Wore number 4 for the Staten Island FerryHawks and number 41 with Dunedin in 2023.
Walkup Music – “mountains” by mike.
Twitter – @J_Whales7
Instagram – @realjeffwehler
Fun Fact – Wehler is the first Pittsburgh Panther to play for the C’s since righthander T.J. Zeuch in 2016.