C’s Chat – 2024 Vancouver Canadians 2B #6 Bryce Arnold – C's Plus Baseball

The latest C’s Chat is with 2024 Vancouver Canadians second baseman Bryce Arnold.

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Arnold grew up in nearby Grimsby where he played soccer, hockey and lacrosse in addition to baseball. He decided the diamond was his best avenue going forward as he attended Blessed Trinity High School, where he was named the 2019 Most Valuable Player. Arnold also played for the Fieldhouse Pirates of the Canadian Premier Baseball League based in Burlington. That allowed him to travel to top tournaments throughout Canada and the United States.

Arnold’s baseball schedule was a busy one as he participated in Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report tournaments. In 2018 and 2019, he got to play where he hopes will be his future major league home at the SkyDome in Toronto for the Tournament 12 showcase—featuring the best Canadian-born amateur players with draft and college eligibility. Arnold batted .385 with a tournament-leading seven runs scored to earn 2018 T12 All-Star honours.

It was on to college for Arnold as he committed to Campbell University, a Division 1 school in Buies Creek, North Carolina. He slashed .331/.422/.522 as a freshman in 2021 which was boosted by a 36-game on-base streak to begin his college career. That included a game in which he drove in eight runs at Winthrop on April 6, finishing just a single shy of the cycle.

In 2022, Arnold suffered an ankle injury and that limited him to a .244/.366/.500 batting line. However, there were a couple of highlights including a walkoff home run against the University of North Carolina Wilmington on March 8 and a three-homer day in a 3-for-3 effort against UNC Greensboro on May 15. Arnold was able to return in time to help Campbell win the Big South Conference Tournament in late May.

With former teammate Zach Neto moving on after being selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels, Arnold helped fill the void left by the future big leaguer for Campbell in 2023. He slashed .321/.412/.638 with 17 homers, 19 doubles, four triples and 65 RBI. His most memorable blast was a game-tying grand slam in an eventual victory over Central Connecticut in the opener of the NCAA Columbia Regional tournament. For that effort, Arnold got to don the golden hockey helmet in the Fighting Camels dugout. He would go on to capture First-Team All-Big South Conference honours and was a Collegiate Baseball Third-Team All-American selection.

After playing for the Niagara Power of the Perfect Game Collegiate League and the Palm Beach Xtreme of the South Florida Collegiate League in the summers of 2021 and 2022 respectively, Arnold would play more summer ball with the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League. As it turned out, he would join future 2024 C’s teammate Brennan Orf on the Keys roster. During Arnold’s Maryland stint, he batted .297/.341/.432 with two doubles, a homer and five RBI in 10 games.

Nobody called Arnold’s name during the 2023 MLB Draft but he would be signed as a free agent by his favourite childhood team, the Toronto Blue Jays, on the recommendation of scout Coulson Barbiche Jr., on July 20.

After the Jays cut a cheque for a $70,000 signing bonus, Arnold headed to Dunedin for a two-week draft camp. His pro debut came with Low-A Dunedin in late July and he started to find his footing in early August with a nine-game on-base streak from August 6-19. That stretch featured a 3-for-5 game with a homer, a double, a single and four RBI at Clearwater on August 18. A 10-game on-base streak would begin with a two-run home run against St. Lucie on August 25 and continued on September 6 to boost his on-base percentage to .389. On September 7, Arnold was promoted to Double-A New Hampshire and singled in his first at-bat with the Fisher Cats against visiting Bowie as part of a 2-for-4 game with a stolen base. He would get on base in five of the 10 games with New Hampshire to end the 2023 campaign.

The 2024 season was a roller coaster for Arnold as he was back in Dunedin. His sharp batting eye led to 11 walks over 16 games in April to produce a .365 on-base percentage. The hits were not falling in for Arnold as he was hitting .190 with the D-Jays in mid-June but his OBP was still a solid .350. Nonetheless, Arnold was sent to Triple-A Buffalo for a brief cameo and he was there for a good time if not a long time. In his second game with the Herd, Arnold socked a grand salami as part of a six-RBI day to railroad the RailRiders at Scranton-Wilkes Barre on June 21. After just two games with Buffalo, he was returned to Dunedin before being called back to join Buffalo on the road again where he had an RBI single in Rochester on July 6. He was back in Dunedin until the first part of August where he reached base in seven games out of eight.

After making stops in Dunedin, New Hampshire and Buffalo in the Jays system, Arnold was finally assigned to Vancouver on August 13. His C’s debut came in Spokane on August 15 and it took a little bit for Arnold to settle in. He took one for the team in his Nat Bailey Stadium debut against Everett on August 21 before he got his first Northwest League hit in a win against the AquaSox on August 22. His first multi-hit game with Vancouver came in a victory against Everett when he went 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored on August 25. Arnold finished the year with a three-game hitting streak in which he had four hits. He also appeared a pinch-runner in Game 1 of the Northwest League Championship Series against Spokane on September 10.

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C’s Plus Baseball spoke to the 23-year-old Arnold during the final regular season homestand against Eugene in September. This interview has been edited for clarity.

C’s Plus Baseball – You saw some time in Campbell and some independent ball time with Frederick before winding up with the Blue Jays. What was that like?

Bryce Arnold – Yeah, it was good. Playing summer ball in Frederick and going to Campbell and stuff like that. It’s always been a dream to kind of get into pro ball and experience it and show what I can play. I mean, getting the opportunity post-draft, getting the call from the Jays and stuff like that, it was a surreal experience just because I’ve grown up being a Jays fan.

CPB – You’re from Grimsby, Ontario. Did you go to a lot of Jays games growing up?

BA – Yeah, I grew up probably 45 minutes to an hour away from Toronto. My Dad and my mom would always take me to the games. I’d go to games with my friends, brothers, all that kind of stuff. So always growing up, always going to the games. So it was always a good time going to those.

CPB – Did you have a favourite player that you liked to follow?

BA – Growing up, I liked Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Ryan Goins. I kind of liked everyone coming through there, Josh Donaldson. I really liked Marcus Stroman when he was with the Jays.

CPB – I know hockey’s always the big sport here in Canada but how did your career get started in baseball?

BA – I was introduced by my Dad at a young age. He was one of my little league coaches, and I played hockey and baseball growing up. He was my baseball coach and my hockey coach. I played for a few different teams, the Hamilton Cardinals and the Fieldhouse Pirates and for hockey, I played for my hometown Grimsby Peach Kings. When I got to that point in high school, probably around Grade 10, I was getting an offer from Campbell so I kind of felt like I needed to make a decision. I felt like baseball was my favourite sport and the sport that I can probably succeed the most in. So I decided to go that path and just start focusing on baseball at that age.

CPB – The Hamilton Cardinals. What did you learn from that experience?

BA – Just trying to fit in. Obviously being a smaller player and, you know, not having those raw attributes that a lot of the other guys have, that like 6’3″, 6’2″. Just trying to compete and fight every single day and play to my ability and my strength. And I feel like that’s helped me play up in levels and play in college and all throughout my career. I think that’s kind of the biggest part for me.

CPB – When you look back at your experience with Campbell, what stands out for you?

BA – My teammates, coaches, you know, building a brotherhood. That was our motto, the brotherhood, you know, building a brotherhood. Even though maybe some days we don’t like each other, every day we’re going to step on that field and we’re going to have each other’s back. I think having that motto, being on a team that I know he’s got my back and I got his back. Going out there every day, playing for one another, having a common goal, wanting to win a championship, wanting to win games. I think that’s a big thing in baseball, being able to have each other’s backs. If I fail, I know the guy behind me is going to pick me up. I think that was the biggest thing from college.

CPB – You mentioned your Dad. Who else has really played a big role in your career in helping you develop as a player?

BA – Obviously my Mom. My Mom gives me support each and every day. My Dad, my brother (Evan). Even though he’s younger than me, I mean, he’s always there supporting me, texting me and seeing how I’m doing. My cousins, my aunt, uncle, kind of everyone in my small circle. I’ve had a few coaches before like Jimmy Richardson with Fieldhouse, Lee Delfino (Toronto Blue Jays 6th round pick in 2001), George Halim, when I was playing travel ball. I always thank them and everything they do for me.

CPB – Your first pro experience with Dunedin. What was that like?

BA – It was cool. I started with Dunedin last year after we did draft camp. The last two weeks I went to New Hampshire and filled in a spot there. That was pretty cool, being able to kind of go up there and pick the brains of some guys up there. Kind of just taking it all in for the first time and learning what it’s kind of about, learning the ropes a little bit and then transitioning to this year. Just being around a lot of good guys, building different bonds with different people and being able to take it all in, learn on the go and just kind of take that first full season in.

CPB – With Dunedin, you have the Player Development Complex, and they got all sorts of technology. Did you learn anything about yourself as far as your swing or was there anything that maybe jumped out at you?

BA – I mean, my swing’s always been very short and compact, no big movements in my swing and stuff like that. Obviously, the Jays are good with that. They play to your strengths and they want to develop you to your strengths. Not one fit is for everyone so being able to kind of use all their little gadgets they have like the hitting lab they have. To be able to kind of look at your swing, look at what you do good, what you can improve on and stuff. Using all those in spring training, I think, helped me kind of gauge a better idea of my swing and be able to move forward from there.

BA – Do you pay any attention to all the numbers such as launch angle or exit velocity?

BA – The only one I kind of take into consideration is exit velo. I’m obviously a line drive type hitter than put the ball in the air because I don’t produce crazy exit velos. But for my body type, I can produce pretty good numbers, being able to kind of just stay focused on hitting the gaps. Obviously, I care about exit velo. I mean, the harder the ball, the farther it goes and the more chance of you getting a hit so that’s really the only one I kind of look at.

CPB – You get the call to Vancouver. I’m sure that must have been on your radar being a Canadian. How did you find out about it?

BA – I think it was a later decision in the day. We finished the series and so I went home, hanging out with some of the buddies, took a nap, and then my coach called me and kind of gave me the news. It was a good experience. I liked it. I’ve never been out to Vancouver and I’ve always wanted to. So being able to come out here to play baseball and experience it for my first time is cool.

BA – What does it mean to you to be here in Canada and have a few fellow Canadians on the roster? Dasan Brown was here not that long ago. You also have Nic Deschamps, Connor O’Halloran, Brent Lavallee and Ashley Stephenson as fellow Canadians. There’s got to be a certain pride when you’re lining up for the anthem and hearing O Canada.

BA – Yeah. In travel ball, you don’t get the Canadian anthem, you don’t get the American anthem so I mean it’s pretty cool this is my first time being able to stand on the line and listen and sing the Canadian anthem. That’s pretty cool, and to be able to showcase that with all the other Canadians on the team and kind of just show everyone else that baseball is big in Canada. It’s developing and it’s growing all the time. And there’s going to be a lot more Canadians coming through the system. Even if it’s not with the Jays, with other teams, there’s going to be a lot more Canadians coming up.

CPB – What’s it been like hitting here as compared to Dunedin? Nat Bailey shades more towards a pitcher’s park. Is that what you found?

BA – Yeah. I mean, with what I’ve heard, yeah. Especially if you want to hit one out to center, to left-center, to right-center, you got to get into the ball with a little higher exit velo. Left field’s a little short porch, so it plays into my favour a little bit. The ball in Dunedin kind of flew a little bit more. There’s some baseballs that you’ll probably hit here at this field that don’t go out, but in Dunedin, they would go out. I mean, it obviously just depends on the weather and the atmosphere as well.

BA – One thing about your stats is you really have a good eye on the plate. Is that always something you’ve had, just being able to just lay off pitches when you have to?

BA – Yeah, I think because of obviously my player type, I will always take passion in being able to control the zone and I think it helps me be able to swing at pitches that I want to swing at and not expand. If the pitcher makes a good pitch, it’s like, ‘It’s all right, next pitch is mine,’ and kind of just be able to process that and be able to kind of allow myself to open up different avenues. If you can lay off certain pitches, it allows you to come back to, ‘Oh, he threw a slider in the dirt. He knows I’m not chasing it maybe I’ll get a fastball next pitch.’ I think that’s been always in my game even at Campbell. I take pride in that just being able to kind of lock in and get on base any way I can if it’s a hit or a walk or hit by a pitch or anything like that.

CPB – As far as your defense, do you have a preference as far as where you like to play or it doesn’t matter as long as you’re in the lineup?

BA – Yeah, it doesn’t matter to me. In Campbell, I’ve played shortstop, second, third. I can play outfield if needed so kind of anywhere is fine with me.

CPB – How do you go about preparing when you know you’re going to be in the lineup in a certain position? Do you take extra ground balls or is there anything you do just to prepare?

BA – Yeah, just a few more ground balls at different spots on the infield. Turning a little bit more double plays, just knowing that you got to be aware for any kind of ball hits to you to be a little bit more locked in.

CPB – Final question. The Canadians have five different uniforms—white, red, black, blue and gray. Do you have a favourite?

BA – I do like the black uniform with the Canadian Mountie on it. I think that’s my favourite one.

Bryce Arnold File

Born – July 24, 2001 in Hamilton, Ontario
Height/Weight – 5-foot-10, 175 pounds
Bats/Throws – Right/Right
Uniform Numbers – Wore number 11 for the Campbell Fighting Camels from 2021-2023, wore number 1 with the Dunedin Blue Jays and number 6 for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2023, wore number 4 for Dunedin and numbers 1 and 41 for the Buffalo Bisons in 2024.
Professional Debut – July 26, 2023, for Dunedin Blue Jays at Tampa.
First Professional Hit – July 27, 2023, for Dunedin at Tampa. Singled off Baron Stuart.
First Professional Home Run – August 18, 2023, for Dunedin at Clearwater off Braeden Fausnaugh.
Walkup Music – “Rod Wave” by Yungen feat. Jack Harlow.
Twitter – @arnold_bryce
Instagram – @_brycearnold
Fun Fact – Was a teammate of 2024 C’s pitcher Connor O’Halloran at the 2019 Tournament 12 (now Canadian Futures Showcase) in Toronto.