C’s Chat – 2025 Vancouver Canadians INF/OF #9 Sam Shaw – C's Plus Baseball

A Canadian edition of C’s Chat with 2025 Vancouver Canadians infielder/outfielder Sam Shaw.

The Victoria, BC native grew up playing lacrosse, soccer and hockey, playing against current Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard and was a teammate of Nashville Predators 2023 first-round pick Matthew Wood. It was baseball that Shaw decided to pursue, a journey that started when he played T-Ball with Beacon Hill Little League as a four-year-old.

The biggest moment of Shaw’s career as a youngster came when he hit a walkoff grand slam against powerhouse Little Mountain in the 2017 BC Little League Provincial Championships, a Hollywood-type ending at the aptly-named Hollywood Park.

Shaw’s baseball resume began to blossom in 2021 with the Brewers Langley Blaze scout team when he was named to the Perfect Game All-Tournament Team at the WWBA (World Wood Bat Association) World Championship in Jupiter, Florida.

The Lambrick Park Secondary School product followed that up with a stellar season with the Victoria Mariners of the BC Premier Baseball League, where he batted .438 with a 1.321 OPS (on-base-plus-slugging percentage) in 17 games. He also made noise with the bat with the Canadian Junior National Team for the 18U World Cup. In a tournament qualifier in Mexcio, Shaw finished a triple shy of the cycle as he racked up two doubles, a single and a home run against Peru and also hit a couple of doubles versus Venezuela. He also participated in the Canadian Futures Showcase in Ottawa hosted by the Blue Jays Baseball Academy, featuring the best amateur players in Canada and batted .364 with an .897 OPS in four games. Shaw would also earn his second straight selection to the Perfect Game All-Tournament Team at the WWBA World Championship after batting .428.

In 2023, Shaw would join the Victoria Eagles of the BCPBL before heading off to TNXL Academy in Ocoee, Florida in the Orlando region to further develop his baseball skills. He got a chance to display those skills that June at the MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field in Arizona, home of the Diamondbacks. He was one of 300 draft-eligible players to get the invite.

Before the draft, Baseball America described Shaw as a player who “showed a solid feel to hit and contact ability…does a nice job slowing the game down and scouts think his calm demeanour should help translate to pro ball nicely.”

Even though a commitment to Xavier University was on the table, Shaw decided to join his favourite MLB team growing up, the Toronto Blue Jays, after they selected him with its ninth-round pick. Shaw was drafted on the recommendation of Canadian scout Patrick Griffin, the son of from Toronto Star Blue Jays beat reporter Richard Griffin.

After getting a $282,500 signing bonus, Shaw began his professional career with the Florida Complex League Blue Jays and displayed a sharp eye at the plate with 10 walks in 40 plate appearances, resulting in a .425 OBP in nine games. Baseball America rated Shaw as the 29th-best prospect in the Blue Jays system after the season.

“Shaw is a hit-over-everything second baseman with an advanced knowledge of the strike zone and excellent barrel control. His carrying tool is hitting, with a swing designed for a high rate of line drives and balls to the gaps. He is rarely fooled and shows the ability to spit on breaking stuff on the black. Shaw should hit for high averages while running near equal strikeout and walk totals. His power is below-average and his best-struck balls come in the form of line drives. Due to his build, he’s unlikely to push below-average power totals. He’s an average runner whose stride is limited by his diminutive frame. He shows average fielding skills at second base and a fringe-average arm. Shaw is a young, bat-first second baseman with outlier contact and approach for his age and experience.”

The Blue Jays invited Shaw to take part in the team’s inaugural Spring Breakout Game in 2024, a game in which the Blue Jays compiled a roster of their top prospects to take on their New York Yankees counterparts in March. After that, it was back to the FCL where Shaw batted. 220 in 51 contests but still maintained a solid .361 OBP.

A promotion to Low-A Dunedin awaited Shaw in 2025, and he opened the year with the D-Jays first home run of the season as part of a 2-for-3 effort with three runs batted in against Clearwater on Opening Night on April 4. Shaw would get on base five times and score three runs at Jupiter on April 8 after drawing four walks and getting hit by a pitch. Unfortunately, he would be placed on the injured list and would miss the next couple of weeks. Shaw would return with a five-game on-base streak, including a home run, a single and a walk at Tampa on April 26.

May began with Shaw compiling a six-game hitting streak, homering in back-to-back games at Fort Myers on May 6 and May 7, scoring four times in the first contest. He had a perfect night at the plate by going 3-for-3 with a pair of walks against Bradenton on May 13 and added a triple and a home run that proved to be the eventual game-winning RBI on May 15. Shaw homered in two straight games again against Tampa as part of a three-hit, one-walk contest on May 21 before going yard again on May 23. In 22 games, Shaw reached base in 21 of them and finished May with a batting line of .322/.430/.500.

After slashing .253/.383/.418 with 10 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 27 RBI and nine stolen bases in as many attempts with Dunedin, Shaw got the call to return to his home province as he was promoted to Vancouver on July 18. He began his C’s tenure by reaching base in his first three games at The Nat, but he was placed on the injured list on August 3.

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C’s Plus Baseball was able to speak to the 20-year-old Shaw during the team’s 10-game homestand last month. This interview has been edited for clarity.

C’s Plus Baseball – Let’s just take it back to the start of your baseball career. You’re from Victoria, BC. How did it all get started for you?

Sam Shaw – I played at Beacon Hill Little League in Victoria, British Columbia, and then played for the Victoria Mariners and the Victoria Eagles. I got a chance to play for the junior national team, and now I’m here. It’s been a pretty cool journey so far.

CPB – Who got you involved in the sport?

SS – My parents signed me up for basically every sport growing up, and hockey and baseball were probably my two favourites. I ended up focusing on baseball.

CPB – When you look back at your time growing up, what would you say is the memory that stands out for you the most?

SS – I had a walk-off home run off Little Mountain, which is across the street (from Nat Bailey Stadium). It wasn’t here (at the Little Mountain ballpark). It was in Beacon Hill at the Provincials, and that was a big moment for me still. I probably peaked in Little League. That was the big moment.

CPB – Growing up in Victoria, did you get a chance to come out here to Nat Bailey Stadium growing up?

SS – I haven’t been here too much. I went when we were in the Provincials in Jericho when I was in minors, and then I went here a couple more times. I went to TD Ballpark in (Dunedin) Florida a lot, watching spring training, but yeah, I remember having good times here at the Nat.

CPB – Did you get to watch any Canadians games growing up?

SS – Just a couple. I remember I got the ice cream helmet, so I got a couple of autographs on that. I can’t read them now. They wiped off, but I got that, and I got a foot-long hot dog when I was here as well, so that was a good memory.

CPB – Do you remember any of the players that you got to see back then?

SS – No, I don’t. I wish I did. It was a while ago, but I do remember the pitching thing down the left field line there (in the children’s play area), just kind of hanging out with my friends, but I don’t remember any of the players.

CPB – Fair enough. So growing up you were a Blue Jays fan. When did you first start following the Blue Jays?

SS – My dad would put on the 92-93 World Series teams on YouTube, and I watched that. Growing up, the Jays teams weren’t great, and then they became very good. I was fortunate to grow up with the 2015 team there, and I would go down to spring training and watch them there, and watch them when they would go to Safeco (Safeco Field in Seattle), so kind of my whole life I’ve been a Jays fan.

CPB – I’m sure you’ve been to the Dome. Maybe at the Canadian Futures Showcase baseball tournament, which I believe you took part in?

SS – I did, but the year that I was there, it was in Ottawa, so I didn’t even get a chance. I’ve never played at Rogers Center, and I’ve only been there once. I’ve only went there with the Junior National Team, and they were playing the Angels, and that’s like the only time I’ve ever been there, but I look forward to going back there someday, hopefully in the Blue Jays uniform.

CPB – You got drafted by the Blue Jays. What do you remember about your draft experience?

SS – I went in the ninth round. I was told I was going to go earlier, and so I was watching it with my family, and I think it went past the fourth round, and there was like a bunch of comp picks in the fourth round, and I didn’t get picked. I was like, ‘Alright, I don’t think I can watch this anymore.’ So I went golfing with my friend, and I got called on the golf course, and my phone just kind of went crazy. I was on a par three, and I got one on the green, and I got the call walking up to the green, and I had a birdie putt, and I blew it past the hole.

CPB – I guess that kind of throws off your concentration, but what was going through your mind when you found out you got drafted?

SS – Yeah, I was very excited, kind of manifested, I feel like. I wanted to go, I wanted to play for the Blue Jays, and I was fortunate that I got picked by them, but yeah, it was exciting.

CPB – You got started out with draft camp. Was there anybody maybe you hit it off with right away when you first got introduced to the team?

SS – Yeah, probably Arjun (Arjun Nimmala). We were good buddies, and I knew him prior to that. I met him at a (Texas) Rangers workout, like a pre-draft workout with the Rangers, and saw him at the Combine. Then I talked to Bryce Arnold quite a bit. There’s quite a few guys, Grant Rogers, I feel like almost my whole class, but yeah. I knew of Bryce Arnold being a Canadian guy, and kind of a guy I looked up to as a guy similar size to me, and he was doing a really good job in college. I was looking to play Division I baseball, and just kind of a guy I looked up to growing up, but it’s cool to play with him here.

CPB – Was it a tough decision to turn pro instead of maybe looking at the college avenue?

SS – I think I always wanted to play pro ball. I see now the benefits of going to college. I’m a younger guy on this team, and I got to get more physical, and a lot of these guys got physical in college. That’s going to be something that I’m going to have to work towards but I wanted to be a Blue Jay, so it was not too difficult of a decision.

CPB – Getting to work out at the Player Development Complex, I don’t know if you had ever seen anything like that before, but what stood out to you walking into that place for the first time?

SS – Yeah, obviously great facilities. The fields are in great condition, but I love the hitting lab. I have spent a lot of time in the hitting lab, and I really enjoyed that. I feel like it’s helped me get better, and this spring training, I got a chance to hit with some really good players. Got to hit with Barger (Addison Barger), and Schreck (RJ Schreck), and Roden (Alan Roden), and Palmegiani (Damiano Palmegiani), a lot of really good hitters. Yeah, probably the hitting lab was the big thing for me.

CPB – I heard that they have major league pitchers that they can simulate, like a Gerrit Cole. Was there anybody like that you faced?

SS – Yeah, my go-to guy is Kevin Gausman, and I don’t tell him, but I kind of hammer him in the lab there, so, sorry! Yeah, I hit him pretty good, but yeah, that’s usually my go-to guy in there. It’s pretty cool. I think Trajekt, the thing that they have, is made in Canada. It’s a Canadian engineer who created it, so that’s pretty cool as well.

CPB – Was there anything else that stood out about the complex? Anything you learned about yourself as a player that maybe you didn’t know about yourself before?

SS – Yeah, I just got to get a lot better. That’s the big thing. Yeah, it’s a great facility. To be honest, just everything seems, like, perfect. It’s pretty crazy, it’s a very nice building. Just getting here, you just know you have to get better, and if you want to play professional baseball, almost no matter who you are, you have to really work at it and improve, that’s the main thing. My first year, I played at the (Florida) Complex League and I didn’t do great and learned from that. I made some adjustments and got stronger, swung the bat a little bit faster, and had some success in Low-A Dunedin, and then I got here. I’ve only played a few games, but I’ve hammered some balls, and they have not gone out for home runs, so if I’m gonna do damage here, I’m gonna have to get even stronger.

CPB – I want to talk about your hitting approach. I think it’s fair to say a high on-base guy, maybe you’re not gonna slug 50 homers a year or whatnot, but how do you describe yourself as a hitter, and what’s your approach when you step into the batter’s box?

SS – Yeah, I think I’m still learning that, which might not be the best answer, I feel like people want to hear. But yeah, I’m gonna take quality at-bats, swing at my pitch. When I’m doing really well, I’m swinging at my pitch, and when I get it, I’m not missing it. So yeah, I won’t be a 50 home run guy, but I think I’m gonna be more physical next year, and continue to do that. I’m not going to be like an Addison Barger, but that’s something to strive for. I think get on my pitch, and when I get it, just don’t miss it, and be able to hit doubles and home runs, and walk. We’ll see if I’m a high average guy, I might be, might be a .250 (batting average), .400 on base (percentage), but we’ll see. I do think I might be able to slug a good number, but yeah, OPS is going to be probably my big thing, and I think that’s what a lot of peoplelook at. So play good defence in center field, and try and be a .900 OPS guy, and just focus on the process, hitting the ball hard, and getting on my pitch.

CPB – You were mentioning you made some adjustments when you got introduced to pro ball at the Florida Complex League. Can you talk about some of the adjustments you made that’s helped your game?

SS – Yeah, I think when I first got there, I wasn’t strong enough. I was like, just a little undersized. I ran well, and made really good contact, so I’m fortunate to have, have a couple tools to work, work with, and then, yeah, just the offseason just got stronger. I almost tripled my home run total from last year, and I think I could even have a few more, but I just needed to put on size, and get on time. I think that was like a big thing. You see more velo in pro ball, something you don’t really see in high school, so just getting on time and (getting) stronger. So when you do get that fastball over the middle of the plate, I almost lost one last night, but yeah, just stronger and on time.

CPB – Are you someone who’s big into analytics, like launch angle, exit velocity, do you pay attention to any of those numbers?

SS – We don’t have the TrackMan up there, but in some of the other (parks) in the Florida State League, you have the ABS (Automated Ball-Strike System), so you have a little bit more access to those data numbers. I do look at it, like I think it’s important to at least understand that. I don’t think that it really matters, right? Like I don’t think exit velocity matters too much, but you do have to be able to hit the ball hard, and you can see here at The Nat. It’s a very big field, the ball doesn’t carry too much, and the grass is slower than Florida. So to be able to hit well here, you got to be strong and hit the ball hard, and that’s where exit velocity, I think, plays a big role. It’s not the be-all end-all, but I think it’s important. I do look at the analytical stuff and all the data. It is important and I think it is a tool to learn how to get better. I think that’s where it’s well used, right? Like the counting stats, the OPS, the home runs, the batting average, like that’s the stuff we’re all striving for, and that’s the stuff the fans care about, as well as winning. But to get there, you need to understand how to do that, and I think the analytical things, the analytical data helps show how you can be that guy, because very rarely do guys come out of college or high school, and be just an elite, major league hitter. For most of us, you really have to grind at it, and it’s a slow journey, and use that to improve.

CPB – You mentioned playing here at the Nat. I just want to take on the defensive side of things. We’ve seen you in center field. Has it been a big difference playing here, as compared to Dunedin and all the Florida State League parks?

SS – I feel like here, and I’ll get even more used to it, but I feel like I can catch every ball. Obviously, I’m gonna get beat, but the more I get used to it, I feel like I’m gonna be able to catch a lot of baseballs here. It’s a big outfield, and if I can use my speed, and catch balls, I’ll be very good and it’s fun. It’s a really nice field. The dimensions, as I’ve mentioned, they’re big, but that makes it more fun to play center field. You just track balls down, take away extra base hits, and that’s what I’m gonna be trying to do.

CPB – I know you’ve seen some time in the infield at second base. Do you have a preference, infield or outfield?

SS – I think I’m better out in center field. I’ll probably continue to work, depending on what the front office tells me, but I’ll continue to work in the infield, and I do see myself being an elite center fielder. I’m gonna continue to work at that, but, yeah, whatever they have in store for me. It’s kind of out of my hands.

CPB – How did you find out about getting promoted from Dunedin to Vancouver. I’ve heard sometimes (the coaches) will have some fun with you before they tell you that you’re going to Vancouver. What was that situation like for you?

SS – Gil Kim was my manager in Dunedin, and he’s a showman, so he called me and Duran (Edward Duran) up. He had some fun with it, just had a whole show of it, and then called us up, and it was exciting. I got a chance to see my family last weekend, so that was great. Just to come home to Canada, it’s like my first time playing outside of Florida in two years, so it’s nice to play up here.

CPB – When did you find out? It wasn’t made official until this homestand began, but I guess you probably got word around the All-Star break, or maybe even a bit before that?

SS – Yeah, so on the Sunday, it was funny, I had a plan to go see my girlfriend. She’s in Connecticut, and we met down in Florida. I got news of it in Palm Beach, and I had a flight out of Palm Beach to go see her, flew up there, and then I travel back. It got a bit wonky, I got stuck in North Carolina, but then I flew out of Tampa on Thursday, and got in Thursday night. I found out on Sunday, and got here Thursday night.

CPB – Your debut. You got to watch the game on Friday, and then you make your debut, in the Oat Milkers jerseys, that’s a heck of a way to make a debut wearing those jerseys. I think it’s the second time you’ve worn them this year, because I believe Dunedin did wear them before you came up here. What do you remember about your first game?

SS – Just being excited. I kind of thought I was going to be nervous. I wasn’t really nervous, which was cool, like, usually your first at-bat anywhere, you kind of have nerves, and maybe a little bit in that first at-bat, but I settled in quickly. I was able to knock a double into the corner there. It was cool to hear the roar of the crowd for the first time, and yeah, kind of the feeling that you’re going to be chasing for a long time but yeah, it was fun.

CPB – You had yourself, Bryce Arnold from Grimsby, Ontario, Nic Deschamps from Quebec City, batting 8-9-1 (in the batting order) at one point. Does that give you a sense of pride having three Canadians in the Canadians lineup like that?

SS – Yeah, definitely, it’s cool to be represented. You don’t really think much of it, because you’re just ball players, and yeah, we’re all Canadians right now. I heard it was like a historical thing, we didn’t have three Canadian position players (before), but, yeah, definitely cool to have some guys from Canada on this team, and a lot of really good players from Canada in the org, but yeah, it was cool, for sure.

CPB – As a Blue Jays fan growing up, did you have a favourite player?

SS – When I was in Little League and stuff, José Reyes, Ryan Goins, as a little second baseman. I didn’t start playing outfield till high school, hat was it growing up, probably. Obviously, Bautista (José Bautista) and Edwin (Edwin Encarnacion). Edwin works with the Blue Jays now. I’ve seen him around, I haven’t got a chance to talk to him. And then Joey Votto, I got a chance to play with him. Growing up, he was kind of a guy I looked up to as a Canadian player.

CPB – And the final question I want to ask. The Canadians have lots of different uniforms—red, blue, white, black, gray, the lumberjack uniforms—do you have a favourite?

SS – I didn’t mind the blues last night, but I haven’t got a chance to wear them with the black ones, with the Mountie. I feel like we should have a black hat with the Mountie as well. I do like those ones.

Sam Shaw File

Born – February 26, 2005, in Victoria, British Columbia
Height/Weight – 5-foot-10, 180 pounds
Bats/Throws – Left/Right
Uniform Numbers – Wore number 43 for the Florida Complex League Blue Jays in 2023, wore number 44 for the FCL Blue Jays in 2024 and wore number 4 for the Dunedin Blue Jays in 2025.
Professional Debut – August 1, 2023, for the Florida Complex League Blue Jays at the FCL Tigers.
First Professional Hit – August 1, 2023, single in second plate apparance at FCL Tigers against Pedro Garcia.
First Professional Home Run – May 6, 2024, for the FCL Blue Jays at FCL Phillies against Danyony Pulido.
Walkup Music – “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits.
Instagram – @samshawbaseball
The More You Know – Shaw hopes to join fellow Victoria, BC native and Lambrick Park Secondary School alumni Michael Saunders in the majors. The outfielder played for the Seattle Mariners, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies during his nine-year big league career that began in 2009.