C’s Chat – 2026 Vancouver Canadians SS/2B #6 Maddox Latta – C's Plus Baseball

This C’s Chat goes to the infield with Vancouver Canadians shortstop/second baseman Maddox Latta.

Hailing from Panorama City in Los Angeles, baseball is the family business for the Latta clan. Maddox’s father Doug Latta runs a training facility for hitters called The Ball Yard in Northridge, California that has been around since 1998. His mother Regina Aguirre and his sister Raquel Latta enjoyed distinguished softball playing careers in college and are now in the coaching ranks as the head coach and assistant coach, respectively, of the Sierra Canyon High School softball team in Chatsworth, CA. Also, Latta is a cousin of St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson and is friends with longtime major leaguer and former Toronto Blue Jays infielder Justin Turner.

Playing basketball and baseball at Chaminade College Preparatory School, Latta gave up hoops halfway through his high school career to focus on the diamond. He compiled a career .354 batting average and a .439 on-base percentage and capped off his time as an Eagle with a 2021 All-Mission League First Team selection.

Latta’s college career started in 2022 in the JUCO ranks at Los Angeles Valley College. He was named the Western State Conference Player of the Year where he batted .358 with seven home runs, 34 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases. In addition to winning a Gold Glove, Latta helped the Monarchs earn 26 regular season victories, their most since 1989, to end a playoff drought that began in 2012. His year ended with the Conejo Oaks of the California Collegiate League where he slashed .364/.385/.545 (BA/OBP/SLG) in just four games.

A transfer to Division I Cal State Fullerton was next for Latta in 2023 and he racked up four home runs among his 15 extra-base hits in 45 games. Latta drove in 29 runs after batting .287/.350/.431 while playing second base.

2024 saw Latta take over as the Titans starting shorstop where he made 52 starts. He hit .257/.356/.388, homered five times and stole nine bases in 11 attempts.

That was followed up with a stellar 2025 season that featured a 102-point improvement in his batting average to .362. He was nearly on base half the time with a .486 mark and slugged .503 to give him an on-base-plus slugging mark just 12 points shy of 1.000 thanks to 20 extra-base knocks. Latta also stole 14 bases and was only caught twice in 53 games. He landed a spot on the 2025 All-Big West Conference First Team and was named the Big West Conference Field Player of the Year for his prowess at the six-spot. Latta was also a semi-finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award as the best shortstop in college baseball.

Intending to go into the transfer portal to join Texas A&M to compete in the SEC (Southeast Conference) in 2026, his plans to join the Aggies were scuttled when the Toronto Blue Jays signed him to a free-agent deal on July 18 on the recommendation of scout Tony Cho.

Joining the Dunedin Blue Jays at the end of July, Latta batted .267 with a respectable .340 on-base percentage over 24 contests and continued to be proficient in stealing bases by succeeding nine times out of 11. Among the highlights of Latta’s first season with Dunedin were falling a home run shy of the cycle as his three-run triple helped Dunedin to a win over Palm Beach on August 8. He had another three-hit game with an RBI double and scored the winning run at Lakeland on August 19.

After getting a couple of at-bats in Spring Training with the Toronto Blue Jays, Latta would begin the 2026 season in Vancouver. His C’s career began with a 10-game on-base streak, featuring his first two professional home runs at Spokane in back-to-back games on April 15 and April 16. The latter game featured three hits and capped off four straight multi-hit efforts.

In May, Latta was on base in every game save for May 31 which ended a 19-game on-base streak that began at the end of April. May highlights included a 2-for-3 game with a double and a stolen base in a win against Everett on May 12. He smacked another home run in Spokane—a three-run shot— to go along with a double, two walks and four runs scored to help the C’s win on May 22. Latta also had a perfect day at the dish with two hits and two walks along with a stolen base in a victory over Eugene on May 26. He batted .308 with a .413 OBP in May.

The second half of the Northwest League season started on a good note for Latta as he contributed an RBI double and RBI single in a win at Spokane on June 19 where he reached base in seven of his first games out of the All-Star break. The month of July saw Latta get on base safely in his first nine games to keep his OBP in the .350-.360 range for the year.

Latta has also had his moments with the glove and without in the middle infield and has yet to commit an error in his 22 appearances at second base covering 200 innings heading into the latter part of July.

C’s Plus Baseball spoke with the 23-year-old Maddox during the team’s homestand against Everett in June. This interview has been edited for clarity.

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C’s Plus Baseball – Maddox, you were signed by the Jays out of Cal State Fullerton. How did that all come about?

Maddox Latta – Yeah, I mean, the process was pretty similar to like a lot of other guys just kind of sitting around at my house with my family and stuff and just waiting for a call. Ended up getting a call right about the end of the 20th round from my agent saying that the Blue Jays want to take you so in free agency and it was as easy as that. And I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it. I’m down.’

CPB – I guess you had to feel a little bit relieved instead of waiting on pins and needles like that?

ML – Yeah, it was. I mean, there wasn’t too much of a wait process. So I mean, I’m thankful for that. In general, obviously, it’d be nice to get drafted too. But at the end of the day, I’m in the same situation as I would have been if I got drafted. So I can’t really complain.

CPB – And let’s face it, with the draft cut down to 20 rounds. I mean, before, you definitely would have been picked. But anyways, you get down to Dunedin to sign your contract. Was there anybody with you for the occasion?

ML – Yeah, my mom and my aunt came out for my signing. And then it was pretty much straight to draft camp. So we had like two weeks of that.

CPB – What was that experience like for you getting introduced to everybody in Dunedin?

ML – Yeah, I mean, first getting to Florida, it’s opposite sides, obviously from California. So it’s a little bit different. But I mean, kind of the same, you know, the weather’s great for the most part, it’s usually pretty hot. Getting down to Dunedin, it was like you kind of just get thrown right into it. And it’s like, figure it out. You got a bunch of people around you that are helping you and the guys, the staff. It was honestly just a great month, month-and-a-half that I was out there and it was a good little taste of my first pro ball action.

CPB – The Player Development Complex. What did you think of it when you first walked in?

ML – I thought it was very detailed. I hadn’t experienced anything like that, ever. Even in college, nothing came close to it. There was kind of a method to the madness. Like, no matter what we were doing, you know? The testing, physicals, the food aspect of it, the recovery aspect, and then also playing, you, just teaching us how you’re going to survive a 130 game season.

CPB – There’s all sorts of equipment there such as the Trajekt machine. How do you feel that’s helped you develop as a player?

ML – I mean, it’s huge. It’s a very important part of it. Before we got sent out, I had live at-bats off the Trajekt and I got to face like Paul Skenes, a couple other big leaguers and it didn’t go my way, but I will say that it did make the pitching in Dunedin look a little bit easier. So that definitely helped. But I mean, when you got resources like that at your disposal with a group of staff members that are incredible at their job, it makes it a lot easier to play this game a little bit freer and kind of to the best of your ability.

CPB – Are you into analytics at all, like exit velocity or launch angle? Do you really pay attention to those numbers? Or is it just basically see ball, hit ball?

ML – I honestly try not to pay attention to those numbers because I feel like when I think about them, you get in your head too much. But I feel like there’s also people around that kind of help you with that. And they kind of do that aspect for you, obviously. But I think a lot of the time, it’s got to be just see ball, hit ball.

CPB – What did you work on in the offseason?

ML – For me, the biggest thing was kind of getting more physical, gaining a little bit more weight. So I went to a two-week strength camp right after the season was over. The Blue Jays did a great job. They helped me out a lot, kind of helped me understand where I wanted to go in that process for the next three or four months. So that was the main focus. And then obviously, it was just being back home, making sure I get my work in, eat enough food, hit five, six times a week and just get on the field and just enjoy the offseason as well.

CPB – I wanted to ask about your first taste of pro ball with the Dunedin Blue Jays. How do you feel it went?

ML – I feel like it was pretty good. I mean, for being out there for a month, month-and-a-half, just kind of getting, you know, introduced to it, it was great. I think that going into it, my only goal was to just kind of understand what pro ball was like, kind of navigate the system with the staff and all the guys around me. So I honestly think it couldn’t have gone better. It was a great situation.

CPB – As far as your plan in the batter’s box, were there maybe any mechanical changes you made or maybe some tweaks along the way, maybe up to the present moment?

ML – Yeah, I mean, I feel like it’s kind of day-to-day, depending on how your body’s feeling, but there’s always going to be minor things that feel off and then you might tinker with. But for the most part, I think just kind of sticking to an approach day in and day out is the most important thing. I mean, I feel like to me personally, baseball’s 90% mental. So if you can go up there with a good approach every at bat, you’re almost going to be guaranteed to have something positive happen, whether it’s not always getting a hit, but maybe getting hit by a pitch or, you know, scoring someone at third base with a ground ball, just doing something the right way. But nothing too mechanical.

CPB – Do you have a certain approach when you step into the box, like what you kind of key in on when you dig in?

ML – Yeah. I mean, for me, most of the time, I’m trying to look out over and be on the fastball and then be able to kind of tunnel the off speed off of that because I feel like when you’re looking for a fastball middle to middle-away, it kind of helps you see the pop of the slider and the curveball a little bit easier. So especially with guys throwing a lot harder now and all the stuff’s breaking a little bit more, it just makes you kind of hone into the middle of the zone a little bit easier.

CPB – Defensively. We’ve see you play a lot of time at shortstop and second base. You’re known for your glove, you won Defensive Player of the Year honours in your conference. How much pride do you take in your defence?

ML – That’s something that for me, it can never slack. You got to go out there on the field, day in and day out and know that no matter what, if you’re hitting bad, that’s got to be good. And you’re not only doing it for yourself, but you’re doing it for your team. And you kind of want to have your you pitchers’ backs every pitch. So I mean, the easiest way to kind of remind yourself is to just have the same routine, same prep every every single pitch. So you’re not taking a single pitch off.

CPB – How do you prepare when you are at second one day and then short the other. What are the kind of the responsibilities that are involved?

ML – Yeah, I think the staff does a great job too. Well, VR (C’s bench coach Matt von Roemer) will kind of help us with that when we’re doing our vitamins and our early work. And it kind of depends on where we’re at that day. So to start the day, we’ll kind of take ground balls and simulate where we’re going to be at that day, whether it’s turning double plays or the footwork that’s going to be specific for that position. I think when you get onto the field, it’s just reminding yourself what specifically you have to do at that position and what your job is. Where you got to be on cuts and relays and bunts and all situations that are going to happen throughout the game. So I think it’s just going over the routine before every pitch, what could possibly happen.

CPB – All right, I just want to go into the weeds a little bit with your glove. It’s a Rawlings glove. I know every glove has its uniqueness. Talk about your glove and why you’ve been going with that.

ML – Okay, I got that glove actually from one of my friends at Cal State Fullerton, Jackson Giacone, and that’s why it says Giacone on it. I used it that year and it was great. So I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to use it every year.’ And he gave me the blessing to keep it. So I was like, ‘I appreciate it and I’m going to run with it.’ And if you notice, it’s not flashy at all. It’s your generic Rawlings glove and I love it. It gets the job done day in and day out. And I don’t think I’m going to change until it falls apart.

CPB – I noticed it’s maybe not the biggest palm in the world, but I guess the idea behind that is be able to get the ball quick when you transfer to short or whatever.

ML – Yeah. I mean, that’s the goal, obviously, is to just be as clean and smooth and as fast as possible. So I feel like that’s what that glove does for me. So it’s kind of just a feel factor and a comfortability with it so it’s awesome.

CPB – And there is the big Cal State Fullerton logo, the ‘F’ logo on the glove. Talk about your time at Cal State Fullerton and what it meant to you.

ML – I wouldn’t change anything for that. I love that place and I’m always going to be a fan of them and proud to be an alumni of Cal State Fullerton. And I think that glove kind of embodies it honestly, too, with a little bit of grittiness to it, it’s like a competitor. And that’s kind of what we did at Cal State Fullerton and the coaching staff there taught me how to really understand the game of baseball in a different way and just to always play hard no matter what.

CPB – I want to talk about fielding here at Nat Bailey Stadium. How have you found playing on the fields here in the Northwest League?

ML – I love it. I love the natural surface way more than turf. There’s just a different feel to it. Not that it necessarily plays better, but it just feels like you’re on the baseball field. When you’re on that dirt and that natural grass, it’s pretty electric and it makes diving plays better. I just think it’s a better time overall, but the playing surface here is phenomenal. The grounds crew does a great job to get this field ready every day. And I think it’s the best playing surface in the Northwest League, personally.

CPB – How have you found hitting here at The Nat? It’s a pitcher’s park, but how does that play into your approach when you are at the plate? Pitchers love it here, but it’s difficult enough to get the ball out of here.

ML – Yeah, that aspect of the game is a little bit harder to hit home runs and stuff, but I feel like it’s easier if you’re not thinking about hitting the home runs. I mean, they’re going to come when they come. It’s going to start getting hotter out. And we got three day games at, at Nat Bailey every weekend we’re home. So I feel like that’s your time to get them out, but it’s honestly a blast playing here. You see the ball really well. So you take what you take because you might not have a home run field, but you see the ball great versus a lot of other fields. So there’s definitely some wins and some losses, but I mean, it’s a great place to be at.

CPB – Getting in the major league portion of the chat here. You’re a cousin of Dylan Carlson with the St. Louis Cardinals. What’s that like having somebody as a resource to tap into as far as playing baseball goes?

ML – Yeah, it’s huge. I mean, he always checks in and we just talk about about baseball and stuff and how it’s going. He obviously helps me out too. He’ll send me some stuff. He’ll give me some advice. And I mean, for someone that is in my family to have done this before me and kind of help me navigate the pro aspect of it is is huge because he was a high school guy who did it and it’s impressive in itself because he was so young. Now he can kind of show me the ropes and tell me like how to also navigate a 130-game schedule and what I got to do to eat right and recover and all that stuff. But he’s been huge in my process as well.

CPB – You also have a connection with Justin Turner and he was a former Blue Jay. How’d you come about getting to know him?

ML – Yeah, my Dad is his hitting coach with him. So I’ve had that connection for a while now and he’s probably my biggest mentor in the game of baseball and who I look up to the most. I try to kind of model my game after him a little bit and there’s some swing similarities as well, but I mean, he also went to Cal State Fullerton. So there’s a lot of similarities that we have, but besides my cousin, if we’re looking at an aspect of someone who’s played the game, he’s taught me a lot about the game and how to go about go about it just in an aspect of day in and day out. And again, if he’s (reading) this, I have so much to thank for him because he’s shown me a lot and taught me a lot.

CPB – Your walk-up music, which is pretty good. I never heard it before until you came along, but do you have maybe another favourite song that maybe one of your teammates use? Is there maybe something else that really caught your ear?

ML – Yeah, I love Peyton Williams’ (“Bad News” by Whitey Morgan). I sing it in the dugout when he’s up. I don’t really understand Alexis Hernandez‘s, but it is electric and I think everyone loves it in the stands because when the beat drops and it just starts going, it’s pretty sweet. So one of those two is probably my favorites.

CPB – Why did you choose a song that you did? Have you always had that?

ML – I had it last year in Dunedin. One of my buddies had it at Cal State Fullerton and I thought about him a little bit when I was choosing a song and we got kind of put on the spot where it was like, ‘Alright, like you got to write a song down’ and I was like, ‘Okay, I got a minute to think about a song’. Superstar was kind of the first thing that came to my mind and I kind of just riding with it.

CPB – Who would you say is the funniest teammate on the team?

ML – Funniest teammate, that’s a great question. There’s a couple. I want to say Matt Scannell and probably Kendry Chirinos. Chiri is hilarious, so funny.

CPB – Yeah, I’ve had a few guys mention Chirinos already. I think he’s kind of the clubhouse leader. Okay, my final question is the Canadians have a lot of different uniforms. There’s the The Nat uniform, the white, the red, the blue, the black, the gray. Do you have a favourite?

ML – Putting me on the spot right here. You know, I will say, I feel like the clean traditional Nat Bailey is awesome. Like, you can’t go wrong with that. But for some reason, when we wear the black jersey, it feels different. It’s got a nice little kick to it. And it’s funny because the little logo on it, we all joke about it and say it looks like Matt Scannell. So I don’t know if that has something to do with it. But that one is probably my favourite jersey.

Does Matt Scannell bear resemblance to Monty the Mountie? You be the judge.

Maddox Latta File

Born – January 21, 2003, in Panorama City, California.
Height/Weight – 5’11’’, 193 lbs.
Bats/Throws – Right/Right
Uniform Numbers – Wore number 6 for Cal State Fullerton from 2023-2025. Wore number 19 for the Dunedin Blue Jays in 2025.
Professional Debut – July 30, 2025, for the Dunedin Blue Jays vs. the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
First Professional Hit – July 30, 2025, for Dunedin vs. Lakeland. Singled off Chris Williams Jr. and added a two-run single and drew a walk.
C’s Debut – April 3, 2026, at the Tri-City Dust Devils. Drew a walk in his second plate appearance and scored a run.
First Professional Home Run – July 30, 2026, for Vancouver at Spokane on April 15. Homered off Bryson Van Sickle.
Instagram – @maddoxlatta
Twitter – @LattaMaddox
Walkup Music – “Superstar” by Lupe Fisaco (feat. Matthew Santos).
The More You Know – Latta was a 2025 teammate of Cal State Fullerton middle infielder TJ Stottlemyre, the father of former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Todd Stottlemyre.
Fun Fact – Latta attended Chaminade College Preparatory School, the same school as 2011 Vancouver Canadians and 2013-2019 Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar.