OTTAWA- Canadian baseball stars from the past, present, and future will take centre stage on Saturday, January 13th, 2024, as the Baseball Canada Awards Banquet & Fundraiser will return to the Toronto Marriott City Centre Hotel inside Rogers Centre.
The annual event, set to celebrate its 20th year, will celebrate the wonderful career of alumni and former big leaguer Michael Saunders who will become the 12th inductee onto Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence, presented by RBC Wealth Management.
A native of Victoria, BC, Saunders made his Major League Baseball debut in 2009 with the team that drafted him, the Seattle Mariners and so began a nine-year big-league career that included stops in Toronto and Philadelphia. Saunders enjoyed his best MLB season in Toronto in 2016 where he was voted to the MLB All-Star Game while swatting a career-high 24 home runs. Saunders also enjoyed a stellar international career highlighted by representing Canada at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics along with a memorable performance at the 2013 World Baseball Classic in Phoenix where he captured Pool D Most Valuable Player honours.
The evening will also celebrate current Canadian big leaguers Edouard Julien, Bo and Josh Naylor, Cal Quantrill, and Michael Soroka along with rising stars Dasan Brown, Owen Caissie, Myles Naylor and Damiano Palmegiani.
Super Bowl champion and TV personality Luke Willson, a former member of the Junior National Team, will also be in attendance.
In addition to the awards presentation, the evening will include a cocktail hour (beginning at 6pm ET) and silent auction featuring unique fantasy sports packages from the likes of former MLB All-Star Ryan Dempster, Junior National Team alum and former Super Bowl champion Luke Willson, flights to any destination in North America along with several autographed pieces of baseball memorabilia.
Tickets to the event are $500 per person and tables of eight and ten guests are also available for purchase. Baseball Canada has registered charitable status.
For more information, please contact Greg Hamilton, Director of National Teams, at 613-748-5606 ext. 225 or via e-mail at ghamilton@baseball.ca.
