It’s still rare to see Canadians on a major-league roster. But it’s even more of an eye catcher when a Canuck who’s heralded as one of the top prospects in baseball gets a call up.
That was the case on Thursday as the St. Louis Cardinals summoned outfielder Tyler O’Neill from triple-A Memphis.
O’Neill, a native of Maple Ridge, B.C. — just like Larry Walker (!) — is the Cardinals’ No. 4 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and ranks 94th overall.
Here’s a closer look at him.
Name: Tyler O’Neill
Position: OF
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Age: 22
Height: Five-foot-11 | Weight: 210 lbs.
Scouting report
O’Neill has been pulverizing the Pacific Coast League so far this season. His 41 total bases led the league entering Thursday and his six home runs were tied for the top spot. In addition, his 1.221 OPS across 12 games ranked third.
Power has always been O’Neill’s calling card, evidenced by the 37 bombs he has launched in 142 career triple-A games. It’s no surprise, given that his father was a Mr. Canada bodybuilder in the 1970s.
From the Cardinals press release on acquiring Tyler O'Neill from Seattle. pic.twitter.com/6YgbrLAqwc
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) July 21, 2017
The slugger’s prodigious power was given a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scouting scale, according to MLB Pipeline. It’s his highest rated tool, but comes at a price.
“O’Neill’s key to success is all about his ability to make enough contact to tap into his prodigious power,” says his scouting report on the website. “He does strike out a lot, whiffing 150 or more times in each of the past two seasons … Swinging and missing will always be a part of his game, but he’s shown he is capable of hitting the ball out of any ballpark he plays in.”
Defensively, he’s seen as above average, but his throwing arm is graded as a plus tool, making him a good fit for right field.
The trade
O’Neill was selected out of high school by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He was traded in July of last year to the Cardinals for left-hander Marco Gonzales, who was a byproduct of the same draft, but taken in the first round with the 19th pick.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak called the deal a “traditional trade” because both organizations were able to address needs by swapping controllable young players.
“This is a player that has a lot of offensive upside,” Mozeliak said of O’Neill. “And at 22 [years old], he’s accomplished a lot already in Triple-A. So for us, it adds to our offensive depth. [It’s] not that we’re not proud of our outfield depth, but we do think this offensive profile is unique. [He has] middle-of-the-order potential.”
Acquiring O’Neill in a sense paved the way for the Cardinals to part with major-league outfielder Randal Grichuk, who was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays this past January for right-handers Dominic Leone and Conner Greene.
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Canadian connection
Over the years O’Neill has stacked his resume with plenty of international experience competing for Canada, culminating in a 2017 World Baseball Classic appearance.
Adding to good feelings of Canadiana is this cool story, shared by Baseball Canada in a press release: O’Neill’s manager in Memphis was none other than Stubby Clapp, a legend of sorts on the Canadian National Team as a player and coach.
Clapp delivered the news to O’Neill that he was getting called up to The Show.
“I was excited to be able to tell him,” Clapp said in the release. “It’s always fun giving that kind of news but the fact that (O’Neill) is a member of Team Canada made it even more special.”
Clapp coached O’Neill at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, where the pair helped their country win a gold medal.
“He’s worked really hard and made some adjustments that have paid off,” said Clapp. “I just told him to go have fun (with the Cardinals) and keep doing your thing.”
When St. Louis finally gets him into a game, O’Neill will become the become the 262nd Canadian to ever appear in an MLB contest and the sixth to do so this season.
Judging by his awesome tattoo, he’ll be proud.
