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Nat Bailey Stadium, Vancouver Canadians | BCBusinessNat Bailey Stadium.
The Lower Mainland’s home team has really hit one out of the park.
Earlier this week, the Vancouver Canadians announced the team was honoured with the John H. Johnson President’s Trophy. The award is offered to what is considered the top team in the minor league baseball annually based on how the team performs on and off the field.
The more-than 170 minor league teams across North America are assessed on factors including franchise stability, community contributions and the team’s previous season stats. And as the 2013 winner of the league’s top honour, the team is the first based in Canada to receive the best-franchise moniker.
And while the Canadians enjoyed a successful season, team co-owner Jake Kerr attributes part of the consideration for the award to the work of the team’s non-profit arm, the Canadians Baseball Foundation.
The foundation runs a summer program that teaches underprivileged youth about the basic principles of the game and provides all the necessary equipment.
Kerr says he and the team are pleasantly surprised with the trophy, but he looks at the award as another indicator that the franchise is moving in positive direction compared to just a few years ago.
“The team was a thorough mess five years ago,” Kerr says. “We were doing just about everything wrong. Luckily, we hired some people who knew what they were doing and it’s turned out very well.”
This past season, the Canadians clenched their third-straight Northwest League Championship.