Former Badger Tinnish, UBC coach among Top 100 Canadians in baseball

You might recall a post Andrew Bucholtz penned in the fall that called attention to the fact the Toronto Blue Jays scouting director, Andrew Tinnish, played varsity baseball for the Brock Badgers in the OUA league, where he batted .500 one season. (Goodness knows what his WAR must have been, eh?)

Tinnish and UBC Thunderbirds coach Terry McCaig (whose team plays in the NAIA) were each listed on Toronto Sun baseball writer Bob Elliott's annual list of the Top 100 Canadians in baseball:

34. Andrew Tinnish, scouting director, Jays
The Ottawa native does not have the experience of former scouting directors like Bob Engle, Wayne Morgan, Tim Wilken or Chris Buckley, but seeks the same results. Will do so with more resources than those given to former scouting director Jon Lalonde. When Rod Barajas signs elsewhere, he'll have nine picks in the first three rounds.

62. Terry McKaig, coach, University of British Columbia

The Thunderbirds didn't have anyone drafted. However, the seniors who had gone 0-4 in the playoffs since 2007, went 5-3, losing its finale to the Azusa Pacific Cougars at the NAIA national championship tournament. The Vernon, B.C. resident, who runs the lone four-year program which offers scholarships in the country, had another excellent recruiting class. Still under discussion: moving from NAIA to NCAA Div. II.

Blue Jays pro scout Jon Lalonde, a Laurentian alumnus, is No. 47. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, a McMaster alum, was No. 3.

It would not do if a sports blog didn't call attention to Elliott's excellent Canadian Baseball Network. Appropriately, the Top 100 has several Canadian ball scribes with a big web presence. Concordia graduate Jonah Keri was 42nd, along with Tom Tango (No. 49), The Baseball Cube founder Gary Cohen (No. 60), Toronto radio host Mike Wilner (No. 98), FanGraphs' Marc Hulet (No. 99), three spots after, well, uh, you'll have to click through to see.

Blue Jays president Paul Beeston was No. 1. Ever the Kingston loyalist, Elliott noted Beeston "attended the University of Western Ontario (winless against the Vanier Cup Queen's University Golden Gaels in 2009)." Cha gheill!