By St. Marys Independent Staff
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s (CBHFM) class of 2025 will consist of six new inductees.
Former Toronto Blue Jays slugger José Bautista will be inducted alongside ex-big-league left-hander Érik Bédard (Navan, Ont.) while Canadian Junior National Team head coach Greg Hamilton (Toronto, Ont.) will be inducted in the coaches/officials category. Longtime Women’s National Team star Amanda Asay (Prince George, B.C.) will also be inducted, posthumously.
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Veterans Committee has also elected former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League legend Arleene Noga (Ogema, Sask.) and Gerry Snyder, the Montreal city councillor who played a crucial role in bringing Major League Baseball to Canada. Noga and Snyder will be inducted posthumously.
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2025 class will be honoured in a ceremony at the hall-of-fame grounds in St. Marys on June 7.
“We are proud and excited to celebrate the outstanding careers of this year’s inductees in St. Marys this June,” said Jeremy Diamond, chair of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s board of directors. “Each of them, in their own distinct way, has had a tremendous impact on the game of baseball in our country.”
José Bautista
Born in Santo Domingo, D.R. in 1980, Bautista developed into one of the greatest players in Toronto Blue Jays’ history during his 10 seasons with the club from 2008 to 2017.
After serving as a part-time player in 2009, Bautista made adjustments to his swing and set a franchise record with 54 home runs in 2010. That performance earned him his first of six consecutive All-Star Game selections and his first of two straight American League Hank Aaron Awards as the league’s top hitter.
He followed that up with his best all-around season in 2011 when he hit .302 and topped the AL in home runs (43), slugging percentage (.608) and OPS (1.056). In 2015, Bautista helped propel the Blue Jays to their first division title in 22 years. He then cemented his legacy as a clutch performer with four postseason home runs, including his most memorable, which is simply known as the “bat flip” in Blue Jays’ lore.
Bautista ranks near the top in many of the Blue Jays’ all-time offensive categories, including first in WAR (38.3) and second in home runs (288).
Érik Bédard
Born in Navan, Ont., in 1979, Bédard was chosen in the sixth round of the MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He quickly developed into one of the best pitching prospects in the O’s organization and was selected to play in the MLB Futures Games in 2001 and 2002.
Bédard joined the Orioles’ starting rotation in 2004. Two years later, he enjoyed a breakout season when he set career highs in wins (15), starts (33) and innings pitched (196 1/3). He followed that up with his finest big-league campaign in 2007 when he went 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA and registered 221 strikeouts in 182 innings in 28 starts. That strikeout total remains the highest in a major-league season by a left-hander born in Canada.
In February 2008, he was dealt to the Seattle Mariners where he’d record a tidy 3.31 ERA and fan 249 batters in 255 1/3 innings in 46 starts over parts of three seasons. He completed his major league career with stints with the Boston Red Sox (2011), Pittsburgh Pirates (2012), Houston Astros (2013) and Tampa Bay Rays (2014).
Bédard is the leader among Canadian big-league left-handers in starts (230), innings pitched (1,303 2/3) and strikeouts (1,246).
Greg Hamilton
Born in Toronto in 1965, Hamilton has served in prominent leadership roles with Baseball Canada for more than three decades. During that time, he has overseen the most successful era in the history of the national team’s program.
His affiliation with the national teams began in 1992 when he was named pitching coach of Canada’s Senior National Team. He held that post through 1995 until he became the head coach of the Junior National Team the following year. Hamilton continues to head the junior team today while doubling as director of men’s national teams.
Under his guidance, the Junior National Team has won three medals: a silver at the U-18 Baseball World Cup in 2012 and bronze medals at the same event in 1997 and 2006.
As Senior National Team general manager, Hamilton assembled the Canadian squads that captured gold at the 2011 and 2015 Pan Am Games – the first two golds ever won by the Canadian senior team. In 2022, Hamilton was a recipient of Baseball America’s Tony Gwynn Award for his lifetime contributions to baseball.
Amanda Asay
Born in Prince George, B.C. in 1988, Amanda Asay joined the Women’s National Team in 2005 and became one of its finest and longest tenured players. An outstanding two-way player, she was a two-time National Team MVP (2006 and 2016).
Her best all-around performance with the national team came at the Women’s World Cup in 2018 when she recorded two wins, while also batting .500, to lead Canada to a bronze medal. In total, in her decade and a half with the national team, she was a key contributor on teams that captured five Women’s World Cup medals, as well as a silver medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games.
She passed away on Jan. 7, 2022, at the age of 33. In 2024, she was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame posthumously.
Veterans committee inductees
Arleene Noga
Born in Ogema, Sask. in 1924, Noga was an outstanding softball player when she was signed by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in 1944.
Noga joined the Fort Wayne Daisies for 15 games in 1945 prior to being dealt to the Muskegon Lassies. The sure-handed infielder proceeded to establish a league record for best fielding percentage (.942) by a third baseman. At one point, Noga played over 300 consecutive games, which garnered her the nickname “Iron Lady.” In all, she competed in 354 AAGPBL games, which is the eighth-most among Canadians who played in the league.
Following her AAGPBL career, Noga returned to Regina where she was part of nine provincial, championship-winning softball teams. But she never lost her connection with the AAGPBL. She served as a member of the board of directors of the AAGPBL Players Association for 12 years and was a spokesperson for Canadian AAGPBL women.
She was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame the following year.
She passed away on March 14, 2017, in Regina, Sask.
Gerry Snyder
Born in Montreal in 1920, Snyder played a crucial role in bringing Major League Baseball to Canada. As a city councillor and passionate sports ambassador, Snyder worked tirelessly to secure a big-league franchise for Montreal.
He first met with MLB commissioner Ford C. Frick in 1962 and after the national league announced in 1967 that it planned to expand by two teams, Snyder started travelling to national-league meetings to ensure that Montreal was on the radar for their expansion plans.
Snyder convinced Seagram owner Charles Bronfman to come on board as a financial backer and eventually as the club’s primary owner. The relentless Montreal politician’s efforts were finally rewarded when the National League announced that the city of Montreal would be awarded Canada’s first major league franchise on May 27, 1968.
After the Expos began play, Snyder returned to his role as city councillor for the district of Snowdon, a capacity he’d serve in for 25 years. Throughout his political career, he continued to be a tireless sports ambassador for Montreal and helped the city land the 1976 Olympics.
Snyder passed away on Nov. 26, 2007, in Montreal.
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