The Major League Baseball regular season begins on Wednesday with the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees. Here are the 14 best Canadians to start the 2026 regular season. The players on the list batted above .200 this past season or had an earned run average under 5.00.
Matt Brash
The native of Kingston, Ontario is the top setup man in the Seattle Mariners bullpen. He pitched in 53 games this past season and had a record of one win and three losses with an earned run average of 2.47. In 47 1/3 innings pitched, he gave up 41 hits, 13 earned runs, four home runs, and 18 walks, to go along with 58 strikeouts, four saves, 21 holds, and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.25. The win came in an 8-4 Mariners win over the Detroit Tigers on July 13.
Denzel Clarke
The native of Toronto, Ontario is the starting centerfielder of the Sacramento Athletics. In 2025, he batted .230 with three home runs and eight runs batted in. During 148 at bats and 159 plate appearances, Clarke scored 18 runs ands had 34 hits, eight doubles, two triples, six stolen bases, six walks, 55 total bases, two sacrifice bunts, an on base percentage of .264, and a slugging percentage of .372. The triples came in an 11-2 Athletics win over the Giants on July 4, and in an 8-2 Athletics win over the Cleveland Guardians on July 19.
Freddie Freeman
The dual citizen (Canada and the United States) is the first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2025, the National League All-Star and World Series champion batted .295 with 24 home runs and 90 runs batted in. During 556 at bats and 627 plate appearances, he scored 81 runs and had 164 hits, 39 doubles, two triples, six stolen bases, 60 walks, 279 total bases, and five sacrifice flies, to go along with an on base percentage of .367, and a slugging percentage of .502.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The native of Montreal, Quebec is the first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2025, the American League All-Star batted .292 with 23 home runs and 84 runs batted in. During 589 at bats and 680 plate appearances, he scored 96 runs and had 172 hits, 34 doubles, six stolen bases, 81 walks, 275 total bases, four sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .381, and a slugging percentage of .467.
Liam Hicks
The backup catcher for the Miami Marlins is from Toronto. In 2025, Hicks batted .247 with six home runs and 45 runs batted in. During 332 at bats and 390 plate appearances, Hicks scored 37 runs and had 82 hits, 13 doubles, one triple, two stolen bases, 43 walks, 115 total bases, three sacrifice bunts, three sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .346, and a slugging percentage of .346. The triple came in an 8-7 Marlins won over the Chicago Cubs on May 19, the first stolen base came in a 6-4 Marlins win over the Texas Rangers on September 19, and the second stolen base came in a 4-3 Marlins win over the Rangers on September 20.
Edouard Julien
The backup first baseman for the Colorado Rockies is from Quebec City, Quebec. In 2025 with the Minnesota Twins, Julien batted .220 with three home runs and 12 runs batted in. During 64 games, 182 at bats and 208 plate appearances, he scored 13 runs and had 40 hits, 10 doubles, 22 walks, 59 total bases, one sacrifice bunt, one sacrifice fly, an on base percentage of .309 and a slugging percentage of .324. Julien’s sacrifice bunt came in a 7-5 Minnesota Twins win over the Toronto Blue Jays on August 26.
Otto Lopez
The starting shortstop for the Marlins is from Montreal. In 2025, he batted .246 with 15 home runs and 77 runs batted in. During 544 at bats and 54 plate appearances, Lopez scored 66 runs and had 134 hits, 21 doubles, 15 stolen bases, 44 walks, 2o0 total bases, three sacrifice bunts, an on base percentage of .305 and a slugging percentage of .368.
Josh Naylor
The native of Mississauga, Ontario is the starting first baseman for the Mariners. In 2025 with Seattle and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Naylor batted .295 with 20 home runs and 92 runs batted in. During 543 at bats and 604 plate appearances, he scored 81 runs and had 160 hits, 29 doubles, one triple, 30 stolen bases, 48 walks, 251 total bases, five sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .353, and a slugging percentage of .462.
Nick Pivetta
The native of Victoria, British Columbia is a starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres. In 2025, Pivetta had a record of 13 wins and five losses with an earned run average of 2.87. In 181 2/3 innings pitched, he gave up 129 hits, 58 earned runs, 22 home runs, and 50 walks, to go along with 190 strikeouts, 19 quality starts and a WHIP of 0.99.
Erik Sabrowski
The native of Edmonton, Alberta is a relief pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians. In 2025, Sabrowski pitched in 33 games, had a record of zero wins and one loss with an excellent earned run average of 1.84. During 29 1/3 innings pitched, he gave up 14 hits, six earned runs, two home runs and 21 walks, to go along with 42 strikeouts, 12 holds and a WHIP of 1.19.
Cade Smith
The native of Abbotsford, British Columbia is the closer for the Guardians. In 2025, Smith pitched in 76 games, had a record of eight wins and five losses with 16 saves and an earned run average of 2.93. During 73 2/3 innings pitched, he gave up 55 hits, 24 earned runs, four home runs and 19 walks, to go along with 104 strikeouts, 19 holds, and a WHIP of 1.01.
Mike Soroka
The native of Calgary, Alberta is a starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2025 with the Cubs and Washington Nationals, he pitched in 22 games, had a record of three wins and eight losses and an earned run average of 4.52. During 89 2/3 innings pitched, he gave up 72 hits, 45 earned runs, 12 home runs and 29 walks, to go along with 95 strikeouts, one hold and a WHIP of 1.13. The hold came in a 2-0 Cubs win over the St. Louis Cardinals on September 28.
Jameson Taillon
Like Freeman, Taillon is a dual citizen. He is a starting pitcher for the Cubs. In 2025, Taillon had a record of 11 wins and seven losses with an earned run average of 3.68. In 129 2/3 innings pitched, he gave up 110 hits, 53 earned runs, 24 home runs, and 27 walks, to go along with 98 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.06.
Rob Zastryzny
The native of Edmonton is a relief pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2025, he pitched in 26 games and had a record of two wins and one loss with an earned run average of 2.45. During 22 innings pitched, he gave up 16 hits, six earned runs, three home runs and 10 walks, to go along with 20 strikeouts, two holds and a WHIP of 1.18. The wins came in a 5-1 Brewers win over the Boston Red Sox on May 27 and in a 9-8 Brewers win over the Minnesota Twins on June 22. The holds came in a 3-2 Brewers win over the Cincinnati Reds on June 2, and in a 4-1 Brewers win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 6. The Brewers will play the winner of the Cubs and Padres in the National League Divisional Series.
