Canadian Baseball Network Podcast

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough chat about Canada's 2026 World Baseball Classic tournament and discuss some key takeaways. Matt Betts then catches up with Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson to talk about his experience pitching for Canada at the World Baseball Classic and his career so far.

Summer Camp registration now open at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Ben Shulman joins Matt Betts to chat about the early stages of his broadcasting career, growing up around the media business, his time at Syracuse and the details of doing play-by-play commentary. They also break down Spring Training and discuss key storylines heading into the 2026 MLB season.

Summer Camp registration now open at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Caden Shapiro joins Matt Betts for a wide-ranging conversation about his career in baseball, moving to Toronto as a teenager, the impact his father had on him, his perspective on youth baseball and much more. He also shares stories from his time around MLB players and facilities.

Summer Camp registration now open at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough are joined by theScore's Brandon Wile to breakdown the World Baseball Classic, including Canada winning Pool A and advancing to the quarterfinals, where they take on the USA on Friday night.

Summer Camp registration now open at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Sportsnet Blue Jays analyst and colour commentator Joe Siddall joins Matt and Jackson for an interview about his broadcasting career, the 2025 Blue Jays and their run to the World Series and the upcoming 2026 season. 

Summer Camp registration now open at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Corey Eckstein is the head coach of the Abbotsford Cardinals junior team. He previously coached with the Ontario Blue Jays. Corey joins Matt Betts for a comprehensive discussion about his role with Abbotsford, his time with OBJ, how Canadian high school baseball is changing, and some of the challenges he faces. 

Summer Camp registration now open at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio 

Keegan Matheson, Blue Jays reporter for MLB.com joins Matt Betts and Jackson Farough from Blue Jays Spring Training in Dunedin. Keegan shares his insights on the early days of Spring Training, the difference in expectations compared to last year, the media presence around Kazuma Okamoto, expectations for Jeff Hoffman in 2026 and much more in a wide-ranging conversation.

Summer Camp registration now open at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Keegan's book, "The Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays": https://www.amazon.ca/Franchise-Toronto-Blue-Curated-History/dp/163727792X

Greg Hamilton, Baseball Canada's Director of Men’s National Teams joins Matt Betts to talk about Canada's roster for the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic. Greg shares his thoughts on the tournament, how the roster came together, the next generation of Canadian baseball talent and expectations for the team.

Summer Camp registration now open at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Clay Cox is the head baseball coach at Paris Junior College. He joins Matt Betts to break down JUCO baseball, recruiting, and Canadians on the roster.

Summer Camp registration now open at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Roland Fanning is the head baseball coach at Austin Peay State University. He joins Matt Betts to chat about getting ready for the season, building culture within the program, recruiting, and Canadian C Keaton Cottam. 

Swing into Spring at The Baseball Zone's 24th Annual March break Baseball Camp: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-march-break-baseball-camps/ 

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Illinois State Redbirds HC Steve Holm joins Matt Betts to discuss the upcoming college season, a few Canadians on the 2026 roster (Eric Machej, Payton McHarg and Matthew Donnison), training plans as the season approaches, and establishing culture in the transfer portal era.

TBZ's Elite Workshops: https://thebaseballzone.ca/elite-baseball-workshops/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Ethan Francis (Miscouche, P.E.I) is the Director of Pitching and Analytics at Southeastern Louisiana University. He joins Matt Betts for an in-depth conversation about his career so far, his current role at SLU, pitching analytics and how analytics have changed.

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

TBZ's Elite Workshops: https://thebaseballzone.ca/elite-baseball-workshops/

Mike Bonanno, MLBPA certified player agent with Klutch Sports Group joins Matt Betts and Jackson Farough for a wide-ranging discussion about his work representing various clients in MLB, including Canadians Owen Caissie and Jonah Tong.

Mike talks about the recent Cubs/Marlins trade involving Owen Caissie, Jonah Tong's success in 2025, watching players he represents rise through the ranks and debut, the arbitration process, and what an off-season looks like for an MLB agent.

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

TBZ's Elite Workshops: https...

Stephen Schoch, former Appalachian State, UMBC and UVA pitcher joins Matt Betts to talk about his college career, his viral interview in 2021, the transfer portal, NIL and much more.

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

TBZ's Elite Workshops: https://thebaseballzone.ca/elite-baseball-workshops/

WVU Baseball Head Coach Steve Sabins joins Matt Betts to discuss the program at WVU. They discuss player development, recruiting Canadians, differences between Canadian and American players, and break down Canadians on the WVU team Tyrus Hall and Ben Goodacre. 

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Thumbnail photo courtesy Ron Rittenhouse/The Dominion Post

TBZ's Elite Workshops: https://thebaseballzone.ca/elite-baseball-workshops/

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough are joined by Brandon Wile, MLB and F1 supervising editor at theScore. They chat about the Blue Jays off-season moves so far, including the signings of Dylan Cease, Tyler Rogers and Cody Ponce. They also discuss signings around MLB, trade possibilities for the Blue Jays, and the markets of Bo Bichette and Kyle Tucker.

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Registration is open for The Baseball Zone's Winter Clinics! Learn more and sign up here: https://thebaseballzone.ca/winter-baseball-clinics/

Ted Kalnins, commissioner of the newly announced Canadian Baseball League (formerly Intercounty Baseball League) joins Matt Betts to discuss the announcement. Ted talks about the growth of the league in recent years and why this made sense, plans for expansion and a new app featuring CBL content.

For the full press release, visit https://www.theibl.ca/news/a-new-era-for-independent-professional-baseball-in

Registration for 2025 Snowball camps at The Baseball Zone is now open! Visit thebaseballzone.ca to learn more.

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough break down the heartbreaking end to the 2025 season for the Blue Jays, a 5-4 loss in 11 innings in Game 7 to the LA Dodgers. They discuss the game-changing moments in games 6 and 7 and ponder a few questions: How will we remember this season? What's next as the offseason begins?

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

High Performance Program at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/high-performance-program-free-demo/

Advanced Fall Baseball Clinics at The Baseball Zone:https://thebaseballzone.ca/advanced-fall-baseball-clinics/

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough tee up the World Series between the Dodgers and Blue Jays. They discuss each teams strengths and weaknesses, difference makers and path to victory for both teams, plus make some predictions.

Kickstart your offseason with Fall Clinics at The Baseball Zone! Click here to learn more: https://thebaseballzone.ca/fall-baseball-clinics/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

The Blue Jays win the 2025 American League pennant and are set to host the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series starting on Friday night. David Singh of Sportsnet was in the building for Game 7 of the ALCS and joins Matt and Jackson to discuss the win, the energy afterwards, reflect on how the Blue Jays got here, and look ahead to the World Series vs the Dodgers.

Kickstart your offseason with Fall Clinics at The Baseball Zone! Click here to learn more: https://thebaseballzone.ca/fall-baseball-clinics/

Audio Credit...

The Road to Okotoks is an upcoming national tournament that brings together the strongest programs from across Canada in a season-long journey, culminating in the Finals at Seaman Stadium, home of the Okotoks Dawgs. Matt Betts speaks with Dawgs GM Tyler Hollick and Baseball Canada's Greg Hamilton to learn more about the event and its origins.

For more info:

https://www.theroadtookotoks.ca/

https://baseball.ca/?alias=baseball-canada-launches-the-road-to-okotoks--a-new-era-in-canadian-amateur-baseball&lang=english

Kickstart your offseason with Fall Clinics at The Baseball Zone! Click here to learn more...

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough break down the Blue Jays' ALDS series victory over the Yankees. They discuss the performances of Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Trey Yesavage and others, put the series into perspective, and tee up the ALCS and how the roster could shake out.

Kickstart your offseason with Fall Clinics at The Baseball Zone! Click here to learn more: https://thebaseballzone.ca/fall-baseball-clinics/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough discuss the upcoming ALDS clash between the Yankees and Blue Jays. They tee up the pitching matchups, debate strengths and weaknesses of each team, make some predictions about how the series will go, and discuss the television broadcasts.

Kickstart your offseason with Fall Clinics at The Baseball Zone! Click here to learn more: https://thebaseballzone.ca/fall-baseball-clinics/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough break down the month of September for the Blue Jays, chat about the biggest stories surrounding the lineup and starting rotation, look ahead to the playoffs, and discuss the potential outcomes for the last weekend of the regular season.

Kickstart your offseason with Fall Clinics at The Baseball Zone! Click here to learn more: https://thebaseballzone.ca/fall-baseball-clinics/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Cherrie-Marie Chiu is the executive director of ALS Double Play. She joins Matt and Jackson to recap Strikeout ALS, the annual fundraiser with The Baseball Zone and Terriers Baseball that occurred on September 6th. Cherrie also shares information about ongoing ALS research, helping those diagnosed with ALS and their families, and upcoming events that ALS Double Play has planned, including Exhale Hope for ALS on Tuesday, September 30th. 

To learn more about ALS Double Play, donate and register for upcoming events, visit https://www.alsdoubleplay.com/. 

Audio Credit: Karl Casey ...

Matt Betts is joined by Geoff Seto, the Program Manager, Amateur Baseball with the Toronto Blue Jays to discuss and preview the 2025 Canadian Futures Showcase, which takes place September 16-19 at Rogers Centre.

Fall Baseball Clinics at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/fall-baseball-clinics/

For more info on the Canadian Futures Showcase: https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/community/baseball-academy/canadian-futures-showcase?msockid=3068e365021767933482ec5803bd664a

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough recap the trades that the Blue Jays made leading up to the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline. They break down how the pitching acquisitions fit in, how Toronto may structure their starting rotation, look around the American League and also take a look at the Canadians that were traded throughout baseball.

Toronto Baseball Summer Camps at TBZ: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Flex Pack Summer Clinics at TBZ: https://thebaseballzone.ca/summer-baseball-clinics/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

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MLB.com Blue Jays reporter Keegan Matheson joins Matt and Jackson to discuss Toronto's recent run of form, the energy among fans and the city, vibes in the clubhouse, and how they may attack the upcoming trade deadline. 

Toronto Baseball Summer Camps at TBZ: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Flex Pack Summer Clinics at TBZ: https://thebaseballzone.ca/summer-baseball-clinics/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Matt and Jackson briefly discuss and breakdown some of the top Canadians in the 2025 MLB Draft, before being joined by Avery Chenier (14:46) to explore and discuss who the Blue Jays could select at 8th overall.

TBZ Summer Baseball Camps: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Gate 14 Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@Gate14Podcast

Audio credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Matt Betts takes us to Saskatoon, SK to showcase the Saskatoon Berries, a collegiate summer baseball team in the WCBL (Western Canadian Baseball League). We hear from manager Joe Carnahan, in addition to a number of players, who chat with Matt about playing for the Berries, their inaugural season, and their continued growth.

Flex Pack summer clinics at The Baseball Zone:https://thebaseballzone.ca/summer-baseball-clinics/

Summer Camps at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Matt Betts is joined by Okotoks Dawgs Program Advisor John Milton and 19-year MLB veteran Matt Stairs to highlight the Okotoks Dawgs program and to preview the WCBL All-Star game in Okotoks on July 19th.

For more info on the WCBL All-Star game: https://tickets.dawgsbaseball.ca/events/33282-2025-wcbl-all-star-game

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough recap the 6 inductions into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame that took place on June 7. Hear from various inductees such as Greg Hamilton and José Bautista, along with the families of Gerry Snyder and Arleene Noga as we celebrate and honour their contributions to baseball in Canada.

Flex Pack summer clinics at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/summer-baseball-clinics/

Summer Camps at The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/toronto-baseball-summer-camps/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Mitch Bannon, Blue Jays beat writer for The Athletic joins Matt and Jackson to chat about the first quarter of the season. They discuss the expectations for the team, what's worked well, the new hitting coaches, George Springer's early season resurgence, and the type of additions the team could use. 

Flex Pack Summer Clinics are BACK at The Baseball Zone - click here to learn more: https://thebaseballzone.ca/summer-baseball-clinics/

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough break down the first month of the season for the Toronto Blue Jays. What positives can be drawn? What sorts of trends are emerging? How does the next month look for them? Matt and Jackson discuss it all.

Hear it AND see it by visiting our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@canadianbaseballnetworkpodcast

Flex Pack Summer Clinics are BACK at The Baseball Zone - click here to learn more: https://thebaseballzone.ca/summer-baseball-clinics/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat...

Matt and Jackson discuss Opening Day for the Blue Jays, which ended in a 12-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

To catch live episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@canadianbaseballnetworkpodcast

The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Matt Betts and Jackson Farough explore the 2025 Blue Jays roster as it stands to start the season. How optimistic should Blue Jays fans be? What could go wrong? Matt and Jackson also make some predictions about how the season could unfold.

The Baseball Zone: https://thebaseballzone.ca/

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

In the first edition of the CBN Podcast live, Matt and Jackson discuss the new format, chat about Matt's trip to Florida, Blue Jays spring training so far, and how the roster projects to shake out with Opening Day quickly approaching.

To check out the video and subscribe to catch future live episodes, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJsOlhisqv4

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

MLB.com Blue Jays Reporter Keegan Matheson returns to the CBN Podcast to discuss early stories from Blue Jays spring training, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s contract status, Alan Roden and Orelvis Martinez. Then, Keegan shares insight on his upcoming book, 'The Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays'. He explains how the process started, details the challenges he encountered, and why the writing of this book was so special to him.

Audio credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Jon Morosi of MLB Network talks about his love and appreciation for Canada and shares memories of time spent north of the border. He also gives his takes on Vladimir Guerrero Jr and the Blue Jays not reaching an extension, what he makes of the Blue Jays this season and the American League East.

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Lars Davis is the Assistant hitting coach at Georgia State University. He joins the CBN Podcast to discuss his approach to coaching, how he uses analytics, recruiting, and shares his thoughts on the transfer portal.

Audio Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio