By Mike London
Salisbury Post
OTTAWA, Canada — Dylan Driver is living the dream of playing pro baseball, although he always imagined it would be in cities like New York or Atlanta, not in the Canadian capital of Ottawa.
“It’s a little different in Canada, a little different lifestyle and a little different life, really, but the baseball is very good,” Driver said. “Playing in the Frontier League is a big step up for me from Division II college baseball. It’s more than just the pitching velocity, it’s a change in experience level. A lot of these players are older and their understanding of the game is on a different level.”
The 18-team Frontier League is professional baseball, but it’s an independent league, meaning the teams have no affiliation with MLB clubs. The Frontier League is primarily made up of American teams, but there are three Canadian franchises, including Ottawa.
Driver, a 22-year-old Jesse Carson High and Catawba College graduate from Faith, showed up for work every day at Newman Park and around the South Atlantic Conference and quietly grinded out one of the finest careers in Catawba Indians history. At 5-foot-10, he looked like a normal guy, but he was special.
A four-year starter for the Indians, mostly in right field, he finished his career in the top five in the history of the storied program in runs scored, hits, doubles and steals and in the top 10 in triples and RBIs. He belted 25 homers, batted .349 in 213 games and carried an on-base percentage of .437. Defensively, he was the best right fielder in Division II and has multiple Gold Gloves to prove it. You may see Driver’s name inscribed on a Hall of Fame plaque in Goodman Gym someday.
When the Ottawa Titans needed to upgrade their outfield production, the manager contacted a friend, former Catawba College slugger and Arizona Diamondbacks draft pick Zac Almond, who spent a number of seasons playing in independent pro leagues. He asked Almond, who once had an eight-RBI game for Catawba, if he could recommend anyone.
“The guy you want is Driver,” Almond said. “Dylan Driver.”
Almond made the call. Driver answered his phone while he was driving home from the Outer Banks. Almond explained the opportunity, pros and cons, and told Driver that he would like for him to do it, but he had about a day to think about it. Ottawa wanted an answer fast, and if Driver said yes, they wanted him there as soon as possible.
“I was actually getting ready to report to the Asheboro team in the Coastal Plain League,” Driver said. “I was going to play there and then wait and see if anything happened in the MLB Draft. That was the plan, but then Zac called.”
It didn’t take Driver long to decide. It was about a 15-hour trip, but it was a chance to test himself in a pro setting right away and a chance to experience new things. He started packing.
Driver drove eight hours on a Monday and got as far as Pennsylvania before getting some rest. The next morning, he rose early and drove five hours to the Canadian border. He made the crossing with no issues and arrived in Ottawa around noon on a game day. He took batting practice and was in the starting lineup that night. He hasn’t looked back and hasn’t regretted the leap out of his comfort zone.
“I was told they had some outfielders who hadn’t been hitting, so they had released some guys,” Driver said. “That first day or two I was kind of worn out and was all over the place, but then I settled in. I spend a lot of my time now at the park, and if I’m not at the park, I’m usually grabbing food or working out.”
Ottawa is about three hours north of Syracuse, N.Y., so you probably don’t want to visit in February, but it’s pleasant in the summer.
Driver lives with a host family. He still eats mostly hamburgers and steaks, although there are more French dishes on the restaurant menus in Canada than in the U.S.
“A high percentage of the people can speak English and French,” Driver said. “You might go into a restaurant and they start you out with ‘Bonjour,’ but they can switch to ‘Hello’ if they need to. We’re going to to play in Quebec right after our all-star break, and I know that’s going to be a different. That’s much more of a city with a French culture than anywhere else we’ve been.”
Driver hit his first pro homer on July 1. If he’d hit it in Quebec that home run would have been a “coup de circuit,” but it came on the other side of the border in the Massachusetts city of Brockton. The Brockton team is known as the Rox, a reference to native son Rocky Marciano. Brockton produced two boxing greats, not only Marciano, an undefeated heavyweight in the 1950s, but Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
“The homer was a pretty cool moment because it was a three-run shot that helped us win the game,” Driver said. “He threw me a high cutter, a little bit inside, and I just turned my hands, and there it went. It was good to know I could hit one out at this level.”
He had a great time playing in New Jersey on the Fourth of July — the holiday was celebrated big in New Jersey, and he’s enjoyed his visits to play teams in upstate New York.
Driver plays center field for the Titans. That’s been an adjustment. He has the wheels to play center, but it’s a serious change from right. He has an opportunity to make a lot more running plays in center and made a leaping catch at the wall a few days ago that saved a game.
“It’s definitely busier in center,” Driver said. “I understand in pro ball that I’m a center fielder. They put the big dogs (power hitters) in right and left, and the quicker guys play center.”
Driver had two hits on July 4 and two more on July 6, so his average has been creeping up. On Tuesday, he was 0-for-2 but walked twice and scored twice and helped the Titans win. He’s batting .237 with 10 runs scored and seven RBIs in 18 games. He’s struck out only six times in 59 at-bats.
“I’m in the lineup every day, getting four or five at-bats every day, and I’m having pretty good ABs,” Driver said. “I’ve been hitting a lot of balls at people, but I feel like I’ve been holding my own.”
Driver is usually listed at 160 pounds on rosters, but he’s gotten stronger and is about 175 now. He will follow the MLB Draft on July 13-14 with interest. Not many D-II guys will be drafted, but you never know what might happen in the later rounds.
“If nothing happens in the draft, I’m planning to finish the season with Ottawa,” Driver said. “Then I’ll just go from there.”
Driver has a degree in sports management from Catawba. He’ll play baseball as long as he can and hopes to stay in the game in some capacity for the rest of his working days.
