Saskatchewan pitcher's dream comes true: a shot at Major League Baseball
CBC
Garrett Hawkins is on the cusp of making it to the big leagues. The pitcher from Biggar, Sask., has been added to the San Diego Padres 40-man roster.
Being on the roster gives Hawkins an automatic invite to the Padres spring training camp this February in Phoenix, Ariz.
“It's definitely what everyone kind of works towards and just know you're kind of one step closer to making it,” said the lanky, 6-foot-5-inch right-hander.
It’s been a roller-coaster ride for Hawkins on his way toward the big leagues.
Growing up in Biggar, Hawkins played on local teams as a youngster before coming into Saskatoon when he was about 14.
“The first opportunity I would have had to coach him was in 2014,” said Jordan Draeger, the owner operator and head coach at Going Yard Baseball Academy in Saskatoon.
“He was a part of a really special pitching group that we had coming up from the same age as him,” Draeger recalled. “There was Logan Hoffman and Connor Sparks as well, and they went on to win the national title at the Canada Cup for Baseball Saskatchewan.”
Besides his imposing physical features, Draeger says it’s Hawkins’ attention to detail that makes him stand out.
“He's very focused on his craft,” Draeger said. “He fully understands every aspect of pitching and his ability to hone in on, like, small details and make minor changes that don't affect the rest of his flow and his rhythm.”
Hawkins attended the University of British Columbia on a scholarship, but the pandemic derailed the last couple of years there.
Instead, he was able to play in the MLB Draft summer league in New Jersey.
The Padres took notice and drafted Hawkins in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft.
After spending time in A ball, Hawkins had a setback when he experienced soreness in his pitching elbow. That led to Tommy John surgery in 2023, and Hawkins spent the next year rehabbing at the Padres training facility in Arizona.
Hawkins said several other players were recovering from injuries.
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