NOTE: Photo credit to Bob Broughton, tbirdbaseball.net

Vancouver Canadians fans were pleasantly surprised when OF Jeremy Barfield showed up at Nat Bailey Stadium this summer, the son of Blue Jay great Jesse Barfield.

While I don’t think some of the expectations made were fair to the youngest of the Barfield baseball trio, he certainly did well at the Nat, hitting a game-tying Grand Slam in the bottom of the 9th, in a game against Boise. 

None-the-less, he was named Team MVP, which he most certainly deserved.

Baseball fans in Vancouver will have another treat to watch this year, in UBC Freshman Abe Fernandez, whose father, Tony, was known around Canada for his infamous batting stance, that crowded the SkyDome plate for more than 12 years.

I talked to the youngest Fernandez this past week, on UBC, his dad, and more..

Jeremy Knight: After playing a year of ‘ball in the Dominican, how has working out with UBC been so far?

Abe Fernandez: It’s been working out great.  I’ve been having a lot of fun with my teammates and I’ve been learning a lot from our coaching staff.

JK: Your coach Terry McKaig said in the Vancouver Sun that he expects it may take you a while to get back in the bait of things.  Is that fair to say, after primarily focusing on football in the past few years?

AF: Yeah, I mean this is the first time in a long time where I have been just playing baseball after playing football for so long.  When we first started practicing I was a little out of sync, but I can definetly tell that I am making a lot of progress.

JK: Your dad was an all-time great with the Toronto Blue Jays, playing over a dozen seasons up north.  Do you ever feel like there are too many expectations?

AF: My whole life people have been asking me that, and honestly I don’t feel like the expectations are too much.  I love having Fernandez on the back of my jersey, I love when people say, "Hey, look that’s Tony’s son," because my dad was a great baseball player and he taught me how to play the game the right way.  I mean, of course there’s pressure but pressure is also what makes you a better ball player.

JK: Speaking of your dad, any chance we’ll see his famous batting stance at the Nat Bailey Stadium plate this season? ;)

AF: Hahaha, when I was little I always tried copying his stance.  It’s one of a kind I’ll tell you that. 

JK: What kind of hitter are you? A David Eckstein-like consistent batter, or more of a power-hitting infielder like Dustin Pedroia or like Alex Rodriguez was with Texas?

AF:  I’m definetly a power-hitting infielder.  I love hitting the long ball lol.

JK: Jeremy Barfield played at Nat Bailey this summer with the Canadians, have you talked to him at all, about the Nat Bailey fences?  I’m guessing it was frustrating for him, and it might be much of the same for UBC this year.

AF: He actually did, [Laughs].  He told me how frustrated he was too, and Jeremy’s a strong guy.  So yeah I might be just as frustrated, but I told him I had an advantage over him because I get to use metal bats.  I haven’t been to the Nat yet but everyone’s telling me how I better get used to hitting exttra base hits [Laughs].

JK: Is there a current player you model your game after?

AF: I don’t model my game after anyone, honestly.  I try to be me when I’m on the field, hopefully people don’t take that as an arrogant statement.

JK: Growing up, which of the two were you more interested in pursuing, the NFL or the MLB?

AF: That’s tough, [Laughs].  I would say baseball because growing up I just wanted to be like my dad.  I used to copy everything he did, from the way he hit, to the way he fielded.  I grew up with baseball around me 24/7.  Me and my older brother Jon were probably the most difficult kids growing up ’cause we used to play baseball in the house, and we would break everything.

JK: UBC could potentially become an NCAA school, in the next couple of years, does that make this whole experience even more rewarding?

AF: Yeah of course.  I think we could compete with NCAA schools right now, to tell you the truth.  In my opinion we have a solid team.

JK: Is it fair to say there’s a bit of a climate change from Florida? ;)

AF: Oooooo man, you have no idea! I’ve been dying out here, it’s so cold, I have never played in these conditions.  The rain really makes it difficult to practice.

JK: I’m assuming the ultimate goal is to get drafted in a couple of yeras, and hope to make it to the Show?

AF: Lord willing.  With a lot of hard work, and guidance from my coaches. 

Thanks again, to Abe for the interview, can’t wait to see him on the field in March.