By Craig Christie

Baseball can take you anywhere in the world and no one knows this better
than Etobicoke native Connor Panas (above).                                                                                                              Over the years he has played in the U.S., Canada, and even Australia. This
summer he is playing independent baseball in the American Association in Nebraska                                 for the Lincoln Saltdogs with one goal in mind: getting back to
the big leagues with a major league affiliate team.
“I’ve been enjoying Lincoln. It has great restaurants and a nice downtown
core,” said Panas. “The American Association is an experienced league
with a lot of players who have AA, AAA and major league experience. It’s very
competitive.”

Panas was drafted in the 9th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015 and rose through
the ranks playing with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio and Danny
Jansen.
“I’m happy for them being there and I think I have the talent to be there as well. People have
different journeys.”
The season in Lincoln has been a grind with the Saltdogs playing 100 games in cities such as
Chicago, Milwaukee, Fargo and Winnipeg, the lone Canadian team in the league. Long bus rides
are common at the lower levels of baseball and Panas cannot stress enough how important it is to stay mentally focused to play every day.

From the moment he saw Connor in spring training, Saltdogs manager Brett Jodie was
impressed with his game. “I love the way he plays; he is pretty good at all the facets of the
game. He plays a good right field, has a good, strong arm. (He) can hit for power, average and
drive in runs. He’s a total player who plays the game the right way.”
“As long as you play at a high level you have a chance to be picked up and he definitely has the skill and
athletic ability to do it.”
The left-handed-hitting outfielder was selected to play in the American Association’s All-Star game and
competed in the Home Run Derby where he finished second. At mid-season, he was hitting .323 with 9
home runs and although the numbers and his production are not where he would like them to be he
hopes he has done enough to be noticed.
“I have turned some heads with what I was doing for the majority of the season. That is ideally the goal. I still think I have a lot left in me. I don’t see 30 as being
old because I see guys in this league who are 36, 37. If not affiliated ball I would love to play overseas;
Mexico would be a pretty cool opportunity.”
Photo by Tyler Hurst

The Saltdogs are headed to the playoffs but when that is
over it won’t be the end of Connor’s season. He plans to play in a showcase event in
Dubai for Baseball United, a league co-owned by former major leaguers, Nick Swisher,
Adrian Beltre and Felix Hernandez. “It is an opportunity to promote the game of baseball by
bringing in players like myself. That’s the beauty of
baseball. It has allowed me to play for Team Canada, travel, and experience different parts of the
world.”
During the summer he continues to grow the game at the grassroots level by offering private coaching
to the next generation of players or through his camp, Train Like a Pro. “I get professional players
from around the GTA and run a huge clinic for kids. (Jordan) Romano has been out every time so I
look forward to doing things like that.”
Although he is not ready to hang up his glove yet, Panas does have a backup plan. He is
a supply teacher with the Toronto District School Board working at schools such as
Etobicoke Collegiate and Silverthorn.
“Once I do retire from baseball I do see myself in a full-time teaching role.”