TORONTO – Stubby Clapp, the longtime heart and soul of the men’s national team, and the late Jim Baba, the beloved executive who touched the sport at all levels both at home and abroad, headline the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s class of 2026 unveiled Thursday.
Joining them on induction day June 20 in St. Marys, Ont., will be women’s national team stalwart Kate Psota; Devon White, the Toronto Blue Jays’ five-time Gold Glove centre-fielder; Bill Stoneman, who threw two no-hitters for the Montreal Expos and later became the club’s general manager; and Paul Runge, who umpired 3,196 games in the majors.
Recognition for the entire class, but Clapp and Baba in particular, was long overdue given the breadth and depth of their contributions to Canadian baseball.
Clapp, a scrappy infielder from Windsor, Ont., first rose to prominence at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, delivering a walk-off single in the 11th inning of a 7-6 win over the United States that helped the Canadian team win bronze at the event.
That came early in an 11-year pro career that included 23 games in the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001, along with numerous other appearances with the national squad, including the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009, often with a penchant for big hits.
Now first-base coach for the Cardinals, Clapp became so ingrained within the national team program that Baseball Canada named one of its annual awards after him, given to a player “whose perseverance, resilience and determination” carries them to the majors.
As big as Clapp’s front-facing impact was, Baba’s work behind the scenes may have been even more significant. The native of Moose Jaw, Sask., who died of cancer last September, served as Baseball Canada’s executive director from 2000-2021, helping to build up both grassroots and high-performance programming across the country while also serving as a technical official within international federations.
Psota, a first baseman from Burlington, Ont., was a member of the women’s national team from 2004 to 2018, winning seven medals, including silver at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto and at the Women’s World Cup in 2008 and 2016.
Along with 2024 inductee Ashley Stephenson, she was among the trailblazers who helped build up the women’s national team program she now helps coach.
White, among the most gifted defenders in Blue Jays history, was an integral part of the 1992 and 1993 World Series championship clubs, helping to both set the table atop the batting order and make life easier for his pitchers by stealing hits all over the outfield.
The native of Kingston, Jamaica, spent five of his 17 big-league seasons in Toronto and remains involved with the organization in player development.
Stoneman, a right-hander from Oak Park, Ill., spent five of his eight big-league seasons with the Expos and once his playing days were done, returned for a second chapter in Montreal, working in banking before rejoining the club and working his way up to GM. He served in that role in 1987 and ’88 and later spent nine seasons as GM of the Angels, winning the World Series in 2002.
Runge, born in St. Catharines, Ont., carved out a 25-year career umpiring in the National League, following in the footsteps of his father, Ed, who umpired in the American League from 1954-1970. Paul called four World Series — including the 1993 edition won on Joe Carter’s ninth-inning homer — and three all-star games.
