GREG HAMILTON: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF CANADIAN BASEBALL
Greg Hamilton, born on July 26, 1965, in Toronto, Ontario, and raised in Peterborough, Ontario, has been a driving force in Canadian baseball for over three decades. As the architect of the national teams program, he has overseen its most successful era.
At Princeton University, Hamilton demonstrated his athletic versatility by excelling in both hockey and baseball. As a pitcher for Princeton’s baseball team, he contributed to their Ivy League championship win in 1991. Following his playing career, he spent two years as an assistant coach at the university, laying the foundation for his future in coaching.
Hamilton’s involvement with Baseball Canada began in 1992 when he joined the Senior National Team as a pitching coach, a role he held until 1995. In 1996, he took over as head coach of the Junior National Team (see artifact 1), transforming it into a globally recognized platform for Canada’s top high school players. Under his leadership, the team won three medals at the U-18 Baseball World Cup — silver in 2012 and bronze in 1997 and 2006. Hamilton has mentored numerous future Canadian MLB stars, including Jason Bay, Justin Morneau, Mike Soroka, Josh Naylor, Russell Martin, and Michael Saunders. Hamilton also made an impact internationally as the pitching coach and general manager for the Barracudas de Montpellier in France’s Division Élite from 1993 to 1997, guiding the team to three consecutive league championships.
Since 1998, Hamilton has served as Baseball Canada’s Director of National Teams, overseeing both the Senior and Junior programs. He played a key role in assembling the Canadian squads that won historic gold medals at the 2011 and 2015 Pan Am Games — the first ever for the Senior National Team (see artifacts 2 and 3). He also built the rosters for Canada’s Olympic teams in 2004 and 2008, as well as all five World Baseball Classic tournaments. Greg Hamilton continues to be recognized as one of baseball’s most influential Canadians for his coaching and player development contributions, and for his work with the Canadian National Baseball Program.
Photographs appear courtesy of Baseball Canada.
