Canadian Hutton travels to Yuma for Arizona Winter League

Jeff Hutton's hometown of Delta, British Columbia, is more than 1,500 miles from Yuma.

For Hutton, who is here to play in the monthlong Arizona Winter League, the trip is another addition to his ever-increasing baseball odometer.

Playing for Team Canada, the 6-foot-2, 240-pound left-handed slugger comes to Yuma after bouncing around like a pinball in his collegiate career, playing for four different programs.

As if he's the baseball version of Johnny Cash's famous song “I've Been Everywhere,” Hutton has played in Idaho, Oklahoma and two different schools in Kansas before finally arriving in Yuma on Monday. For the Canadian, the weather in Arizona has certainly required some adjustments.

“It's different now, especially with the heat. Because right now I'm used to weather that's below freezing, being indoors and not being able to do a whole lot. I'm starting to get used to it, but those first days were taxing.”

Playing his prep ball at Delta Secondary School, Hutton said, he wanted to get away from home for college so he came to the States — albeit not as far as he originally thought, playing for College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.

“I actually didn't know where Idaho was. I thought it was far away and it's not,” he laughed.

That situation didn't work out, so he transferred to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, a junior college in Miami, Okla. After his junior college eligibility was used up, he packed up and went to the middle of America, transferring to Newman University in Wichita, Kan. When his coach got fired Hutton's second year — he redshirted a year — Hutton settled with Tabor College, an hour north of Wichita in Hillsboro, Kan.

It was at Tabor College that he had a historic year for the Blue Jays, setting school records in home runs (20) and RBIs (78).

“I started out a little slow and started pressing, but once I got in my groove, I couldn't ask for a better season for my final year.”

He became an NAIA Second Team All-American in his senior year, the first player from Tabor to be an All-American. After playing summer ball, the 24-year-old Hutton went back home before he heard about the Arizona Winter League.

“A friend informed me about it and I looked into it and decided to come out. As soon as I heard about it, I was all-in.”

The Arizona Winter League, consisting of players from 10 teams, begins today with 11 a.m. games at Ray Kroc Complex and 2 p.m. at Desert Sun Stadium. The regular season stretches until Feb. 25 with a playoff at the end.

The players have similar stories as Hutton, a standout collegiate player who is using the league to hopefully springboard himself into signing with a Major League organization.

“(The league) is a lot of guys with college experience who got looked over by the MLB, or guys who have played with MLB affiliates and for whatever reason — they didn't develop the way the organization wanted them to or they got an injury — they come to get a second chance at getting with an organization,” said Arizona Winter League media relations manager Justin Reschke said. “It's a second-chance league.”

Former Major Leaguers Garry Templeton, Mike Marshall, Morgan Burkhart and Les Lancaster will be coaches for the league.

Individual tickets cost $5 at the gate, or a season pass can be purchased for $20. For $30, the season pass will include a complimentary beverage and hot dog at every game. A full schedule of the games can be found at the league's website, arizonawinterleague.com.

For Hutton, this month will be another pit stop on his baseball journey. Like a traveler who picks up a souvenir each place he stops, Hutton has gained some knowledge at every place he's played.

“It's nice to get to learn baseball from different coaches and seeing how they go about the game so I can incorporate that in how I play.”

It's fitting that Hutton, a Canadian slugger in America, will be playing for Team Canada. With a great number of Canadians who make the trip to Yuma in the winter, many of his fellow countrymen could be in the stands as he's launching baseballs into the outfield.

“I had family friends tell me (Canadians) come down here in the winter,” Hutton laughed. “But I didn't realize it was quite as big as it is until I got here.”

Jesse Severson can be reached at jseverson@yumasun.com or at 539-6881. Find him at facebook.com/YSJesseSeverson