Kyle MacKinnon

MiLB Hitting Coach @tigers • Dad & Husband • Golf, Coffee & Bourbon enthusiast

[Joe Ellison @jcellison21]

Hiring 2 (Two) Assistant Coaches for this upcoming Summer in Thunder Bay (@TBBordercats)!

- Offensive Minded
- Throw BP/Hit a Fungo
- Ability to do Basic Field Work (Drag, Water, Maintain)

Last four assistants have moved up and on!

Please see below for the full breakdown and shoot me an email if you're interested! #GoCatsGo @SkippersDugout

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

@JohnnyGiunta_ Make it an Erie Seawolves podcast

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

@AlBezaireLC @WillGreerBSB I think the original point was that there was a “funding problem”. My main point was that it’s a foundational sport problem, not “just baseball”.
Better value is subjective. Maybe competing at the highest level possible in sport is better for someone’s development.

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

Having experience at almost every level, I think your simple cost analysis is incorrect. A normal JuCo will still be cheaper than most 4 years in Canada.
Secondly, the seasons. Juco is all in on becoming a better baseball player, whether that be a pro or con.

[Will Greer @WillGreerBSB]

One of the greatest challenges facing Canadian university/collegiate baseball programs today is that every player wants to head south of the border and play for an American college. And while for some, that is a reality; for many, it's not. Whatever the reason: projectability, late bloomer, financial constraints, or the lack of accessible forums for displaying skills, there are many Canadian youths that deserve it, but never achieve it.

With the current NCAA transfer portal landscape, four-year opportunities are becoming increasingly rare, and almost non-existent for Canadians, let alone the impossible financial commitment for the average household with current exchange rates.

In light of this, US junior colleges have become the go-to alternative. They give students the ability to prove themselves against American collegiate level competition, while continuing their studies. But they come with a hidden cost. The JUCO model is built as a pipeline to American four-year schools, not back to Canadian ones. For the many players who don't land an affordable transfer, two years of development can mean coming home behind academically, with credits that only partly count toward a Canadian degree.

Tying it back, Canadian university/collegiate baseball has a funding problem, there's no denying it. However, if the product were to increase in value, that could change. If talented Canadian baseball players were to spend their time (two years) in place of a JUCO at a Canadian school, they could have the opportunity to develop, while getting arguably a more affordable and better education, all the while still having the opportunity to transfer out at any time.

Playing Canadian university/collegiate baseball should not be a fall-back or consolation. Instead, it should be a low-risk option for Canadians who need the extra two years to develop, and don't want to sacrifice their academics.

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

@AlBezaireLC @WillGreerBSB Saying McMaster all in cost is cheaper than JuCo is just factually incorrect, other than the less than 1% outlier. Also, the baseball experience is not comparable. Two different paths. Both viable options.

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

@wayneeyang Also, it’s not about the majors necessarily. The athletic experience is completely different. Even at the collegiate level.

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

@wayneeyang No one disparaged anyone. I just stated there is a large chasm between the two, on the athletics side. Both general athletics as well as baseball specific. As I stated multiple time, neither is right/wrong, but they’re very different.

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

@BallMechanic Completely fair. If schooling is first, there is no comparison. If you want to see how far baseball can take/be immersed in athletic culture, there is also no comparison.
Neither is right/wrong, but there is a mountain between the two.

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

@WillGreerBSB @ckbarnstormers @Rangers May want to look into that case a little more. May have some firsthand knowledge on that one as well…

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

@WillGreerBSB This would raise the cost MORE of the Canadian track. Outsourcing isn’t free or cheap. Whereas the US model facility and coaching are built in.

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

@WillGreerBSB This is disingenuous. Mentioning aid for one, but not scholarships, in-state tuition waivers, aid for the other? I would guess less than 1% of baseball athletes from CAN are paying sticker price at JuCo.

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

Also, 20ish games vs up to 80 at us JuCo…

[Kyle MacKinnon @warningtrackmac]

OUA can’t even compete. And that’s the most invested and attended sport in Canadian Col/Uni sports.
Neither choice is right or wrong, but if you’re trying to further your baseball career, staying in Canada is never the answer if options are available.

[MLB Pipeline @MLBPipeline]

No Minor Leaguer had hit 2 grand slams in a playoff game since at least 2005 -- Luke Shliger changed that on Tuesday.

More on the performance of a lifetime by the #Tigers prospect: https://t.co/CcoeB1eVfv

[Erie SeaWolves @erie_seawolves]

72 Career stolen bases.
65 this year...and counting.

Seth Stephenson is the SeaWolves all-time stolen base king!

[Tigers ML Report @tigersMLreport]

Woody Hadeen steals 2nd base and the 2026 Erie SeaWolves now own the Eastern League record for most stolen bases in a season with 273.

[Erie SeaWolves @erie_seawolves]

No Capption needed 🗣️

[Detroit Tigers @tigers]

Callahan sends a pair home!