Shane Dawson (baseball)

High school and college

Dawson attended Frank Maddock High School, and was the first 17-year-old to play for the Kelowna Falcons of the West Coast League. He then attended Lethbridge College.

Professional career

Dawson was selected in the 17th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays for the 2012 season, where he pitched 30 ²⁄₃ innings and posted a 2–1 record, 2.35 ERA, and 35 strikeouts. Dawson began the 2013 season with the Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League, and was later promoted to the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League. After 4 starts for Vancouver, Dawson reported left elbow pain, and fearing Tommy John surgery, was rested for the remainder of the season. He would pitch to a combined 2–4 record, 3.13 ERA, and 61 strikeouts in 46 innings. After reporting to fall instructional camp, doctors discovered that he had been born without a left infraspinatus muscle.

Dawson spent the entire 2014 campaign with the Class-A Lansing Lugnuts, making 14 appearances (10 starts) before being shut down in July due to arm fatigue. He would earn a 3–5 record, 3.38 ERA, and 46 strikeouts in 56 innings pitched. He began the 2015 season with Lansing, where he was named a Midwest League All-Star, and was selected to play for the Canada national baseball team at the Pan American Games, winning the gold medal. After the Games he returned to Lansing and continued his run of success, earning his league-leading 12th win before being called up to the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays on August 1. Dawson finished the 2015 season with Dunedin, and in 24 total games, pitched to a 15–6 record, 3.03 ERA, and 120 strikeouts in 127 ²⁄₃ innings. He played the entire 2016 season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, where he would post a 10–4 record, 4.22 ERA, and 95 strikeouts in a career-high 134 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched.