Meet the Jackfish: Tyler Dupuis
Tyler Dupuis is Brian Essery’s kind of ball player.
The manager of the Welland Jackfish loves speedy, scrappy, hard-working players, a description that fits Dupuis perfectly.
“When I step on the field I want to give it 100 per cent every time,” said Dupuis, a 27-year-old St. Catharines native. “Every ball that’s hit to me, if I think I have a chance, I’m going to give it 100 per cent and try and get to it. Same thing with running the bases.”
Essery is a proponent of small ball which is fits right into Dupuis’ skill set.
“Always dirty and plays great defence,” Essery said. “His bat is starting to come on now. He’s really started to hit. Putting the ball in play and hitting it hard. His defence is the best. He’s fast and athletic.
“We build our team around guys like that. It’s hard for those guys to slump. They have the ability to put the ball on the ground.”
Dupuis previously played professionally in the independent Frontier League and was slated to get another shot with the Ottawa franchise in the same league last season when he broke his thumb.
“I was definitely disappointed,” Dupuis said. “I was excited to go back. It was kind of a kick in the gut but we’re back at it.”
Dupuis loved playing at the pro level.
“I’d say it’s a step up talent wise. It’s another level. The game moves a lot faster at that level,” he said.
Dupuis was working out with fellow local product and former Jackfish pitcher Rob Nixon, who recommenced him to the Jackfish.
A quick workout was more than enough for Essery and his staff to see Dupuis could help the team and the Sir Winston Churchill gradate ended up hitting .342 with 26 stolen bases in 2022.
He has continued that trend this season batting over .300 in the early going while providing top notch defence in the middle infield.
He still considers playing pro ball realistic and is grateful he can play with the Jackfish while awaiting another opportunity.
“The dream is to move up in indy ball and keep playing baseball as long as I can. As long as I can keep on the field, the dream is to still keep playing,” he said. “I hit at Bullet’s and every day we’re working out and just to be competing and getting live at bats week in and week out is very important.”
Dupuis spent last winter working out at Cresse Sports Performance in Florida run by former Los Angeles Dodgers coach Mark Cresse.
“Probably the best baseball experience I’ve ever had,” Dupuis said. “I was training with big leaguers, minor leaguers, independent players, so just being able to absorb as much knowledge as I could from those guys as I could was an amazing experience. I learned a lot. I didn’t play in college so there are a lot of things I need to learn and very quickly and that helped bridge the gap.”
Dupuis majored in golf management at Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C., after graduating from Sir Winston Churchill.
“Baseball was always my passion. When I finished high school I was 4-foot-11, maybe 100 pounds, so I wasn’t really a D1 athlete,” he said.
He was introduced to hockey as a youngster but immediately took a dislike to the cold.
“My feet would freeze and I hated it. I just didn’t like skating so I scraped hockey,” he said.
While in Florida, Dupuis worked construction for a company which builds turf athletic fields. He would like to continue that after his playing days, perhaps as the owner of his own company.
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 5,200 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact bpotrecz@outlook.com for more information.
