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Skylar Janisse, the closer for the London Majors, set the franchise record for most saves in a season last year and tied the all-time CBL mark, etching his name in the record books.
Pitching for the London Majors was a long time coming for Skylar Janisse.
“Roop [Chanderdat, Majors GM and field manager] had been trying to get me to come play in London since I was 16,” said Janisse, the team’s closer, now in his fourth season in the Forest City. “My name was out there, and people knew who I was growing up. Roop was one of the coaches who was always on me, even when I was going through independent ball.”
Finally, when he wrapped up his time playing Indy ball, which spanned seven years and included time in the Frontier League and American Association, among other leagues, Janisse accepted Chanderdat’s invitation to pitch for the Majors.
That was 2023, the year after London had won its second of back-to-back Intercounty Baseball League championships. The honeymoon season didn’t go well – for either the Majors or Janisse. Though he struck out 35 batters in 31 2/3 innings, the right-hander posted a 7.67 ERA, walking 19 and allowing 48 hits for an unsightly 2.12 WHIP.
But he was back for 2024 – following an offseason of hard work to prepare for a second year in the Majors’ pinstripes. And things started to come together. In 14 appearances (19 1/3 innings), he struck out 23 and walked just three for a vastly improved 1.86 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.
Then, last year, Janisse reached a new level – in a new role. Taking on full-time closer duties, he recorded 12 saves, shattering the Majors’ franchise record and tying the CBL high. He struck out 36 in 29 innings while recording a 2.48 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.
“I’ve made a couple of all-star teams here and there throughout my career, but to set a record is something special,” said Janisse. “And the cool thing is it took the team to make that happen. I would never have gotten in those same positions (to record saves) without my teammates.”
* * *
Born and raised in the small village of Maidstone, Ontario, Janisse can remember playing baseball as young as three years old, with a childhood dream of one day making it to the big leagues.
“My dad had that same dream for both my brother and I,” the reliever said. “I’ve played baseball for almost my whole life. I played other sports, too, like basketball and golf, but early on it was just t-ball and baseball all the time.”
Growing up, Janisse often played on the same teams as his older brother, Devin, with the younger sibling playing up two years in age. This allowed him to face tougher competition earlier on than most kids his age, which accelerated his development – all while building lifetime memories playing alongside his brother.
“Just after Little League, I really started to get recognized for how good I was,” Janisse said. “My dad started to notice, other people started to notice, so then I really started focusing specifically on baseball.”
Eventually, his skills got him selected to play in the Under Armour All-American Game, where he played as a shortstop and a pitcher. The self-claimed “retired slugger” grew up playing mainly shortstop and centre field.
“I was a pretty good hitter back in my day. I know it’s hard to believe because I pitch now, but I used to swing it pretty good.”
Throughout his minor baseball career, his teams often travelled to the U.S. for tournaments. It was at one of those events that he got noticed by Jordan Banfield, the coach of the Ann Arbour Travellers. He was recruited to play for the Michigan-based team.
On the Travellers, Janisse journeyed all over the U.S., playing top talent from the ages of 15 to 18. His play eventually got him invited to a tryout for the Canadian National Junior Team, which earned him more attention from scouts.
He impressed enough that he was invited to join the team, soon finding himself competing against teams in the baseball-crazed nation of the Dominican Republic.
Though he still played the field with the Travellers, Janisse switched to a pitcher-only during his time with Team Canada.
* * *
In his last year of high school, Janisse was selected in the 34th round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft by the New York Yankees. It was a significant step towards making his dream of becoming a big leaguer a reality.
Like many later round picks, the right-hander elected not to sign, instead going the college route to get an education and also to bet on himself to be chosen in an earlier round when he became eligible for the draft again after his junior season.
So, after graduating from St. Thomas of Villanova High School in LaSalle, Janisse headed off to San Jacinto College, a top Division I Junior College program which has produced numerous big leaguers. The team was successful while he was there, making it all the way to the Junior College World Series in his first year.
But he decided to make a change. Reuniting with an old friend, Steve Adams, Janisse decided to transfer to Salt Lake City Community College for his sophomore season.
“We grew up playing together in Ann Arbour,” the pitcher said. “We played everywhere together. He was in Salt Lake, so I ended up going to play there, and I did pretty good.”
In 16 games (three starts), the righty posted a 2.06 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 39 strikeouts in 35 innings. The success opened up further opportunities.
Janisse transferred once more to Oklahoma City University for his final two years, where he again found team success, as the Stars came within one game of making the NAIA World Series in 2015 during a 46-13 season.
Serving as a starter at OCU, Janisse pitched to a 3.46 ERA in 13 games (12 starts), striking out 69 in 67 2/3 innings. On March 26, 2016, Janisse pitched a no-hitter in a seven-inning contest, only walking two as the Stars won 18–0 over Mid-America Christian.
* * *
After concluding his collegiate career, Janisse had hoped to be drafted again, but the phone call never came. He wasn’t going to let the dream die there, however.
“My dad and I went down to Miami for kind of a last-ditch effort. My mom, of all people, found this random tryout, so I went down there, and I did really well, and this guy signed me to a league called the Pecos League,” said Janisse, referring to the Independent circuit that operates in cities in desert mountain regions in the U.S.
Janisse remembers it being similar to a movie in terms of the locales that he found himself playing in.
“In South Texas, as far as you can drive,” said Janisse with a chuckle. “We were driving on, like, 90 mile-an-hour roads, tumbleweeds rolling by. It was straight out of a movie. It was kind of cool.”
After one season in the Pecos League, Janisse and his father got news of a trial in Evansville, Indiana.
“I think I threw 95 [mph]. The guy signed me right on the spot, and then I went and played in Joliet, which is just outside of Chicago.”
Janisse’s time in Joliet was highlighted by a championship in 2018, which he says is one of the coolest experiences he’s had in the sport.
After that, he bounced around a few other teams and leagues, playing with and against big leaguers, and even playing in Canada for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in the American Association, another Independent circuit.
“I knew then that I wasn’t making it to the big leagues, but I was still getting paid to play baseball, and that really gave me a kind of relief that the whole journey wasn’t for nothing,” Janisse said about his pro playing career.
* * *
In 2023, after years of trying, Majors manager Roop Chanderdat finally landed Janisse for his roster when the veteran pitcher messaged him saying he wanted to come play in London.
“I have a five-year-old son, so that helped a lot with my decision to come back to [Ontario] to play,” said Janisse. “I could be home and not gone all the time.”
Now in his fourth season with the team, Janisse saw a lot of roster turnover during the offseason, with numerous players arriving to play in London for the first time. The veteran has embraced a leadership role on the team, where he’s been able to share his experiences across the various leagues he’s played in throughout his career.
“I’m turning 33 in August, but some of these guys I play with are 21, 22, 24 years old. If they listen to half the stuff I say, they’re gonna be twice as good as I was.”
Janisse makes it a point to go up to every new player on the team and introduce himself and help them get comfortable. He does this because he recalls playing on teams where the environment wasn’t good, and where that made it hard for the new guy to feel at home.
Janisse and Chanderdat have grown a strong bond over baseball, and the right-hander is quick to give thanks to his coach, as well as president and co-owner Scott Dart, for all they do for him and the team.
* * *
Since he started playing for the Majors, Janisse has lived in Maidstone once again. Apart from baseball, he’s a brick mason. He loves to spend time with his family, and his dog, Princess Leia. And he loves to play golf, where he’s a plus-three handicap.
On game days, Janisse likes to get to the stadium a bit earlier than the rest of the team to do some stretching and get the music going to hype up the players as they roll in.
If you’ve been to Labatt Park to see Janisse pitch, you’ll know that he has a signature celebration, pointing to the sky after closing out a game, which pays homage to one of his favourite players.
“Fernando Rodney was my favourite pitcher, and I couldn’t believe that he signed [in Hamilton last year], so I honestly started doing it in honour of him,” said Janisse.
Rodney, a longtime major league reliever, who spent time with the Toronto Blue Jays, played for the Hamilton Cardinals for the 2025 season but didn’t return this year.
Coming off his best season as a Major, Janisse is rolling again in 2026. He already has five saves, including in back-to-back wins over the Welland Jackfish last weekend – two big wins for the Majors against one of the best teams in the CBL. In seven appearances overall (6 innings), the righty has posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.83 WHIP while striking out nine and walking three. He’s given up just two hits thus far.
With London near the top of the standings, Janisse is hoping he’ll get a chance to play for a championship in a Majors uniform. In the meantime, he’ll do whatever he can on the mound – and in a leadership role – to help make that a reality.
