Nothing but Victory
Flashback: September 17, 2021, Campo Comunale de Turin. In the 12th inning of the classification match between Greece and France, a 6-run surge by the Greeks sent the French to a dismal 15th place in the European baseball championship and out of the top 16. It was the first time since 1987 that France had fallen from the top tier of continental baseball.
Back to the present. Under the hot Bulgarian sun, in the picturesque setting of Blagoevgrad Stadium, the French are fine-tuning their skills in their final training sessions, under the guidance of manager Keino Perez. Starting July 13 (which means the French will play on July 14, Bastille Day, and fireworks are expected on offense), the French will face Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Ireland in an attempt to clear the first hurdle that everyone hopes will bring them back among the best.
First, they’ll need to get out of this qualifying group, finishing in one of the top two spots in the first phase, then triumphing over the team ranked in the top two in the final. If France succeeds, they will meet next year with the other two winners of these ‘European Baseball Championship Qualifiers’ for a three-team mini-championship, with the top two teams qualifying for the big European championship. It will be either Finland, Lithuania, Romania, Switzerland, or Hungary, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia.
Let’s not kid ourselves: it’s a major failure for French baseball to have to go through these qualifying tournaments. The culmination of years of mediocrity. Since the glorious 1999 campaign and the 3rd place won over Russia, France has oscillated between 4th and 8th place, letting the Italian and Dutch trains pass (nothing surprising) but also the Germans and Czechs, while nations like Israel or Great Britain were increasingly showing their teeth. We were satisfied with a few honorary victories, but we never managed to establish ourselves as a major power. And the laudatory speeches of the sports authorities, federation or technical management, celebrating and congratulating the ‘Blues’ after each European championship, showed little desire to do more and better. We could bring out great names in coaching, take pride in seeing a few players leave a positive mark in the United States, but nothing translated into victory when it came time to compete in a European competition. We have indeed seen the same trend after the 12U European Championship and a chorus of acclamation to accompany the 5th place of the French team. Clearly, the conception of high-level remains curious in our governing bodies.
The Time of the Young
French baseball flirted more with mediocrity than with excellence. And what had to happen, happened. A poorly started competition, a string of defeats, and a second-to-last place for the new boss of the French team, Keino Perez.
Fortunately, the manager was not held responsible for this failure. They decided to trust him, he who had shown in club teams (namely Rouen) that he knew what it was like to look the best in Europe in the eye. To play to win against the best.
Crossed during the last Confederation Cup, coach Perez confided that he was there to prepare the future. And looking at his selection, one can believe him. Out go veterans like Boucheron, Brown, Clara, Habeck, Paz. In come newcomers like Blondel, Esposito, Hassed, Kovacs, Lacombe, M. Meurant, Pontiac, or Zan.
There’s not much to say about the French selection. Grumpy people might be surprised that one of the best hitters in the French championship, Théo Lakmeche, is not present, but frankly, the team is solidly built. And when we talk about generational change, the absence of Maxime Lefevre at shortstop and the selection of Mathis Meurant show that pages are turning. Around the young Sénartais (his father was the shortstop of the 1999 team, let’s hope the omen is good), Pierre-Emmanuel Planes could find himself at second base, he who really impressed since his return to France, and the ends of the diamond should be entrusted to the two big bats of the Huskies, Brainville and Blondel. In the outfield, Jiminian’s speed and Zan and Dagneau’s power seem indispensable. Behind the plate, we would see Gleeson given priority for his European experience, but Kovacs and Soliveres are not far behind.
A Weak Opposition
And as often with the French team, the mound worries a little more. By letting clubs pitch whoever they want, and thus opening the door to an inflation of foreign pitchers, we have not really increased the offensive level of French hitters and we have mainly decreased the level of French arms. Of the 12 French pitchers, only 5 (if we make an exception for Paula, who pitched only 8 innings in relief) have an earned run average below 2.50 in the championship and only one (Nayral) is below 2.00. That’s not much, and it suggests that France will win more through its offense than its defense. And the French team missed the useful dress rehearsal that would have been the Prague Baseball Week, but which had to be abandoned due to Covid.
But that should be enough to come out on top of this Bulgarian-flavored showdown. To be honest, we don’t know much about the other three teams. Bulgaria is not used to shining on the international scene. Apart from its shortstop Dimitar Nassopov, there’s not much to sink your teeth into offensively. And the only notable pitcher, Evgenii Chernozemsky, is not really to be feared by the big French hitters. A bit more competition perhaps with Ireland, led by two interesting pitchers, the left-hander Mitch Hillert who has been playing in the Bundesliga for several seasons (3.31 ERA with Regensburg this year) and a former major leaguer, Ryan O’Rourke, who pitched 48.1 innings with the Mets and the Twins from 2015 to 2019 for an ERA of 4.84. At the plate, it’s the college player Brian McAuliffe who will present the biggest danger. Finally, Slovenia, with as its spearhead Tosje Lesjak who plays in the Italian Serie B (he bats .394 there) and the pitcher Cucek, who had a taste of French baseball under the colors of the Templiers de Sénart by being destroyed by La Rochelle during the last day of the championship (6 runs in 5 innings, 10 hits in 24 at-bats).
As you can see, nothing to tremble about. Unless a pitcher out of nowhere, or rather from the minor leagues – it happens sometimes – comes to mix the cards, France cannot afford not to come out on top of this pool. We can accept a failure, that of 2021. To endure another in 2022 would be a humiliation for the entire French baseball community.
The Selection:
Pitchers: Antoine (La Rochelle), Coste (Savigny), De la Rosa (La Rochelle), Esposito (Toulouse), Hassed (Savigny), Lacombe (Toulouse), Moulin (Rouen), Nayral (Montpellier), Ozanich (Montpellier), Paula (Sénart), Pontiac (Montpellier), Prioul (Rouen)
Catchers: Gleeson (Rouen), Kovacs (Montpellier), Soliveres (Toulouse)
Infield: Blondel (Rouen), Brainville (Rouen), M. Meurant (Sénart), Planes (Savigny)
Outfield: Brossier (Montpellier), Dagneau (Rouen), Dahan (Savigny), Jiminian (Savigny), Zan (Montpellier)
France’s Schedule
July 13, 11 AM: France – Slovenia
July 14, 4 PM: France – Bulgaria
July 15, 11 AM: France – Ireland
July 16, 2 PM: Final
Follow the results: here
Not all matches are broadcast, we will provide links to the matches broadcast by France
François Colombier
