In exactly nine days, the D1 baseball championship will begin. Eight teams will face off during the regular season to reach the playoffs, one will be champion, and one will drop to D2 without a playoff. Baseball TV France met with the managers and coaches of the eight teams. Let’s start with the 2023 eighth-place finishers, the Cometz de Metz and their manager Shane Priest.
BTVF: New season, 8 teams, a single pool, JFL rules as new regulations: how will you approach this new competition?
Yes, the in-game strategy changes a bit due to the new rules and league structure. However, my overall goal and mindset for the team and the club do not change, as this should not change for anyone. This goal is to develop as many good local players as possible. We see year after year across all of Europe that the best teams in any championship are those that have the best local talent. I will therefore do my best to develop our local guys, and this will make it easier to manage these new rules.
BTVF: The Cometz have not yet shown they can beat all the teams in the championship, how do you plan to improve this?
Metz is just as capable of beating all the teams in the championship and winning a championship as the next team. What I’m trying to change to get there is to change the mindset of the team’s players and help them have the confidence and conviction that they can finish the season at the top of the league.
Yes, our team is young, but they have worked extremely hard during the offseason, which has helped them become stronger and develop their baseball skills. These past few months of preparation allow us to approach the season with a lot of confidence, which will help us be consistent throughout a long season.
BTVF: The JFL rule limits roster flexibility, how will you approach this, will you play the youth card, experience, or both?
There will be a mix of both. Our team is essentially made up of young players, so we are not too affected by the new JFL rule. What I’m trying to do is recruit a few older guys with a lot of experience to help our younger players grow throughout the season. I think it’s important to play our young players because that’s the only way for them to gain experience, but it’s also important to have older guys who will help our young players through the ups and downs of a long season.
BTVF: Playing on Saturdays and Sundays has advantages and disadvantages, how do you see this from a sports perspective?
I think it’s good for the sport. It’s more professional and allows players to play more often. It’s hard for hitters to see pitchers live only once a week. Thus, playing more often helps hitters develop more consistency.
I also think this will help avoid fatigue and injuries. Playing 7 or 8 hours in one day can really tire out a player, increasing their risk of injury. Especially for catchers.
This can also benefit fan participation and the game’s overall popularity. The more days you play, the more people have the chance to see that baseball is being played in their city.
BTVF: The balanced line-up strategy seems to be favored by D1 teams, how do you approach this aspect of the game?
Myself and our other coaches have worked hard to develop several hitters in our club. Our goal is to have 0 easy outs, forcing the pitcher to work for their outs against our 9 hitters, and I believe we have achieved this goal. But ultimately, the line-up will change throughout the season depending on the team’s needs at that point in the season. The most important thing for me is to put each player in the best position to succeed, which will ultimately bring success to the entire team.
BTVF: What are you most reassured about for the season, and what do you fear the most?
I think we have depth in our number of JFL players, so I don’t think we will find ourselves facing a problem with the new rule. We will be one of the teams most capable of complying with these new regulations.
In terms of fear, I fear nothing. Our team has prepared extremely hard during the offseason, and this allows us to approach the season with confidence, knowing that we have done everything possible to prepare for the season. We just have to go out, compete, and have fun.
The team’s recruitment, both in foreign players and assistant coaches, is quite impressive below the reinforcements.
