Coming Up

Before wrapping up 2021, let’s focus on the latest in French baseball. News is scarce as the off-season rolls on. Only a few gifts under the tree will remind players they’re baseball fans.

The off-season market has kicked off slowly.

• We’ve learned that Boris Marche, former catcher for Rouen’s Huskies, will take over as manager of the French champions. Succeeding Keino Perez is a tall order, but he’s up for the challenge.
• The Boucaniers de La Rochelle have re-signed Franklin de la Rosa, who has played for several clubs since arriving in France, including La Rochelle. A pitcher for the French national team, he’ll add depth to the Boucaniers’ pitching staff.
• Nolan Soliveres is leaving Montpellier for Stade Toulousain and will take on the role of sports educator within his club, further cementing his place in the elite team.
• In American softball, Kimane Rogron will play next season in the NCAA, Division 1 with the Islander Athletics: here

Next, we’re slowly getting details on upcoming baseball, softball, and Baseball5 events scheduled for 2022.

• In January, the Open de Baseball 5 in Montpellier on January 22 and 23: here
• In August, from the 3rd to the 6th, the second edition of the European Women’s Baseball Championship will take place in Montpellier. The French team is the reigning champion.
• The French Baseball Challenge will return to its seasonal schedule and will be played from May 26 to 29 in Chartres and Montigny le Bretonneux.
• The French Women’s Softball Challenge will be held from June 4 to 6 in Saint Raphael.

Other less certain news is buzzing on social media:

• Rumors are swirling about Bruce Bochy potentially becoming the next manager of the New York Mets…
• An interview on YouTube reveals that Ernesto Martinez Jr, a player for the French national team, feels ready to play in Triple-A next season… we’ll see. Interview in Spanish: here
• The All-Star Game is scheduled for July 14, but the location is still unknown. It will only be organized if France hosts the pre-qualification phases for the European Cup. These phases would be from July 3 to 10. Otherwise, it would be from July 10 to 17 in another country.
• The European Cup qualification tournament will be held from September 11 to 18.

See you next week for a photo recap of 2021.

Photo credit: Hiep Than Trong