D1: 13th Round Review

This round confirmed the strengths and weaknesses of the various teams. Everyone is now firing on all cylinders, rosters are complete—or nearly so—and it’s quite easy to sketch the portrait of each of the eight teams. We’re talking, of course, about the regular season, with the playoffs completely changing the picture.

Take one of the leaders, Montpellier. In Game 1, we saw some familiar flaws: defensive errors at key moments, overly generous pitching, and for the 6th time, the Barracudas conceded more than 10 runs (only PUC did worse), and suffered their 3rd mercy-rule defeat. That’s a lot for a title contender. Then in Game 2, the offense kicked back into gear, smashing 12 hits. It’s the 12th time the Barracudas have recorded more than 10 base hits in a game, and no one has done better. At the plate, of course, Paolo Brossier, whose name would already be engraved on the MVP trophy if there were one, but also Jorge Mendez, essential to the heart of Montpellier’s offensive setup, and a remarkable Jason Nayral, leading the league in triples, in the top 10 for RBIs, who is set to become one of the top shortstops in French baseball, once he shakes off his youthful errors.

The other co-leader, Savigny, still struggles with a hesitant defense (the 4 errors against Béziers had no consequences, but that’s far too many) and the current difficulties of Gédéon Coste, who has a heavy ERA of 7.36 over his last 4 games. But Savigny is also Pena, who is undoubtedly the best pitcher of the season, and an offense that can hit from anywhere, where Lilian Amoros proves to be remarkably effective, and danger can come from anywhere, as shown by Saxemard’s home run.

Over in La Rochelle, it’s the strengths that impress. Think of R. Krzykawiak, who delivered one of his 3 best outings of the year against the best offense in the league, and knows he has a very effective bullpen behind him. The offense is also formidable, with the best run producer, Pena, a Briones who is asserting himself as one of the best hitters in the league, a Rosell who is having his best season, and a Camara who has been really on top of his game since his return, standing out with 6 RBIs and 2 home runs. It’s hard to find weaknesses with the Buccaneers, who have stepped up a gear this season.

For Rouen, the strengths are well identified. Top-tier pitching, with a collective ERA of 1.75 since the Veyrassi shipwreck (2-12), and even stronger with the return of Thibault Mercadier, even if he had to concede defeat in Game 1. The defense is also the best in the league with 1.23 errors per 9 innings. The next best, Toulouse, is at 1.79. As nothing is ever perfect in statistics, it was a poor defensive play that led to the loss of the first game, but overall, Rouen is highly efficient in this area. However, the Huskies are struggling to be effective offensively, and their Japanese duo Megumi – Nishikawa is the least productive among all non-JFL teams in the league. But the old proverb says that offense wins seasons and pitching and defense make champions. So we’re not writing off the Huskies just yet.

Toulouse confirmed their resilience with their 4th walk-off victory this season. That’s no small feat, and it keeps the Stade in the race. Toulouse’s other strength is the Laot – Rojas relief duo, who didn’t give the Huskies anything in 5 innings of work in Game 1. However, the offense is really too unproductive, with the worst average in D1 with runners in scoring position (.215). True, A. Soriano continues to pose a threat, but he’s sometimes too alone.

Sénart is a team of streaks: 3 losses / 6 wins / 4 losses and now 4 consecutive victories, with an offensive onslaught (.426, 47 runs scored) and pitching that’s just as devastating (0.60 ERA, 12.6 K / 9 innings) during this period. The return of Mendez did some good, but we must also salute Landry’s excellent season, rewarded by a superb 5-RBI performance against the PUC. Untouchable at home (9-1), more fragile away (3-7), the Templiers are really on an alternating current. It’s hard to predict what their state will be in the next 6 games…

Béziers, once again, lost a game while they were in the fight after 5 innings. The end of games is really the Pirates’ Achilles’ heel. They’ve tried everything, this time calling on nostalgia with the return of Dazell, who was one of the heroes of the promotion to D1. But nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, and the pitcher only faced 4 batters, just enough to give 3 walks and see the game slip away. But the Pirates are also capable of bouncing back, and it’s never easy to get through their top of the lineup, especially when B. Lorienne is in the mix. Offensive power remains Béziers’ trump card, while we won’t forget to salute Montagne’s courageous and effective outing, who managed to hold his own against the formidable lineup of the Lions.

We haven’t talked about the PUC yet, but it’s hard to find strengths in a roster where the absence of Gonzalez removes a large part of the effectiveness. True, the players are fighting, Mauclaire has produced his first run, Soulier has hit his first triple, Morris has been excellent as a starter, but the PUC is missing a lot, German can’t keep the ship steady and Bowers, despite being capable of flashes (remember his 7 RBIs against La Rochelle) sometimes seems out of steam.

What does this review tell us? The battle for the playoffs remains intense. Montpellier and Savigny have probably secured their tickets, La Rochelle could do the same next week in Rouen. The Huskies, meanwhile, are still in a favorable position but their end-of-season schedule is fearsome. Sénart is lying in wait, and may regret not wanting to travel to Montpellier when it’s time to settle the score. As Toulouse will regret their trip to the Templiers with a roster too thin.

We can’t talk about this round without mentioning two small events that occurred at the end of the La Rochelle – Montpellier game. First, Paredes gave up a run. It hadn’t happened to him since April 26, or 20.2 scoreless innings. What a streak! And then, while he was calmly going about his business of demolishing opposing lineups, B. Couvreur (with an average of 19 K / 9 innings…) made a small mistake that Crawford, who could almost be his father, catapulted over the fences of the Buccaneers Field. His 2nd home run of his career, his first dating back to last season. This proves that Couvreur is human. And that veterans can still call the shots. Which is good, in a league dominated by youth…

F. Colombier

Photo credits: Club YouTube channel and @Piat_visuals