With just three matchdays left before the Playoffs, here’s a selection—certainly not exhaustive and inevitably subjective—of the players who’ve made us thrill this season.
Lucio Keurinck (Béziers). He’s the phenomenon of the year. At just 18, he’s adapted with exceptional ease to D1, and if there were a Rookie of the Year award, it would already be engraved with his name. 3rd in batting average, 1st in on-base percentage, 1st for the batting average on balls in play, he’s in the top 10 in nearly all the stats that matter. He’s pulled off some top-tier feats, like that game against Savigny where he racked up a game score of 74.5, the best performance of the season. And he’s accomplishing all this with very effective results at third base. A true champion in the making.
Ivan Acuna (Savigny). We’ll admit it, we thought this might be the season too many for Acuna. After the first 13 matches, he was only hitting .239, far from his usual standards, and he seemed to be stuck with a Lions team whose claws weren’t quite as sharp. Then came the France Challenge, where he led the charge to victory with 6 hits in 12 at-bats. And since then, Acuna has found his groove again: destroying opposing pitching. He’s hitting .449 in his last 9 matches, piling up intentional walks (already 8) and home runs (3) like in his best years. Plus, he’s been used all over the field: DH, catcher, first base, second base, third base, starting pitcher, and even, for the last 6 matches, shortstop. That’s what you call a leader.
Paolo Brossier (Montpellier). He came off a slightly off-season, and it felt like more than just a minor setback. As it turns out, the Barracudas’ leadoff hitter has found his groove again. He’s the only hitter in the league with an OPS over 1000 and also leads in Runs Created. These aren’t usual numbers for a leadoff hitter, but it shows just how much pressure he puts on opponents right from the first at-bat of every game. With just one error and 6 assists, he’s by far the best center fielder in the league, and on top of that, he occasionally lends a hand on the mound (15.2 innings pitched, 2.30 ERA). The ultimate team player.
Sergio Mendoza (Toulouse). Sure, a talented young roster is one of the hallmarks of the Stade Toulousain squad. But in the schoolyard, there’s also a master, and that’s Mendoza. This is his 15th season in France, and he’s still as deadly effective as ever, with his 18 RBIs. He’s hitting .349, just like in 2012, when he finished at .351. Time hasn’t touched him. And when the heat is on, he delivers, as shown by his .400 average in high-leverage situations. He knows his role, sometimes even helps out at second base (though he’s an excellent first baseman), and was crucial to fill in for Ariel Soriano’s absence, during which he hit .375 with 9 RBIs. The cornerstone of Toulouse.
Owen Ozanich (Montpellier). Okay, it wasn’t D1, but it was a French-French showdown, and we were blown away by his outing in the European Cup semifinals where he shut down Rouen’s offense. It’s the symbol of a season where he’s rediscovered all his qualities, with a long relief role that suits him like a glove. He’s gone 23.3 innings without giving up an earned run, which puts him 3rd in ERA (1.24), 1st in opponent slugging average, and 1st in Fielding Independent Pitching. When a reliever dominates like that, it’s game over when he steps on the mound. Welcome to the jungle.
Daniel Pilar (Béziers). We could have chosen Debonville (16 straight matches with a hit, best streak) or Meza, who are truly impressive in a Pirates’ top of the lineup that’s no walk in the park to face. But we decided to focus on veteran Daniel Pilar, who hits with just as much (if not more) ease in D1 as he did in D2. He’s hit with precision in all his matches except two and, with 12 matches with a hit or more, he leads that category, as he does for RBIs, with 25, 4 more than his closest rival (Debonville) and 6 more than the first non-Béziers player. You can add the 2nd best average, and a very solid game at first base. A hitting machine.
Gabriel Harrison (Rouen). He wasn’t necessarily the offensive leader expected of the Huskies, but for now, he’s leading the pack. Of course, it’s thanks to his stunning performance in Béziers (7 RBIs), but not only, as he still totals 19 RBIs. He has the best batting average, OPS of his team, and is undoubtedly the best defensive second baseman in the league. The hidden ace.
Romain Krzykawiak (La Rochelle). He’s like the symbol of the JFL reform. Because he might not have gotten his chance without it. But he has, and he’s doing much better than one could have expected after some up-and-down seasons in Eysines. A 2.55 ERA in 24.2 innings pitched is quite remarkable, and it even places him 3rd among JFL pitchers. In this category, he’s 4th in opponent OPS and 2nd in WHIP. He’s coming off a very solid outing in Toulouse, in a very tight game. Promising stuff.
Felix Brown (Sénart). Another player for whom the years don’t seem to have any hold. He’s not quite the player he once was, but he knows how to hit, as shown by his 3rd place in secondary average, 7th in WOBA, 2nd in walk percentage, and 5th in WPA (Win Probability Added). He’s the undisputed offensive leader of the Templiers, even on the base paths with 5 stolen bases in 5 attempts. Still solid at second base, he sometimes helps out at shortstop. Solid, in all circumstances.
Euri Garcia-Martinez (Toulouse). Maybe we have a soft spot for veterans, but how can we not salute Euri’s contribution to Toulouse’s performances. He notably had three standout outings we didn’t see coming, against Sénart (6.1 innings, 2 earned runs), Montpellier (7.2 innings, 2 earned runs) and La Rochelle (8 innings, 2 earned runs), and he just repeated the feat with a crucial relief appearance against the same Boucaniers. While Toulouse was looking for pitching solutions, he came up with a more than effective answer at a crucial moment in the season. The good vintages age well.
Moïses Nunez (Savigny). It wasn’t obvious that a very young Venezuelan catcher (he turned 19 two months ago) would establish himself in the French championship. The lack of experience, the new culture, the language, nothing is simple. But he quickly adapted, after a tough first matchday (1 in 7), hitting with precision for 14 matches, with a .426 average. While Savigny was struggling, he almost single-handedly carried the team on his shoulders. He’s slowed down a bit in recent matches, but just put up a solid 5 in 10 against Béziers. Even if he sometimes has some issues behind the plate, he’s a key piece of a team in great shape. A verdadero leon.
We could also have talked about… Kovacs and Vera in Montpellier, the best hitter for average and the best pitcher for ERA in the league, about Dagneau in Rouen, the most powerful French slugger who’s finding his groove again (3 HR), about Pena in Savigny, who, before running into Béziers’ power, didn’t give up a run in 4 matches, about Feliu in Toulouse, the only JFL shortstop, about Pena in La Rochelle, whose enthusiasm and effectiveness are a pleasure to see, about Camara in Sénart who’s having an interesting true first season, about Paredes-Sanchez or Launay in Metz who are fighting in a team in great difficulty. Now it’s your turn to complete the list…
Photo credit: RS players and clubs
Article: F. Colombier
