Around the Diamond: Reichstein returns; Busy stretch begins

Canada Day kicks off 7 games in 10 days for the Majors, who welcome Byron Reichstein back for the holiday affair; A true test of pitching lies ahead; Wright catches on in Frontier League; And more!

Byron Reichstein had an MVP-calibre season in 2021. His home run in Game 5 of the IBL championship series was crucial in helping the Majors win the title. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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1) A Reichstein reunion. When the Majors celebrate Canada Day with a holiday contest against the Barrie Baycats Friday night, they’ll do so with a new face in the dugout. Well, an old face, to be more accurate. Byron Reichstein, a long-time Major who has been pursuing other commitments this summer, including coaching a 16U team with the London Badgers, has decided to return to the club.

“I’m excited to return to Labatt Park in front of the best fans in the IBL,” Reichstein told Gameday London. “I’m looking forward to working hard and helping the team repeat as IBL champions.”

It’s no small addition. Reichstein, whose Majors career dates back to 2012, enjoyed his best all-around season in 2021 – an MVP-calibre season, in fact. In 28 games, the left-handed hitter batted .411 and led the team in most other offensive categories, including on-base percentage (.488), OPS (1.180), hits (44) and RBIs (29). His seven home runs tied him with Cleveland Brownlee for tops on the team.

Majors fans certainly remember his go-ahead home run in the deciding Game 5 of the IBL Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a blast over the right-field wall on Oct. 1 that helped London win their first league title in a generation.

With Starling Joseph holding down the right field job for the Majors this season, it is expected that Reichstein will see most of his playing time at first base, a position he’s certainly familiar with. The Majors have played a few different players at first base this year. Most recently? Dan Perrier, who went 4-for-6 with his first two IBL home runs in a 13-2 win in Hamilton last Sunday. Not too shabby.

Will it take time for Reichstein to get back into the swing of things? Probably. It’s said that some ballplayers can roll out of bed and hit, but for most it takes awhile to find one’s timing again. The good news is that the 28-year-old isn’t coming in entirely rusty. He’s spent time this summer playing some games with the Ilderton Riverhawks in the Southwestern Senior Baseball League.

2) An unfortunate farewell. The Majors’ starting third baseman, Taylor Wright, played himself out of London. In a good way. The 25-year-old Vancouver, BC native enjoyed a hot two-week stretch at the plate in June, batting an eye-popping .567 (17-for-30) in seven games. It was so hot, in fact, that it caught the attention of the Frontier League’s Ottawa Titans, who offered him a spot with the pro club.

Majors manager Roop Chanderdat was happy to oblige, as he always is for players looking to move on to the pro ranks. Wright’s last game in London came June 19 when he went 2-for-5 in a 14-8 loss to Barrie. In 13 games in the Majors pinstripes, he batted .392 with four home runs, 10 RBIs and 16 runs scored. He managed eight walks to just seven strikeouts.

Through Thursday, Wright had already played eight games with the Titans, one of just three Canadian teams in the 16-team Frontier League. In those contests, he’d gone 9-for-33 (.273) with two home runs and eight RBIs.

Gibson Krzeminski, who had already been playing some third base with Wright moving to first, is expected to see the lion’s share of playing time at the position going forward. Entering action Friday, the Tecumseh, ON, native had batted .306 (11-for-36) with seven RBIs and eight runs scored.

Gibson Krzeminski, a new Major this year, is expected to play regularly at third base with the departure of Taylor Wright. In his first 10 games, the 24-year-old hit .306 (11-for-36) with seven RBIs. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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3) Vintage Pedro. Last Saturday served as a big step in the right direction for Pedro De Los Santos, the Majors’ left-handed ace from 2021 who’d gotten off to a slow start this season. Despite coming away with a loss in Barrie, the 32-year-old was on point, looking much more like his old self. Working a season-high seven innings, De Los Santos allowed three runs (just one earned) on six hits. He walked just one and struck out four.

It was the sixth outing (fourth start) for the left-hander this season, and it came on the heels of two five-inning starts in which he allowed a combined nine earned runs and eight walks in 10 innings – numbers unfamiliar to his Majors teammates, who watched him dominate for most of last year.

In nine regular season starts in 2021, De Los Santos went 7-2 with a league-best 2.19 ERA. His 57 strikeouts were second only to teammate Owen Boon. A unique starter, who varies arm angles and speeds on multiple pitches, he looks to be rounding into form after his most recent outing. The lefty will likely start one of the three games this weekend, with Boon and Jose Arias starting the others.

4) But then who? With seven games in the next 10 days, the Majors will need to fill a lot of innings. After Arias, Boon and De Los Santos, there’s no clear-cut fourth starter on this team at the moment. It sounds like Daniel Gore will get another chance at starting when London plays a weekday game Wednesday in Brantford.

Gore had mixed results in his first outing. He allowed five first-inning runs to the Hamilton Cardinals back on June 21, giving up another in the second to fall behind 6-0. But the London bats picked him up, and he picked himself up, turning in three scoreless innings. When he departed, the Majors were ahead 12-6, and the right-hander claimed the win. He allowed six hits and a pair of walks in the outing but also struck out five.

At the moment, it appears no one else is stretched out to serve as a fourth starter. That may change if Cesar Cabral, an import arm from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, works up his pitch count in practices. He’s appeared twice since arriving in London, tossing a combined four innings. In those frames, he’s allowed one run on three hits and two walks, strikeout out seven along the way.

The left-hander has the stuff to start, but it remains to be seen if that’ll be his future role with the team this summer. Remember, Cabral has a big-time professional resume, having pitched parts of 10 seasons in the affiliated minor leagues – though primarily as a reliever. The 33-year-old even reached the big-league level for a handful of appearances for the New York Yankees, back in 2013 and 2014, and the Baltimore Orioles, in 2015.

It might be a shame to waste that talent in the bullpen – particularly during the regular season, when games are often won or lost by a team’s starting pitcher.