Are Majors true contenders?

Around the Diamond: Big bats de Oleo, Reichstein coming around; First look at lefty Coombes; Joseph the IBL’s ‘Ironman’; Plaz producing, enjoying everday role. Our latest news & notes …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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It was perhaps their biggest test of the season thus far, and the London Majors passed it with confidence. Though they split their home-and-home series against the Barrie Baycats last weekend, they proved they can beat the cream of the crop in the Intercounty Baseball League this season – and in challenging circumstances.

Following a 4-0 blanking at the hands of all-star arm Frank Garces Friday night at Labatt Park, the Majors returned the favour in Barrie Sunday afternoon-turned-night, earning a come-from-behind 14-9 win with a convincing offensive performance. 

“They’re one of the top teams in the league, so Barrie was a good test last weekend,” said Roop Chanderdat, the Majors’ GM and field manager. “They’ve got pitching, they’ve got good depth, they’ve got everything that says they can win a championship.

“It was a big win for us there. Everyone contributed in some fashion. Guys were having really good at-bats, and we executed well. That usually translates into runs. We had a good vibe that we were going to keep scoring.”

And they did.

Down 9-5 after seven innings, London, now 7-3 on the year heading into a new weekend, scored three times in the eighth – and then put up a six-spot in the ninth to put an exclamation mark on a big road win.

“Our lineup is one that can put up double-digit runs every game, but it had been held down for a few games,” Chanderdat said. “It was nice to see kind of a breakout game for that lineup and for some of our big hitters.”

It was an especially welcome victory after what turned out to be a very, very long day. Arriving at 1pm for a 3pm game, London had to wait through a two-hour weather delay. When all was said and done, their day included leaving London at 9am and arriving back to the Forest City around 1:30am. 

UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (June 14, 7:35pm) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Travis Keys tentative starter)
Sunday (June 16, 1:05pm) vs. Hamilton Cardinals (Jose Arias tentative starter)
Tuesday (June 18, 7:35pm) vs. Chatham-Kent Barnstormers

1) Waking the beasts. It’s been a slow start to the season for a couple of big bats in the Majors’ lineup. Besides Cleveland Brownlee’s rough early campaign, both Byron Reichstein and Eduardo de Oleo, middle of the order bats, have been slow out of the gate.

But both got going in the second game of last weekend’s set against Barrie. Reichstein and de Oleo both homered in London’s 14-9 win, with the former finishing 3-for-5 with a walk, a double and four runs scored, and the latter going 2-for-5 with a walk and a pair of RBIs.

“(de Oleo’s) bat is coming around, for sure,” said Chanderdat. “And we’re going to need him, Byron, Cleveland … all the guys who haven’t been hitting. It was nice to see Byron get going. When he gets hot, he can carry you.”

And just like that, Reichstein exited the weekend with a respectable .292 batting average on the season so far. It’s a small sample size (7-for-24 across seven games), but it’s more in line with what the left-handed slugger is capable of. He hit .311 last year with seven homers and 25 RBIs in 31 regular season games.

de Oleo, on the other hand, was a monster at the plate in 2023, batting .333 with 13 homers and 41 RBIs in just 27 contests (he missed nearly a month due to injury). The Dominican catcher will be counted on to be a bigtime producer offensively, in addition to his work behind the plate. Through 10 games this year, he’s batting just .250, but he does have four long balls already, as well as 11 RBIs.

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2) Majors Ironman. Another bat Chanderdat cited as having started slowly is Starling Joseph, London’s third-year import outfielder. But it’s all relative. The slugger hasn’t been collecting extra-base hits at his normal rate, but he is batting .349 (15-for-43) so far, second only to Kaiden Cardoso among Majors qualifiers. His 12 RBIs are also most on the team.

Even when the extra-base hits aren’t there, though, there’s one constant in Joseph’s game: he’s in the lineup – every single game.

In fact, with Tyler Duncan of the Hamilton Cardinals having missed a game this season, Joseph is now the only player in the entire IBL who’s played in every game over the last three seasons. An impressive feat, to be sure, given the wear and tear players experience during a busy schedule.

“He’s durable. And he plays hard. He dives for balls in the outfield, he’s sliding on the basepaths. It’s not like he’s a DH-type player,” said Chanderdat. “It’s really nice writing his name on the lineup card every game.

Last year, just six players suited up for every one of their team’s games: Joseph, Duncan,

James Smibert (Welland), Dennis Dei Baning, Ethan Hammond (Guelph), and Jose Vinicio (Toronto) (41). Duncan and Joseph played in all 42 in 2022, as well. But with the former missing a game this year, Joseph now stands alone.

“With Star, he has a love for the game,” said Chanderdat. “You just watch him. He comes to practice, and he’s really practicing. He comes to a game, and he’s playing. He loves baseball and he loves being around the game. I always say that a lot of guys like baseball. They say they love it, but they like it. Starling truly loves it.

“Guys like him make coaching easy.”

Majors outfielder Starling Joseph. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

3) A look at the lefty. With Travis Keys unavailable for last Sunday’s game in Barrie (and Victor Payano having started Thursday’s rained-out contest in Kitchener), the Majors turned to left-hander Christian Coombes for the start – and his first appearance with the ballclub.

The results were mixed. He gave up four runs in just 3 2/3 innings, but he only allowed two hits. The damage was in part self-inflicted, as the lefty walked four in the outing (he struck out two).

“He had a really good live session last week at practice, and his turn was coming,” Chanderdat said of starting the St. Thomas, Ont., native, who this spring completed his senior collegiate season at Division I Rider University. “He’s got really good stuff. If he can limit his walks, he could be real good at this level.

“To go into Barrie on the road and pitch against a good lineup like that, I thought he did a good job.”

Walks have been the issue that’s held back Coombes in college, as well, as he walked more batters than he struck out in his last two years of college ball – one as a starter, one as a reliever. If he can harness the ‘stuff’ while limiting the free passes? He could be a good weapon in the Majors’ pitching staff.

4) Plaz potential. The Majors knew they had something in Victor Plaz when they signed him this offseason. He’d enjoyed a successful collegiate career south of the border, and he had IBL experience – with the Barrie Baycats. In 2023, the infielder batted .307 (23-for-75) with eight extra-base hits, 17 runs scored and 14 RBIs in 26 games in a non-everyday role.

In London, he’s had the opportunity to play every day, and he’s enjoying the change of scenery.

“It’s been a great experience so far,” Plaz said. “The coaches, team and the fans have made me feel welcomed. The biggest difference, I’d say, is the way the organization is run here in London. They make extra sure to take care of us off the field for us to be able to perform on it.”

Last Sunday, Plaz certainly performed – against his old team. The 24-year-old went 4-for-5 with a double, a homer and three RBIs in his best game of the season thus far. On the year, he’s batting an even .300 (12-for-40) with 11 runs and seven RBIs. He’s started every game.

“I see a lot of upside in him,” said Chanderdat. “When he’s locked in and not chasing pitches, he’s a really good hitter. He can definitely hit at a high level, and he’s got some pop in his bat.”

Added Plaz: “We have a great group of guys here that blend well together. For me, I think the goal is to bring some good defence at third base with a mix of hitting for average and some power while sneaking in a few stolen bases as well.”