Majors set to play ball in 2024

The London Majors are looking to bounce back — in a big way — from a disappointing 2023 campaign following back-to-back championships. Do they have what it takes to contend again in 2024? …

Jose Arias is back with the Majors in 2024, looking to lead the pitching staff. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The London Majors enjoyed two unforgettable seasons in 2021 and 2022, winning back-to-back Intercounty Baseball League championships while thrilling fans with their league-best pitching and hitting.

The 2023 season, on the other hand, was a forgettable one, as the London squad went just 17-25 to finish seventh in the eight-team league – and then were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Kitchener Panthers.

So, what’s in store for 2024? 

Likely, something in between. This iteration of the Majors is better than its 2023 counterpart, potentially by a good margin. But is the team good enough to get back into title contention? The jury is out on that. But Majors fans won’t have to wait long to find out. London opens its 2024 season Sunday (May 12) in Toronto, with their home opener set for Friday (May 17) against the Welland Jackfish, last year’s IBL champs.

Pitching staff the priority for building 2024 squad

In recruiting and preparing for a new season, Roop Chanderdat, the Majors’ GM and field manager, addressed what went wrong last year. Up first? The pitching.

“The priority was to reconstruct the pitching staff. That was item one, two, three and four, to be honest. And I really think we’ve accomplished that.”

At the top? Jose Arias, who headed up London’s championship-winning rotation in 2022. That year, he set a new single season franchise record with 132 strikeouts. In 15 games (14 starts), the Santiago, Dominican Republic native went 10-2 with a league-leading 1.57 ERA.

“He was a dominant right-handed pitcher when he was here (in 2022),” said Chanderdat. “He’s a professional with lots of experience. He works hard on and off the field to be ready to compete at a high level, and his work ethic is contagious.”

“This is a great place for me,” Arias, 33, said of returning to London. I want to help this team win another championship.”

If the Majors are to compete for a title, they’ll have to get a big contribution from their second import arm, Victor Payano. He’s a left-hander from San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic, and he also possesses plenty of minor league pro experience, reaching as high as Triple-A.

“He’s a top-end guy,” Chanderdat said of the 31-year-old. “He’s a proven pitcher whose played at some of the highest levels. Victor is a tough left-hander, and we’re looking for him to be a big game pitcher for us.”

Starling Joseph is one of London’s key returnees in 2024. The import outfielder was a league all-star last season. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

And, so, the Majors are armed with two import starting pitchers to anchor their rotation. It’s a great start. Unfortunately, the team’s longtime top local arm, Owen Boon, won’t be the next man up. After a lengthy baseball career wearing the pinstripes, the Londoner won’t be back for the 2024 season due to off-field commitments, including his life as a working professional in Toronto.

His arm will certainly be missed. Just two years removed from a perfect 10-0 season (3.17 ERA), the right-hander led the IBL with 104 strikeouts last year as the Majors’ best pitcher. London thought they had an intriguing No. 3 arm when they signed Cohen Achen, a collegiate arm from Calgary. But the youngster is likely to play in a collegiate summer league instead to get looks from MLB scouts.

That said, Daniel Gore is intriguing in his own right. And he’s likely to fill one of the final two starting rotation spots for London this year. A member of the 2022 championship team, Gore tallied 25 strikeouts in 25 innings that year. Now 26, he’s looking to prove himself as a high-calibre arm in the IBL.

“He’s a guy who I think is going to take a big jump this year,” said Chanderdat. “I think he’s got nasty stuff. He has the potential to be a top-level pitcher in our league.”

Travis Keys is yet another intriguing arm who could serve in a starting capacity for London this summer. A left-handed local product, he enjoyed a strong collegiate career, including posting a 2.61 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 62 innings back in 2021 for the Aquinas College Saints at the NAIA level.

Tommy Reyes-Cruz, a Quebec native, will man shortstop for the London Majors in 2024. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

Others with the ability to start include newcomer Jonathan Henry, a 24-year-old righty who went 9-1 with a 3.21 ERA with the NCAA’s Albany State Golden Rams in 2022, and lefty Jaryd Lund, who starred for the junior St. Thomas Tomcats and is wrapping up a collegiate career at Salem University.

The Majors’ bullpen will return both longtime veteran Braeden Ferrington, as well as Skylar Janisse, Jacob Foster and Alex Springer (an AP callup).

Improved hitting could lift Majors back to contenders

While reconstructing the pitching staff, Chanderdat also had a busy offseason recruiting position players who would help bolster the team’s offense, which lacked the type of punch last year to string together wins.

“My goal is to get an all-star calibre player at each position, if that’s possible. If it’s not, then you’re trying to find the best available player. But we definitely have all-star calibre players.”

The best bats are back, but the additions to the club will make this year’s lineup objectively stronger than last year’s. Back are all-star import players Starling Joseph and Eduardo de Oleo. The outfielder and catcher, respectively, are both dangerous weapons at the plate.

“de Oleo is a triple crown type of player who’s a very good defensive catcher also,” Chanderdat said of his catcher, who hit .333 with a team-high 13 home runs last year in just 27 games. “And Starling is an everyday player, an ironman type of guy, who’s always up there in extra-base hits.”

Joseph, who was a member of the 2022 squad as well, popped 10 homers and produced a team-leading 48 RBIs last season. The 25-year-old is perhaps the most dynamic player on the Majors.

“The import players play a huge role, for sure. They need to have big impact,” Chanderdat said. “But at the same time, they’re only a small portion of your team. It’s only four guys on your entire roster.”

Hence, why London’s bench boss is always looking to recruit new Canadian players who can be difference makers. This year’s crop includes Kaiden Cardoso, Victor Plaz, Tristan Osika, Champ Garner and Tyler Mosher.

Each brings their own skillsets, and two of the three (Plaz and Osika) have IBL experience already (with Barrie and Hamilton, respectively). Garner is a speedy outfielder who spent time in the Independent Pecos League last summer, while Mosher, an infielder, is a talented local product.

Victor Plaz, formerly of the Barrie Baycats, is expected to be a key newcomer for the Majors this summer. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

Plaz can play both corner infield spots. In 26 games last year with the Baycats, the 24-year-old batted .307 in 75 at-bats. “I see him as another guy who I think can help us, both offensively and defensively,” said Chanderdat.

Osika, who can play first and second base, just wrapped up his collegiate career at Indiana Tech University. He’s spent parts of three season with the IBL’s Hamilton Cardinals, and he’s expected to hit the ground running.

Cardoso, meanwhile, may be the most intriguing of the bunch. He’s likely to see most of his time at first base, and he comes with an impressive hitting resume. In 2023 with Antelope Valley at the NAIA level, the Abbotsford, BC native hit an eye-popping .450 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs. His homers, .870 slugging percentage and 1.387 OPS led the California Pacific Athletic Conference (CPAC).

“He gives us another good left-handed bat in the lineup, and he’s another player with versatility that can play multiple positions in the infield,” said Chanderdat. “He put up great numbers in college.”

Familiar faces will be key for 2024 squad

Though not technically a newcomer, Gibson Krzeminski returns to the club in 2024. He was a member of the 2022 championship team. In 27 games, he batted .260 with 21 runs scored and 19 RBIs. Penciled in at second base, he’s likely to play a much bigger role on this year’s squad.

“He’s a guy I’m expecting big things from, in the sense that he can play multiple positions and he’s got a big bat,” said Chanderdat. “He played Division I baseball in college, and in 2022 he was the first man off the bench for us.”

Key returnees from last year to the Majors’ offense include the aforementioned de Oleo and Joseph, as well as longtime veterans Byron Reichstein and Cleveland Brownlee, and Tommy Reyes-Cruz, Drew Lawrence and Brad Verhoeven.

Brownlee is back for a 14th season. Though he experienced a down season in 2023, batting just .201 in 36 games, the 39-year-old is just two years removed from perhaps the best season of his career. In 2022, the designated hitter batted .335 with career bests in homers (15) and RBIs (52).

Reichstein, meanwhile, has been one of the best all-around hitters for the Majors over the last decade. Last year, the outfielder hit .311 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs in 31 regular season games. His .396 on-base percentage led the team among qualified hitters. The 30-year-old was the playoff MVP back in 2021.

Lawrence is a very capable outfielder who has some speed on the basepaths and good plate discipline. He batted .325 with 21 runs scored and 12 RBIs in 29 games last year. Verhoeven, a junior AP callup last year, got into 23 games with the Majors in 2023 and he will serve as the team’s backup catcher this year. After moving from third base to shortstop, Reyes-Cruz did a very fine job – both defensively and at the plate – in 2023.

“I think Tommy is a guy knocking on the door to get to the next step in his production,” said Chanderdat. “He can hit. He can flat out handle the best pitchers in this league.”

And it should be a very competitive league in 2024. During a busy offseason, seemingly every team improved their squads from a year ago. Wins will be hard to come by for everyone – including the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers, the expansion team in the league this year.

“It’s going to be tough. If you have aspirations of finishing in the top three or four (during the regular season), you’re going to have to win from day one,” said Chanderdat. “It’s going to be a very good league.”