STB Elite : Opening Day 11 avril, 2010
An opening day promo clip from Stade Toulousain
The French Elite League celebrates opening day this weekend. After a kind of chaotic winter in French Baseball, seven teams will compete for the crown in 2010. Defending champion Rouen Huskies, the Savigny Lions, Montpellier Barracudas, the Templiers Senart, Montigny Cougars, Stade Toulousain and the returning Paris UC will form the league lineup.
Why seven instead of eight teams? The Arvernes de Clermont-Ferrand got relegated after an eighth-place finish. The La Guerche Hawks withdrew voluntarily. Besides PUC, no other team from the Nationale 1 league was able to make a promotion possible.
{mrb-schedule:2010-04-10|2010-04-11|FR}
Team by Team Previews:
Rouen Huskies
The Rouen Huskies won their fifth straight national title last season and their sixth since 2003. During the winter they lost some of their key players with Dany Scalabrini, Nicolas Dubaut, Flavien Peron, Olivier Israel and Ian Young. But they found great replacements, as they won the bidding war for Anthony Piquet, who arrives with his former Hawks teammate Mathieu Brau. Rouen also was able to add one of the best prospects in Europe with Maxime Lefevre. Last but not least the two Canadians Aaron Hornostaj and Mark Terrana got signed a few days before the season. Keino Perez and Piquet head the pitching staff, which also includes Robin Roy, Giovanni Ouin and Quentin Becquey. The offense still has Joris Bert, David Gauthier, Boris Marche and Kenji Hagiwara, although the center fielder will miss the first few weeks due to a fractured hand. You probably wouldn’t receive any money, if you’re betting on a Huskies repeat.
Savigny Lions
The Savigny Lions finished in second place, losing the French Finals in four games. They again should be in the mix to challenge Rouen for the top position in the standings and hope for the championship. They are bringing back most of their team from 2009, including Tim Stewart, who is accompanied by fellow UCLA graduate Kyle Nash this time around. Expectations are high on Boubakar Guaye, one of the best players in the Nationale 1 league in France. Also new are Gaetan Lepoupon, Nicolas Waltersperger, Karim Boutemeur and Eloi Secleppe. No longer on the team are last year’s imports Steven Huff and Alex Pickett, as well as Jerome Rousseau, who is no playing in Germany. Carlos Jiminian has hung up his cleats and retired during the winter.
Montpellier Barracudas
The Montpellier Barracudas were ranked second in the regular season of the French Elite League last season, but only won four out of nine games during the playoffs to settle for third in the final standings. Head coach Jean-Michel Mayeur will miss Dennis Kelly and Mathew Blackmore this year. The availability of outfielder Anthony Cros, who is playing oversees during the college season and could join a summer league, is also in doubt. They acquired Joris Navarro from Stade Toulousain in the offseason. The prospect got named best pitcher during the recent MLB Academies Tourney in Regensburg. The Barracudas also will have two American players on their roster, although they haven’t revealed their names yet. Montpellier is again a candidate for the playoffs.
Templiers Senart
After a third place in the regular season, the Templiers Senart lost all nine games in the postseason and settled for fourth in the final standings. During the offseason they picked up eight players from the Nationale 1 club, including talented infielder Luis Aponte. Two other big name acquisitions were the former minor leaguer Cesar Quintero from Venezuela and Jamal Boutagra from Toulouse. No longer on the team are Steven Vesque, Rhett Teller, Andrew Smith and Alex Malihoudis. The Templiers have added some depth to the roster, which still features Matthieu Brelle-Andrade, Samuel Meurant and Ernesto Martinez. But quantity is not always quality, especially since most of the new guys are coming from a second-division team. Nonetheless Senart should be in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Stade Toulousain
It is going to be a difficult season for last year’s sixth-place finisher. Stade Toulousain lost key players Jamal Boutagra, Joris Navarro and Gaspard Fessy among others and again seems to be looking at a difficult season. New head coach Gerardo Leroux will rely mostly on players from the Baseball Academy in Toulouse, where he coached before.
Montigny Cougars
The Montigny Cougars won eleven of 34 games during the 2009 season, their first year back in the French Elite League, avoiding relegation in seventh place. They hope to improve their win total, while reducing the gap towards the top four teams in France. Last year’s imports Derek Malikian and Chris Paterson are gone as well as Maxime Lefevre, who is now playing in Rouen. The Cougars have high hopes for new pitchers Justin Fry and Sebastien Neumann to form the staff together with Sebastien Duchossoy. Frederic Hanvi is also on the roster, but will not be available due playing in the Minor Leagues.
Paris UC
The French record champion Paris UC is back in the French Elite League after one year hiatus in Nationale 1. They were able to bring in Nicolas Dubaut, Olivier Israel and Flavien Peron from Rouen. But we’ll have to wait and see if this will be enough to leave seventh place in the standings. Obviously surprises are always possible, especially considering we don’t much about eventual imports (Phil Davis?).
French Baseball Champions of last Decade:
- 2000 Paris UC
- 2001 Savigny Lions
- 2002 Savigny Lions
- 2003 Rouen Huskies
- 2004 Savigny Lions
- 2005 Rouen Huskies
- 2006 Rouen Huskies
- 2007 Rouen Huskies
- 2008 Rouen Huskies
- 2009 Rouen Huskies
2009 Regular Season Standings:
{mrb-standing:france-2009}