Rarely has a 24-piece puzzle, the number of players needed to form the next edition of the Capitals, seemed so difficult to assemble for a champion team.
Miguel Cienfuegos, Jeffry Parra and Ruben Castro will not be back, nor will Cuban veteran Yordan Manduley. After the big celebrations, it’s a morning after that gives the Quebec club a headache following the conquest of 2022 in the Frontier Baseball League.
“It’s a big turnaround, recognized the manager Patrick Scalabrini, also responsible for recruitment. We need eight new recruits and I see myself having to squeeze in experienced players. »
There is still snow on the ground at the start of the year, but Scalabrini and general manager Charles Demers are already hard at work finding the pieces to form a competitive team for next summer.
“You have to see the importance of betting on good young players in the Frontier League,” Demers briefly explained, summarizing certain rules in place in this independent baseball circuit. Each team must have 10 recruits among its 24 players. »
Finished for the Cubans
After Cienfuegos signed a contract with the San Diego Padres organization in December, it’s the excellent receiver Jeffry Parra who has just agreed with the Tampa Bay Rays.
“It’s 100% sure that Parra will not come back,” Scalabrini had been planning for quite a while.
In the case of Castro, who played heroes for the Capitals during the playoffs, the formation of Quebec is simply not able to agree financially with the Puerto Rican for the next season.
Unsurprisingly, Manduley for his part, at 36, will have concluded his long association with the Capitals with the 2022 championship. He had previously played in Quebec between 2015 and 2019, i.e. before the famous pandemic of COVID-19.
“We will not bring Cuban players back,” Scalabrini said. For Manduley, I can’t say it breaks my heart since it ended with a championship. The reality with Cuba’s players is that these are complex files, it takes time to move forward and we no longer feel like waiting for a key player to join the team in middle of the season. »
“Unless there’s a reversal, it’s the end of the Cuban sector in the Capitals,” confirmed Demers.
Glaude back
Adding to the winter puzzle, there is the Quebecer David Glaude who, after the birth of a child and developments in his professional career, left doubts hanging over him until very recently.
“He’s a key player for us,” said Scalabrini, while Glaude’s return was finally confirmed.
For now, due to the hole left by Manduley at shortstop, the Capitals have added depth in the middle of the infield by acquiring Ethan Stern, obtained from the Florence Yalls in return of reliever Ian Codina.
Among the other Quebecers, Jonathan Lacroix and Marc-Antoine Lebreux should logically be back. American TJ White, who remains a crowd favorite at Stade Canac, will now combine the duties of player and batting coach.
In Trois-Rivières, the Aigles have confirmed the return of Quebecer Louis-Philippe Pelletier in 2023. The Trois-Rivières team should also bet on a solid duo at the top of the offensive formation with the addition of the young American Nate Scantlin, a former Cincinnati Reds prospect acquired in a trade involving receiver Carlos Martinez.
Expensive celebrations for David Gauthier
Let’s be clear: this is not a hot guy story! The Capitals had just won the championship on September 18 when Quebec pitcher David Gauthier suffered a very serious injury during the celebrations on the Stade Canac field. Diagnosis: triple fracture to the right arm and torn labrum.
It was probably a bad omen for the defending Frontier League baseball champions who find themselves in the midst of rebuilding for the next season.
“Let’s say it was an ordinary situation,” recalled Gauthier, a 25-year-old left-handed pitcher. The guys were celebrating, then I found myself on the ground receiving treatment from the team therapist. »
Having suffered a dislocated shoulder after jumping on his teammate Marc-Antoine Lebreux, Gauthier specifies that it was already a recurring problem for him. Sensitive souls refrain.
“It was still the worst time, admitted the gunner who lives in Sainte-Julie. Usually, I was able to “re-board” my shoulder myself. There she was taken out longer. The good news is, that’s not the arm I use to throw. »
under the scalpel
Gauthier thus underwent an operation on Monday, January 30. He agrees that it will be difficult for him to be 100% restored for the next Capitals camp in early May. We are talking more about four to five months of rehabilitation.
“It’s going to be tough for this year,” agreed the pitcher. I might have to put this season on hold. Certainly, I still want to play baseball. I think I still have good things to give in the next few years. »
In the notebook
Without being pessimistic, manager Patrick Scalabrini finds it hard to see how the 2023 season could be as magical as the previous one with first place in the regular season with a 62-34 record, the playoff championship and attendance records at Stade Canac. “I can hardly imagine that we are going to have such a good year, he admitted, obviously wishing that the Capitals could repeat their exploits. We are aiming for the championship, but the objective is first to place in the series and then to try to go all the way. »
Named general manager of the year in the Frontier Baseball League in 2022, Charles Demers believes that winning the recent championship can only help the Capitals recruit new players. “It definitely helps. When you win a championship and you are an attractive organization, it sure has an impact on recruiting. We have three elements that make up a winning recipe: baseball operations, attendance at our games, and Quebec City, which is an interesting place for players, among the cities of independent baseball, to spend the summer there. »
A few poles were launched by the Capitals with young players who played in 2022 in the Pioneer League, in the United States. Some lines have been in the water for more than two months, but it doesn’t bite hard at the moment. It is precisely in this circuit that the Quebec club had unearthed Kyle Crowl, formerly of the Great Falls Voyagers, before the 2022 season.
Summary of the hiring process at Les Capitales. “Pat [Scalabrini] unearths talent and I take care more of the calculations in terms of the payroll, the status of the players, their visa, says Charles Demers. I contribute to the logistics behind the signing of a contract. By the way, the salary cap hovers around $125,000 in the Frontier League, but could eventually increase to $150,000.
The Capitals are already beginning to think about the festivities surrounding the team’s 25th anniversary. Everything suggests that the Frontier Baseball League All-Star Game will take place in Quebec City in July 2024.
Among the starting pitchers, the return of Codie Paiva seems unlikely. That of the Dominican Carlos Sano was also confirmed at the beginning of December while the Australian pitcher Mitch Neunborn was added. In addition to the starters, a large hole is to be filled at the receiver position.
