New Coaching Hires for Granby Baseball: Gariépy and Vallières Join the Team

This rather surprising hiring was announced to us by interim general director François Giasson on Friday morning, on the eve of the LBMQ meetings and annual draft, scheduled for Sainte-Thérèse this weekend. First observation: Giasson moved away from the popular player-coach model, opting instead for an option that was very familiar to him.

“Well, he’s a local guy, intense and very involved. He knows his baseball. I wanted a coach who knows the senior BB players, whether from Granby or elsewhere, because we are going to need them to complete our lineup,” he explained in an interview.

“I was probably there”

For his part, Ben Gariépy initially hesitated when his interest in the LBMQ was probed, because there was no question of him completely leaving the Indians. After reflection, however, the veteran instructor believes he will be able to reconcile the two schedules, even if it means missing a few matches at the lower level.

“Honestly, with all the success the Indians have had in recent years, I’ve been thinking about finding a new challenge for a while. It’s true that I will discover a new league and a much higher caliber, but in some way, I was probably there,” he said.

Ben Gariépy will work simultaneously in two very different concepts: that of a superpower in his league, and that of a team starting from scratch. (Archives La Voix de l’Est)

Like many people, Gariépy does not really know what the numbers of the Granby team, still unnamed to this day, will look like. The level of uncertainty is still very high in the aftermath of the expansion draft. But since GM Giasson has insisted several times on the importance of recruiting locally, it will be tempting to draw again from where his manager found himself. The acquisition of the rights to Jonathan Choquette last Sunday was a first step in this direction.

“I said from the start that there was no question of emptying the Indians roster, but now that I’m taking care of both clubs, it’s certain that we’re going to approach certain guys,” admitted Ben Gariépy.

“And if they want to make the jump (into the LBMQ), we have already identified quality replacements, I can assure you.”

Vallières comes… as an advisor

François Giasson also made a second appointment on Friday, that of Cédric Vallières to the position of “technical advisor”. The idea is to take advantage of the experience and keen knowledge of the Roxton Pond resident regarding the Bélisle circuit.

Vallières has agreed to lend a hand on the administrative level, but at present, we cannot announce his presence on the field of the Stade Napoléon-Fontaine this summer. However, he would have suggested that “his arm is healthy”…

François Giasson still hopes that Cédric Vallières will offer “a few starts” to his training in 2024. (Nathalie Miclette/Archives)

2024-01-26 20:09:47
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