Lots of life in Majors’ bats to start season

Around the Diamond: London’s offense has gotten the job done in three early wins; Cardoso has something to prove; Payano looking like an ace; Challenge ahead against champs — and more champs. Our news & notes …

Majors’ import pitcher Victor Payano. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Three wins in three tries? Well, you can’t ask for a better start, and, as a result, the London Majors enter the weekend in first place in the IBL standings in the very early going.

Following up on a season-opening 6-5 win over Brantford the week prior, the Majors enjoyed a pair of wins last weekend – first, a 7-0 home victory over the Guelph Royals, and then a high-scoring (and long, at four and a half hours) 16-15 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

Life comes at you fast in the Intercounty Baseball League, and the Majors will immediately have their perfect record tested by arguably the two favourites entering the 2025 season, the defending champion Barrie Baycats, and the 2023 champion Welland Jackfish. Oh, and they’ll make a trip to Kitchener, too, never an easy place to play.

“Every weekend in this league is tough, but this one will definitely be a good early test for our squad,” said Majors manager Roop Chanderdat. “I’m excited to see how we respond to it.”

London is playing a bit shorthanded in the early going, awaiting the arrival of a few college seniors finishing up their seasons in the U.S. Winning games in May was on Chanderdat’s must-do list, and so far it’s been a good start.

The squad will turn to Victor Payano on a cold Friday to see if they can start the weekend off with another win at Labatt Park before they hit the road …

UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (May 23, 7:35pm) vs. Welland Jackfish (Probable starter: Victor Payano)
Saturday (May 24, 4:05pm) @ Barrie Baycats (Probable starter: Jose Arias or Travis Keys)
Sunday (May 25, 2:00pm) @ Kitchener Panthers (Probable starter: Jose Arias or Travis Keys)

Pregame at the Majors’ home opener on Friday, May 16, 2025. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

1) Flashy first impressions. With the maximum number of import players raised to five for the 2025 IBL season, even more importance has been placed on recruiting top talent. For the Majors, two of their new imports have certainly shown, already, that they’re capable of being bigtime contributors to the team this summer.

In London’s first three games, all wins, Toby Simmons and Francisco Fajardo went a combined 14-for-27 (.519). Simmons, who hails from the Bahamas (the first Bahamian IBL player), is 7-for-12 with a home run, three walks, six runs scored and six RBIs in those contests, starting each game in centrefield.

Fajardo, meanwhile, is 7-for-15 with three runs scored, a pair of RBIs and three stolen bases. The Dominican native is manning shortstop for the Majors this year. Both players have experience in the affiliated minor leagues (Fajardo with the Blue Jays and Simmons with the Miami Marlins).

2) Ring the bullpen. It’s always a challenge to put together a bullpen that can keep teams in games, hold off opponents, and stay healthy throughout a season. Skylar Janisse was a revelation last year after a subpar first season with the Majors. Manager Roop Chanderdat is hoping other arms are able to rise to the occasion this year.

One such arm could be Colby Ring, who made his Majors debut Sunday in Toronto, tossing 2 2/3 innings in London’s wild 16-15 win at Christie Pits. He allowed three hits and a walk, struck out three, and didn’t give up an earned run.

“He had a really good outing in Toronto, battling all the conditions there,” said Chanderdat. “We’re going to need these guys to step up, and he was good.” 

Ring, a Langley, BC native, spent the past two seasons as a Hamilton Cardinal – mostly as a starter. He threw 54 2/3 innings in 12 outings in 2023, posting a bloated 7.24 ERA. He was equally ineffective in eight games (five starts) last season, but this year he’s made the move to the bullpen. Will that unlock better appearances? It’s worked for plenty of starters before him.

Kaiden Cardoso accepts his hardware for his rookie exploits during the 2024 season. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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3) Something to prove. The IBL’s Rookie of the Year in 2024, Kaiden Cardoso, was thrilled when the Ottawa Titans of the Frontier League signed him after a fantastic season with the Majors, in which he hit .327 with a .408 on-base percentage, eight home runs, 28 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. And he was equally disappointed when they released him prior to their 2025 season.

That has him back with the Majors. And while Chanderdat has certainly welcomed one of his key bats back with open arms, he’s also hoping the first baseman continues to produce in the IBL this year and gets another pro opportunity in the future.

“He’s got a little chip on his shoulder,” the manager said. “He wants to show that it wasn’t a fluke last year, and he wants to show he should be playing pro ball somewhere.”

He’s shown that in his first three games, with seven hits in 15 at-bats (.467), including two doubles, three triples and a pair of home runs. That’s right, all seven of his hits so far have gone for extra bases, an impressive start to the campaign. He’s also struck out six times, and Chanderdat has already had a quick conversation with his slugger about that.

“I told him, you can’t do it yourself every at-bat. Trust the process. We don’t want him to try and carry the team by himself.”

4) Going on the offensive. It’s very early, of course, but the Majors enter the weekend leading the IBL in runs (29), RBIs (26), team batting average (.364) and OPS (1.111). So far, the bats have been productive – enough to win a 7-0 contest over Guelph and outlast a pair of opponents in one-run games.

Built a bit differently this year than in some recent seasons, London’s lineup has more speed this year and will rely less on the home run to put runs on the board.

“The offense is going good, and there’s contribution up and down the lineup,” said Chanderdat. “We’ve executed some hit and runs. We’ve got some team speed [six stolen bases so far], and hopefully that equates to some more consistency.

“We’re not going to be depending on the long ball to win games. But at the same time, I think we’re going to have some gap power. We have a lot of guys who can deliver extra-base hits.”

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

Besides Cardoso’s seven, Champ Garner is second in the league with four extra-base hits in three games.

“He’s off to a good start. And he’s a guy who, glass half full, he could put up big numbers. He’s got the tools and the talent to do it,” the manager said.

Toby Simmons has three extra-base hits already, and Byron Reichstein has a pair – both solo home runs on Sunday in Toronto. The veteran outfielder finished the day 3-for-5 with a walk.

The bats have lifted the squad to three early wins. And the offense has been contagious, says Chanderdat.

“Everyone has contributed in some fashion,” he said. “And in these close games, the guys believe they can win. That’s a big thing. And the other thing is we all believe that anyone can be the hero. There’s a true belief in that.”