Hope springs eternal for Majors as new season begins

Majors fans will see plenty of new faces — including an ‘electric’ shortstop — this season, as the team embarks on a new pursuit of an IBL championship. We preview the new roster, new season …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Surely, the London Majors won’t face the same level of obstacles this season as they did in 2024. A year ago, a pile-up of injuries, and an uncharacteristically poor performance from middle-of-the-order bats – and a previous star import pitcher – prevented the team from making a real run at an IBL championship.

And yet, somehow, they finished a game out of second place in the regular season – and won a first-round playoff series over Hamilton before bowing out to the eventual champion Barrie Baycats.

In other words, taking the adversity into account, it was actually an impressive season. And if things go right in 2025? The sky is the limit for this franchise, which isn’t too far removed from a pair of IBL titles in 2021 and 2022.

“The goal is always to win a championship,” Majors manager Roop Chanderdat told Gameday London. “That’s always the goal. And I really like this roster. There’s a lot of versatility. We have more speed this year. We have a lot of new guys. If you can get a few of those guys to really step up, you can have a special season.”

That’s what happened in 2022, when the Majors boasted perhaps the best offensive lineup in Chanderdat’s 19-year tenure. Taylor Wright and Jakob Newton? These were not household names. But they stepped up and had all-star seasons. A couple of pitchers did the same, and that helped that iteration of the Majors win a second straight league title.

Who are this year’s candidates to step up and be difference makers? One of them is actually a returnee, who just signed this week. Kaiden Cardoso wasn’t expected to be back, but he’ll suit up for a second season in the Majors’ pinstripes, and he’ll be looked at to provide a big boost on offense.

Able to play either corner infield spot (as well as the outfield, if needed), Cardoso was the IBL’s Rookie of the Year in 2024 following a season in which he hit .327 with a .408 on-base percentage, eight home runs, 28 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He should be an anchor in the middle of the lineup, capable of doing damage with runners on base.

Another potential breakout bat is newcomer Trent Lenihan, who is penciled in to start at first base. He has the build for it, at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds. A native of White Rock, BC, the UBC senior has hit .353 with 14 homers and 59 RBIs in 51 games this season for the Thunderbirds. Last year, he hit .401. If that production in the NAIA translates well into the IBL, Lenihan could be a real threat.

On the pitching side, a wild card signing could be Ryan Beitel, a teammate of Lenihan’s at UBC. He’s struck out 68 batters in 64 innings for the Thunderbirds, and he’ll get a chance to start with the Majors this summer.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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On the import front, the new difference makers include Toby Simmons, who will man centre field, and Francisco Fajardo, London’s new shortstop. Both are impact players who are expected to produce right away.

The easiest way to describe Fajardo, a 24-year-old former Toronto Blue Jays minor leaguer?

“Electric. Exciting,” says Chanderdat. “He’s a kid that can really play defense. He’s got good range and a good arm. Even in our exhibition games, he already made a couple of highlight-reel plays. And he’s a guy who can handle the bat. He’s my kind of player, someone who will also be a threat when he’s on base.

“He’s going to win over fans with his style of play.”

San Pedro de Macoris, where Fajardo hails from in the Dominican Republic, has been called ‘the cradle of shortstops’ for its history of producing players who have gone on to play the most demanding position on the infield at the major league level. Blue Jays fans of a certain age will remember Tony Fernandez, Damaso Garcia and Manny Lee.

Fajardo, too, was a Blue Jays farmhand, signed by the organization as a teenager. He dominated Rookie Ball in the Dominican Summer League, batting a combined .336 across two seasons (307 at-bats) with an eye-popping 54 stolen bases. But after he struggled in A-Ball the following season, he was released by the club. He’s hoping to put up big numbers with the Majors and get back in affiliated ball.

“My calling card is come here and let me help you get to the next level, or get you back to that level,” said Chanderdat. “Let’s continue that development. I can get you in a pro-style environment in London and get you ready for the next level.”

Simmons is hoping for the same. Very young, at just 20 years old, he’ll be the first player from the Bahamas to play in the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL). Similar to Fajardo, Simmons fared well in the Dominican (he was with the Florida Marlins organization) and then struggled a bit stateside. But he’s got loads of potential.

“He’s fast. He can get to balls, and he makes everything look routine out in centrefield,” said Chanderdat. “He’s a switch-hitter, which will help. He’s exciting in the sense that he brings a lot of speed and he’s going to play hard. I’m excited, and the fans will be excited once they see him.”

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The Majors’ three other imports this year (the league increased the maximum to five) are familiar to London fans, as each are returnees from last year. All-star catcher Eduardo de Oleo will provide a strong presence behind the plate and perhaps be the best hitting catcher in the league (he drove in a team-high 31 runs last year).

Meanwhile, Victor Payano, a left-handed pitcher, will hope to duplicate his success from a year ago, in which he emerged as the team’s most reliable arm. In 18 games (nine starts), Payano pitched to a 2.95 ERA and struck out a whopping 90 batters in 67 innings.

And then there’s Jose Arias, who put up a historically good season back in 2022 – but struggled to live up to his abilities in his return to London last year. He tossed a team-high 78 2/3 innings but posted a mediocre 4.46 ERA. His strikeout numbers were also down (and his walks up).

“We’re going to need a bounceback season from Arias,” Chanderdat said. “Is he going to be 2022 Jose Arias? Probably not. But we don’t need that. We just need him to be closer to that than what he was last year. And part of re-signing him was (ensuring) he’s healthy and in shape. He’s lost a lot of weight, he’s in better shape, and his arm is healthy.”

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After Arias and Payano in the starting rotation is Travis Keys, who enters his sophomore Majors season after a very successful rookie campaign in which he was named starter at the all-star game in Welland. He posted a solid 3.45 ERA in 73 innings across 15 appearances (12 starts). He struck out 79.

Beitel will likely slot into the fourth starter spot. And then it’s up for grabs who gets the opportunity to be a fifth starter. Candidates include any number of arms, from returning lefties Jaryd Lund and Alex Springer, to new lefty Colby Ring (a former Hamilton Cardinal) to returning righty Jonathan Henry or newcomer Ricardo Alvarez de Lugo, who served as a starter for the Brantford Red Sox last year.

“There are some unknowns and uncertainties within the pitching staff, but we’re hoping to get one or two guys to step up into a starter’s role. If so, we’ll be fine,” said Chanderdat. “The pieces are there that say these guys can do the job.”

The Majors should feel confident that the back end of their staff will do their job. Reliever Skylar Janisse is coming off a very strong season, where he posted an impressive 1.86 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings. Closer Tyler Gillies, a former Milwaukee Brewers farmhand, was equally strong out of the pen down the stretch for London and is a real asset in the Majors’ bullpen.

(Photo: Isaiah Bergsma).

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Chanderdat’s goal was to be strong up the middle. He accomplished that with his signings of de Oleo (catcher), Fajardo (shortstop) and Simmons (centrefield). Who will play second base? That’s up for grabs, but there are a number of strong contenders. One is Dre Amaral, a senior at Alabama A&M University. In 43 games, the 22-year-old has batted .282 with a strong .429 on-base percentage. His plate discipline has really stuck out, with more walks (30) than strikeouts (19).

There are others who can play second – in addition to other infield spots, including returnees Tristan Osika and Tyler Mosher, who produced similar, steady numbers at the plate last year. Other infielders include newcomers Kyle Maves and Josh Niles, Maves from the Barrie Baycats and Niles from the Hamilton Cardinals.

The Majors are known to value versatility, so while it appears that there’s a logjam of infielders for a limited number of spots, don’t be surprised to see some of these names get time in the outfield as well. A more true outfielder, Kenneth Sugi, will certainly patrol the outfield when he’s in the lineup. Last year at Missouri S&T in NCAA ball, the 22-year-old batted .311 with a .433 on-base percentage.

Sugi (North Vancouver) is one of five Majors hailing from British Columbia. Go west, young man? More like, go east and play Intercounty Baseball this summer. Niles is originally from Victoria, Ring is from Langley, Beitel hails from Surrey, and Lenihan is from White Rock.

“You start (recruiting) with one guy, and then it kind of snowballs to a few guys,” said Chanderdat. “UBC has a really good team, a good program. They get a lot of guys signed (to pro ball).”

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The rest of the outfield consists of returning players. There’s Champ Garner, who is likely to play one of the corner outfield spots. He played in 37 games last year, batting .267. And longtime veteran Byron Reichstein is back. A former IBL Playoff MVP and multi-time all-star, Reichstein is hoping to rebound from a down season. 

Now in his 30’s, Reichstein could see more time at designated hitter. And that’s because Cleveland Brownlee’s status is up in the air. He hasn’t retired, but he hasn’t not retired. Though the primary focus for the legendary Major is coaching his son, Cleveland Jr.’s team, Chanderdat says Brownlee will be around the team and be called upon if needed.

Brad Verhoeven is the backup catcher, but as he showed last year, he can play other positions, too. Don’t underestimate that type of versatility. He saw action in 29 games last year and batted .247. 

“I really like our lineup, once we get everyone here,” said Chanderdat, noting that the handful of college seniors on the club won’t arrive until later in May, which will leave the team a bit shorthanded for a couple of weeks. “We’ll be a little behind to start, but we’ll be able to catch up.

“I’m hoping we’ll be a lot healthier this year. It’s going to be really that first month assessing everyone and figuring out where everyone fits in and what’s best for the team.” 

A change on the offensive side this year will be the addition of some speed, which will allow the club to be more active on the bases and open up possibilities for more run production.

“We haven’t had that in recent years, and it’s big for me. I like playing that brand of ball,” said Chanderdat, who cited Simmons, Maves, Amaral and Garner as players with speed. Fajardo has also certainly proven he can steal bases.

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The IBL is expected to be a very competitive circuit in 2025, with teams like Barrie, Welland, Hamilton and Guelph boasting strong rosters. The parity always seems to get better, meaning that no opponent can be taken for granted.

Can the Majors challenge for a championship? We don’t see why not. With a strong core of players, a deeper pitching arsenal than usual, and a few wild cards that could turn into real difference makers, there’s no reason why this Majors squad couldn’t make a run like that 2022 team did.

Regardless, Chanderdat says, the team will play a brand of baseball that fans can be proud of.

“They’ll see an exciting brand of baseball,” the manager said. “Fans are smart, and they know when guys are working hard. And we’ll be working hard, playing hard. And playing the right way, too, doing the right things. And they’ll see that.

“If we do enough right things, we’ll win baseball games. I think there’s a lot to cheer for. And we have a lot of real personable guys. That will come across to fans, too, when they’re on the field after games and our guys are signing autographs. Those traits and those qualities will come through.”

The Majors open the 2025 season Sunday, May 11 in Brantford, and they’ll play their home opener Friday, May 16 against the Guelph Royals. The 42-game regular season runs through mid-August, followed by the playoffs.