Bonjou Bezbol! (A Fictional Haitian Baseball Dynasty)

[HGVoyager]

Republic of Haiti, 1929. Fourteen years prior, with the world in the midst of World War I, the military of the United States occupied the nation due to fears that Germans in the nation could cause unrest and disrupt regional stability. The occupation was controversial in Haiti, but by the end of the 1920s the country was headed back towards self-government. (The U.S. would eventually leave in 1934.)

An interesting part of the military commander’s plans for preparing Haiti for self-government was the formation of a national baseball league. While sports participation was on the rise (soccer was growing in popularity), Haiti did not have much of a tradition as far as sports competitions went.

The U.S. military commander thought that a national baseball competition would serve two purposes: (1) to unify the nation as it headed towards long-term stability, and (2) to help Haiti grow closer to its neighbors, many of which had baseball among its most popular sports, if not the most popular. The U.S. obviously played baseball, and Haiti was flanked on two sides by two baseball-loving nations: Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Other baseball-playing nations in the Caribbean area included Mexico, Venezuela, Panama, and Puerto Rico. In addition, another bat-and-ball game - cricket - was quite popular in the British West Indies (Jamaica, Barbados, etc.). It seemed natural that Haiti should take up baseball.

Beginning in 1927 the U.S. occupation forces sought fully-professional teams to join the new Baseball Association of Haiti. (The league name in French is Association de baseball d'Haïti and in Haitian Creole is Bezbòl Asosyasyon an Ayiti. The league initials - ABH - come from the French.) By the end of 1928, eight teams had signed on, more than enough to begin the new league the following summer, thus beginning the new era of baseball in Haiti.

*****

AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Yeah, you were expecting a redux of my Hawaii Boyz dynasty. But when this fictional league idea came to me, I had to go for it. I just hope that this can last longer than my previous dynasties.

The U.S. occupation listed above actually happened. But for this to work, indulge me in a little alternative history. Let’s say that the U.S. occupation succeeded in creating a Haiti that is stable enough to support a viable baseball league.

This will generally be a fast-moving dynasty, but I’m flexible as far as this goes. If you want to see something covered here, or if you have any questions, comments or requests, please post them.

As with my Hawaii Boyz dynasty, I’m using OOTP 8.

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - 1929 Season Preview

Well, teams have been established, stadiums have been found and/or built, and the inaugural draft has taken place. Before the season starts on May 6th, let’s take a look at the ABH’s eight teams.

TEAM INTRODUCTIONS


CAP-HAITIEN REBELLES
The Rebelles (ruh-BELL) are located in Haiti’s second city, on the northern coast. While most teams in the ABH took their nicknames from U.S. major league teams, Cap-Haitien (cap-pah-ee-tee-EN)’s nickname (which means Rebels in English) comes from the city’s role in the Haitian Revolution over a century ago which led to the creation of the second independent nation in the Americas (the United States was first). The team colors are the same as those of the Haitian national flag.

The Rebelles are managed by Marco Robin (52 years old). Their star players include C Michel Lejeune (24) and Panamanian SP Ricardo Roman (23), the 6th overall pick in the inaugural draft and a master of pitch movement.


CARREFOUR GEANTS
Carrefour (car-FOOR) is one of the four teams in Greater Port-au-Prince. The city of Carrefour is the largest suburb of Port-au-Prince and lies to that city’s west. The Geants (jeh-AN, Giants in English), named after the New York NL team, share Parc National du Baseball with the other area teams: Delmas, Petionville, and Port-au-Prince.

The Geants are managed by young Julien Durand (39), who some already consider the smartest manager in Haiti. Their star players include SS Rene Lemaire (24), SP Carlos Blaise (24) - the #2 overall pick in the inaugural draft, and 3B Rene Piquet (30).


DELMAS OISEAUX
The Oiseaux (wah-SO) play in the east Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Delmas (del-MA), which serves as the business center of the city. The team is based just blocks away from Parc National. The team owner is a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, hence the nickname Oiseaux, which means Birds. However, the team wears the owner’s favorite green and gray colors, instead of red and white.

The Oiseaux’s star player is 1B Henri Peres (34), a native of nearby Petionville and a long-time veteran of Haitian amateur baseball. However, Delmas fans are also excited about the potential of 18-year-old Mexican 3B Juan Rodriguez, who has a big arm and a big bat. Rodriguez was drafted fourth overall in the inaugural draft. The team is managed by Thomas Gerard (49). On a side note, the team doctor is named Francois Francois.


GONAIVES PIRATES
Gonaives (go-nah-EVE), situated up the coast from Port-au-Prince about halfway along the route to Cap-Haitien, is the home of the Pirates (pih-RAHT), named after the Pittsburgh major league team. The team is already a rival of Saint-Marc; both are fighting for the affections of prospective fans in the department of Artibonite (a department is similar to a state in the U.S.).

In the star category, Gonaives is certainly beating Saint-Marc with a collection of nationally-known but aging stars, the best of which is SS Philippe Thery (36), a native of Saint-Marc (take that, Bas Blancs!). Despite his age, Thery is perhaps the best defensive shortstop in the league, and has a very efficient bat as well. The team is managed by 37-year-old Auguste Dupond.


LES CAYES BANANES
Located on Haiti’s southwest coast, at the halfway point of the “handle” that makes up southwestern Haiti, no team is farther from its nearest competitor than Les Cayes (leh-KAHEE), which is 187 km/116 miles away from Carrefour - a major hurdle in a nation that is below standard in road infrastructure. However, the Bananes (ba-NAHN) are located in a vibrant city with a bustling agricultural industry, surrounded by gorgeous beaches. The name Bananes (Bananas in English) refer to the city’s status as a banana exporter.

The team features two extremely popular players: closer David “Colonel” Lassalle (30), and Canadian center fielder Gilles Paradis (23), a stolen-base expert who left playing baseball in Vancouver to become a star in the Caribbean. The team is managed by 54-year-old Francis Roland.


PETIONVILLE BAS ROUGES
Petionville (peh-see-on-VEEL) is located just east of Port-au-Prince. The neighborhood is to Port-au-Prince what Beverly Hills is to Los Angeles. Many businessmen and diplomats live here, the safest city in the nation. Despite the amount of wealth in the city, there is no baseball stadium in Petionville yet, so the Bas Rouges (BAH ROOJ), named after the Boston Red Sox, play their games “downhill” at Parc National in Port-au-Prince.

The most popular player on the team is CF Jordan Guitton (27). The team is managed by Mathieu Loisel (58).


PORT-AU-PRINCE TIGRES
The flagship team of the ABH is located in Port-au-Prince (por-toh-PRANS), by far Haiti’s largest city. Because of this fact, the team gets an unequal amount of coverage in French-language media. The Tigres (TEE-gruh) take their name from the Detroit major league team in the U.S.

Port-au-Prince has one bonafide star - LF Matis Perin (24), who is one of the best hitters and best base runners and stealers in Haiti - and one up-and-coming superstar - RF Angel Giraud (19), the first overall pick in the inaugural draft who may already be as good as Perin, but with great defense as well. The team is headed by manager Jean-Pierre Auger (39), a Port-au-Prince native.


SAINT-MARC BAS BLANCS
The Bas Blancs (BAS BLAHNK) - named after the Chicago White Sox - play their games in Saint-Marc (SAN MARK), located between Gonaives and Port-au-Prince. Saint-Marc is the top port in the nation, as it is far less congested than Port-au-Prince and in close proximity to many major towns, including those in north Haiti.

One Bas Blancs player to look out for is 24-year-old LF Rolland Bigot, who should be among the league’s batting leaders. The team is managed by Bruno Pouliquen (58).

***By the way, I must apologize for the crude logos. I am not exactly an artiste.

[HGVoyager]

MORE NOTES ABOUT THE ABH

*There is no minor league system at this time. All teams maintain a reserve roster.
*The 100-game season runs from May to August, with a best-of-three championship called the L’Ouverture Cup played between the first- and second-place teams.
*There is no all-star game yet.
*No free agency exists at this time.
*The active roster is 30 players.
*The amateur draft takes place on March 15th, before spring training starts.
*Despite the U.S. military’s role in creating the ABH, there are only two Americans in the league, both on reserve rosters. MR Jose Luna (18), from Ohio, plays for Petionville, while C Anastasio Martinez (33) rides the bench for Gonaives. A third American is currently without a contract. There are actually far more Canadians (7) than Americans in the ABH.

[HGVoyager]

ABH Amateur Draft - 1929

The Saint-Marc Bas Blancs - the team in the smallest market in the ABH - were lucky enough to win the first pick of the 1929 amateur draft by lottery, and they used it to draft a starting pitcher, 18-year-old Lucas “Uncle” Jacquemin out of Port-au-Prince. The Carrefour Geants were next, and they picked 17-year-old shortstop Alain Pelletier - a curious pick, seeing that Carrefour already have one of the best young shortstops in Haiti in Rene Lemaire.

Here are the other picks for the first round.

First Round Picks
1. Saint-Marc - SP Lucas “Uncle” Jacquemin
2. Carrefour - SS Alain Pelletier
3. Gonaives - SP Alexandre Lucas
4. Port-au-Prince - 2B Lionnel Collignon
5. Les Cayes - CF Stephane Michel
6. Cap-Haitien - SS Jean-Michel Rigaud (a native of Cap-Haitien, Rigaud was regarded as the top overall draft prospect by the Haitian press)
7. Petionville - 1B Baptiste Guichard
8. Delmas - C Mattieu Lefort

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - 1929 Mid-Season Report
July 1st, 1929


Bananes, Bas Blancs tied for first at halfway point

STANDINGS


It’s roughly halfway through the first season of the ABH, and we have a tight race at the top! Two unexpected teams are tied for first at this point: Les Cayes and Saint-Marc, who, not coincidentally, have the two best team ERAs in the league (3.62 and 4.07 respectively). The Carrefour Geants, two games back, are the top Port-au-Prince area team. Three other teams are only five games back. Even the Cap-Haitien Rebelles, who are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, can perhaps make a run for the playoff with the right breaks.

LEADERS
Batting Average - RF Philippe Dejean, Carrefour, .424
Home Runs - 2B Jerome le Guen, Les Cayes, 5
RBI - 1B Patrice Michelet, Petionville, 40
Stolen Bases - LF Rolland Bigot, Saint-Marc, 29
Wins - Valery Wolff, Saint-Marc, 9
ERA - Rene “Fathead” Masson, Carrefour, 1.93
Strikeouts - Jose “Javelin” Fernandez, Port-au-Prince, 34
Saves - Philippe Amiot, Saint-Marc, 8

NEWS AND NOTES
* The best one-game pitching performance of the first half of the season belonged to Petionville’s Cuban starter Pedro Garcia (35 years old, 3-4, 3.73, 10 K). On June 21st he allowed only 2 hits and 3 walks, while striking out one, as the Bas Rouges beat Les Cayes 7-0.

*The top one-game batting performance of the season so far also featured a Petionville player: RF Jean-Louis Remond (26 years old, .389, 2 HR, 20 RBI). On June 7th against Saint-Marc, Remond went 6-6 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, and 2 R as the Bas Rouges beat the Bas Blancs 9-6. Up-and-coming superstar Juan Rodriguez of Delmas (18 years old, .360, 1 HR, 28 RBI) had a similar day in an 8-7 victory over rivals Port-au-Prince on June 28th. Rodriguez went 5-5 with two doubles, a solo homer, 2 RBI and 4 runs.

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - 1929 Regular Season Recap
August 22nd, 1929


Bananes pull away, take Coupe du Presidente

FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS


Congratulations is in order for the Les Cayes Bananes, who won the first regular season title of the ABH by pulling away from the pack in the second half to finish eight games ahead of second place. Les Cayes won the newly-established Coupe du Presidente, given to the team that wins the regular season title. The strength of this team was its pitching (the Bananes’ team ERA, 4.17, was the best in the league). The pitching staff was led by ace Pascal Molinier (26, pictured above), who had a league-best 2.37 ERA. He won 13 games, good enough to tie for second overall.

Two teams finished in a tie for second, which means that, in the first-ever ABH season, we will have a one-game playoff at Parc National to determine which team gets into the best-of-three L’Overture Cup to play the Bananes. Saint-Marc could not keep pace with Les Cayes in the second half, and they were caught from behind by Petionville. The Bas Rouges, who were 25-27 on July 1st, finished at 53-47. Saint-Marc won the season series over Petionville 9-6.

TEAM RECAPS
* While Les Cayes had the league’s best total ERA, the Bananes had only one dominant starter: the aforementioned lefty Molinier (13-4, 2.37, 28 K). All other starters had ERAs over 4.50! Yet the Bananes were in the top two in almost every pitching category. Needless to say, there is not much pitching in the league… One huge reason for Les Cayes’ success this season was its bullpen. They had the top bullpen ERA in the leage at 3.27. Closer David Lassalle (31 years old, 1.86 ERA, 10 SV, 6-1) didn’t lead the league in saves (he was two behind the leader), but he was the only qualified reliever with an ERA under 3.00... LF Anis Roux (31 years old, .337, 0 HR, 53 RBI) led the team in batting average, while young RF Pierre-Alexandre Francois (23 years old, .325, 3 HR, 66 RBI), the 13th overall pick in the league’s inaugural draft, was the best overall hitter.

* It’s no secret why Petionville was able to catch up with Saint-Marc and force a playoff. Like Les Cayes, you will find the Bas Rouges in the top two of nearly every pitching category, and that’s even considering that they traded away one of their best starters, Pedro Garcia, to Gonaives for a good second baseman, Gaetan Leriche (30). The Bas Rouges’ ace, 21-year-old Andre Stephan (13-9, 4.28, 43 K), led the way. The team’s top overall hitter was CF Jordan Guitton (27 years old, .352, 5 HR, 65 RBI), while RF Jean-Louis Remond (26 years old, .370, 5 HR, 41 RBI) led the team in batting average.

* Saint-Marc faltered a bit down the stretch, but you can’t blame SP Valery Wolff (32), who leads the team in wins (18, also leading the league) and ERA (2.84), and is also third in strikeouts (25)... 24-year-old LF Rolland Bigot (.319/6/68) led the league in doubles, runs scored, stolen bases, total bases, and extra base hits... closer Philippe Amiot (24 yo, 12 SV, 2-5, 5.13 ERA) led the league in saves.

* Gonaives missed the playoffs by three games (behind their rivals Saint-Marc), but if you are a Pirates fan you have to feel good about the way the season ended. Gonaives went 12-7 in August, by far their best month of the year. This despite having perhaps the worst batting lineup in the league (their team average of .283 was the worst in the ABH). The Pirates’ pitching, however, was decent, led by star starter Jeremy Lebreton (35, 13-6, 3.46, 13 K).

* The Carrefour Geants put together winning months in May and June, but had a losing July and August to fall out of the top half of the league... SS Rene Lemaire (25 yo, .361, 0 HR, 38 RBI) got on base more than anybody else in the league, with an OBP of .482.

* Delmas’s very young third baseman, Juan Rodriguez (18 years old, .343, 1 HR, 46 RBI) had a good season - when he was on the field. Rodriguez had no less than four injuries, none of which were longer than 2 weeks. He strained an elbow in May, a shoulder in June, suffered a finger blister in July, and damaged his meniscus in August. Oiseaux fans hope this is not a sign of things to come for this young talent... 1B Henri Peres (35 yo, .377, 4 HR, 57 RBI) led the league in batting average.

* Tied for 4th place on July 1st, Port-au-Prince fell out of contention quickly, helped by a miserable August (5-17). Chalk up a lot of that losing to injuries. Basically, if a Tigres player played, he was bound to be injured sometime in 1929.

* Things did not go according to plan for Cap-Haitien in 1929. Before the season even started, the Rebelles lost ace Panamanian pitcher Ricardo Roman (23) for the season after he ruptured a tendon in his elbow. That helped make the Rebelles staff one of the worst in the league. Then during the season, manager Marco Robin had to deal with several players demanding trades from the last-place team. Cap-Haitien fans are already looking to 1930.

SEASON-ENDING STATS
Batting Leaders

Pitching Leaders

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - 1929 One-Game Playoff
August 22nd, 1929

Saint-Marc blasts Petionville, to meet Les Cayes in L’Ouverture Cup


Although it was competitive early, the Saint-Marc Bas Blancs came on strong in the late innings to put away hosts Petionville Bas Rouges 11-5 in front of 6300 fans in Parc Nationale du Baseball in Delmas. The visitors from up the coast were led by player of the game Rolland Bigot. The right fielder, batting third in the lineup, went 3-5, including a double, a triple, and 2 RBIs, while also adding two runs and a stolen base. The Bas Blancs will now play the Les Cayes Bananes in the L’Ouverture Cup.

“I’m extremely happy,” said an elated Saint-Marc manager Bruno Pouliquen. “Nobody seemed to want us in the Cup, but we’re going.”

Les Cayes won the season series against Saint-Marc 7-5. The Bas Blancs will host the first game before the Cup goes to Les Cayes for the second and, if necessary, the third game.

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - 1929 L’Ouverture Cup
August 28th, 1929

Les Cayes beats Saint-Marc in three, take first L’Ouverture Cup





The remote southwestern city of Les Cayes is in celebration today after their local baseball team, the Bananes, took the inaugural Toussaint L’Ouverture Cup (named for the Haitian revolutionary hero) by beating the Saint-Marc Bas Blancs two games to one.

The first game was a close 3-2 victory for the Bananes, the winning runs coming off of a 5th inning, two-run homer by Canadian CF Gilles Paradis. Game 2 was a slugfest, with Saint-Marc coming out on top 10-6 to even the series. In Game 3, Les Cayes scored four runs in the 1st inning, and that was all they needed as they won 6-3 to win the championship.

“I had faith in this team all year, and they rewarded me for that,” said Bananes manager Francis Roland, who will go down in Haitian history as the first L’Ouverture Cup winning manager. Paradis was selected as Cup MVP (.500, 1 HR, 2 RBI).

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - Offseason News
August 30th, 1929
GMs dumped all over the ABH

Just days after Les Cayes were crowned the first champions of the Baseball Association of Haiti, four of the eight ABH teams fired their general managers - including Les Cayes and the team they beat in the L’Ouverture Cup, Saint-Marc! Both teams stated a desire to take their teams in a new directon. It is unclear as to what direction they want to go, and what they were unhappy about, considering these were the two best teams in the league.

The other two teams to dump their GMs were Gonaives (who also dumped their manager Auguste Dupond) and Cap-Haitien. Rebelles fans reportedly celebrated in the streets following news of their GM’s ouster.

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - 1929 Awards

Saint-Marc may not have won the L’Ouverture Cup, but they certainly cleaned up the individual awards:


1929 ABH Outstanding Hitter Award
LF Rolland Bigot (Saint-Marc)
Bigot was a major reason why Saint-Marc overachieved this year. .322 AVG, 39 doubles, 8 triples, 6 homers, 70 RBIs, 93 runs scored.


1929 ABH Outstanding Pitcher Award
Valery Wolff (Saint-Marc)
Wolff went 18-5 with a 2.84 era in 24 starts. His opponents hit .281 against him - no small feat in this league.


1929 ABH Rookie of the Year
SS Hakim Pinet (Saint-Marc)
Pinet led his team in batting average (.371) and had 3 HR, 47 RBI and 77 runs scored.

1929 Glove Wizard Award Winners

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - 1929-1930 Offseason News
Saint-Marc’s Bigot traded to Delmas

In what has to be seen as a shocking and bewildering move, the new Saint-Marc general manager, 31-year-old Mathieu Bourgeois, traded away defending ABH Outstanding Hitter LF Rolland Bigot to the Delmas Oiseaux for starting pitcher Rolland Goujon (26) and catcher Pascal Cornu (20). Goujon went 10-10 with a 4.21 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 1929, while Cornu spent his time last year in the reserves.

The move makes a bit of sense for the Bas Blancs; they had the highest-scoring lineup last year, while their pitching lagged behind champs Les Cayes, as shown in the L’Ouverture Cup. Goujon will help that. Delmas fans, however, must be wondering why their team would trade away the best pitcher from a staff that was already the worst in the league in 1929.

Both teams say they are pleased with how the trade worked out. In addition, Bigot, a Port-au-Prince native, is thrilled at the prospect of playing at home.

[darkcloud4579]

I love this concept!

[HGVoyager]

Originally Posted by darkcloud4579

I love this concept!

Thank you very much, darkcloud. I have to say that I'm loving this concept as well! I'm having more fun with this than other dynasties I've started.

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - 1930 First-Year Player Draft
March 16th, 1930
Rebelles take starting pitcher #1

It’s that time of the year when the hopes of fans whose teams dwell the cellar start to rise: draft time! Let’s take a closer look at the first round picks of the 1930 ABH Draft:

1. Cap-Haitien Rebelles - SP Herve “Money” Renaud
Renaud was considered the top prospect in the draft, and Cap-Haitien did not hesitate to pick him number one. The 19-year-old Renaud hails from Port-au-Prince. Scouts say that while “Money” will never overwhelm batters with sheer speed and power, his ball placement and movement will be second to none. Very smart player who works hard.

2. Port-au-Prince Tigres - SP Alexis Dupuis
The 17-year-old out of Delmas has the same strong points as Renaud, but overall is a notch lower. Should still help out the Tigres’ pitching staff in time. Not many players will be more competitive than Dupuis.

3. Delmas Oiseaux - SS Anthony Martin
The 19-year-old out of Carrefour was born in Haiti to American parents. The word is that when all is said and done, Martin will be the best defensive shortstop in the Haitian game. He will also be a monster at the plate, able to rack up hit after hit. Delmas could have used more pitching, but Martin eventually will add to a monster batting lineup.

4. Carrefour Geants - LF Gael Leblanc
The 17-year-old out of the southeastern city of Jacmel was the first outfielder taken in the draft. An average fielder, but Leblanc should rack up extra base hits with his gap-hitting potential. A loyal player.

5. Gonaives Pirates - SS Loan Andre
The 19-year-old with the curious first name (pronounced low-AHN) has the potential to be a hitting giant, able to hit for contact and for extra bases. He will be a good defensive shortstop as well. Scouts say that Andre is very intelligent, loyal, and puts in a lot of work on the practice field.

6. Petionville Bas Rouges - SP Rene Cohen
The 18-year-old is very raw, but may end up being a good pitcher that can put a lot of movement on the ball. However, scouts say his control will be a big problem in the future if coaches are not able to fix it.

7. Saint-Marc Bas Blancs - 2B Alain Vincent
Vincent (18) is a base-stealing monster who can make a difference in a game just by swiping a few extra bags. Projected to be a below-average contact hitter, but is very patient and will get a huge share of walks. An excellent defensive infielder. Smart, but his work ethic is suspect.

8. Les Cayes Bananes - C Erik Koolen
A 20-year-old Dutchman from nearby Aruba, Koolen is a decent defensive catcher with the tools to be an above-average hitter.

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - 1929-1930 Offseason News
April 25, 1930
Tigres’ Giraud out for the season

The Port-au-Prince Tigres were supposed to be the class of the Association de Baseball d'Haïti when it started last year. However, the Tigres finished seventh out of eight teams and were never a factor in the league race. It may be the same this year, thanks to some news that came out of Port-au-Prince yesterday that left Tigres fans stunned. Tigres RF Angel Giraud, 20 years old and one of his team’s top two batters, will miss the entire 1930 season with a torn groin muscle.

Giraud, the number one overall pick in the ABH’s Inaugural Draft last year, went down in a heap while running the bases during a spring training game against Cap-Haitien in Port-au-Prince. In obvious pain, he was attended to immediately, then helped off the field. Doctors say he will be out seven to eight months, a time period that eclipses the four-month ABH season.

“Your heart breaks for the guy,” said manager Jean-Pierre Auger. “He’s been working hard to be a top player for us. The fact that he won’t be wearing the pinstripes this year is devastating.”

Last year Giraud hit .308 with one home run and 29 RBI. He was fourth in the league in stolen bases with 23.

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - 1930 Season Preview
May 5th, 1930

Last season saw the birth of Haiti’s first professional baseball league, and it was a great success. Eight teams captured the imaginations of a populace looking to recover from years of turmoil and looking forward to a new era in the history of this proud Caribbean nation. In the end, one team - the Les Cayes Bananes - was crowned champions, but every team was successful in their own way. While most of the league is far away from turning profits, all eight teams did well enough to continue on in 1930.

With the season beginning today, the question is, which team is the favorite to win it all? A great case could be made for the Bananes to repeat as champions. They have three of the top ten batters in the league in the feared Canadian Gilles Paradis, the ageless wonder Jerome le Guen, and young Pierre-Alexandre Francois. Their pitching staff is anchored by Pascal Molinier. This is perhaps the only team in the league that is strong on both sides of the ball.

Who will challenge the Bananes, then? Will it be Saint-Marc? If you believe that pitching wins games and championships, the Bas Blancs have to be your team. They have three of the top ten pitchers in Haiti: last year’s Most Outstanding Pitcher Valery Wolff, Rolland Goujon, and young Lucien Henry. However, their batting lineup is weak, thanks in part to their trade of Most Outstanding Batter Rolland Bigot to Delmas in the offseason for Goujon.

Joining Saint-Marc in the ranks of the challengers are two Port-au-Prince area teams: Delmas and Carrefour. The two teams finished sixth and fifth last year, respectively, but both are loaded with developing talent and should be better this year. Delmas may have the single most-feared batting lineup in the league outside of Les Cayes. The addition of Bigot adds to a Oiseaux lineup that already had a young Juan Rodriguez and the under-appreciated Jean-Marie Chatelain. But where’s the pitching?

Carrefour certainly has some pitching. In fact, many experts claim that the Geants have the league’s top two pitchers: Carlos Blaise and Rene Masson. Masson was fourth in ERA last year (3.56) and was first in winning percentage (.800). Blaise was tied for first in losses (13!), but fourth in strikeouts (37) and second in walks per nine innings (2.0). The experts are betting that Blaise has a vastly-improved year in 1930. The Geants also have Rene Lemaire, a top-three batter, and what is considered the top-two prospects in the league (see below).

It’s probably safe to say that Port-au-Prince, Gonaives, and Cap-Haitien will not be factors in the league race this year, although Gonaives is certainly improving on the pitching side. Petionville was able to force a one-game playoff with Saint-Marc last year with an overachieving squad, but can they do it again in 1930? That will be one of the many storylines in this, the second ABH season.

TOP 10 BATTERS
1. CF Gilles Paradis (25), Les Cayes
2. SS Rene Lemaire (25), Carrefour
3. 2B Jerome le Guen (36), Les Cayes
4. RF Rolland Bigot (25), Delmas
5. LF Matis Perin (25), Port-au-Prince
6. 3B Juan Rodriguez (19), Delmas
7. RF Jean-Louis Remond (27), Petionville
8. LF Jean-Marie Chatelain (23), Delmas
9. RF Pierre-Alexandre Francois (23), Les Cayes
10. CF Herve Noel (26), Cap-Haitien

TOP 10 PITCHERS
1. Carlos Blaise (26), Carrefour
2. Rene Masson (32), Carrefour
3. Valery Wolff (33), Saint-Marc
4. Ricardo Roman (24), Cap-Haitien
5. Gerard Maury (32), Port-au-Prince
6. Claude Guillaume (23), Gonaives
7. Rolland Goujon (27), Saint-Marc
8. Pascal Molinier (27), Les Cayes
9. Lucien Henry (22), Saint-Marc
10. Jeremy Lebreton (36), Gonaives

TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. SS Alain Pelletier (18), Carrefour
2. LF Gael Leblanc (17), Carrefour
3. MR Alexis Dupuis (18), Port-au-Prince
4. MR Lucas “Uncle” Jacquemin (19), Saint-Marc
5. SS Frederic Imbert (19), Petionville
6. CF Stephane Michel (18), Les Cayes
7. SS Anthony Martin (19), Delmas
8. SS Loan Andre (19), Gonaives
9. 3B Juan Rodriguez (19), Delmas (How is Rodriguez the ninth-best prospect but the sixth-best batter in the league?)
10. CF Loic Magnin (20), Saint-Marc

[HGVoyager]

Baseball Association of Haiti - 1930 Mid-Season Report
July 1st, 1930


Gonaives top standings, defending champs in second

STANDINGS


Les Cayes improved upon last year’s start by two games with a 32-21 record after the first two months of the season. Unfortunately for the Bananes, that is not enough for first place right now. Topping - and surprising - the league are the Gonaives Pirates at 34-19! This is the best start in the league’s two-year history, and that’s even with a two-game losing streak coming into today. That’s also with their ace pitcher Claude Guillaume battling minor injury after minor injury. Despite three day-to-day injuries, Guillaume has put up a 2-2 record in six games with a 3.74 ERA. Another Pirates hurler, Jeremy Lebreton, was June’s Best Pitcher. So far he has a 7-5 record with a 3.09 ERA.

The Pirates are playing to win right away. So far this season they made three shrewd trades to acquire relievers, including a trade on June 18th that brought in one of the top closers in Haiti, Philippe Amiot (6 SV, 3.28), from Saint-Marc for two prospects.

It is worth noting that Gonaives was the only team to relieve its manager of his duties after last season, firing Auguste Dupond and replacing him with 38-year-old Jean Bousquet. Bousquet is maximizing the talent available on his team to great success.

Les Cayes is playing well thanks in no small part to superstar center fielder Gilles Paradis (.364, 10 HR, 38 RBI). The Canadian was the ABH’s Batter of the Month for June, and he won one Player of the Week award in that same month. He leads his team in RBI and in home runs. His 10 home runs are already a new single-season record. (Paradis’ seven homers in June alone was more than the previous single-season record of six hit by Bananes teammate Jerome le Guen last year. All of this while playing on a bum ankle sprained on June 2nd.) However, Paradis is currently tied for the home run lead with Petionville’s center fielder Jordan Guitton. It should be an interesting home run race this year.

The Delmas Oiseaux certainly look much improved this year. Mexican third baseman Juan Rodriguez won two Player of the Week awards in May, which led to the Batter of the Month award. The 19-year-old is batting .367 with 6 home runs and 40 RBI. Two other Oiseaux batters won Player of the Week awards in June: LF Jean-Marie Chatelain (.397 - top in the league, 5 HR, 30 RBI), and 2B Christophe Grimaud (.367, 0 HR, 17 RBI, and a league-leading 81 hits). As for RF Rolland Bigot, he is batting .275 with 7 home runs and 25 RBI. Bigot also leads the league in stolen bases (23). Bigot had a league-best 52 stolen bases last year, and he’s still on a roll on the basepaths!

The Saint-Marc Bas Blancs are in an interesting position. While their pitching staff is in the top two in every major pitching category, their batting lineup is in the bottom third of most categories. (The team batting average is .277.) The Bas Blancs have to be missing Bigot right now. Despite all of this, RF Michel Charbonnier (.381, 9 HR, 42 RBI) is leading the league in runs batted in. Starter Valery Wolff was Pitcher of the Month for May. So far this season, Wolff is 6-5 with an ERA of 2.84, tops among starters.

Carrefour and Port-au-Prince are tied for fifth place, ten games out of first place. The Geants lost their second-best pitcher, Rene Masson, to a season-ending injury when he fractured his elbow in just his second start of the year. In addition, the Geants’ top hitter, SS Rene Lemaire, missed most of June with back spasms. Meanwhile, the Tigres are suffering from many injuries of their own, although other than Angel Giraud, they are mostly to bit players. Star LF Matis Perin (.355, 2 HR, 26 RBI) won a Player of the Week award yesterday, while 20-year-old CF Erwann Gros (.300, 1 HR, 9 RBI in 30 AB) was the Rookie of the Month for May.

As mentioned earlier, Petionville’s Guitton (.314, 10 HR, 37 RBI) is tied with Paradis for the home run lead. Meanwhile, Panamanian starting pitcher Ricardo Roman’s comeback from a lost 1929 season is doing very well. He is 6-4 with a 4.04 ERA and 36 K, a small bright spot in another dreadful season for the Cap-Haitien Rebelles.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
* Gonaives SS Sam Martin hit for the cycle on June 6th against Saint-Marc. He went 4-5 with one homer and two RBI in that game. It was the first cycle in ABH history.
* Les Cayes C Patrick Viard brought a 27-game hitting streak into Opening Day, but went hitless in the Bananes’ first game of 1930.
* Carrefour 1B Bernardo Orozco, from Venezuela, had a 36-game hitting streak which ended on June 18th, setting a new record.

[HGVoyager]

July 2nd, 1930

FEATURE: Gilles Paradis

Did you hear the one about the Canadian baseball player who came to Haiti and became a star? Sounds like the beginning to a good joke, but the truth is that a Canadian is captivating Haitian baseball fans like nobody else. That man is none other than Gilles Paradis (pictured), a center fielder for the Les Cayes Bananes of the Association de baseball d'Haïti.

Paradis, age 25, has been a very popular figure in Les Cayes ever since he set foot in Haiti one and a half years ago. His national popularity among baseball fans exploded, however, when he was the best player on the diamond in the 1929 L’Ouverture Cup, which saw the Bananes defeat the Saint-Marc Bas Blancs in three games for the championship.

“He’s our Babe Ruth,” said a fan in Les Cayes, referring to the famous American baseball player who plays for the New York Yankees.

“We have some good players here,” said a fan in Port-au-Prince who identified himself as a Tigres supporter. “(Left fielder Matis) Perin, for example. But when Paradis comes, he is exciting to watch.”

Paradis, however, is a humble man who either dismisses his popularity in Haiti, or just cannot understand how revered he has become. “I’m just a baseball player,” he said while sitting in his rocking chair in front of his home on the outskirts of Les Cayes, observing the sunset. “Those people are happy because Les Cayes is doing well. I’m glad to help the team win, but the fans want to see all the Bananes, not just me.”

What caused Gilles Paradis to leave his home nation of Canada to ply his trade in Haiti, where the quality of living is lower and the culture is different? “A sense of adventure, I guess,” he said. “I was born in Vancouver, but my parents traveled a lot because of their government work. So I spent my childhood growing up in Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa. I played minor league baseball in Canada and the United States. I’m used to living in different places and exploring new things.

“The thing about Haiti is that they already speak French here, so I don’t have to learn a new language from scratch. Yeah, there’s a French creole language here, but I’m picking up some words here and there. It’s not bad. Plus, the weather is much better here, and the people are quite friendly and easy-going.”

One wonders how Paradis, a Canadian of European descent, handles playing in a nation where the majority of people - and baseball players - are of African descent. “A lot has been made of that,” Paradis answers, “but I don’t have any problems with that. It did take me some getting used to, because we don’t play with players of African descent in the United States and Canada. But I found that playing winning baseball is above everything else. We get together, we play well as a team, and nothing else matters.”

[HGVoyager]

1930 Regular Season Recap - August 21st, 1930

Bananes, Geants to play for L’Ouverture Cup

FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS


The Les Cayes Bananes have played excellent baseball ever since the league started, so many people expected the defending champions to once again play for the L’Ouverture Cup in 1930. That came true when the Bananes easily won their second-straight Coupe du Presidente, which goes to the regular season champions. What was not expected was their 1930 L’Ouverture Cup opponents: the Carrefour Geants. The Geants came virtually out of nowhere to win a very tight wildcard race on the final day, earning the right to play the Bananes for the championship.

We have to start with that amazing wildcard race that saw last-week collapses by the Delmas Oiseaux and the Gonaives Pirates. Just three games ago, the Pirates were in second place, one game ahead of the Oiseaux and the Geants. Gonaives controlled its own destiny. However, they would lose their next two games, while the Oiseaux and the Geants went 1-1. That meant that yesterday, all three teams went into their final regular season games with a record of 52-47. Carrefour and Delmas played each other, meaning the loser would be eliminated. The losing team turned out to be the Oiseaux, who were blown out 10-2 at Parc National. Carrefour SS Rene Lemaire went 5-6 in that game, with two runs, three RBI, and a home run. The win meant that the Geants would at least be in a playoff to get into the Cup.

A playoff was not needed, however, as Gonaives lost their game at home 10-7 against none other than the Les Cayes Bananes, still playing hard, perhaps motivated by the fact that Gonaives generally has better pitching than Carrefour does, therefore making Gonaives a more challenging opponent in the L’Ouverture Cup. Bananes manager Francis Roland denied that it was a factor in the win. “We are confident that we can beat any other team in three games,” he said after the game.

Therefore, the 1930 L’Ouverture Cup matchup is set. The first-ever Cup game in the Port-au-Prince area will take place tomorrow afternoon as the Geants host the Bananes in Game 1. After an off day for travel, Games 2 and, if necessary, 3 will take place in Les Cayes.

TEAM CAPSULES
Les Cayes Bananes
* Star center fielder Gilles Paradis (.380-19-82) won his first batting title, setting a new league record. But that’s not all. He also won the home run title by two over teammate RF Pierre-Alexandre Francois (.354-17-72). Paradis’ 19 homers are also a new league record. Want more? Paradis tied for the RBI single-season record with teammate 2B Jerome le Guen (.331-12-82). Of course, all of those numbers mean that Paradis is the ABH’s first-ever Triple Crown winner. A great year for Banane batters, but a fantastic year for Paradis, who is the odds-on favorite to win Most Outstanding Batter for 1930.
* On August 26, 35-year-old 1B Joaquim Lucas (.333-7-32) became the third player in ABH history to hit for the cycle in a game against Cap-Haitien. Lucas had five RBIs total in that game.

Carrefour Geants
* Carrefour put themselves into position to make the L’Ouverture Cup with their amazing play down the stretch. The Geants were 24-29 on July 1st, yet finished 53-47. That means Carrefour went 29-18 in July and August, including the best August any team has played in the first two years of the league: 14-4 (a .778 winning percentage).

Delmas
* 2B Christophe Grimaud (.362-1-45) tied Bernardo Orozco’s hitting streak record of 36 games this season. Grimaud’s streak came to an end on August 9. If you recall, Orozco’s streak was earlier this year, ending on June 18.
* How good is the Delmas batting lineup? Eight different players had 5-hit games in July and August. Overall, the Delmas batting lineup was first or second in most major batting categories in 1930.

Gonaives
* Why did Gonaives collapse after being in first place by two games on July 1st? They had a terrible July (10-19) and a somewhat-better but below-average August (8-10). A team cannot make the L’Ouverture Cup like that.
* On July 11, Pirates LF Christophe Andrieu (.308-8-36) became the first player in ABH history to hit three home runs in a game. The 35-year-old accomplished the feat in all three of his at-bats in the 7-6 loss at Port-au-Prince.

Port-au-Prince Tigres
* Bananes and Geants fans are not the only ones feeling good about the way the season ended. Tigres fans were encouraged by the way their team played down the stretch. After losing months in May and June, Port-au-Prince went 16-13 in July and 10-8 in August, including winning their last five games of the season and eight of their last ten games. Credit goes to Jean-Pierre Auger for keeping this team playing at the highest level even though their Cup chances ended long ago.
*RF Erwann Gros (.263-2-21) won his second Rookie of the Month award by having a fantastic July. He went .283-1-8 that month. The 20-year-old also won the award for May.

Saint-Marc
* Saint-Marc’s pitching staff was first in the league in ERA, runs allowed, hits allowed, opponent batting average, and walks, and they were second in home runs allowed. Two hurlers - Valery Wolff (11-7, 3.17) and Rolland Goujon (11-7, 2.85) - won eleven games, two behind the season-high. All of that, however, was not enough to avoid the team’s first losing season. You need pitching and batting in this league.
* On July 26, Bas Blancs LF Selim Besse (.364-2-36), became the second player in history to hit for a cycle when he did so against Port-au-Prince. Besse had five hits, including two doubles.

Petionville
* Serious injuries decimated the Bas Rouges’ pitching staff in the second half of the season. First, ace pitcher Andre Stephan (4.55, 7-5) went down with a season-ending injury on July 28, and may miss all of the 1931 season as well! Stephan ruptured an ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, and doctors say that he will be out of action for 13 months. At least Stephan did not suffer the same fate that his teammate, and Petionville’s second-best pitcher, Bernard Guichard (8-8, 4.15), suffered on August 10. Guichard ruptured the same ligament that Stephan did, but Guichard’s was more serious, and doctors say that he will never pitch again. This is devastating news for all people involved with the Bas Rouges, as Guichard was developing into a solid pitcher. These injuries helped lead Petionville to an August record of 5-13.

Cap-Haitien
* Injuries played a part in another terrible season for the Rebelles. Starting pitcher Ricardo Roman (8-6, 4.07) suffered two injuries in the second half, to his elbow and his back, which led to three weeks of missed action, while star catcher Michel Lejeune (.327-3-41) missed four weeks with a torn groin muscle.

[HGVoyager]

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