KITCHENER – The Kitchener Panthers are excited to announce the signing of Starting Pitcher, Yamichel Perez (Sancti Spiritus, Cuba), for the 2023 season.The 33 year old left handed pitcher has been a longtime standout in the Cuban National Series, having pitched in 14 seasons and accumulated 68 wins and a 4.14 ERA. He has spent…
KITCHENER – The Kitchener Panthers are excited to announce the signing of Starting Pitcher, Yamichel Perez (Sancti Spiritus, Cuba), for the 2023 season.
The 33 year old left handed pitcher has been a longtime standout in the Cuban National Series, having pitched in 14 seasons and accumulated 68 wins and a 4.14 ERA. He has spent the majority of these seasons pitching for the Sancti Spiritus Roosters but has transferred over to the Matanzas Crocodiles in the past three seasons. He also has experience representing Cuba on the international stage and has been selected as a Cuban National Series All-Star multiple times.
Yamichel is known to be a crafty lefty with great accuracy that can provide consistent quality starts. His ability to log heavy innings should provide the Panthers with a much needed work horse at the top of the starting rotation.
In 2019, Yamichel was the league leader in wins, recording a 13-3 record, to go along with a 2.74 ERA, 121.1 innings pitched and a 2.52 strikeouts to walks ratio.
He has spent the past 3 Cuban National Series campaigns representing Matanzas and has recorded a 24 and 12 record while suiting up alongside former Panthers Noelvis Entenza, Yoennis Yera and Jonder Martinez who is now serving as the team’s pitching coach after his retirement.
In 2022, Yamichel competed for the “Centrales” in the newly created Cuban Elite League which featured 6 teams comprised of the top players from the 18 existing Cuban National Series teams. In this best on best competition, Yamichel rose to the occasion, recording a 3 and 1 record with a 2.36 ERA across 9 starts. He boasted a sparkling 6 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio, punching out 30 batters and only allowing 5 base on balls across 49.2 innings pitched.
With a reputation as a great teammate and a veteran with plenty of experience pitching in big postseason games, the Panthers are optimistic about the impact the lefty will be able to have on the field and as a leader in the dugout.
Panthers General Manager, Mike Boehmer, who made 2 recent trips to Cuba to scout, negotiate and finalize the Cuban Player Agreements comments; “ I am very pleased that Yamichel Perez will be joining the Kitchener Panthers. We had him signed last year, but visa delays due to the pandemic prevented his coming to Canada. Yamichel is a veteran LHP with 14 years experience in the Cuban National Series. Perez is consistently among the league leaders in innings pitched, and has excellent control. We also like that Matanzas has gone to the Cuban Finals each of the past 3 years; so Perez has pitched in many big games. We expect Yamichel Perez to be an important part of our 2023 pitching staff.”
Yamichel is part of a talented group of 4 Cuban import players the Panthers have signed which includes a veteran infielder, Cuba’s top defensive catcher and another work horse starting pitcher. Expect to see further announcements on their signings in the coming days.
The 2023 Season is quickly approaching as the Panthers open on the road on May 19th @ Brantford and play their Home Opener on May 21 vs Welland at 2:00 PM. Season Tickets are on sale now with Flex Packs soon to be released, get yours HERE
The weather heated up this weekend and so did the bats, as 144 runs were scored in 10 games across the league this week. In this week’s edition of the power rankings, we are going to highlight each team’s top offensive performer so far this season, as well as the biggest point of concern for…
The weather heated up this weekend and so did the bats, as 144 runs were scored in 10 games across the league this week. In this week’s edition of the power rankings, we are going to highlight each team’s top offensive performer so far this season, as well as the biggest point of concern for each of the eight clubs in the IBL.
#8. Brantford Red Sox (0-5, Previous Week: 8)
The Red Sox had a chance to surprise people Friday night when they carried a 4-1 lead into the fifth against London, but that’s when things fell apart. Their pitching staff couldn’t keep them in it, and they have struggled all season – their 9.18 ERA is the worst in the league. Catcher Jeremie Veilleux has been their most significant offensive contributor, sporting a .333 batting average with a homer and three RBI.
#7. Barrie Baycats (2-3, Previous Week: 5)
Three frustrating losses for the Baycats were capped off by blowing a 4-0 lead late Sunday afternoon in Hamilton, spoiling another stellar start from Evan Soules. The defense has cost them and seems to be the biggest cause for concern early on, as they have allowed 15 unearned runs in their 5 games. Starlin Rodriguez has picked up right where he left off from his first stint in the IBL, putting up a .389 average with two homers and five RBI while only striking out twice in 18 at bats.
#6. Guelph Royals (1-4, Previous Week: 4)
The pitching staff was the biggest culprit for why Guelph went winless this week, as they allowed nine runs on Thursday and 13 runs in Kitchener on Sunday. Even in the middle game where they only allowed five men to score, the eventual winning run came in on a wild pitch in the eighth inning. The Royals currently sit 7th in the league with a 7.29 ERA, a number that will have to improve if they’re going to have a successful season. J.D. Williams has gotten off to an excellent start in 2023, hitting .500 with one home run and three RBI. He currently sits third among hitters in batting average.
#5. London Majors (3-3, Previous Week: 6)
A good bounce back week saw London take advantage of a softer schedule, defeating Brantford twice and picking up a road win in Barrie on Saturday. It was a solid offensive showing for the Majors, as they scored 31 runs over their three games, highlighted by catcher Eduardo de Oleo who hit a home run in each of this week’s affairs. The pitching staff was better, however their command is something to keep an eye on, as they have walked 34 batters over six games. Their walk total is second highest across the league.
#4. Welland Jackfish (3-2, Previous Week: 7)
The Jackfish had a week that was much more reminiscent of last year’s team, sweeping Guelph before beating the mighty Toronto Maple Leafs in their own yard. It didn’t come easy, as they survived a scare Thursday when they allowed the tying run to come to the plate in ninth after taking a 9-0 lead into the inning, followed by a pair of games where they didn’t deliver the decisive blow until the late stages. Sam Cawker continues to deliver much of the Welland offense, leading the team with three homers and eight RBIs. The Fish have been fortunate to have Cawker’s hot start, as the rest of the team has combined for 9 extra base hits total. Even when you include the catcher’s totals, their 12 XBH is currently third lowest in the league.
#3. Hamilton Cardinals (4-2, Previous Week: 3)
Hamilton bookended their week with wins against Barrie around a loss to the red-hot Kitchener Panthers. Sunday’s game saw the Cardinals overcome a 4-0 deficit with an offensive explosion, scoring 11 runs after the sixth inning. Clayton Keyes’ presence is already being felt despite him only having six games in the league, as he was intentionally walked twice (!!) on Sunday afternoon. He leads the team in nearly every offensive category, including hits (8), walks (6), batting average (.381), and extra base hits (5). The Cardinals have struggled to put the ball in play as a group, something they will need to improve if they are going to have success at the plate. They have struck out 70 times, second most behind Toronto.
#2. Toronto Maple Leafs (5-2, Previous Week: 1)
Offense continues to be the strength for Toronto, hitting .313 as a team and leading the league with 75 runs scored and 82 hits, however for the second time in as many weeks their relievers have let them down and cost them a game. Last week it was a ninth inning meltdown in Barrie, this time it was a slow death over the last two innings, allowing six runs on seven walks in the eighth and ninth. Their bullpen needs to be better late in games – the offense can only do so much. Johnathan Solazzo has been one of the hottest hitters in the IBL, leading the league with 15 RBI to go along with four home runs and a .348 batting average.
#1. Kitchener Panthers (4-1, Previous Week: 2)
It’s amazing what a couple of additions can do for a ballclub. The Panthers lineup has many familiar faces from 2022, although their two biggest contributors are fresh faces – Elliott Curtis and Raul Gonzalez. The duo has combined for nine home runs, 20 RBI, 21 hits, and are both in the top 10 in batting average, with Gonzalez leading at .591. To put into perspective how great they have been, those two have hit more home runs than any other team in the league. There’s not much to criticize about the job Bill Matetitch’s squad has done, but if there is one thing to nitpick it is that their pitching staff is relatively average across the board. When the offense is going like it is now, that won’t be a problem, but it is unrealistic to expect any team to average 11 runs a game. When the offense cools off, the pitching staff will need to be solid.
News: De Oleo and Mendez Named B45 Baseball IBL Players of the Week
The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) announced its B45 Baseball Players of the Week for the week of May 22-28.London Majors catcher Eduardo De Oleo was named Batter of the Week, following a monstrous .538 (7-for-13) weekend which included three home runs and seven RBI — and led the Majors to a 3-0 weekend.De Oleo, who reached…
The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) announced its B45 Baseball Players of the Week for the week of May 22-28.
London Majors catcher Eduardo De Oleo was named Batter of the Week, following a monstrous .538 (7-for-13) weekend which included three home runs and seven RBI — and led the Majors to a 3-0 weekend.
De Oleo, who reached AAA in affiliated baseball, is now hitting .500 on the season with four home runs and 10 RBI in six games with the Majors.
Welland Jackfish right-hander Deivy Mendez was named Pitcher of the Week, following two scoreless relief outings. Mendez threw three shutout innings over two appearances, striking out four batters in the process and earning the win in relief on Sunday at Toronto.
Mendez’s career IBL earned run average now sits at 0.86, and he has not allowed a run over 17 regular-season innings since entering the league.
Photo by Matt HiscoxLondon 7, Barrie 3Down by one heading into the fourth inning, the Majors Starling Joseph hit a two-run home run and Daniel Battel’s double also scored two runs to get the Majors offence going.The Majors then added three more runs in the ninth via the long ball. Keith Kandel had a solo…
Down by one heading into the fourth inning, the Majors Starling Joseph hit a two-run home run and Daniel Battel’s double also scored two runs to get the Majors offence going.
The Majors then added three more runs in the ninth via the long ball. Keith Kandel had a solo home run while Eduardo de Oleo added a two-run homer.
Adam Odd and Domenico Morea hit doubles in the sixth inning two knock in a run each.
Majors starter Edisson Gonzalez improved to 1-1 on the season. He struck out three and allowed three runs on five hits in seven innings of work.
Baycats starter Emilis Guerrero was credited with the loss. He struck out six and gave up four runs on seven hits.
After Sam Cawker walked to start the top of the ninth inning, a pair of bunts moved him to third, while his teammates loaded the bases. Royals pitcher Yuki Narita’s first offering to Steven Moretto went to the backstop, scoring Cawker, and giving the Jackfish a lead they wouldn’t give up.
Cawker, James Smibert and Matteo Porcellato all had two hits for the Jackfish.
Brando Leroux, Darius Barlas and Noah Roberts each had two hits for the Royals that scored three times in the second inning and once in the seventh.
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