Quebec City Surprising Even Themselves
Jacques Montesquieu reporting for the Quebec City Gazette

May 30, 2011: Quebec City, Quebec – The Quebec City Frenchies have gotten off to their best start in their team’s history thanks to stellar pitching and defense.  The Frenchies, perennial losers for four years with records of 56-86 in 2007, 53-89 in 2008, 62-78 in 2009 and 63-77 last year, have bolted out of the gate with a 31-21 record.  Quebec owes their fast start to their stellar pitching led by Puerto Rican castoff Juan Olivares.  Olivares has been dominating this year with a 7-2 record and an ERA of 1.86.  Olivares may never make it to Tempe, but Knights GM Chris Van Hauter likes what he brings to the organization.  Van Hauter stated that, “Olivares brings a positive attitude and has really taken the rest of the staff under his wing, and as a result the team has thrived.”  With Olivares’s help, the Frenchies team ERA is 2.76, first in the league.  Overall, Quebec leads or is near the top in all pitching categories.  With stellar pitching, the Frenchies look like they might do something that no other Tempe organizational team has done: make the playoffs.

Olivares is only one pitcher who is having a breakout year.  The whole staff has been dominating all year long.  Here is a breakdown of the rest of the group and how they have performed so far in 2011:

SP Darryl Lewis – Drafted in the first round in last year’s draft, Lewis is beginning to show the stuff scouts were falling over themselves about.  Lewis struggled out of the gate but has put it together recently and has a record of 3-3 with a 4.41 ERA.  GM Van Hauter states that Lewis will remain in AA for the rest of the year and will start next year in Chandler, with maybe a September call up.  Overall, it looks like it will be a 2013 Tempe rotation consisting of Hancock, just-acquired O’connell, Collins, Sharp and Lewis.  That will be a very hard rotation to beat, and Knights fans are waiting in anticipation for Lewis to make the big leagues.

SP Tim McGowan – McGowan has been around forever it seems and is doing very well at AA.  He has posted a 4-5 record with an ERA of 3.45 but has pitched better then his record indicates.  McGowan might make the club one day as a reliever because the Knights are very deep with starting pitching.

SP Raúl Randín – Randín was picked up from the Alianza Béisbol Al Sur de la Frontera and has done well.  He is 28, so he looks like he will be a career minor leaguer.  Randín has a 4-3 record with an ERA of 3.72.  He will probably kick around a few more years, then go back to Mexico.

SP George Morris – Morris throws hard (around 96 MPH), and the Knights believe he could be a late-bloomer and make the staff one day.  He is still very wild but has been dominating at times this year.  Overall he is 2-2 with a 3.96 ERA

One of the major reasons why Quebec is playing so well is their great relief pitching.  Their bullpen ERA is a minuscule 2.06, with a lot of youngsters stepping up and doing well.  He is a rundown of the good young arms of the Frenchies.

MR Larry Wise – Wise has nine lives.  Just when he is about to be released, he pitches great.  This year is no exception.  Wise struggled early in the year but has turned it around and is 3-2 with a 2.74 ERA.  Wise will be nothing more than a minor league journeyman but is helping the Frenchies this year, so that buys him another year in Tempe’s organization.

MR Lázaro Fuentes – Fuentes is another journeyman finding success at AA.  He is 0-0 with an ERA of 2.20.  He will never be more then minor league filler but hopefully he can help lead the Frenchies to the playoffs.

MR Bang-xao Shuo – Shou is in the same boat as Fuentes, as he is never going to make the big club but can be useful in the minors.  This year he is 3-0 with an ERA of 1.65 and has been lights out.  The best that he can hope for is a September call up one year so he can say he made the majors.

MR Octávio Ferrera – Like a lot of pitchers on the Frenchies squad, Ferrera is pitching great.  He has an ERA of 1.47 and has struck out 15 in 18 innings.  He will more then likely be called up to Triple-A, as he is left-handed.  That alone buys him more time in the Knights’ organization.

MR Jorge Hernández – The Knights love Hernández, who they feel was overlooked in last year’s draft.  He was drafted in the 11^th round, and all he has done is been lights out.  Last year at short season Hernández was 1-1 with 16 saves and a microscopic ERA of 0.93.  He was promoted to Single-A, where he proved he could pitch, posting an ERA of 1.69.  This year he has shown he is no fluke, posting an ERA of 1.68 with five saves.  Hernández is 22 and the Knights feel he could be a vital part of their bullpen in the future.

MR Alejandro Meléndez – There is a trend in Quebec City where you have to be 28 to make the team.  Meléndez is 28, of course, and is minor league filler.  He is doing great this season, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.54 ERA.

CL Chris Cochran – The Knights love Cochran and believe he can be their closer of the future.  In 18 appearances he is 1-1 with 11 saves and an ERA of 1.19.  Cochran is only 20 and he will only get better.

While the pitching has kept Quebec City in it, their hitting has not been that bad.  They have some players who are having decent years, and the Frenchies have enough offense to make a playoff run.  The main hitters are:

1B Brian Cummings – Cummings came over in the LaFrance deal, and the Knights believe he can make it to the big leagues.  Cummings is hitting .335 with an OBP of .383.  He struggled at AAA, but the Knights hope he can make the jump next year.  Cummings plays a solid first base and has been killing the ball at Quebec City.

DH Wilford Hall – Hall has been great, hitting .303 with a .413 OBP.  He is 29 and nothing more then minor league filler, but the Frenchies are glad he is the lineup because he brings some veteran leadership to the team.

LF Tomás Gonzáles – Gonzáles has speed to burn and is batting .274.  He has played a solid leftfield.  The Knights believe Gonzáles could be their leadoff man of the future.

RF Dean Lawson – Lawson has been tearing it up since being picked up on the waiver wire.  He is killing the ball, hitting .373 with 3 homeruns and 12 RBI.  He is 29 and he might get a September call up in a few years.

Although he is struggling, Carlos Miranda has shown signs of breaking out of it.  The Knights believe he can be like Kirkland and play a solid third base.  It looks like to this reporter like the Frenchies can hang in it till the end and make their first playoff appearance.  One thing is for sure; they have the pitching to pull it off.