The Career of Julien Henri - A look back in time

[stevem810]

Robert Bour flies into Fort de France. Catches a cab to Basse-Pointe and the same night puts on quite a show. The 16 year old, and Player of the Game, went 7 strong innings notching the W in his first start for the Bandits. But, that's not all folks. Robert ripped a double in the 4th inning plating two runs which was the difference in the game. Basse-Pointe wins 4-3!

[stevem810]

Here are the player cards. I always like to look them over. Of course, once FRBL gets more history they will be more interesting. Robert had some brief history with the Burnaby Lynx before pitching his gem.

[stevem810]

A pair of 4-3 wins (including Robert Bour's first game) puts us back at .500 with a 44-44 record. We handled St. Anne's for the second day in a row after losing the opener. Here is the box score. I picked up a single and a double tonight. Another nice pitching performance from Matt Lund. He's been big!

[stevem810]

Fabre made his return to Le Diamant a noteworthy one as he torched his ex-teammates over the course of 3 days. The Diamonds managed to at least win the finale of the series, but even that game Didier proved to be a pest.

[stevem810]

Since Bour's nice first outing for the Bandits we have simply slumped. Even Trois-ilets' has passed us in the standings. I had a nice 5 for 9 streak going until I slid into 3rd base and injured my left shoulder. I would probably be ready tomorrow (July 30th) but they put me on the DL. To me, that made no sense. Now I lose 4 days of playing time while I'm playing good ball. Kenny Nielson, a 21 year old journeyman, has filled in for me going 2 for 11.

In my 2nd year in the FRBL my numbers are still weak, but, definitely improving as I get some experience. We are in Canada right now and after this series we will head to Igloolik. Very short warm weather season, but, an awesome little island to play ball. Here is a pic with my numbers for the two seasons below.

[stevem810]

The Lynx are the best team, so far.

[stevem810]

I hope the situation is not as bleak as it looks on paper. Our teams are last in every league right now and it seems like everyone is in a lousy mood. Owner Bruno Forcade is clearly worried and we all know it. He is supposed to visit Basse-Pointe for our first home stand when the road trip is over. I sort of look forward to it. I'm wondering if he will talk to the players? Or, is he one of these guys who sits off in the distance with sunglasses on?

So, Herve has just reached 100 AB's in AAA. Are you thinking what I am thinking? Right. Those are not Herve Delage numbers. Scary.

[stevem810]

Anse d'Arlet is proud to have one of their own as the Rookie of the Month for June and July. From Saint Joseph, Martinique, Eugene Gautier has a .921 OPS for the season while boasting a 6.9 ZR in right field. To top it off, he has 10 assists for the year in right field. Saint Joseph is located in the center of the island. It's high elevation is appreciated by visitors and locals alike, as the lush vegetation and natural wonders merge together in creating a very exotic environment, undisturbed by activities along the beaches of Martinique.

[stevem810]

Two outstanding wins for the Bandits in consecutive days. One, a huge 9th inning rally the other an extra inning thriller. Love it!

Note: Just the box score is featured in the 6-5 win. The hitting/pitching detail belongs to the 1-0 win.

[stevem810]

The new skipper has been batting me lead off for the past several games. At first I didn't care for it. I didn't feel warmed up enough, especially for a road game. But, I think I might like it. I lead the team in RBI's, but, I'll get a chance to do some base running at the top as opportunities were limited in the clean up role. But, hey, I just love playing.

[stevem810]

This was my favorite game of the year, so far. Manager Benoit was talking to me before the game and explaining the purpose behind a lead off batter. He emphasized, controlled aggression. Work the counts, but, when you get a pitch to hit, jump on it. On the base paths, he stressed being smart. Picking the right time to steal, the right pitch. The team doesn't let me decide that as I look for the signals on each pitch telling me whether to run, or sit tight. This win against the Chargers was awesome. It was a pitchers duel Lund and Mahlerbe (Les Trois Ilet). Just one run and it was scored by yours truly. It is what Benoit calls 'manufacturing a run'. Here is the account. I'm loving this lead off role.

[stevem810]

Wow, all of a sudden, our year is almost complete. At one point it seemed it would never end. Now, I kinda wish that we played into September. We won't make the post-season but there is still a lot to play for. All of us have clear instructions from the skip on what we should be working on for the next few weeks. For me, OBP and base running are the two top priorities.

[stevem810]

Patrick Beck is wrapping up his Scouting Reports for the 1961 year and was nice enough to share with me that the team likes the effort and tangible improvements I've made over the past month. It was no secret that my play dipped a bit earlier this season, but I feel like I'm in a better spot now. He said to not pay too much attention to the number system we use as Scouts.
He explained that they are required by team management to assign ratings based on a variety of criteria. Patrick said to me, "The most important numbers, Julien, are the ones you put on your baseball card."

[stevem810]

Patrick Beck did a recent review of my friend Herve Delage, now playing all the way up the ladder in AAA Le Marin. I guess he saw something in Herve's game, or maybe his make up, that merited a decrease in what the franchise projects as Herve's top end. But, again, all of us are changing every day of our lives so it is understood that scout ratings are fluid by nature. No matter how you see it, here is how Mr. Beck sees it.

[stevem810]

I had a chance to hit .250 for the season but went 0 for 4 the final game. Not a big deal, but it would have been nice. My coaches had some kind words for my efforts this season and that is appreciated. I'm starting to get more comfortable in the Le Diamant system. Even though we are the franchise that has the least organizational wins, we also have the games most promising stars. So, I hope that I can stay here with Martinique as my home base. You have no guarantees as a ballplayer where you will live. I think a lot of fans don't realize how stressful it can be for players to be moved while they are young. But, if it happens, I know I have a support team in place to help me.
Here are my final stats. I am proud of the fact that I had the most assists in CF this season, 16 (Francois Pineau had 13 for Les Tros Islet' Chargers).

[stevem810]

Here is the history for Le Diamant for both years.

[stevem810]

Here are the affiliates. As you can see the Bandits and Waveriders won more games than any other team in our system. Most of us on the team think we are going to be really good next season. I can't wait!

[BirdWatcher]

Am I seeing this correctly: 16 outfield assists with an arm rated 4 out of 10? If so, that's pretty impressive and makes me wonder if opponents were just running like crazy on him. Clearly, at least 16 times that was a mistake.

[stevem810]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

Am I seeing this correctly: 16 outfield assists with an arm rated 4 out of 10? If so, that's pretty impressive and makes me wonder if opponents were just running like crazy on him. Clearly, at least 16 times that was a mistake.

5 out of 10. Agree, it's a lot of assists. His real strength is Range and Error ratings.

[stevem810]

Giverney will get a chance to repeat as they capture the wild card finishing 10 games behind Paris in the France portion of the league.

None of the races were close as Anse d'Arlet and Quebec were the other divisional winners.