Saturday, February 27, 1954
GATORS AND SAINTS STILL THE BEST IN THE SI SUPREME LEAGUE
Defending South Island Supreme League champion Guedon and runner-up St. Dominic are poised and ready to duke it out again this season... Guedon will get the nod for the pennant again because it has the superior offense and solid pitching... neither club got any infusion of new talent... both are pretty much the same clubs as last season... the two promoted newcomers, Meraux and Bar Harbor, up from the old South Island Second League, may have a tough time against the oldtimers in the Supreme League... they appear to be pretty much the same teams as last year talent-wise.
1st Place:
The Guedon Gators are the best-hitting club in the Supreme League and they have some good pitching to go with it... the Gators (11-9) came in a close second to St. Dominic (12-8) in the inaugural 1952 season in the old SI Second League... both clubs were promoted to the First League last year... the Gators (14-7) won the pennant this time around with the Saints (13-8) winding up a game behind in second place.
Judging by spring games Guedon has improved depth in its pitching staff... last year's primary starter Chris Charlet (11-2/2.74 ERA) is back again and will be ably backed up by #2 Adam Frey (3-2/2.86 ERA)... #3 Todd Cole also had a good spring... the big bats are back and rarin' to go, sparked by hard-hitting outfielders Jean-Claude Jolissaint (.388), George Thomas (.323) and Charley Comeaux (.282)... other dependable bats are third baseman Jimmy Donahue (.288) and shortstop Mike Rogers (.261)... rookie catcher Jules Lebreton (.400) stood out in the spring and he will challenge for a starting spot... Lebreton is just an average hitter, but is a solid defender.
2nd Place:
St. Dominic should be better this season with the return of their slick-fielding star shortstop Mickey Retief, who missed most of last year with an injury... Retief, a .354 hitter in '52, only played 6 games late last year and batted a very poor .040... hopefully he has recovered from the serious hand injury... star center fielder and last year's MVP Bobby Taylor (.413), second baseman Connie Ryan (.299), right fielder Billy Steen (.310) and rookie shortstop Johnny Kitchens (.282) had to carry the offense last year... a healthy Retief will do wonders for the Saints... two rookies first baseman Bart Trowbridge (.357) and center fielder Bob Hale (.273) performed well this spring... rookie pitcher Todd Stevenson (0-1/1.50 ERA) did well, too... key to the season will be #1 pitcher Paul Amiss... he really looked good in the spring with a 2-1 mark and a 1.14 ERA... he looked like the old Amiss... last year Amiss struggled with an 8-6 record and a 3.12 ERA... he was 9-4 with a terrific 1.78 ERA in his first year in 1952... if Retief and Amiss rebound and have good seasons, St. Dominic just might beat out Guedon this year.
3rd Place:
The Meraux Tigers had a poor year in 1952 in the Second League (9-11), but they jumped to 13-8 last year and won the pennant, beating out Bar Harbor by a game (12-9)... both teams were promoted up to the SI Supreme League for this season... the Tigers only have so-so pitching... they depend on the bats to win games... the Tigers don't hit for much average... Meraux's mainstay is the home run... top bats are second baseman Jackson Maxwell (.304), third baseman Buddy Brodnax (.272), right fielder Boyd Benson (.265), center fielder Johnny Morton (.265), first baseman Clinton Theriot (.232), catcher Ike Barbier (.211) and catcher Jimmy Eubanks (.208)... Meraux will have a rookie center fielder Max Schnell in the lineup... he dazzled this spring with a sizzling .405 BA and 9 SB... rookie shortstop Noel Roche (.240) might also be added to the starting lineup... the Tigers are hoping he will improve the defense and offer some offense as well... last year's prime starter Mario Michelli (9-3/3.24) will begin the season, but he could be pushed by Floyd Duncan and Tim Watford... they both showed well in spring games... that's good news for Meraux... the Tigers look like they have improved over the offseason.
4th Place:
The Bar Harbor Acadians had a miserable first year in 1952, going 5-15 and were totally outclassed in the SI Second League... the Cajuns did an about-face last year and improved to 12-9, good for the runner-up spot to Meraux... now they are in the SI Supreme League and will compete with the big boys... #1 starter Andrew Moneypenny was the prime mover in the standings... he was 6-2 in 14 starts with a 3.24 ERA... he also got some good run support from right fielder Pierre Marquette (.303), second baseman Jimmy Armstrong (.280), first sacker Armand Savoie (.279), center fielder Alex Korda (.272) and the league's most valuable player left fielder Duke Rabouin (.264)... rookie Buddy Gilbert will get a shot at center field... he did fairly well this spring with a .276 BA and 3 stolen bases... Teebo Thibodeaux will get another shot at a regular spot in the infield at third base... Thibodeaux had a decent spring with a .273 BA and 5 SB.
South Island Supreme League Outlook:
Guedon and St. Dominic will continue to be the class of the league... Meraux will probably wind up third in the standings with Bar Harbor pulling up the rear.