Reichstein ready for Majors’ return to form

Byron Reichstein was the first to put up his hand. When the London Majors’ season ended in August, he announced right away he’d be back in 2024 — to have a big year personally and to help the Majors get back to their winning ways.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Well before the final out was made and the London Majors were eliminated from the playoffs on the last day of August, Byron Reichstein had made his decision.

It had been a difficult summer on the diamond for the reigning two-time Intercounty Baseball League champs. They finished 17-25 in the regular season, well below expectations – even if they weren’t going to three-peat. They nearly beat the Kitchener Panthers in the first round of the playoffs, on the arm of Owen Boon, but ultimately came up short.

But Reichstein was all-in. He was ready for 2024 already. Ready for the Majors to get back on track and return to their winning ways. And ready to be a big part of it, playing a major role on a Majors team that he’s spent a decade of his life playing for.

“We fell off so early (in 2023). I wasn’t there all the time, so I kind of took it like it was partially my fault what was happening on the field,” said Reichstein, who’s worn a Majors uniform every summer since 2012 (minus the pandemic-canceled 2020 season). “Before the season was over, I told myself that I was coming back and making sure I was there and present so I can help the team.”

Reichstein played in 31 of the team’s 42 regular season games last summer, batting .311 (38-for-122) with seven home runs and 25 runs driven in. Pretty good numbers. But not what the outfielder is capable of.

In the playoffs, he provided a glimpse of that potential, going 9-for-19 (.474) with a pair of homers, six runs scored and four walks in the five-game series against the Panthers.

But he didn’t need a strong postseason to fuel the desire to return in 2024. He didn’t need to pop those two long balls in Game 3 to put the Majors, at the time, on the brink of advancing to the second round (they dropped Games 4 and 5 to lose the series).

And when the final out was made, he was the first to tell manager Roop Chanderdat of his intentions to return – and on a more full-time basis – for the 2024 season.

“I don’t know exactly who’s coming back, but I know I am, and I’m hoping that will attract some other guys to come back and want to play,” said Reichstein. “I want people to know we’re going to continue moving in a good direction despite what happened last year. It’s not like we’re all just packing it in and giving up. Yeah, we got kicked down, but I’m ready to get back up and fight again.”

The veteran’s decision was certainly music to Chanderdat’s ears, who’s been coaching Reichstein in the summers since his first year in junior college at age 19.

“We’ve been around a long time. Byron’s a perennial all-star every year, so I’m obviously excited about him coming back,” the manager said. “He was the first guy to commit, too, which shows the hunger and drive. Any time you can get an all-star, potential MVP candidate player, that’s big for your team.”

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Talent has never been the question. If Reichstein is at the ballpark regularly, he’s producing – at the plate and in the outfield with his strong arm in right. And he’s producing at a level that puts him in the conversation as one of the best players in the league.

But over the last couple of seasons, the challenge has been getting Reichstein to the ballpark and in the lineup every game. Now 30, the veteran has had other commitments – including coaching a London Badgers team – that have kept him from being a true full-time player.

In 2022, that meant not joining the team until Canada Day and only playing 19 regular season games. And the rust showed. Reichstein hit only .299 with a pair of home runs in the regular campaign – before finding his groove and going on a tear in the playoffs (.391, 4 HR, 12 RBI in 12 games) to help the Majors capture a second straight IBL title.

But that championship felt different, the outfielder said. In a strange way, it didn’t feel like he was fully part of the team since he’d only joined the squad – with a lot of new faces – halfway through the year.

He played more often in 2023, but still appeared in fewer than three-quarters of the team’s regular season games. Again, the less-than-full-time presence affected his numbers. A .311 batting average and 25 RBIs in 31 games is certainly nothing to scoff at, but Reichstein will be the first to say he’s capable of more.

Consider the 2021 season – the year the Majors won their first IBL title since 1975. Reichstein played in 28 of 30 games in a shortened regular season and hit an impressive .411 (fifth in the league) with a .488 on-base percentage, 1.180 OPS and 16 extra-base hits. He led the team in nearly every offensive category.

That had come after a down season in 2019 and then a long layoff – during which the outfielder gained a newfound passion for the game after not playing in a summer for the first time since he was three years old. He was rejuvenated.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

“It was like my battery was recharged,” Reichstein said that year. “Getting ready for (2021), I was amped up because I wanted to get back and play … play in front of the Friday night crowd, hear people chant and cheer … all the stuff around baseball, the baseball noise. It’s something that I’d missed for a year.”

What followed was a magical season for the Majors – and one of Reichstein’s best in a London uniform. He followed up a strong regular season with an unforgettable playoff run. In seven games, he went 13-for-29 (.448) with five home runs and eight runs scored.

The biggest homer? The one in Game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, of course.

Perhaps not surprisingly, that moment stands as Reichstein’s personal favourite during his Majors career.

“We were struggling, and then we caught a little rally and I kind of put the nail in the coffin with the home run to stop (Toronto’s) momentum and create our own to where we ran away and won it that day.”

Down 3-1 in the third inning (a night after losing a 6-5 game in 13 innings in Toronto), Reichstein came up with two runners on and completely shifted the momentum in the championship-deciding contest. He drilled a 3-2 pitch off Marek Deska over the right-field wall towards Riverside Drive. It put London up 4-3, and they’d go on to win 8-4 and claim their first IBL title in 46 years – in front of 3,300 fans at Labatt Park.

“The place just erupted,” Reichstein recalled at the time. “I’ve never heard that place so loud.”

The outfielder was awarded playoff MVP honours.

“That was nice, knowing all the hard work, from 2012 when I first started … and then reaching the goal of winning and knowing that everyone trusted and believed in me to help lead the charge. For me, personally, that would be my favourite moment.”

It’s a moment that will certainly go down as an iconic one for Majors fans.

But they’re hoping for more, of course, and that’s what both Reichstein and Chanderdat are focused on heading into a new season in 2024. They’re looking to turn the page on a forgettable 2023 campaign and return to the winning ways the club enjoyed, not just during their two title years, but for several seasons before that when they were seemingly legitimate contenders year in and year out.

“I think it starts in the clubhouse,” Reichstein said. “We have a great atmosphere. Roop runs a really good system. People don’t realize that. He takes care of us, he does a great job giving us the things we need in order to be successful. That includes things like time at the field and regular communication on what’s expected of us, our roles.”

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

Reichstein believes the latter point, players embracing their roles – and not trying to do more than they’re capable of, adding undue pressure – is something the team lost last year.

“That’s a big thing for us, and that’s where we were a couple years ago. Everyone has to understand, ‘Okay, this is what I can do, this is what I can’t do.’ I’m not saying you can’t work on those other things, but I think it’s so important for everyone to be on the same page – to know what each player is capable of and showing up to the field ready to play your role.”

Reichstein’s role will be the same as it’s been for years – a run-producing middle-of-the-order bat who drives the ball with authority and gets on base at a high clip.

“If he plays a full season, the numbers will take care of themselves,” said Chanderdat. “He’ll be in the mix to be a First- or Second-Team All-Star in this league. Byron’s a potential MVP type of player, and he’s been clutch in the playoffs.”

That latter point is an understatement. You want a playoff performer? Byron Reichstein is your guy. A career .336 hitter overall, Reichstein has hit a combined .408 with 13 home runs, 47 RBIs and 53 runs in 51 postseason games since 2016. He has come through for the Majors when it mattered most. Now, he’s hoping the 2024 iteration of the club will give him that opportunity again with a long playoff run next summer.

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Preparing for a baseball season at age 30 is a lot different than doing so at 20 years old – or 25. The body doesn’t heal as quickly, the risk of injury can increase, depending on one’s level of fitness, flexibility and other factors.

But 30 isn’t over the hill, either (just ask longtime Majors legend Cleveland Brownlee, who turned in perhaps the best year of his career at age 37 two seasons ago). Reichstein is certainly confident he’s got lots left in the tank.

“I’m still young, and I can still play. At 30, I’m not past my prime, by any means,” the outfielder said. “I mean, I don’t know how many more years I’ll have, but I’m hoping to just continue to put more into it and do well while I still have the ability to be one of the top guys in the league.”

Fatigue did set in last year – but it was because the veteran was juggling too much. Between his coaching role with the London Badgers and his time playing for the Majors, Reichstein was traveling an awful lot – and spending six days at the ballpark, where he was absorbing the energy-draining sun.

“Even halfway through the summer, I was exhausted,” he said. “I love being at the field, but it was just a little too much. I was gassed.”

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

Something had to give for this to work. Reichstein decided he’ll put the coaching aside for now and focus on his playing career. It seems to have come from a reflective place as he’s become more aware that, indeed, a player’s days end. Father Time, as they say, is undefeated.

“I can still coach later on in life, so that’s never out of the question. But with playing, it’s more like, tick tock, time’s ticking,” he said. “You never know when your last game’s gonna be.”

That’s something Chanderdat, a former player himself, preaches a fair bit to his players.

“You can’t turn back your peak athletic clock. You can go play men’s league, or whatever, but you can never replicate that time when you can be dominant,” the manager said. “And Byron’s story, it’s still being written. He can put a good ending on it.

“He’s an all-time great for the Majors. If he keeps playing, he’s going to rewrite some records in terms of where he sits in Majors history. I tell him, Cleveland and (Owen) Boon that when they pack it in, they’ll be able to share their careers with their kids, their grandkids. Those are all guys in my time that will have their numbers recognized in Majors alumni history.”

It may sound cliché, but Reichstein is approaching this offseason with the attitude less is more. Work smarter rather than harder. He’s cognizant of a knee injury he suffered last year (which feels good), and of the time needed to recover from workouts at 30 compared to a half-decade ago. But he’s still looking forward to the grind that is an IBL baseball season – and playing more games than he has in years.

“Absolutely. I know it’s a busy schedule, but it’s something I’m preparing for – mentally and physically – just to make sure I’m ready at the hop and that I’m there all the time to lead the team.

“I’ll probably try to take more video this year, just to see what’s going on so I can cut to the problem quicker instead of just taking 100 swings and figuring it out that way. It’s going to be more analysis of my swing, more technical. It’ll be about keeping the swing nice and easy.”

Certainly, wisdom is taking over as Reichstein’s career progresses. But don’t think he’s not as competitive as the 19-year-old kid who first put on a London Majors uniform. In fact, he seems to have a fire in his belly thinking about a new season – and particularly when thinking about any naysayers.

The question: Does he still have what it takes to be in the conversation for an MVP award in this league?

“I’d like to think that, but it’s not for me to have that conversation, it’s the people (who vote). But I think I have the physical capabilities and the mental ability to stay strong and be able to do that,” he said.

“Do people care to have me in that conversation? If they don’t, that sucks to be them, because I bet they’re going to have to. I believe I have what it takes to be in that conversation. I’ll just have to prove to them that I deserve to be in it.”