Europe A Troubled Spot For IBAF

I like Harvey Schiller. And, the IBAF is lucky the American accepted the “huge” challenge of getting baseball back on the Olympic slate. However, growing the game in Europe might be an impossible task even for a man with his credentials.

A decade has passed since I left my six-year European Adventure and while the landscape has changed in some ways, so many things remain the same. Sure, there has been progress and the Spanish League is gaining ground on both the Dutch and Italians. But at the same time, the gap between Asia and Europe is expanding.

Quality coaching and stiff competition have always been the backbone of a solid player development program. Yet, throughout the European leagues both of these ingredients are on the endangered list. Although money is not a cure-all for what ails baseball across the Atlantic Ocean, inadequate funding does guarantee the game continues to develop at a snail’s pace.

The signing of some European prospects by MLB clubs misled some to believe that the sport was about to take-off in Europe. But, a closer look reveals that MLB is also signing - and paying higher bonuses - to prospects from Taiwan and South Korea. Is it really feasible to believe that in another 10 years, Dutch and Italian baseball will not be still lording over the game in Europe?

Two countries worth watching over the next decade is Spain and the Czech Republic. The Spanish League is loaded with an abundance of quality arms which bodes well for developing hitters for international competition. FC Barcelona struggled offensively on home soil but feasted on opposing pitching at the CEB Cup in Regensburg to win their second consecutive title. You do the math.

The Czech League is another low-scoring league but it is the youth teams that make this nation’s baseball future so bright. The Czechs are also exporting players to leagues in Germany and the Netherlands which should lead to more opportunities for talented young players in future years.

Europe’s sleeping giant, the German League, continues to be hampered by an abundance of B-level squads masquerading as top level teams. The North Division was so weak in 2008 that both Solingen and Paderborn suffered development-wise playing such inferior teams every weekend. And, too many routs cannot be good for marketing the game.

The MLB Coaches Envoy Program that sent coaches to Europe to assist teams during the summer was not a bad idea. But, really, how much can a coach accomplish in a few months? While there are not a billion reasons for MLB to invest in European baseball similar to the assistance provided to Chinese baseball, it is not in the best interest of the Major Leagues or the IBAF for Europe to fall behind even further.

The proposed new professional European League is a good start to help the sport overseas. However, schiller must use his connections within MLB to devise a plan that will help clubs pay for foreign players and coaches that would raise the level of competition in European leagues.

If Major League franchises can pay 20th round draft picks six-figure signing bonuses - what’s a little scratch for Europe?

Photo/Solingen Alligators