NOVARA INKS VENEZUELAN PITCHER

Italian Baseball League newcomer Novara United has signed Venezuelan right-handed pitcher Jean Carlos Toledo. The 27-year-oldplayed four seasons with the Los Angeles Angels organization from 2002-2005. He posted a 24-25 record with a 3.82 ERA and 199 strikeouts in 71 games (65 starts).

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SPAIN – San Inazio Bilbao has signed Venezuelan pitcher Jose Romero for the upcoming season. The Spanish League will open the doors on the 2011 European baseball season this weekend with a full slate of games.

Romero posted a 1-1 record this winter with an impressive 0.90 ERA for the La Guaira Sharks of the Venezuela Professional Baseball League. The reliever also tallied 15 strikeouts and issued seven walks in 12 appearances spanning 20 innings.

PAMPLONA ADDS VENEZUELAN SLUGGER
The Spanish League club CD Pamplona has signed former Milwaukee Brewers prospect Isaac Palencia for the upcoming 2011 season. The 25-year-old Venezuelan, who batted .318 over two seasons in the Arizona Summer League, is expected to take over as the starting catcher.

VALENCIA INKS PROMISING BACKSTOP
The Valencia Astros have signed catcher Adrian Porres. The 23-year-old national team performer, who debuted with the senior national squad at the age of 17, is a defensive standout who is considered one of the top catching prospects in Europe.

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ITALY – The Italian Baseball League club Telemarket Rimini has signed former Major Leaguer Josh Phelps for the 2011 season. The re-tooled Pirates have also added newcomers Dushan Ruzic, Jan Rehacek, Max De Biase, Panagiotis Sikaras, Paolo Tanesini, Daniele Santolupo and Brandon Chavez.

Phelps hails from Alaska and played eight seasons (2000-2008) in the big leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.

The 32-year-old first baseman/designated hitter was selected by the Blue Jays in the 10th round of the 1996 MLB amateur draft. In 2002-2003, he hit a combined .284 with 35 homers, 98 runs scored and 124 RBIs in 193 games.

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FRANCE – Paris Universitie Club of the French League has signed right-hander Will Musson for the 2011 season. The American hurler is expected to arrive in France in early March.

Musson attended both the University of Connecticut and Eastern Connecticut State University. He compiled a 17-3 record with a 4.14 ERA and 162 strikeouts over 167-plus innings. The starting pitcher also played summer ball in both the Alaskan Baseball League (ABL) and the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL).

Musson is described as “a very talented RHP with a good mix of pitches to throw in all counts,” said PUC manager Jeff Stoeckel in a statement. “He will surely strengthen our pitching staff and improve our team as a whole.”

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THE NETHERLANDS – The Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB) has announced a 28-man roster for its Spring Training trip to Florida. The Dutch National Team will compete at the St. Petersburg International Baseball Tournament from March 1-13.

American skipper Brian Farley and the Dutch will play six games, including contests against Canada, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies.  Pitching coach Steve Janssen joins assistant coaches Wim Martinus, Tjerk Smeets and Ben Thijssen on the coaching staff.

A pair of Mr. Cocker HCAW standouts, pitcher Kevin Miner and infielder Michael Pluijmers, will be making their debut for the Orange and Black. Other players tasting their first action with the national squad includes infielders Roeland Henrique Jr. (L&D Amsterdam) and Rien Vernooij (Neptunus).

2011 DUTCH NATIONAL TEAM:

CATCHERS:
Jason Halman (Corendon Kinheim), Sidney de Jong (L&D Amsterdam), and Bas Nooij (L&D Amsterdam).

INFIELDERS:
Jeffrey Arends (Neptunus), Michael Duursma (Pioniers), Bryan Engelhardt (Corendon Kinheim), Roeland Henrique Jr. (L&D Amsterdam), Dwayne Kemp (Neptunus), Raily Legito (Neptunus), Michael Pluijmers (Mr. Cocker HCAW), Vince Rooi (L&D Amsterdam), and Rien Vernooij (Neptunus).

OUTFIELDERS:
Shaldimar Daantji (Neptunus), Bas de Jong (L&D Amsterdam), Eugene Kingsale (Neptunus), Dirk van ‘t Klooster (Corendon Kinheim), and Danny Rombley (UVV).

PITCHERS:
David Bergman (Corendon Kinheim), Leon Boyd (no 2011 team yet), Rob Cordemans (L&D Amsterdam), Berry van Driel (Neptunus), Kevin Heijstek (Neptunus), Diegomar Markwell (Neptunus), Kevin Miner (Mr. Cocker HCAW), Nick Stuifbergen (Corendon Kinheim), Nick Veltkamp (Corendon Kinheim), Orlando Yntema (UVV), and Jurjen van Zijl (UVV).

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THE NETHERLANDS – The Dutch Major League club Sparta/Feyenoord has signed middle infielder Jose Castillo for the upcoming season. The Rotterdam club will begin its preseason schedule against the Euro Stars on March 12-13 before hitting the road a week later to battle the Belgium club Port of Antwerp Greys.

The 27-year-old Castillo is a former member of the Venezuelan Junior National Team who has also suited up for the Tenerife Marlins. Last year, he played for the Spanish National Team at both the Italian Baseball Week tournament and the 2010 European Championship.

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CZECH REPUBLIC – The Czech Baseball Association (CBA) has appointed Andy Berglund as the head coach of the Czech National Team. The American, who signed a two-year deal and will also be responsible for the Junior National Team, succeeds Arnost Nesnal.

Berglund previously worked as a MLB Envoy Coach in Europe, and steered Stockholm to the 2008 Swedish League championship. He is currently coaching in the United States and will arrive in the Czech Republic in mid-March.

Besides coaching the national teams, Berglund will also be calling the shots as skipper of the Czech club Prague Eagles.

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ITALY – Former Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Peter Nyari has been signed by the Italian Baseball League club Godo-Verona North East Knights. He has previously pitched in the IBL with both Cariparma Parma and T&A San Marino.

The 39-year-old right-hander will take over as the new closer for a squad that finished in the IBL cellar last year with a dismal 7-35 record. A former Italian national team hurler, Nyari has posted a career 4.00 ERA in 129 games in Italy.

The Erie, Pennsylvania native baseball career appeared to have ended when he fell from the third floor of an Italian apartment complex in 2008. However, the Italian-American has fully recovered and is reportedly throwing a low 90s fastball.

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ITALY – Veteran Latino slugger Jhonny Carvajal has signed a deal with the Italian Baseball League (IBL) club Montepaschi Grosseto. The former U.S. minor leaguer will be looking to rebound from a subpar 2010 in which he batted just .266 for Telemarket Rimini.

Carvajal was signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent in 1992 before making his pro debut one year later. He has also played in the farm systems of the Montreal Expos, Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants.

The 37-year-old Venezuelan debuted in the IBL with Grosseto in 2004 and played two seasons with the Orioles. He joined De Angelis Godo in 2006 before signing with San Inazio Bilbao (Spain) the following year. He has also played for the Rangers Redipuglia and Cariparma Parma.

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GERMANY – The German Baseball League club Pulheim Gophers have signed American dual threat Ronnie Glunt for the upcoming 2011 season. The Gophers finished in a three-way tie for fifth-place in the North Division last year with a 11-17 record.

Glunt played two seasons at NCAA Division II Alderson Broaddus College (West Virginia). In 2010, he batted .462 (6-for-13) in five Los Angeles Baseball League contests.

2010 EXHIBITION GAMES
3/05 – Mainz Athletics
3/12 – at Cologne Cardinals
3/13 – Cologne Cardinals
3/20 – Solingen Alligators

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By Mark Schroder

13 February 2011

The ‘Alcohol Think Again’ Perth Heat have won the inaugural Delta Air Lines Australian Baseball League Championship Series and the Claxton Shield after beating the Adelaide ‘ETSA’ Bite 7-1 in Game 3 at Barbagallo Ballpark on Sunday.

After dropping the opening game of the series 4-3 on Friday, Perth rallied to win Saturday’s second game 9-2 courtesy of eight runs and a Grand Slam home run in the fifth inning before wrapping up the title with Game 3′s victory.

Perth starting pitcher Ben Moore was named the Finals MVP after throwing nine complete innings, conceding just four hits, one run, and no walks while striking out ten Adelaide batters.

Moore and Adelaide ace Paul Mildren kept the batters quiet through the first four innings before the fifth stanza once again became a nightmare for the Bite.

With Game 2 hero Ronnie Welty at third base and Mathew Kennelly at second for the Heat, Mitchell Graham slammed a line drive double to centre field which allowed both of his teammates to score before Tim Kennelly, at the very next at bat, brought home Graham courtesy of his fly ball single to left field.

Down 3-0, any hope Adelaide had of rallying was quickly dismissed after Perth’s offense opened up in the eighth inning to effectively snatch the win.

After Tim Kennelly crossed home plate courtesy of Luke Hughes’ line drive to centre field, left fielder Robbie Widlansky brought the raucous Perth crowd to their feet with a booming home run over the centre field fence to add two more to the score.

Perth added one more run to their tally late in the eighth inning, and Adelaide clawed one back at the top of the ninth, but Moore and the Heat proved to be too efficient under pressure and were soon celebrating their successful season on field in front of their appreciative fans.

Courtesy TheABL.com

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Courtesy BaseballSoftballUK.com

Cambridge Royals Baseball Club will be rejoining the British Baseball leagues in the summer of 2011 under the stewardship of ex-Royals player Gary Linton and Head Coach Adam Brown, whose previous experience involved coaching successful teams in Nottingham and Leicester.

The team, which will compete in the AA South and is planning on building a diamond at Coldham’s Commonin the city over the next few months, is currently recruiting players of all backgrounds and abilities.

Rich History

Baseball first took off in Cambridge due to local interest in the 1985 World Series, and the Cambridge Royals were formed in 1987.

Within a year they were runners up in the British Baseball Federation Division 3 South, and in 1989 and 1990 they won the BBF Division 2 South.

The big break, however, came in 1991, when they were invited to play in the new National League against such teams as the Enfield Spartans and London Warriors, and Cambridge finished third in their best season.

Monarchs in Feltwell

Cambridge baseball was then extended through the creation of a second team, the Cambridge Monarchs. This became the Royals’ new name when they eventually moved away from the city to play at RAF Feltwell on the Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.

Over the years, the club was lucky enough to develop the Gilbert brothers, Matthew and Andrew, both of whom went on to play for Great Britain.

Now, after a ten year hiatus, baseball is finally returning to Cambridge, and so have the Royals.

Anyone who wishes to be involved with the club in any capacity should contactadam@cambridgebaseballuk.org.

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The Italian National Baseball Team will be headed to Florida during spring training. Twenty-six players will head to Vero Beach, the former training home to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team will be in Florida for two weeks from March 1 to March 14 with games scheduled against the New York Mets, Florida Marlins, and Washington Nationals.

The coaching staff headed to Florida contains a few former Major Leaguers. Manager Marco Mazzieri will be joined by a new bench coach in Marco Nanni, hitting coach Mike Piazza, pitching coach Bill Holmberg, along with fellow coaches Claudi Vecchi and Alberto D’Auria. Also joining the team will be coach Frank Catalanotto. Catalanotto played for Italy in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics.

Italy is not the only European team in town. The Netherlands will also be in Florida during spring training taking on several MLB teams along with the Korean team NEXEN Heroes.

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ITALY – The Italian Baseball League club Telemarket Rimini has signed former Pittsburgh Pirates farmhand Brandon Chaves for the upcoming 2011 season. The Pirates came in third-place last year with a 27-15 record.

The 31-year-old Hawaiian native was chosen in the 10th round of the 2000 MLB Draft by the Pirates. He also suited up in the minor leagues for the Cleveland Indians and the Tampa Bay Rays, and finished with a career .231 batting average in 956 games.

Chaves, who will replace Daniel Gonzalez at shortstop, hit .258 last year for the Bridgeport Bluefish (Atlantic League).

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MAINZ ADDS CORNER INFIELDER
The Mainz Athletics has added former Mannheim infielder Alexander Szalay to its roster for the upcoming season. The A’s placed seventh last year with a 9-19 record.

The 23-year-old, who has also don the colors of the Paderborn Untouchables and Cologne Cardinals, has a career .223 batting average in 115 Bundesliga games.

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GERMANY – The Mannheim Tornados of the German League have inked a pair of Americans, Ian O’Connor and Mark DeVincenzi, for the 2011 campaign. The Tornados finished in third-place in the rugged South Division a year ago with a 17-11 record.

The 22-year-old O’Connor, who will replace Dennis Kelly at shortstop, attended Santa Clara University where he batted .370 with six RBIs in 20 games for the Broncos.

DeVincenzi, 23, is a product of California Polytechnic State University. The right-hander posted a 2-2 record with a 6.26 ERA in 17 appearances out of the bullpen for the Mustangs in 2010

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SWEDEN – The Swedish League club Karlskoga Bats have signed a trio of foreign import players – Lee Darracott, Paul Waterman and Kenta Sato for the 2011 season. The Bats dethroned two-time Swedish champion Stockholm in last year’s title series.

Darracott, 25, was drafted in 2006 by San Francisco Giants but opted to attend college. For the past three years, the Canadian right-handed slugger has served as a player/coach in Australia.

Waterman is a Canadian left-hander who has a British passport. He played this winter in South Africa and previously pitched for the Mannheim Tornados and the Gauting Indians in the German League.

Sato hails from Japan and is a right-handed pitcher and infielder. He previously played at the collegiate and independent league levels in the United States, and is currently playing in Australia.

The newcomers are replacing brothers Bryce and Jason Enewold, along with Lithuanian hurler Eimantes Zickus, who is expected to remain for most of the season in Lithuania.

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SPAIN – The Spanish League club FC Barcelona has signed Cuban outfielder Cole Yanco for the 2011 season. Barcelona, which finished 31-5 (second-place) last year, will meet the Valencia Astros in the season opener on February 27.

The 25-year-old Isla de la Juventud product is a versatile player who is a former corner infield. He joins right-hander Jason Friedman, southpaw Ricardo Hernandez, shortstop Oscar Angulo and third baseman Jesus Golindano as the foreign import players on this year’s roster.

PAMPLONA INKS VENEZUELAN HURLER
CD Pamplona has added Venezuelan pitcher Alexis Fumero for the upcoming 2011 campaign. Pamplona finished in ninth-place last season with a 6-30 record.

The 25-year-old righty, who had seven appearances for Arizona Diamondbacks’ Dominican Summer League squad in 2006, posted a 4-9 record and a 4.70 ERA with 83 strikeouts (97.2 innings) for Pamplona in 2009.

Fumero is also a capable hitter who batted .361 with 10 extra-base hits and 17 RBIs in his last season in Spain two years ago.

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ITALY – The Italian Baseball League club Montepaschi Grosseto will sign former Major League infielder Tomas Perez for the 2011 season, according to the Baseball.it website. Grosseto finished in sixth-place last year with a 20-22 record.

Perez, 37, spent 12 seasons (1995-2008) in the big leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros. In 789 games, he batted .240 with 96 doubles, 24 homers and 180 RBIs.

The Lara, Venezuelan native, who can play all four infield positions, was originally by the Montreal Expos as an amateur free agent in 1991.

RIMINI ADDS FORMER BIG LEAGUER
The Telemarket Rimini Pirates have signed former Boston Red Sox utility man Bryant Nelson for the upciming IBL season. The 37-year-old batted .265 (9-for-34) with three doubles in 25 MLB games in 2002.

The Arkansas product, who played 12 seasons in the minor leagues, batted .288 with 22 homers and 72 RBIs last year for the Lancaster Barnstormers (Atlantic League).

NETTUNO SIGNS TALENTED SOUTHPAW
Danesi Nettuno has come to terms with former T&A San Marino left-handed pitcher Jose Escalona. The 25-year-old Venezuelan went 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA and tallied 41 strikeouts in 33-plus innings a year ago.

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AUSTRIA – The reigning Austrian Baseball League champion Attnang Athletics will headline the 14th edition of the Finkstonball Tournament from June 11-13 at the Athletics Ballpark in Attnang-Puchheim. The tournament host won the international event last year for a record-setting third time.

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Courtesy TeamRenteria.com

Murray Cook, consultant to the Major League Baseball (MLB) on building baseball stadiums visited Tomas Arrieta Stadium in Barranquilla on Thursday February 10th to deliver recommendations on building a new ballpark, which bear the name of Edgar Renteria.

Cook was joined by the City Mayor Alejandro Char Chaljub, the president of the Colombian Federation of Baseball, Jimmy Char, District Secretary of Recreation and Sport, Gonzalo Bautista and the President of the Colombian League of Professional Baseball, Edinson Rentería.

Cook will also review the draft of the baseball Complex to be built on the road to Juan Mina. Murray Cook has 35 years’ experience in management, design and construction of stadiums for Major League Baseball and the minor leagues. Throughout his career he has gained wide recognition in different parts of the world for constructing baseball venues. He has also served an adviser for building projects, design and management of baseball stadiums and multi-purpose venues in approximately thirty countries. Among them we have:

o Wukesong Baseball Stadium, 2008 Beijing Olympics
o Homebush Stadium, 2000 Sydney Olympics
o World Baseball Classic stadiums in Puerto Rico and Mexico.
o IBAF World Cups in Taiwan 2001, Holland 2005, Taiwan 2007, and Europe 2009.
o The Atlanta Braves, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex
o Roger Dean Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins during Spring Training.

Cook had visited our country in October 2007 when he trained the grounds crew on maintenance of a professional baseball stadium. We value his expertise and presence.

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Press Release IBAF.org

The 26th Southeast Asian Games will be held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia from November 11 to 25. Indonesia is going to host the Southeast Asian Games for the fourth time in history. Eleven countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam) and over 6,000 athletes will be competing. 44 sports are going to be on the program, including Baseball.

The Baseball tournament will be held at the Jakabaring Sport Complex in Palembang. Baseball is part of the Southeast Asian Games since the 2005 event. In the inaugural edition host Philippines shut out Thailand 11-0 in the finals to win the title. Indonesia won the bronze medal. Two years later Thailand got some payback, as they defeated the Philippines 5-4 in the gold medal game with Indonesia again finishing in third place. There was not a Baseball tourney at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games, as host Laos didn’t had a team.

Baseball in the history of the Southeast Asian Games:

2005 in Philippines:
1. Philippines
2. Thailand
3. Indonesia
4. Myanmar

2007 in Thailand:
1. Thailand
2. Philippines
3. Indonesia
4. Myanmar
5. Malaysia
6. Cambodia

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Courtesy Baseball Canada

OTTAWA- Former Junior National Team member Mike Griffin (Nanaimo, BC) is taking his baseball expertise to Asia as he has been hired by Major League Baseball to help oversee the development of players under 20 years old. Griffin will be based out of the MLB Development Centre headquarters in Wuxi, China but will also work with players in other parts of Asia.

“An opportunity to join MLB was one I couldn’t pass up”, says Griffin. “My supporting wife was on side and so begins another chapter in our globetrotting lives. We have worked hard in baseball to hopefully stay with it as a career.”

Being involved in baseball internationally is nothing new to Griffin who has spent the past five years living in the Czech Republic where he played and coached professionally. It is in the European country that Griffin was able to work at such events as the World University Games and European Cup which led to forming a relationship with MLB International.

“My European experience has been invaluable in that I had the opportunities as an ‘A’ league player, an ‘A’ league coach, baseball academy and youth camp instructor, administrator and public relations liaison,” explained Griffin.

Griffin’s journey in baseball began in his native Nanaimo where he played for the Nanaimo Pirates of the British Columbia Premier League. Griffin’s play caught the attention of JNT coaches and he spent the 2003 season with the club. After receiving scholarship offers from the University of Hawaii and the College of Southern Idaho, Griffin accompanied the USA Athletes in Action team on a European tour. It was there that Griffin’s play caught the attention of coaches from the Ostrava Arrows of the professional “A” league in the Czech Republic where he was subsequently offered a contract.

After his playing days were over Griffin switched to coaching in the city of Kotlarka for two years before the opportunity with MLB arose.

“The Kotlarka owners were nice enough to realize this opportunity for me and released me from my contract with them,” added Griffin.

The 25 year-old, who began his new position on January 1st and relocated to China on January 18th, will be joined by his wife Jacqueline.

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NETHERLANDS – The Dutch Major League club Mr. Cocker HCAW has inked former Boston Red Sox farmhand Tony Granadillo for the upcoming 2011 season. HCAW finished in fifth-place last year with a 19-23 record.

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