2008 Mister-Baseball Final European Top 50
by Josh Chetwynd
One fact was certain about the 2008 European baseball season: No one club dominated. This year featured a handful of different teams taking home each of the continent’s biggest trophies and league championships. Those mixed results had a major impact on the second annual Mister-Baseball European Top 50. As evidence of the closeness at the top, only one-half a point separated the four highest ranking clubs.
This year’s top ranking squad, L&D Amsterdam, narrowly secured the Mister-Baseball title following its national championship run in the Netherlands. Just behind the hoofdklasse winners were two Italian clubs: T&A San Marino and Danesi Caffe Nettuno. San Marino won Italy’s national title but fell to Nettuno in the finals at CEB’s Final 4 competition. Hoofdklasse runners-up Corendon Kinheim would have likely placed first in the rankings for a second-straight year if the club had attended and performed well at the CEB Final 4. Although Kinheim lost in the Dutch finals to Amsterdam, the team did win a European Cup title. Completing the top five was FC Barcelona, which placed just ahead of Spanish national title winner Marlins Puerto Cruz. FC Barcelona finished second in Spain’s title race, but won CEB’s other European Cup trophy.
This year’s final rankings reflect an increased recognition of head-to-head play between clubs from different countries in CEB club competitions. While teams received additional points for defeating (or placing higher) than other clubs in Cup events, that alone did not assure that the more successful squad would place higher in the rankings.
These rankings remain based on a combination of factors that attempt to offer a sense of where various teams from across the continent stack up against each other. Point totals for teams were amassed from two categories:
- Strength of baseball in the club’s country: The strength of domestic leagues and the countries’ overall international success were significant factors in these rankings. Among the elements considered were: The standing of each country’s national team in the European Championships; the country’s overall performance in CEB club events; and the size of the baseball membership in the country. In looking at country performance, both recent events and historical performance were taken into account.
- Club’s performance: This is the actual performance of the club. This included current standings in domestic leagues; clubs’ winning percentages; and performances in CEB-sanctioned competitions. In this category, a team’s performance for the 2008 season and in European Cup competitions (when applicable) was exclusively considered.
We recognize that these rankings may stir some debate. In part, that’s their very purpose. We do not claim this list to be definitive. If you have any questions or comments, send e-mails to rankings@mister-baseball.com.
| Pos. | Club | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L&D Amsterdam | Netherlands | 29.50 |
| 2 | Danesi Caffe' Nettuno | Italy | 29.33 |
| T&A San Marino | San Marino | 29.33 | |
| 4 | Corendon Kinheim | Netherlands | 29.00 |
| 5 | CB Barcelona | Spain | 27.00 |
| 6 | Tenerife Marlins P.C. | Spain | 26.50 |
| 7 | Montepaschi Grosseto Orioles | Italy | 25.33 |
| 8 | Curacao Neptunus | Netherlands | 25.00 |
| 9 | Buchbinder Legionäre | Germany | 24.83 |
| 10 | Rouen Baseball 76 | France | 23.50 |
| 11 | Vaessen Pioniers | Netherlands | 23.00 |
| 12 | CNF Unipolsai Bologna | Italy | 22.33 |
| 13 | Draci Brno | Czech Republic | 21.33 |
| 14 | Les Templiers de Senart | France | 21.00 |
| 15 | Mannheim Tornados | Germany | 20.33 |
| 16 | Sparta/Feyenoord | Netherlands | 20.00 |
| 17 | Heidenheim Heideköpfe | Germany | 19.33 |
| Solingen Alligators | Germany | 19.33 | |
| 19 | London Mets | United Kingdom | 19.00 |
| 20 | Sant Boi | Spain | 18.00 |
| 21 | MGPU S.Y.O.S. Moscow | Russia | 17.83 |
| 22 | ASD Parma | Italy | 17.33 |
| KNTU-OSVSM Kirovograd | Ukraine | 17.33 | |
| 24 | El Llano | Spain | 17.00 |
| 25 | Port of Antwerp Greys | Belgium | 16.00 |
| Stockholm Monarchs | Sweden | 16.00 | |
| 27 | Arrows Ostrava | Czech Republic | 15.33 |
| 28 | Savigny sur Orge Lions | France | 15.00 |
| 29 | Karlskoga Bats BBK | Sweden | 14.00 |
| Montpellier Barracudas | France | 14.00 | |
| Mr.Cocker HCAW | Netherlands | 14.00 | |
| Richmond Flames | United Kingdom | 14.00 | |
| 33 | ESHSM “Moskvich” Moscow | Russia | 13.83 |
| 34 | Zagreb BK | Croatia | 13.50 |
| 35 | ASD Rimini Baseball | Italy | 13.33 |
| 36 | Bern Cardinals | Switzerland | 13.00 |
| 37 | Technika Brno | Czech Republic | 12.83 |
| 38 | MZLU Express Brno | Czech Republic | 12.33 |
| 39 | Hoboken Pioneers | Belgium | 12.00 |
| 40 | MOSQUITO Athletics Attnang-Puchheim | Austria | 11.50 |
| 41 | TNU Tigers | Ukraine | 11.33 |
| 42 | Olimpija Karlovac | Croatia | 11.00 |
| 43 | Brest Zubrs | Belarus | 10.50 |
| MKS AMZ Kutno | Poland | 10.50 | |
| 45 | Beograd 96 | Serbia | 10.00 |
| 46 | Blagoevgrad Buffaloes | Bulgaria | 9.00 |
| 47 | Juodasis Vikingas Vilnius | Lithuania | 8.50 |
| Zajčki Rabbits | Slovenia | 8.50 | |
| 49 | Dublin Spartans | Ireland | 8.00 |
| Espoo Expos | Finland | 8.00 | |
| Óbuda Warriors | Hungary | 8.00 |
| Club | Country |
|---|---|
| Almada White Sharks | Portugal |
| Atletico Alexandria | Romania |
| Dinamo Bucaresti | Romania |
| Lausanne Indians | Switzerland |
| Lituanica Kaunas | Lithuania |
| Oslo Pretenders | Norway |
| Riga Lions | Latvia |
| Union Kufstein Vikings | Austria |
Countries covered: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.













