German Bundesliga – 2008 in Review – Neuenburg Atomics

Our “2008 in review” series about the German Baseball-Bundesliga goes into the last leg. This week Dirk Fries is looking at the four southern teams in the play-downs. The other European leagues will follow.

by Dirk Fries

Neuenburg Atomics

After only one year at Germany’s top level, the Neuenburg Atomics are headed back to the second division. The club started into the season on a positive note, splitting with Haar the first day of the season. After that, there were few highlights. The biggest one was the Atomics win against the Heidenheim Heidekoepfe. It was also redemption of some sorts, because Neuenburg´s lowest moment of the season came against Heidenheim as well. In the first doubleheader between the two teams, Neuenburg was outscored 36-0. The first game was a 25-0 blowout, which was followed by another ten-run rule defeat.

Three Americans were supposed to do the man work in trying to stay in the league. Catcher/Manager Rob Piscatelli, infielder Stephen Spanjer and left-handed pitcher Alex Aucoin could not get the job done. The 4-24 record the Atomics compiled over the regular season showed, that the gap between the second and first league is still enormous.

What the stats say:

The Atomics finished last in almost every statistical category. They were last in team average, being the only club batting below the .200 mark (.192). They had the least hits (161), trailing seventh place Haar by over 30 hits. Neuenburg also was the only team without a homerun in the regular season. 69 runs scored compared to 251 runs against was by far the biggest gap in the division. Neuenburg´s 243 strikeouts led the league. On the other hand their 68 walks were the fewest of all teams

Steven Spanjer was the Atomics leading hitter. With a .330 average and 33 hits, he easily led the team. Kim Mueller’s .253 average and Rob Piscatelli at .232 were next best. Piscatelli led the team in RBI with 12 and runs scored (12). Mueller, together with Spanjer, both swiped 9 bags.

In regards to pitching, the Atomics also finished last in almost every respect. Neuenburg´s 6.65 team ERA is about a run higher than Gauting´s. Starters fared better than relievers (6.45 to 7.88), still both groups finished in last place. Atomics pitchers struck out the fewest batters and actually walked hitters more than they struck out.

Neuenburg’s ace is Andreas Gerth. The workhorse led all pitchers in the division with 121 innings. He finished 12 of the 13 games he started. He was also the winner of three of Neuenburg´s four regular season wins. Lars Giemsa won the other one, but Gerth was awarded the save, meaning that he was involved in every single one of Neuenburg´s wins.

His 5.41 ERA was better than Alex Aucoin´s. The American showed poise when he pitched into the 16th Innings in a playdown game against Haar. His results, though, are not a reward for such desire and commitment. Aucoin went winless, going 0-9 in nine starts. Lars Giemsa was the go-to guy in the bullpen. Because both Gerth and Aucoin mostly finished what they started, Giemsa saw limited playing time on the hill (21 innings). His 33/3 walk to strikeout ration was probably the single biggest reason for his less than spectacular numbers (1-3, 11.14 ERA).

Neuenburg´s season is comparable with Neunkirchen’s, who finished last in the northern division. Both clubs could compete with some teams in one game of the doubleheader on some days. Both clubs just did not bring enough consistency to actually earn a spot in the league for 2009. If the team stays intact and foreign support players are brought over next year as well, seeing the Atomics back in the first league for 2010 is certainly possible.

Previous:
Solingen Alligators
Paderborn Untouchables
Cologne Cardinals
Dortmund Wanderers
Mainz Athletics
Heidenheim Heidekoepfe
Mannheim Tornados
Buchbinder Legionaere Regensburg
Bonn Capitals
HSV Stealers
Hanover Regents
Neunkirchen Nightmares
Saarlouis Hornets
Haar Disciples
Gauting Indians