German Bundesliga – 2008 in Review – Paderborn Untouchables

The German championship is over. In the next few weeks we’re starting with our reviews of the 2008 season. This week Dirk Fries is looking at the playoff teams of the northern division in the Baseball-Bundesliga.

by Dirk Fries

Paderborn Untouchables

Nobody was quite sure what to expect after the club and longtime coach Martin Helmig parted ways after 2007. Instead of looking for help elsewhere, management decided to install former U´s player Stefan Fechtig and still active Octavio Medina as a coaching duo. After almost ten years with Helmig at the helm the club hoped that the new tandem could bring new impulses to the team.

The Untouchables still are one of the better financed clubs in the country. That means the have enough cash to bring over quality imports year after year. For 2008, after Octavio Medina was awarded a German passport, a new foreigner spot opened up.

What the stats say:

Gavin Ng was Paderborn´s leading hitter. Only a mere four points behind was oldie Octavio Medina at .394. Björn Schönlau finished at .378, actually beating out veteran National team players like Mitch Franke and Jendrick Speer. Almost everybody on the club finished above the .300 mark. Youngsters Sascha Brockmeyer and Julius Uelschen achieved the feat as well as Dominik Buder and Georg Enzian (in limited playing time).

The .348 Team AVG was best in the league, about ten points higher than Solingen´s.  Compared to the Alligators the U´s did not come close in terms of power, though. Paderborn hitters only hit four homeruns all year, instead relying on „small ball“ and using doubles and singles to push across their runs.

Anchoring the pitching staff was Eugen Heilmann. The experienced right hander carried most of the workload. He totaled 100 innings in 15 games with an excellent 1.88 ERA. Heilmann went 14-1, tallying six complete games. Beningo Ozuna arrived late and went undefeated. Daniel Hinz started his fair share of games and went 4-1. Lefthander Daniel Rahn was used quite frequently as well, while Dennis Stechmann was used only sporadically. But just like on offense, Paderborn pitchers just succeeded whenever they were put into the game. A team ERA of 1.80 serves as valid proof.

The Untouchables were expected to finish in the top four, especially after teams from Cologne and Bonn decided to intensify their youth movement and cut down on their spending. A 25-3 record, though, was hardly expected. After the strong showing, including a great playoff series against Mannheim that was almost won, the future looks bright again in Paderborn. Expect the U´s to contend for years to come.

Tomorrow: Cologne Cardinals

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Solingen Alligators