The MAINZ ATHLETICS could start into the new season tomorrow. They are interested in one more player and afterwards have fulfilled their plans this winter. Team manager Ulli Wermuth talked to a local newspaper on Saturday about 2009. MAINZ finished in fourth place in the southern conference of the German Baseball-Bundesliga and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the northern champion SOLINGEN.
The Japanese infielder/pitcher Keigo Miyagi and outfielder Sascha Lutz are the only two players, which will leave the club after being key players in the 2007 championship season. However both only were able to help in limited time in 2008 due to injuries and other reasons. Miyagi, like last winter, tries his luck in the United States in search for a professional contract. But this time the door for a return is closed. He had six hits in 19 at bats during the regular season and had an ERA of 5.25 in two starts in the quarter-finals against the ALLIGATORS. Lutz leaves the A’s after three successful years and joins vice champion MANNHEIM TORNADOS next year. National team outfielder Lutz batted .400 (OBP .607/SLG .550) with 13 runs scored and six RBIs in just 15 games.
The three foreign players Mike Larson, Raef Hobbs-Brown and Shu Sasaki are going to stay in Mainz. Outfielder Larson hit .323 (.417/.535) with four homeruns, 18 runs scored and 19 RBI in 27 games. Hobbs-Brown joined the team at the beginning of 2008 and impressed with his versatility. He played 14 games each behind the dish and at short, four on the mound, one at first and six at the corner outfield positions. He batted .268 (.379/.348) with 13 runs scored and nine RBI. Sasaki came to the ATHLETICS last winter to replace Flavio Rinaldi behind the plate. Shortly before his arrival he suffered an eye injury and missed the first few weeks of the season. In 15 games he batted .282 (.429/.359).
Their only new player from outside the club at the moment is outfielder Dominic Maric, who is coming from the 2nd Baseball-Bundesliga club BAD HOMBURG HORNETS. He batted .290 (.463/.323) in ten games for the third-ranked team. The 26-year-old already played for MAINZ in the past. Besides him three players will be added to the Bundesliga roster from the under-18 squad of the club. Tim Stahlmann, Daniel Klein and Christian Becker hope to find playing time with the A’s. Stahlmann (1B, .391/.511/.551) and Klein (P/3B/OF, ERA 2.29, 48 SO, 22 BB, 55 IP) played for the second team of MAINZ in the Regionalliga Southwest (third division in Germany) this year.
Besides these four new guys in the team, they are hoping to sign catcher Andreas Lastinger of the 2nd Baseball-Bundesliga team INGOLSTADT SCHANZER. The 17-year-old batted .259 (.348/.276) with twelve runs scored and eight RBI in 21 games this season. He is also a member of the German Junior National team and the BUCHBINDER LEGIONAERE REGENSBURG apparently are also interested in Lastinger. Wermuth also said that they might look into another foreign player next summer, when the college season is over.
Photo: © Manfred Holzhauser
1 thought on “Keigo Miyagi and Sascha Lutz leaving Mainz Athletics”
Comments are closed.