From Sunday, March 28 to Thursday, April 1st some of the best European Baseball prospects gathered in Regensburg, Germany for the third annual MLB Academies Tournament. Mister-Baseball now had a chance to speak to Jason Holowaty from MLB International about the five days of preseason competition.
Mister-Baseball: What was the general level of play in Regensburg compared to Tirrenia and Toulouse?
Jason Holowaty: One of the most gratifying things about the work we do is seeing the progress that these players are making in the academies. Most of these nations have now been running intensive off-season programs for at least three years and the improvements to the level of play are striking. The games this year, as a whole, were more competitive and played at a higher standard than in previous years. This was especially impressive considering that, for most, this was their first outdoor competition since last summer.
I think a major reason for this improvement is that the academy players are getting stronger and more athletic each year. This is a big area of focus for us and speaks volumes about the work that the academy coaches – Tony Klarberg, Bill Holmberg, Brian Farley, etc – are doing. There are some excellent baseball training programs running in Europe right now.
MRBB: Do you already where you will play the 2011 edition?
JH: Not yet. We will be accepting bids from the academies in the coming weeks to determine where the 2011 tournament will take place.
MRBB: How many scouts were on hand in Regensburg and which organizations were represented?
JH: There were representatives from nine MLB clubs at the tournament, more than in any previous year. It was particularly interesting to see several new clubs at the event, such as the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. There is a growing interest in Europe amongst MLB clubs, spurred by the increased number of signings in recent years and the signing of Max Kepler in particular.
MRBB: The academies tournament is a preseason event. Are you planning to expand it into the regular season? For example doing it once a month or playing a second tournament in September?
JH: The idea behind this tournament is to give players opportunities outside of their normal playing seasons so we aren’t planning on an in-season competition at this time. The summer season is already crowded with club and national team events and we don’t want to “replace baseball with baseball” as the great Martin Brunner says. After all, these players need all the game experience they can get in order to compete with players from other continents.
We have discussed the possibility of something to prepare the players for the off-season – a “Fall Instructional” event to complement this “Spring Training” one. We’ll have to see if this is possible.
MRBB: Of course the scores weren’t that important, but how good was France?
JH: You’re right, the scores weren’t a focus, and with the pitching restrictions we had in place (each inning was capped at 25 pitches) they weren’t always indicative of the competition. That said, France was very impressive during the tournament and showed how much progress some of the nations outside of the traditional powerhouses are making. Boris Rothermundt in Toulouse and Sylvain Virey in Rouen have been working with these kids for a long time now and have done some outstanding work.
MRBB: Which players besides Maxime Lefevre, Rodney Daal and Joris Navarro impressed you the most?
JH: Oscar Carlstedt and Robin Lausen from Sweden have matured as players and leaders, Francesco Cozzolino from Italy continues to develop as a pitcher, Richard Klijn from Britain via Germany has become a good player…I’m focusing on players that have been to the MLB Academy but I could go on and on.
One particular thing that struck me was the excellent crop of young catchers at the tournament, including Lausen, Andy Paz from France, Alberto Mineo from Italy and Milan Post from Holland. Catchers are tough to develop but there are some good ones coming through the system here.
MRBB: Were there any players which will be interesting for MLB clubs or college teams?
JH: Certainly. I can’t speculate which ones, but I wouldn’t be surprised to look at the tournament roster three years from now and see several of these players at US universities or in the Minor Leagues. Remember, our tournament rosters from 2008 featured six players now in the Minor Leagues.
MRBB: What are you getting for feedback from MLB, the Academies, European federations and the players?
JH: We’ve had very positive feedback from everyone involved so far. There was a lot to like: good baseball at a great venue. Martin Brunner and his crew in Regensburg deserve a lot of the credit for helping to make this such a good event.
MRBB: In comparison to Latin American or American kids, which skills do players miss the most in Europe? Is it pure velocity for pitchers or power for hitters? What can be done about it besides obviously expanding the schedule in each league?
JH: Generally you don’t get as many power hitters or power arms in Europe, although players like Alex Liddi and Alessandro Maestri have shown that these skills can be developed in time. The real issue, I think, is simply game experience and the quality of that game experience. Most junior aged players in Europe are playing between 25 and 50 games each year while similar players in the States are playing in excess of 100 against excellent competition. That’s why the academies are so important to the development of baseball in Europe – with strong off-season programs some of the European players can start to bridge the gap that exists in playing experience.
Mister-Baseball thanks Jason Holowaty for the Q&A.
Photos: © Gregor Eisenhuth www.eisenhuth-photographie.de