The Spanish Division de Honor is opening the 2012 season in European Baseball this weekend. While teams in other countries on the old continent still have to rely on indoor practices, hardball is back in Iberia. There are a few changes. The biggest is probably the apparent smooth transformation from defending champion FC Barcelona to the new club Baseball Barcelona. El Llano has returned to the big stage winning the second division and replacing the relegated Sevilla Red Sox in the league lineup. The format of the Division de Honor was altered slightly. A playoff round to determine the champion will be introduced, as the top two teams after the regular season will play a best-of-five series for the title.
Schedule Week 1:
Saturday, February 25:
14:00 CD Pamplona – Halcones de Vigo (DH)
16:00 Tenerife Marlins Puerto Cruz – CB Sant Boi (DH)
18:00 CB Barcelona – Baseball Navarra
Sunday, February 26:
10:30 El Llano – San Inazio Bilbao (DH)
10:30 CB Barcelona – Baseball Navarra
11:30 CB Viladecans – Astros Valencia
Astros Valencia
The Astros Valencia established themselves as one of the top teams in the Division de Honor the last couple of years. They looked like a legit title contender last season and should be among the favorites in 2012 as well. Trevor Caughey and Aaron Hornostaj will be back to lead the team. Kevin Malone moved on to Barcelona. Whitney Robinson and Sandel Cueves are also not coming back. Larry Jose Infante, Blake Stevens Ochoa and Andrew Jones Wong will occupy the foreign player spots to strengthen the roster.
Baseball Barcelona
The defending champion had a lot of work to during the offseason, making the change from a FC Barcelona section to an independently operating baseball club. From the outside it looked like a smooth transformation. Former player Jorge Miqueleiz has taken over as manager for Aldo Tarife. On the roster key players like Emmanuel Febles or Ricardo Hernandez left, but others like Oscar Angulo and Jesus Golindano will stay. Biggest acquisitions are Kevin Malone and Daniel Cepin. Barcelona isn’t going to dominate like last year, but for sure is going to be a contender.
Baseball Navarra
After a strong 2010 season, Baseball Navarra couldn’t repeat its success and dropped to the bottom half of the standings last year. Juan Jose Lopez left after nearly a decade of playing baseball in Navarra. National teamer Emmanuel Febles made the jump from Barcelona to Burlada. Their best player on offense, Adolfo Gonzalez left as well. Therefore Hector Perozo misses supporting acts at the plate and on the mound. He is one of three foreign players besides Harold Rumion and prospect Okaury Montero.
El Llano Gijon
The Gijon based El Llano returns to the Division de Honor. As usual it is going to be a tough year for the promoted squad, although they are just a couple of seasons removed from first-division play. Javier Flores joined them after a year in Bilbao. He and Jose Morales are expected to provide the sparks at the plate. Rafael Barrera, Wilquin Escanio and Carlos Manuel Quinones Acosta will be the foreign players.
Halcones de Vigo
Halcones de Vigo, like Baseball Navarra, is another team, which couldn’t fulfill expectations in 2011. And it looks like another difficult season is ahead for the squad of player-manager Diego Fernando Torres. Angel Virguez, Domingo Morillo (Bilbao), Jose Navas and Andoni Ortiz left huge holes with their departures. Marco Marques is back. New foreign hope is Edward Whitaker Lee. Veterans Torres and Andres Lozada and Ronny Fabian Materano take the other foreign spots.
CD Pamplona
CD Pamplona won just eight games last season. But since the Sevilla Red Sox couldn’t do any damage, their spot in the Division de Honor was safe. All-around talent Alexis Fumero is back to lead the team on the mound and at the plate. Their best player on offense former minor leaguer Isaac Palancia has moved on. Catcher/first baseman Israel Diaz, who played in the Dominican Summer League for the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees in 2006 and 2007, is supposed to replace him behind the plate. Team homerun leader Gabriel Guerrero and Yimi Alexander are the other two of the four foreigners on the club.
San Inazio Bilbao
San Inazio Bilbao looks back at another year, right on the verge of entering the top four. It looks like they will stay right in the middle of the standings in 2012. Former major leaguer Eduardo Villacis, who led the Bern Cardinals to the Swiss championship in 2011, has joined the team to bolster the pitching staff alongside fellow newcomer Juan Jose Lopez and the staying Alberto Magallon. Jose Romero, Ruben Cabrera, Fidel Torres Mane and Javier Flores are not coming back. Kelvin Marianucci and Edward Adames will get help from Domingo Morillo. The Canadian Andrew Jacinto is expected to arrive at the end of the college season.
CB Sant Boi
Last year’s vice champion CB Sant Boi should be playing again for the championship. So far their biggest acquisition this winter was Roberto Noriega, who is the second foreign player besides new player-manager Edgar Hernandez on the roster. The replacements for departing starting pitchers Lowuin Sacramento and Eliezer Garcia are still missing. Also new on the team is Rafael Llames, who is bolstering the outfield. Marc Carrillo, Daniel Martinez, Xavier Civit, William Domero and Yaeko Vazquez will return, Daniel Sanchez and Juan Manuel Salazar are no longer on the team. The pitching staff will be led by the 21-year-old prospects Daniel Matias and Ruben Fente until possible import players arrive.
Tenerife Marlins Puerto Cruz
For a second straight year the Tenerife Marlins Puerto Cruz were beaten in the Division de Honor. But they still were one of the toughest teams in the league and will open the 2012 season as one of the favorites with their huge reservoir of young players. Veterans Nestor Perez, Leslie Nacar and Richard Montiel again will be asked to lead the team on and off the field. Lowuin Sacramento is the most known name among the arrivals. The Marlins pitching staff still features Miguel Rizzo and Eric Gonzalez besides Nacar. Yancarlo Franco, Dewis Navarro and Jose Manuel Melendez will play supporting acts for Montiel. Dutch minor leaguer Ruben Rijkhof is also on the roster, but his availability depends on his obligations in the United States.
CB Viladecans
CB Viladecans is slowly crawling up the ladder and the record champion in Spanish baseball is back among the best teams in the league. They finished 2011 on a high note, winning 11 of the last 12 games. Their upswing is directly related to the arrival of former minor leaguer Denny De Jesus Nino, who is back for the third consecutive season behind the plate. He also is going to support manager Felix Cano on the coaching staff. Rainny Peguero and Miguel Tenllado are back to inject the offense. Juan Carlos Campos Diaz is arriving to bolster the pitching staff, replacing Carlos Luis Amaro. Pol Llopis is expected to be the second starting pitcher.