It was a quite winter for the HSV Stealers. Started with high expectations in 2011, they missed the playoffs. This year the goal is to avoid relegation, which is going to be more difficult, as the round-robin was replaced with elimination games. The club lost prospects Eric Harms and Wolfgang Reitter, while import players from last year won’t come back. They signed the 26-year-old American right-hander Brent Buffa as starting pitcher for game two. He pitched in the Arizona Summer League and in the United League Baseball in the past. The other two additions to the Bundesliga roster so far are infielder Mathis Grope and Polish infielder/pitcher Bartosz Matuszewski. They are still looking for a catcher.