Today the Baseball Championship in Barcelona starts.
Here is our prediction for 1st to 5th place :
Team: The Netherlands
Manager: Robert Eenhoorn
2005: 1st Place
Key Players: Leon BOYD (P), David BERGMAN (P), Tjerk SMEETS (C), Railey LEGITO (IF), Denny ROMBLEY (OF), Dirk van ‘t KLOOSTER (OF).
The Dutch have assembled a powerful team but the tournament format should be a concern for the four-time defending champions. If there is no title contest – and only a round robin of games – the favorites will need an unblemished record to avoid a tiebreaker hijacking their Olympic dreams. It’s almost a “sure” bet the pitching staff will not surrender many runs so the only way to beat this team is to outpitch them. That’s easier said than done. Prediction: First Place.
Team: Spain
Manager: Jake Molina
2005: 3rd Place
Key Players: Eric GONZALEZ (P), Manuel OLIVERA (P), Dewis NAVARRO (C), Jose CRUZ (IF), Nestor PEREZ (IF), Juan GARCIA (OF).
Spain dropped a 5-0 decision to the Netherlands earlier in the week but played extremely well in a losing effort. The exhibition series against UCLA exposed a revamped pitching staff with an infusion of new blood. But depth remains a concern. The Spanish are eyeing the top two slots and have a couple of workhorses who might give the home faithful reasons to celebrate. The core group of this team is good….very good. Prediction: Second Place.
Team: Italy
Manager:
2005: 2nd Place
Key Players: Sandy PATRONE (P), Riccardo DE SANTIS (P), Giovanni CARRARA (P), Max DEBIASE (IF), Seth LA FERA (IF), Mario Chiarini (OF).
History suggests that the Italians grip on the Silver medal has waned in recent years and both Spain and Germany have enough pitching to make things interesting. Still, the Italian Baseball League has more quality teams than any other league in Europe which is crucial for preparing ballplayers for All-Star international affairs. My head picks the Italians to take the runner-up spot but my “gut feeling” thinks otherwise. Prediction: Third Place.
Team: Germany
Manager: Greg Frady
2005: 4th Place
Key Players: Andre HUGHES (P), Enorbel MARQUEZ-RAMIREZ (P), Manuel MOLLER (P), Simon GUHRING (C), Dominik WULF (OF).
The Germans believe they finally have the arms to contend for a medal – and I concur. But the trick for Germany and its coaching staff will be to chew up innings while managing the workload of their big guns. Germany might struggle offensively but the pitching staff is arguably one of the best in the tournament. Good defense and clutch hitting will be the key for the Germans whose pitching should give them a chance to win most games. Prediction: Fourth Place
Team: France
Manager: Jeff Zeilstra
2005: 6th Place
Key Players: Nicolas DUBAUT (P), Samuel MEURANT (P), Pierrick LEMESTRE (P), Sebastian HERVE (OF), Anthony CROS (IF), Kenji HAGIWARA (SS).
The French possess one of Europe’s top hurlers (DUBAUT) and boast an array of little-known but solid players. Although this squad is not expected to contend for a medal – France will defeat a top team or two – the French could be this year’s Cinderella team. Prediction: Fifth Place
Individual Player Awards:
Best Pitcher: Leon BOYD, Netherlands
Best Hitter: Simon GUHRING, Germany
Most Valuable Player: Juan GARCIA, Spain