The Berlin Sluggers introduced a new head coach on Saturday. José Sanchez Sr. is taking over for Duane Phillips, who served as interim coach in the last part of the 2012 season. The Nicaraguan hopes to stabilize and consolidate the performance of the Baseball-Bundesliga club on the field and in practice. Additionally the club announced that they will stay in the first division in German baseball, as no second-division team from the north wanted to play a relegation series this fall. The Sluggers had won just two games during the regular season, but stunned the Dohren Wild Farmers in five games in the decisive playdown-series to claim seventh place in the final standings.