Last week Mister-Baseball started with the review of the 2008 season in the German Baseball-Bundesliga. Dirk Fries looked at the playoff teams in the north. This week he is continues with the top four of the southern division.
by Dirk Fries
Heidenheim Heidekoepfe
Coming into the season people were raving about Heidenheim´s offense. With national team standouts Simon Guehring, Robert Gruber and Andreas Janzen the Heidekoepfe have a stellar core of German hitters. Peter Dankerl, Hagen Raetz, David Fuesser and Marcel Hering form a very talented supporting cast. Because Heidenheim gets very good foreign players every year, scoring runs seemed no problems for the Heidekoepfe.
Manager Klaus Eckle was able to get to three standout players in Ryan Lilly, Keith Maxwell and former Major League pitcher Mike Hartley as player/coach.
What the stats say:
As expected, Heidenheim´s offense was stellar. A league-best .328 average, 331 hits in total and 70 doubles speaks for itself. The Heidekoepfe scored a total of 251 runs, making Mannheim’s 197 runs a distant second.
Simon Guehring was Heidenheim´s leading hitter. Always a prime candidate for winning the Triple Crown, a mini-slump actually cost him the batting title. In the end he finished second in the average department, just getting nicked by Regensburg’s Klaus Hopfensperger (.430 to .429). Guehring did lead the league in RBI´s with 39. He did not provide his usual power, though, hitting a mere three homeruns. Ryan Lilly was Heidenheim´s second-biggest bat. The speedy shortstop not only led the South in runs (46) and stolen bases (22), he also hit .411, making him the number three hitter in the league. He also showed extraordinaire power for a leadoff hitter, slugging five homeruns. Keith Maxwell´s performance was overshadowed by Guehring and Lilly. The first-baseman hit .409, making him the third Heidekoepfe batter in the Top-4 in average.
While Andreas Janzen had a down-year, Robert Gruber was as solid as ever. His .342 average led the rest of the lineup. Young players David Fuesser and Marcel Hering hit around .280, and figure to get better in the coming years. To go along with its impressive offensive output, the Heidekoepfe were also the best defensive team. They committed only 37 errors in their 28 regular season games, and led the league in double plays with 35.
Heidekoepfe pitchers were good, but statistically not as dominant as the team’s batters. A 3.15 team ERA was good for third in the league. Markus Winkler´s 2.85 led the German pitchers, while Mike Hartley was dominating in limited innings (1.85 in 33 IP). Peter Dankerl led the staff in innings pitched with 79, and also won eleven games, losing only once. Hartley had a record of 2-0, while Winkler got the most decisions in the second game. He went 8-1. Hagen Raetz and Sam Whitehead were the main relievers. While Whitehead was flawless with a 0.00 ERA in 19 innings, Raetz struggled, posting a 6.10 ERA.
After winning their first southern division title, the Heidekoepfe were expected to go deep into the playoffs. But their offense actually struggled to score for the first time in the semis, when they got swept by Mannheim.
While the future of coach Hartley and star players like Lilly is not known, Heidenheim´s core is almost certain to stay intact. Management and players have their sights set on their first title. Therefore, expect little change in the immediate future.
Tomorrow: Mannheim Tornados
Previous:
Solingen Alligators
Paderborn Untouchables
Cologne Cardinals
Dortmund Wanderers
Mainz Athletics
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