Our “2008 in review” series about the German Baseball-Bundesliga goes into the last leg. This week Dirk Fries is looking at the four southern teams in the play-downs. The other European leagues will follow.
by Dirk Fries
Saarlouis Hornets
Almost right away things started going bad. The new head coach Frederick Beitler and his team did not click. Apparently it even got to a point where he and the Hornets star player Chris Sweeney exchanged more than arguments. That led to the club dismissing both Sweeney and their coach. Help was found within the club, as former Saarlouis ace Tom Gapp took over coaching duties. But he also could not guide the club into the playoffs, meaning that the ambitious program again did not accomplish the goal it set out for its first team. Saarlouis, the oldest team in the league at 28 years, finished the regular season in fifth place. Their 11-17 was quite a disappointment, and eventually left them seven games out of fourth place.
In the play downs Saarlouis never really ran into problems. Even without most of their foreigners, Gapp´s team easily avoided relegation. While three teams were competing for only two spots to avoid relegation, the Hornets punched their Bundesliga-Ticket for 2009 a week before their last two games.
What the stats say:
Ales Keprta was Saarlouis´ steadiest performer. His 2.84 ERA, though, was only good enough for a 7-7 record, which shows where the Hornets eventually lacked: On offense. The Czech right-hander led the staff, throwing 107.2 innings in his 14 starts. Sam Jew, Australian with a British passport, joined the Hornets in late May, coming over from College in the US. The 2.48 ERA he compiled (in 40 Innings) actually led the pitching staff. Still, he also only managed a .500 record (2-2). Frenchman John Patrick Carlson was also used frequently. He led the team in saves with three. He was wild at times, walking 28 batters in 30 Innings while striking out 23. His 5.93 ERA and the two losses he endured kept him from enjoying a formidable first season in Germany. Sal Messina replaced the surprisingly ineffective Chris Sweeney (7.04 ERA) after the latter clashed with Coach Beitler. Messina, though, did not fare a whole lot better than his predecessor. His 6.64 ERA was a straight disappointment. The American did strike out 27 in only 20 Innings, but 31 walks contributed to his ineffectiveness. Another Czech player, Simon Prochaczka, had similar problems. A tall right-hander, Prochaczka was used for a mere eleven Innings mostly due to lack of command.
Generating enough offense to back its solid pitching was the Hornets biggest problem. Eddie Martinez was the most productive bat. A .311 average, a team-high 33 hits along with the usual stellar defense are numbers you just come to expect from him. Javier Perez, who played hurt throughout most of the year, finished at .297. American Seth Nowakowski was right there with Perez (.298), but he played in only 16 games. Thorsten Dehm led the rest of the team with .253. Carlson (.213), Torsten Krapf (.204), Christian Teusch (.192), Michael Kratz (.190) and Johannes Stockhausen (.140) made up a light-hitting bottom of the lineup. Overall the Saarlouis´ offense was the fifth best in the southern division. The .233 average was well below the league average (.260). Just like all the other cellar-dwellers, Saarlouis lacked power as well. With five homeruns the Hornets ranked right there with Haar and Gauting, well behind any of the playoff teams.
The Hornets miss German pitching. Due to the lack of imports or homegrown talent, they depend on players with European passports. The club would be well advised to try and develop young arms. Right now, none seems to be on the horizon. The heart of the lineup is set with Perez and Martinez. But in order to actually reach the playoffs in the near future, the club needs to upgrade production from the bottom of the order.
Tomorrow: Haar Disciples
Previous:
Solingen Alligators
Paderborn Untouchables
Cologne Cardinals
Dortmund Wanderers
Mainz Athletics
Heidenheim Heidekoepfe
Mannheim Tornados
Buchbinder Legionaere Regensburg
Bonn Capitals
HSV Stealers
Hanover Regents
Neunkirchen Nightmares
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