The Spanish Division de Honor club CD Pamplona is ready to go. They are opening the season on Saturday on the road against one of the favored teams, CB Sant Boi. In 2009 CD had to settle for ninth place in the final standings with an 8-28 record. They summed up their offseason with a press release.
Former minor leaguer Marcos Castillo highlights the additions for Pamplona this winter. The 31-year-old Venezuelan pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization between 1998 and 2002, mostly in High-A with two starts in Double-A. The right-hander moved on to the independent league circuit after his release. In seven professional seasons he had a combined ERA of 4.44 in 158 games (128 starts).
Castillo is one of ten new players on the Division de Honor team. He also is supposed to be a mentor for homegrown players like Aitor Iriarte, Mikel Diaz, Mikel Elkano, Gabriel Guerrero and Fernando Pelaez, who get promoted to the elite league squad.
On the other side, several players have left Pamplona. Patrice Briones (2-3, ERA 3.95) returned to France. Also not coming back is Francisco Arnal (.281/.343/.406), who was a productive hitter during his short stint with the team. Aritz Leiva (.071/.071/.071), Daniel Erice (.182/.262/.218) and Eduardo Sanchez (.083/.214/.083) are leaving CD for local rivals Baseball Navarra.
A major change also had to be made at the top of the coaching staff. At the beginning of the year Juan Fernandez left the club. Pamplona went to Venezuela to find a replacement. They signed Armando José Bolivar Diaz to be their new head coach. Several of his former players have reached the professional leagues in the United States. He will be assisted by Juanjo Saura.
Photos by CD Pamplona