After its sister softball two weeks ago, the Spanish Division de Honor Baseball is opening the 2015 campaign this weekend. Eight teams – El Llano is no longer in the top division – will compete for the championship in a 14-game day round robin regular season. No playoffs will be played; the team in first after 28 games will be the Spanish champion.
The Tenerife Marlins claimed the title last year and look to defend their crown. They will host CBS Sant Boi on the first weekend in an early important showdown between two favorites. CD Pamplona takes on the Astros Valencia, CB Barcelona faces San Inazio Bilbao and CB Viladecans squares off against Baseball Navarra in the other three matchups on opening weekend.
Nestor Perez and the Tenerife Marlins once again try to win with a mix of veterans and young players. Leslie Nacar, Richard Montiel, Yancarlo Franco and Lesther Galvan are back with the team. Deion Galvan and Jose Estebin Cruz are no longer listed on the roster. New with the Marlins are Franklin Tavarez, Andres Perez and Luis Alfredo Reinoso. The latter is one of two foreign players on the roster besides Jose Manuel Melendez.
Candelario Diaz and Marc Carrillo are responsible for the coaching staff of CBS Sant Boi, which is trying to return to the top in Spanish baseball. They added Miguel Catalan and Jesus Golindano, while losing Tavarez to Tenerife. Zael Honora is back to form the starting rotation together with Daniel Matias. Carrillo and Daniel Martinez still are key players for the offensive side of the game.
The team of CB Barcelona continues with manager Jorge Miqueleiz. They brought back Jorge Balboa to Spain after a year in Japan. Additionally Jonny Kaplan, Daniel Catalan and Rainny Peguero came. The biggest loss of the winter is the transfer of Oscar Angulo to the Astros Valencia. Kevin Malone and Daisuke Ikenaga are also no longer with the club. Veteran Jose Luis Riera is extending his career another year.
The Astros Valencia look a lot improved compared to last year. They brought back Trevor Caughey from the Bonn Capitals, who was one of the most dominant pitchers during his last time in Valencia. Additionally they added the best all-round player in Spain with Oscar Angulo. Team Europe catcher Blake Ochoa is back as well. Mathew Erickson will form a strong pitching staff together with Caughey. David Elmer Groener fills a third foreign player spot for the squad of manager and Los Angeles Dodgers scout Juan Garcia Puig.
Jose Huarte is the new manager of Baseball Navarra, which nearly completely revamped its roster. Jesus Golindano, Peter Ramos, Isaac Vargas and Eli Izturriaga are gone among others. They added a bunch of new players to the rosters. Yosue Castellano from Venezuela is supposed to lead the pitching staff. Emmanuel Febles has returned after a year in Germany with the Mannheim Tornados. Hector Perozo and Jose Rodriguez should provide leadership to a young team as well.
Felix Cano’s CB Viladecans lost their three top hitters of last year with Miguel Valdes, Miguel Catalan and Denny de Jesus Nino during the offseason. Felix Cano Jr. and Camilo Gonzalez are back with the team. The pitching staff no longer features Luis Evelio Villalba. Their second main starting pitcher Kerson Trinidad hopes to improve his 6.10 ERA.
San Inazio Bilbao will be led by manager Pedro Pocero. Freddy Noguera, David Paisano, Rafael Llames and Borja Jones are no longer on the team. Paisano and Noguera led the club in batting average. Jose Rafael Morales is returning as well as Juan Jose Lopez. Foreign player spots got filled with Jean Michel Acevedo Barrios, Kreisber Alexander Auciello Parras and Hector Jose Velasquez Alfonso.
With El Llano no longer in the league, CD Pamplona is probably the underdog in the field of eight. Rafael Llames has joined the team coming from Bilbao. Javier Jose Flores has left. He led the team with a .387 batting average, the lone .300 hitter on the club. Alexis Fumero also is no longer playing for CD. He was the second starting pitcher besides Eneko Del Burgo, who returns. Foreign spots went to Victor Jose Garcia Romero, Juan Higuinio Guzman Carrasco, Rafael Andres Ramirez Sanchez and Antoni Alexander Ramos Caballo.
Spanish Division de Honor Baseball gets underway this Weekend http://t.co/4r8R6luPcM #mrbb
RT @MisterBaseball: Spanish Division de Honor Baseball gets underway this Weekend http://t.co/4r8R6luPcM #mrbb
RT @MisterBaseball: Spanish Division de Honor Baseball gets underway this Weekend http://t.co/4r8R6luPcM #mrbb
RT @MisterBaseball: Spanish Division de Honor Baseball gets underway this Weekend http://t.co/4r8R6luPcM #mrbb