Baseball Jobs Overseas https://baseballjobsoverseas.com Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket Sat, 16 Mar 2024 17:18:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/wp-content/uploads/512X512-75x75.png Baseball Jobs Overseas https://baseballjobsoverseas.com 32 32 Member Interview: Agustín de Argentina https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/agustin-tissera/ Sat, 16 Mar 2024 17:18:54 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=499395
We got ahold of Agustín Tissera, an Argentina native and national team member, to talk about the Liga Argentina de Béisbol and his career to-date.  Agustín plays for his hometown Córdoba and has traversed Europe as an international veteran.

You’ve played in the LAB every year since its inaugural season in 2017.  How has the league changed and grown over the years?

Agustín: Well, at first the LAB was born as an independent league in order to generate an organized competition for the development of Argentine players.  Taking into account the experience of the players who played in Europe, it was created with a similar format with some changes in the playoffs to generate even more competition.  It was decided that all the teams that were left out [of the postseason] could put their best players in a draft to reinforce the teams that reached the final.  

Over the years the league hired import players for the teams it saw as weaker and balanced the league a little in terms of competition, so great players such as Yoimer Camacho, Ely Izturriaga, Carlos Parra, Omar Prietto, Steve Anderson, Gabriel do Carmo, and a lot others passed through Argentina. 

At first, the main motivation was not only for the winner to be named Argentine champion, but also to automatically qualify for the Latin American series, a great tournament with the champions of Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Curacao, and Nicaragua.  In 2019 we had the opportunity to play that tournament with the Falcons, being the first Argentine team to do so. 

Over the years and with the economic situation of the country, the level dropped a little and in other years it rose, but the important thing is that the Argentine player realized that he needs this league in order to grow the sport since it became a showcase for outside teams to look at the Argentine players. 

One of the main achievements of the league apart from the game itself is the number of games — Argentina is a very large country and prior to this only short tournaments of a few days were played nationally.  Today the league has 3 games per week and with the format it allows you to play 30 regular season games in 3 months.

The 2023 season saw a league expansion as the LAB became the official and only national league of Argentina, and went from 5 teams to 8. What was this change like for you? What does it mean for the development of baseball in Argentina?

Agustín: At first the league had two provinces, Salta in the north and Córdoba in the center; it had 6 teams [total].  At this time, Buenos Aires had its own provincial league but its players were part of LAB teams since the level was higher than that of Buenos Aires.  Personally, before the expansion happened, I always thought that the Argentine league would never be truly Argentine if Buenos Aires did not enter, since apart from being the capital of the country, it has a number of competitive teams and players [that are essential] to continue raising the level of baseball in the country. 

I think this year the league’s competition in expansion did not disappoint and the league is here to stay.  We hope that this attracts sponsors and economic help from industries with political power in Argentina, especially in infrastructure so that the league continues to grow.

What are the import rules/restrictions on foreign players in the LAB? What does a typical offer in Argentina look like?

Agustín: There were no rules for foreigners this last season.  Regarding what you can offer the players, it depends on each team.  Housing, food, travel surely, and the salary depend on what each team is willing to invest.  At first, 500 dollars were paid.  Today the country’s economy and the problem with the dollar make payment in US dollars complicated, but Argentina is a great place to play winter ball.

During the Argentine off-season, you played seasons in Italy and in Germany. How would you compare the LAB to the German Bundesliga or Italian Serie A?

Agustín: I have played 3 years in Italy and 3 in Germany.  I can tell you that the LAB is more similar to the Bundesliga in terms of [competition] level, but the Argentine players are extremely competitive and as the world knows — we have a great passion for the sport and our team — which makes the league attractive and any foreigner who has played here would agree. 

The only thing that differentiates us from these leagues is the economic support; Italy has former MLB or affiliate players who have just been released, we still do not have that power but I believe that Argentina is on its way to being a competitive league in the world.

Image: Tissera turning the double play for the Mannheim Tornados.

How have your summers in Europe helped you progress your game and compete back home?

Agustín: I started playing in Europe long before the Argentine league was born with the idea of raising my level and joining the Argentine national team.  My first year in Italy went very well but the year I learned the most and developed myself was in 2018. 

That year the A1 series was really very strong, with top level players with whom I shared and was able to learn a lot from.  Today with the Argentine league and the European league it is a physical challenge because I play all year round but it is part of Argentina’s plan to qualify for the WBSC.  So I would tell you that playing in Europe is a fundamental part for me at least.

You’ve won two LAB league championships and one Latin American Series championship with the Cordoba Falcons. Which year was your favorite & why?

Agustín: I got to win a South American title, participate in the Latin American Series and win 3 Argentine championships.  I think they all have something special, but if I have to choose I would say that the most special of all was the first time we won the Argentine championship.  That championship marked a turning point for Córdoba.  The team had been changing players for years, and that team spent 7-8 years working very hard to be what the Falcons are today, one of the best teams in the country. 

Image: Tissera being named MVP of the league finals, after Córdoba’s first championship title (2018).

When we went to Mexico to play the Latin American series, they thought we were the weakest team and they made us play against Mexico in the opening game with the stadium full of people.  We won 1-0 and I still have in my house the cover of the Mexican newspaper that says, “TANGO ARGENTINO EN EL BETO AVILA.”

Tissera came up with the first hit for Córdoba in the 4th inning against Mexico.   You can watch it here

We also found the full-length game footage of Córdoba’s extra inning victory against the Mexican club Tobis de Acayucan, here

How did you first hear about BBJO? What was your reason for signing up?

Agustín: I found BBJO through teammates in Europe.  I always followed the players on Instagram and one year I tried joining the system and the experience was really good.  

I received emails from many leagues and it gave me the opportunity to play in France and experience my third country playing baseball.  I always recommend BBJO since they helped me personally and especially to the Argentine teams to look for players who want to play and have a good time in our country.

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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This ballpark in northern Germany has atmosphere https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/this-ballpark-in-northern-germany-has-atmosphere/ Fri, 09 Feb 2024 09:17:44 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=498928 Home to the Bonn Capitals of the German Bundesliga North, Rheinaue Stadium has an American-like ballpark atmosphere that is a rare find in Europe.

In 2001, the stadium was renovated and expanded for the European Championships at the cost of 1.05 million Deutsche Mark ($550,000 today). The 1500-seat stadium was further renovated during the fall/winter of 2017/18 and, in particular, was equipped with floodlights. The stadium is a complex of two baseball and two softball fields, arranged like a four-leaf clover.

This video was filmed by during the 2022 European Champions Cup. BBJO members Nick Miceli and Eric Brenk (on thumbnail) have been long-time members of the club.

Filmed by: David Burns

Edited by: Paul Henry Simon

YouTube Video

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Making Your Dream Happen: The Daniel Catalan Story https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/daniel-catalan-story/ Tue, 06 Feb 2024 18:18:40 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=498659

By Carter Cromwell

There was a point at which Daniel Catalan was considering life after baseball.  Now it’s more like baseball is his life.

A native of Los Angeles, Catalan played at a couple of junior colleges and at Holy Names College in Oakland, Calif.  Upon graduating in 2014, he didn’t have a clear view of what lay ahead, but baseball wasn’t in his line of sight.  Until it was.

Bitten by the travel bug, he discovered a ballclub in Barcelona and went there to play in 2015, and that started a baseball odyssey that’s so far taken him to four continents and more than 25 countries.  He’s since had stints playing and/or coaching in France, Australia, Poland and Chile; founded a training facility in Santiago, Chile; spent several months last year as an intern at the innovative Driveline Baseball training facility; and then coached in the Japan Winter League (JWL).  

Photo: Catalan with CTBC Brothers club of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

“It’s amazing how far I’ve stretched baseball,” he said.  “Sooo far.”

And it now stretches all the way to Taiwan.  Thanks to contacts made at the JWL, he recently became hitting coach for the CTBC Brothers club of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

Upon completing the Driveline internship, he applied for some minor-league positions with Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations, but nothing had come through prior to the beginning of the winter league. At that point, Ryoma Watanabe – a friend, former teammate, and coaching colleague who was set to be a team coordinator at the JWL – arranged for him to be a hitting coach.

There, Keiichi Hirano, who played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 2002 through 2015, observed one of Catalan’s hitting sessions and followed him for a couple of weeks.  He was impressed enough to ask if Catalan was interested in working in Taiwan.  

 

Several days later, Hirano asked Catalan to work with a few professional players – “kind of like a live interview,” Catalan said. The Taiwanese club later contacted him, and things progressed from there.

“The people from the Brothers told me it was unusual for them to hire someone without pro playing experience, so the Driveline internship really helped.” Catalan said.  “My goal had been to coach at a professional level, and this is a great opportunity.  It wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been at the JWL. It was just for fun, and it turned into something even better.

And it also might not have happened if he hadn’t taken a leap of faith and gone to Barcelona in 2015.

“I hadn’t traveled much to that point, but I just went on my own and was there for seven months.  The club didn’t give me anything,” he said.  “I got my TOEFL [teaching English to non-native speakers] certificate and just kind of survived.”

He even talked Adan Cabrales, a long-time friend and high-school teammate, into joining him.

“He was researching online and said, ‘Wow, they play baseball in Barcelona!’ and just went there,” said Cabrales, now a high-school math teacher at their alma mater in Downey, Calif.  “That’s kind of Daniel’s MO.  He’s good at figuring out what he wants to do and making it happen.  I couldn’t go [to Spain] until I finished my last college semester, so I missed the cutoff date for international players to sign.  But I went anyway, and we had a great time traveling.”

Photo: Adan Cabrales, Catalan. With Rockingham Rams in Western Australia State League. 

That same year, Catalan, whose father is a native of Chile, got a Chilean passport, made email contact with representatives of that country’s national team, and was accepted on the team.  He hit .360 during the South American Baseball Championships in the summer of 2016 and was a major factor in Chile’s competitive stance against top South American national teams, including a narrow 7-6 loss to Brazil.  

“I’ll go there once a year and play, and I’ve made a lot of friends over the years, including the captain of the team,” he said.  Those connections eventually led to the training facility initiative, but more on that later.

Catalan also worked as a substitute teacher and sometimes-coach in the LA area in 2016.  At the same time, he kept his baseball juices flowing by playing in adult leagues and taking a road trip with Cabrales to New York and back, during which they visited 16 MLB stadiums.  

“We were both unsure of what was next when we came back from Spain,” Cabrales said. “We did that trip, and it was fantastic, but then we had to figure out our next steps.”

Those would lead to Paris, as it turned out.

Photo: Catalan, James Somerville (partner in baseball training facility in Santiago, Chile)

Eddie Murray, a UCLA graduate who had played a several years overseas, was with the Paris University Club at the time as a shortstop and assistant coach.  He was searching for players for the 2017 season, found Catalan on the Baseball Jobs Overseas website, and made contact.  

“I was on the verge of going back to Barcelona, but are you going to say ‘no’ to living for six months in Paris?” Catalan said with a laugh.  

Both Catalan and Cabrales played for the Paris club, with Catalan excelling defensively in the outfield and also batting .370 with an .851 OPS.  And after that . . .

“Well, I just kept getting invited to other places,” Catalan said wryly.  “I’d always been interested in going overseas and seeing different places, and, from [Paris], it just kept getting further and further . . . and further.”

First was Poland in 2018.  

A teammate in Paris was Polish and spoke of the need for an assistant coach for the U-23 national team, and it worked into much more than that – both on and off the field.  The head coach of the U-23 team was also manager of a club team in Bydgoszcz and asked Catalan and Cabrales to play, with Catalan also picking up coaching duties and Cabrales assisting.  

“I knew I couldn’t play forever, so I wanted the coaching responsibility.  I got to implement my own crazy ideas,” Catalan said with a chuckle.  “The level of play there was lower, so I could really focus on the team.  It wasn’t a big deal to me if I went 4-4 or 0-4.”

Cabrales added, “It turned out great.  We got to pretty much run the show, and we made the playoffs, which that club hadn’t done in a while.”

As time allowed while they were in Europe, Catalan and Cabrales took advantage of other opportunities to see and do – “pretty much anything that seemed like a lot of fun,” as Catalan put it.  That included going to the World Cup soccer tournament in Russia, attending Oktoberfest in Munich, and – yes – running with the bulls in Pamplona . . . three times, as a matter of fact.  

Cabrales said the idea for the latter germinated from a discussion with a friend on another team during his season in Barcelona.  

“He said we should come to Pamplona the next year (2015), and we did.  It was really wild.”

Indeed. The running takes place each morning of the week-long San Fermin Festival over a roughly half-mile (0.8 kilometers) course.  Approximately 2,000 people on weekdays and around 3,500 on weekend days run with six bulls.  Bulls can run faster than one might expect – a top speed of around 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour, and average 15-20 miles (24-32 kilometers) per hour at the Pamplona event.  Between 200 and 300 people are injured each year, and there have been 15 deaths, most by goring.

Photo: Catalan and a number of BBJO members meet up in Pamplona for ‘Running of the Bulls’

Most people don’t run the entire distance.  The first part is especially dangerous because it is very narrow, and only the most experienced runners usually attempt it.  

“The first year, we were with eight or nine other guys and started at the very end and then ran into the stadium,” Catalan said.  “When we did it again in 2017, I told myself I had to be on more of the route so we started maybe 100 yards up the course so that the bulls would pass us. That’s the scary part.  The bulls are in a pack at first but gradually get separated, and that makes it more dangerous.  The crowd opens up, and the bulls run through the middle.”

But, back to the baseball journey, which turned far to the south for the 2018/2019 season of the Western Australia State league.  Catalan had a contract to play for the Rockingham Rams in Perth, while Cabrales returned home to work and save some money.  But after a month or so, one of team’s pitchers left, and Cabrales came over to fill the spot.  The team made it the championship round before being eliminated.  

Then, it was back to Poland for the summer 2019 season. Catalan again was player/manager for  the club team, and both he and Cabrales assisted Watanabe with the Polish national team.  Watanabe and Catalan had met at Prague Baseball Week in 2017, and the two were on opposing teams during the 2018 and 2019 seasons in Poland.  

“As a pitcher, I hated Daniel,” Watanabe said, laughing.  “He didn’t swing and miss much, and he got a lot of clutch hits.  It seemed like he was always at bat with runners in scoring position.  I didn’t want to face him.”

The 2019 season turned out to be Catalan’s last as a player, though – “I can still move around, but it’s sometimes tough to convince myself to do it.”

After a time back in LA, it was time to move on again – to Chile in early 2020 with a team of overseas players, many from the group that had run with the bulls in Pamplona.  Catalan played, while Cabrales spent his time experiencing the country – “a half-baseball/half-culture trip”, as he put it.

But then Covid-19 hit in full force just before the two were going with the team to play in Brazil.  At first, they decided to ignore it and keep playing, but they realized after several more days that the world was shutting down.

“One guy from Canada decided to go home, and then it was like a domino effect,” Cabrales said.  “We all decided to go home while we still could.  Then Daniel and I had to try and decide what our future would be.”

Photo: Ryoma Watanabe, Catalan.  With Polish National Team.

In the near term, they earned their teaching certificates, and Catalan also completed work on his master’s degree in education in 2021.  

As Cabrales marveled, “He just kept things going.”

Things went in a couple of directions when Covid restrictions began to loosen.  In 2021, Catalan took advantage of a loophole to again go to Poland and help coach the national team.  “One of the ways you could get into Europe at that time was if you were a coach with a national team,” he said, “so I was fortunate in that respect.” 

Next, he opened his training facility in Chile using $30,000 of his own money – no investors.  He found a vacant warehouse that served the purpose and opened in June 2022.  

“I’d always had the idea of going there and doing some developmental work,” Catalan said, “and I’d saved up some money during Covid and thought it was time to do it.  I had a buddy who had moved to Santiago for work, and now he’s kind of running everything while I go down there whenever I can.”

The facility uses tools such as Rapsodo and Blast Motion, and he says they have worked with “hundreds of kids” over time.  Most of the players are from Venezuelan families who have left that country during the last several years because of its economic and political difficulties.  

Photo: Catalan (front row left), poses with staff at his facility—Academia de Besibol Chileno—in Santiago, Chile. 

“They have raw skills, but we’re training them in a different way than they’re used to,” Catalan said.  “We have some kids who are too young to talk about geometry, but they can talk exit velocities, spin rates, etc.  [After leaving Venezuela] a lot of these kids thought they were through with baseball, but they tell me now that they see there’s more they can do.  I feel better about that than if I made big profits.

“I hope this expands and goes forever,” he added.  “The kids get training; my buddy gets a salary; and the investment helped me get the internship at Driveline.  It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”

And the internship at Driveline was a factor in him getting the coaching position in Taiwan.  So one thing helps beget another.

“I’m going to have a lot to adjust to, but it’s a great opportunity and I’m really excited,” Catalan said after arriving in Taichung in mid-January.  “I’m going from being an amateur or semi-pro to being a pro.”  

Which doesn’t at all surprise those who know him.

“I’ve always been impressed with Daniel, and I saw at the winter league that Hirano was immediately interested in what Daniel was saying and teaching about hitting mechanics,” 

Watanabe said.  “He coaches from the standpoint of experience, as well as knowledge.  He’s kind of an old school/new school hybrid.  That’s why players really listen to him.  When you just talk data all the time, players can get annoyed.”

Cabrales, the long-time friend, has seen Catalan’s drive for years.

“He’s really driven about baseball,” Cabrales said. “He found the Spanish team on his own, and the same with the Chilean national team.  He’s a go-getter and makes things happen, so nothing he’s done surprises me.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Players’ Investment in Themselves Pays Off: The Japan Winter League 2023 Summary https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/japan-winter-league-story/ Wed, 10 Jan 2024 21:12:51 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=497833

When Issei Washizaki decided nearly three years ago to start the Japan Winter League (JWL), his hope was that it would become a vehicle “for players to find their direction.” Judging from the early results, he’s accomplished that goal.

And, in the process, pointed himself in a new direction.

Washizaki had played at Keio University, a member of Tokyo’s highly competitive Big6 Baseball League along with Waseda, Meiji, Hosei, Rikkyo, and the University of Tokyo.  However, he didn’t play much because Keio had a very strong roster.  In fact, Keio recently won the league championship for the 40th time. 

Upon graduation, though, he still had the baseball bug in his system, so he traveled to the United States in 2016 to play in the California Winter League, which bills itself as a way for players to work directly with MLB scouts and independent league managers to help them develop and get signed prior to spring training. An infielder, Washizaki batted .263 and helped his team tie for the best win-loss record.  But that seemed to be it for him, as far as baseball was concerned.

Washizaki, now 32, returned to Japan, took a job in marketing with the Japanese clothing brand GU, a sister brand of UNIQLO, and seemed to be set in his career path.

Until he wasn’t.

His baseball dreams simply would not die, so he resigned from his corporate position in May 2021 and began putting together the JWL, which has the twin purposes of helping players develop while also getting them exposure to professional opportunities throughout Asia and around the world.  

“The JWL was Issei’s idea,” said Hiroyuki Sakanashi, a JWL team coordinator and Austrian National Team Head Coach who also acts as a translator and English-language spokesperson.  “Even while he had the corporate job, he always wanted to do a winter league in Japan and was able to build on his experiences in the California Winter League.  He wanted something that would act as a showcase for prospects interested in playing in Japan.”

The JWL, which takes place in Okinawa from late November to late December, finally launched in 2022 and just finished its second season.  It is organized into two groups – an “advanced” league for Japanese professionals to get extra off-season work and high-level foreign players seeking professional opportunities in Japan, along with a “tryout” league for amateur players that want to develop and also get exposure to scouts.

Photo: Issei Washizaki (center) holds a bouquet during the 2022 opening ceremony for the first-ever Japan Winter League (Kyodo). 

On a Baseball Jobs Overseas (BBJO) podcast, Washizaki, with Sakanashi interpreting, said the players pay the cost of getting to Okinawa, as well as a registration fee. The fee covers hotel accommodations, transportation, a few meals per day, and access to the facilities and professional coaches. Games and practices are held in three high-quality NPB Spring Training stadiums in the tropical Okinawa climate. There are also adjacent indoor facilities where players can work out before, after, or between games.  

Teams played twice a day, five days per week, and every game was live-streamed on YouTube so scouts could follow games remotely, a great benefit for overseas clubs or Japanese teams that operate on smaller budgets.  In addition, every at-bat and pitch was tracked by Rapsodo, giving players, managers, and scouts much worthwhile data (pitch speed, vertical/horizontal break, exit velocity, and launch angle) to aid in scouting and player development.  

Approximately 70 players participated in the first season, and the total increased to 101 in 2023.  That is below the goal of 120, and most glaring is the lack of enough pitchers in the advanced league, Sakanashi said.  Nonetheless, the organizers are very happy with the results thus far and are optimistic about the future.

“We were able to achieve great results in terms of contracted players and participating players,” Washizaki said.  “As a step up from the first year, it was a great success. We are confident that we have made preparations for the future over the past two years. I want to grow this into a league where many players can spread their wings.”

“We had a higher level of talent this year than in the first go-round,” Sakanashi said, “and that, as well as the actual number of participants, should continue to increase as word of mouth spreads.  Issei opened the gate wider this year to include some professionals.  In Japan, pros and amateurs aren’t allowed to be on the same teams because it used to be that amateur teams would hire pros, but we got around that by having the separate advanced and tryout leagues.  We think that will enable us next year to invite some NPB [Nippon Professional Baseball] players, which would further upgrade the talent level. 

“Eventually, we hope to get more overseas players; scouts told us that the foreign players definitely made the league better this year,” Sakanashi continued.  “We also want to get more Japanese players so they can have greater visibility and chances overseas, not just in Japan.”  

Photo: The Advanced League was held at the Ginowan City Baseball Stadium (left) and the Tryout League was held at the Koza Shinkin Stadium (right).

Baseball Jobs Overseas Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Jensen coached in the JWL in 2023 and observed that “The JWL is a great opportunity for guys to play in Japan. Issei has done a great job, and the league is very well organized. The hotel, stadiums, and indoor facilities are amazing. The level of competition is very high; especially in the Advanced League where guys are throwing 92-97 mph. A lot of the big teams in the Industrial and Independent leagues sent some of their players to get extra work. Next year it looks like there will also be some NPB and CPBL players.

“A lot of our BBJO guys are getting signed this year, and I believe this will continue to be a great opportunity for players to get picked up in the future,” Jensen continued.  “NPB teams are mainly looking for pitchers throwing 95+ or pure power hitters. But there are opportunities in the industrial and independent leagues for a wide range of players.”

A year ago, just four foreign players participated, including BBJO member Lennard Pietersz of Curacao, who received a contract from a Japanese independent-league team afterward.  This year, the number of foreigners increased to 30 thanks to the new partnership with BBJO.

Pietersz had planned to play in the JWL again in 2023, but a last-minute family issue kept him home.  He’ll play this coming season in a higher-level independent league – the Kyushu Island League – and is thankful for his time in the JWL.

“I found it to be very good,” Pietersz said. “They’re looking for players with potential, and they work with you and try to develop you.  A lot of scouts are there, and you also get to pick the brains of Japanese players there and apply things you learned to your game.  If you use your time wisely, you can get a lot out of it.”

Photo: Baseball Jobs Overseas Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Jensen coached in the JWL in 2023

In the BBJO podcast, Washizaki said, “Everybody gets playing time, whether he starts or comes in during a game.  [Position players] should get two or three at-bats [and] pitchers get enough innings.  [We will] give players enough time to showcase their abilities.”  

Plenty of scouts from all levels – Japanese industrial and independent leagues, NPB, and even Asia-based scouts for Major League Baseball teams – were there to evaluate the players.  There were scouts from 32 teams representing 14 leagues and six countries.  

An MLB scout who has watched games was quoted as saying, “At any level, playing games is the best way to develop players.  I look forward to seeing how this league evolves.”

Sakanashi added that scouts also liked the fact that the players also have practice time “to improve their skills.”

BBJO’s Jensen, who has played and coached overseas for a number of years, said, “It’s crazy how many scouts were there.  I met with scouts from the [New York] Mets, [Los Angeles] Dodgers, Seibu Lions, SoftBank Hawks [of the NPB], and a ton of indy teams.  They all spoke highly of the JWL as a place for them to scout foreign players in person.

“With scouts representing teams from the MLB, NPB, CPBL, and Japanese Independent Leagues with on-the-spot signing power,” Jensen added, “the JWL is the perfect platform for a player to get signed at the next level.”

That happened to quite a few players who participated in 2023.  By the end of December 2023, 16 players and a coach had signed contracts, and 11 other players were still in contract negotiations.  Also, there are additional players in which teams are interested and who may receive contract offers. 

Photo: JWL players from around the world became fast friends over the course of the season. 

One signee is Ben Meyer, an American starting pitcher and BBJO member with experience in the U.S. independent leagues and the Netherlands first division. Meyer, who has some Japanese heritage and is committed to learning the language, had multiple opportunities before the JWL had even finished, and he signed with Ishikari Red Phoenix of the independent Hokkaido Frontier League.  

“I had offers after my second start, and most everyone from the advanced league who was looking for a deal has done something,” Meyer said.  “There was a pretty sizeable skill gap between the advanced and tryout leagues, but even guys from the lower league were getting attention. 

“It was great to see everyone get so much playing time and visibility to all the scouts. The pitchers pitched so much in games that there wasn’t a lot of time for throwing on the side, but the hitters got a lot of training.  I’d see them in the cage a lot, and there was even a guy [BBJO’s Daniel Catalan] from Driveline [the innovative U.S. training facility] there working with hitters on their swings.”

 

Photo: BBJO member, Ben Meyer, signed with Ishikari Red Phoenix of the independent Hokkaido Frontier League out of the 2023 Japan Winter League. 

Ethan Skuija, is a native of Victoria, British Columbia, who played with Tempo Praha in the Czech Extraliga in 2022 and in the South Australia state league in the winter of 2022-23.  He had accepted an offer just prior to the JWL from the Savannah Bananas, the U.S. team that plays by innovative rules to make the fan experience as fun and unusual as possible.  The Bananas, though, are interested in playing in Japan, so they encouraged Skuija to play in the JWL and make some connections.  Featuring a fast ball that topped out at 97 (mph), he was named Most Valuable Player in the Advanced League and also received interest from Japanese clubs.  

“I thought the JWL would be a fun opportunity, and I’d get some reps in to keep sharp,” Skuija said.  “I threw just a few innings but continued to build relationships with some of the teams there.  

“The experience was really interesting.  The infields there were all dirt and very firm – harder than artificial turf – so the ground balls played really hard and got through the infield quicker.  It was very interesting to observe Japanese pitchers, too.  Even if they were actually in a game, they’d work out by throwing and using weighted balls while their team was batting.”

Photo: Ethan Skuija (above), was the JWL 2023 MVP, and is signed with the Savannah Bananas for the 2024 season.

Another BBJO member who earned a contract is Matthew Malconian, an American starting pitcher who signed with the Bibai Black Diamonds, also a member of the Hokkaido Frontier League.  Malconian had played club ball while in college at San Diego State in the U.S. and then worked in corporate finance for several years before deciding to give baseball another shot in 2023.

He played for the Füssen Royal Bavarians in the Second German Bundesliga and, with a combination of good command and effective breaking pitches, posted a 9-1 win/loss mark and 0.84 earned-run average.  

“I had such a positive experience in Germany that I wanted to keep things going,” Malconian said.  “I was looking for a place to play in the winter and had talked with teams from a couple of the Australian state leagues. I found out about the JWL through Baseball Jobs Overseas, and it looked like it would be a good way to break into the Japanese market.  The teams and scouts here really prefer to see a player in person before evaluating him, whereas the teams in Germany weren’t so concerned about that.  Here, meeting in person means a lot.

“I had watched some footage of JWL games from 2022, and it seemed pretty professional, so I was expecting it to be at a high enough level that it would really test my skills. I also was really interested to see the metrics from Rapsodo.  I did well enough to get the offer from Bibai right after a game I’d just finished pitching,” he said with a laugh. “I wasn’t expecting to get an offer right then, but, luckily, the JWL people – specifically Issei and Hiro [Sakanashi] were there to act as the middlemen.”

Photo: Matt Malconian, seen here pitching for the BBJO Globetrotters at Prague Baseball Week, signed with the Bibai Black Diamonds of the Hokkaido Frontier League out of the 2023 Japan Winter League. 

Daniel Catalan is also a BBJO member and worked at the JWL as a hitting coach and game coordinator in the advanced league.  He ended up getting a contract to be hitting coach with the CTBC Brothers club of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan.  

Catalan is from Southern California, and his background includes college ball in the U.S., experience in European leagues, a member of the Chilean national team, owner of a baseball training facility in Chile, and, most recently, an internship at Driveline.  Upon completing the internship, he applied for some minor-league positions with MLB organizations, but nothing had come through prior to the beginning of the JWL.  

A Japanese former player, Keiichi Hirano, who played in the NPB from 2002 through 2015, was working at the JWL and observed one of Catalan’s hitting sessions and then followed him for a couple of weeks.  He was impressed enough to ask if Catalan was interested in working in Taiwan.  Several days later, Hirano asked Catalan to work with a few professional players – “kind of like a live interview,” Catalan said. The Taiwanese club later contacted him, and things progressed from there.

“The people from the Brothers told me it was new for them to hire someone without pro playing experience, so the Driveline thing really helped. It’s pretty cool,” Catalan said.  “And this wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been in the JWL. This was just for fun, and it turned into something even better.”

And that’s the kind of reaction Washizaki and other JWL leaders are hoping for. As Washizaki said, “I want to make this so people will say, ‘Okinawa in Japan is a gateway to baseball success.’”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Baseball Globetrotters (2023): Hidden gem in small town Czech https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/baseball-globetrotters-trebic/ Wed, 10 Jan 2024 20:53:04 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=498041
BBJO Globetrotters teammates, Ryan “RJ” Johnson, Jeff Costello, and Russ Strilchuk show us their set-up and the beautiful city of Trebic, Czech Republic.

YouTube Video

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Member Spotlight: Mustachioed Malconian’s Journey to Japan https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/malcos-journey-to-japan/ Sat, 06 Jan 2024 08:54:39 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=497637

Last season, Matt Malconian started his overseas career in Germany with the Füssen Royal Bavarians, a slight change of scenery from his San Diego desk job.  Matt had entered the corporate world after a club baseball career at San Diego State where he was the co-founder, president and head coach of the SDSU club team.  After working in corporate finance for four years, the native Californian began longing for more out of life.  That’s when he stumbled across BBJO. 

“There’s only so much glamour and fun about being a ‘weekend warrior’… slaving away for 10 hours a day Monday through Friday, and then [saying], ‘okay well, at least it’s Friday, right?’ … I looked more into BBJO and was like, ‘Wow this is it, I’m going!  See ya, Microsoft Excel, I’m outta here!'”

Matt’s transition from Weekend Warrior to Saturday Starter was accompanied by a full coaching schedule, which was his chance to make a big impact on the little Bavarian club.

“It was awesome spending the time and teaching [the parents of youth players] baseball as well as their kids, because they never played baseball but it obviously brought their kids joy, they had fun doing it and they made friends doing it, and so did I.”

In Germany’s 2nd Bundesliga, Matt tallied 111 strikeouts in 64 innings with only 6 earned runs for a 0.84 ERA.  He accredits these video game-esque numbers to the competitive edge that was chiseled by his formative years as a young pitcher.  Not only was Matt cut from freshman tryouts in high school, he was also turned away from SDSU’s Division I walk-on workout.

“I do feel like I have to prove myself all of the time, and I’m honestly kind of grateful for it.  In high school, I became a better pitcher because I was always in fear that I was going to get cut again.  And then when it came to college ball, I didn’t make the NCAA team so I started my own team and improved myself that way.”

Matt’s high school career ended in underdog glory as he closed the Los Angeles city championship game at Dodger Stadium, and clinched the win in front of friends and family.  His college days ended similarly.  “I threw a perfect game my senior year, and we won the [NCBA] World Series.”

About his time in Füssen, he’s not short on good things to say.  “I knew that they were gonna lean on me a lot to help run the coaching and to pitch a lot.  I didn’t know how much I would feel appreciated.  They made it clear that they loved me, frankly, not to toot my own horn…  but it was really nice interacting with those people for the 6 months because they really loved having me there.”

Looking for a new challenge to follow his season in Germany, Matt decided to register for the Japan Winter League.  “It’s just been about having the best experience around baseball I could create for myself.  Coming to Japan was the next level of that.”  

Landing in Okinawa, the 25 year old entered a baseball environment with a level of resources, organization and professionalism that he had yet to experience in his career.  “Getting in this new professional environment, I feel like I’m playing minor league baseball.  It’s so much more organized and more competitive.  The guys are getting hacks in two hours before the game, they’re still at the stadium until it’s dark outside, they’re trying to get better and get signed. “

Like everyone else in the JWL, Matt’s registration fee was an investment in himself.  The pay-off came on December 9th, when the Bibai Black Diamonds of the Hokkaido Independent League pulled him aside after a game. 

“On Saturday, I threw 5 innings, struck out 9 guys, had a really good start, and those three guys — the owner, the director and the coach —  approached me after the game, and they just just made me an offer right there. …I was like, ‘yeah I’m interested!’ and they all got excited and started shaking my hand.”

In Matt’s early outings this season, he realized that the Japanese play a different style of ball.  Now with Hokkaido on the horizon, he acknowledges how he can improve his performance on a Japanese stage.  “They definitely put the bat on the ball more.  They’re kind of like slap hitters, especially those lefties.  And when they swing and miss they do this spin thing, they spin around twice in the box, it’s funny.  

But I will definitely be working more on my inside fastball and outside slider.  It seems like every outside fastball I throw, they can just slap it [the opposite way].  Trying to jam a Japanese guy inside is definitely more effective than just trying to hit the outside corner because they’ll stick the bat out on it, that’s what they’re good at.”

Naturally, Matt’s JWL experience has helped him prepare for playing in Japan this year.  His JWL roommate also disclosed what might deter those of us who like it when our legs don’t hurt.  Teams in Japan practice up to 14 hours per day, 6 days per week.  When Matt asked what the pitchers do, his roommate responded, “Run.”

But Matt is always expectant of some adversity, and he’s ready for the challenge. “One of the big things that really helps [when importing] is centering the whole thing around baseball.  Like if I moved to Hokkaido and was working in corporate finance and trying to figure out my life that way, that would be a lot more difficult than my situation, where I’m going there to compete alongside other baseball players and win.  We both speak the same language of baseball, it doesn’t matter if I don’t speak Japanese or they don’t speak English, we both speak baseball, and we both speak the drive and will to win.  So having that as our kind of core value or centering thought is reason enough to make me want to go there and be able to work with those people there.”

Aside from his will to win and his humble, friendly nature, Matt’s got another thing going for him in a Japanese clubhouse: the guys love his sweet ‘stache.

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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D1 Studs Sniff Out Epic Overseas Locations to Play Baseball https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/andy-cosgrove-patrick-cromwell/ Mon, 20 Nov 2023 16:16:19 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=496210 Patrick Cromwell and Andrew Cosgrove are a rare breed of BBJO member. Both of these talented former division one players from top programs decided to forgo the MLB dream and use their talents to play baseball in some of the most desirable places to live overseas. But what separates them from most members with similar baseball backgrounds, is that they were less concerned about the level of baseball, as long as the location fit what they were looking for. In this video, they take us on their wild and fun baseball and travel adventurous, which for one included an MLB home run showcase in London, England, and casting for Love Island Australia.

YouTube Video

 

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This Vagabond Couple Met While Playing Baseball and Softball Overseas https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/story-of-tyler-and-chelsea/ Sun, 15 Oct 2023 06:43:10 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=494706

They say traveling around the world is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is also said that finding your soulmate is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For Chelsea Cohen and Tyler Krobetzky, they were lucky enough to have those rare experiences match in a small period of time.

After completing her four-year playing career (2009-2013) at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, Ark.), Cohen was contacted by a coach in Argentina about the possibility of playing and coaching overseas.

She spent a good few years in multiple countries expanding the game of softball, including time in Buenos Aires, Argentina, (2013), with the Dornbirn Sharx in Austria (2014), Walkerville Cats in South Australia (2015-16), Legnano Softball Club in Italy (2016), Zurich Barracudas in Switzerland (2017), Kenfac Phillis in South Africa (2017-18) and Sestese Softball Club in Italy (2018).

Photo: Chelsea pitching for the Walkerville Cats of Adelaide, Australia

After spending three seasons as an independent professional baseball player for Old Orchard Beach Surge in Main, the Rio Grande Valley Whitewings in Texas and the Hilo Hawaii Stars, Krobetzky was introduced to international baseball.

Photo: Tyler (catcher) was picked up by a German team to play at Finkstonball in Austria. 

He played six months in Auckland, New Zealand, helping the Central City Mariners and assistant coaching the club’s U-15 team, then also spent time in Japan, Australia, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, South Africa and the Czech Republic.

To start her international career, according to Cohen, it took her some time to come around to the idea of going to a country that she didn’t know, let alone, by herself, and with a language she, at the moment, knew very little of. She had some convincing from family though.

“My oldest brother is actually the one who responded to the opportunity in a way that changed my perspective from scared to ‘Wow! That’s awesome!’,” she said.

“It took time to remove all the fear of the unknown and then, I got really excited.”

When one doesn’t take a chance, there’s usually some wonder remaining, and Cohen said she knew she would always have her curiosity lingering of what she could have missed if she didn’t take the chance to travel internationally to play softball.

“Looking back, I would have missed a lot,” she said.

With such a big jump in her early 20’s, Cohen, like many others who took similar opportunities, had no expectations, just excitement and wonder.

“I didn’t have many expectations going in,” she said.

“I looked at it as three to four months to experience and explore while coaching.”

It didn’t take Cohen long before realizing that back home in the U.S., not much in her career would change, but overseas, she could see the world and continue her career.

So, her decision was made up to explore all she could while also playing as much as she could. Little did she know at that time, she would be elevating her life in the version of finding her partner.

“While I was playing in Europe, a few baseball players I had become friends with were all leaving for Australia and my plans at the time were to head back home and coach at the University of Nevada (Reno, Nev.),” she said.

Cohen found herself having the same dilemma she had at the start of her journey; to be at home, or to travel.

“I was jealous and wanted to chase the summer season with them. I told Clayton Carson to find me a team for the next season and that’s exactly what he did,” Cohen said.

That was the start of her playing career for the Walkerville Cats.

Carson not only was her friend, but he had coaching experience, as well. He was a coach of Tyler Krobetzky and recruited him to play in Australia that same summer Cohen was playing there.

“Once Tyler and I met, we did everything together,” she said.

“We denied dating, but found ourselves planning every adventure together; we just had the same outlook on our experience and wanted to do and see everything.”

At the time, Krobetzky was playing for the Golden Grove Dodgers.

Photo: Tyler playing for the Golden Grove Dodgers of Adelaide, Australia

In their free time, the two would find themselves hiking, eating delicious food and spending time on Australian beaches.

“Often, we would check out our favorite breakfast spot, head to the hills to hike and count koalas or kangaroos. Then, we would catch the sunset at the beach,” she said.

“We would take day trips with all the baseball guys out to the vineyards and go wine tasting or cliff jumping.

“We had a really fun and close crew in Adelaide that summer, and we’re still close friends today.”

Summer in Australia was not the only time Cohen, Krobetzkey and their friends would spend time together. They also traveled together for holidays.

According to Cohen, the group traveled together for Christmas break and the first year, they all went to the city of Gold Coast, then Sydney for New Year’s and hiking in the Blue Mountains to the Whitsunday Islands and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef.

“At the end of the summer, we took a quick trip to the North Island of New Zealand and in our second year, we spent a week in the South Island of New Zealand traveling in a van,” she said.

“We had an end-of-the-season trip to Bali, as well.”

Photo: Tyler and Chelsea on an African safari.

The year in Australia was just the start for Cohen and Krobetzky. When they moved home, Krobetzky’s father retired and moved to Arizona. That was the start of the two living together.

Cohen said Krobetzky didn’t feel like Arizona was his home, so he joined her in Nevada with her family.

“He played one more season in New Zealand and I had stayed home to start working, so it just made sense at the time (to live like that),” she said.

“There were a few different times throughout our relationship where we did long-distance, but we typically always planned a trip to meet up and continue exploring new places together.”

Cohen said the two of them exploring on their own helped them grow closer together.

Their journey started in the land down under, but it still continues to surprise the two of them today, she said.

“We have some amazing opportunities we can’t say ‘no’ to,” she said.

“Most recently, we moved to Ruston, La. and bought our first home.”

The two of them are coaching at the collegiate level for their careers. Both are assistant softball coaches at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston

Overall, Cohen’s questions she faced before taking her leap overseas were voided the second her opportunities connected her to Krobetzky.

“Making the decision to play overseas helped me grow and mature in so many ways,” she said.

“Most importantly, it gave me perspective to not let fear or money dictate how I live my life.”

She said she can now freely make choices that she said she knows can bring her joy and experiences, even when they seem crazy, like having a great (athletic) career, moving to Louisiana, starting a family and a new career.

“I love the influence other cultures have on my day-to-day life, as well,” she said.

“We keep a little piece of every country we’ve been to with us.”

 

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Baseball Globetrotters: Lifestyle Playing Seaside France https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-la-rochelle/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 20:57:03 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=498062

Three BBJO members and a fourth import take us inside one of the fastest-growing baseball clubs in France and a future French first-division contender. The footage takes place in 2018, their inaugural first season at France’s top level.

YouTube Video

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Whether Opening for Green Day or Pitching at Dodgers Stadium, Scott Radinsky Brings It https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/scott-radinsky-interview/ Thu, 14 Sep 2023 18:36:45 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=494547 Whether opening for Green Day or pitching at Dodgers Stadium, there is one thing for certain about Scott Radinsky…….. he always brings it. In this episode, the former MLB pitcher and coach —who doubled as a punk rock singer for his band Pulley during the MLB offseason— talks about his simple approach to the game, whether facing Ken Griffey Jr. in his heyday or coaching a pitcher back from the edge of being sent down to the minors and onwards to a long MLB career. His approach —and punk rock attitude— proved successful, making him a fan favorite at both Comiskey Park and Dodgers Stadium during the height of his pitching career which saw him throw five of his 11 MLB seasons with a sub 3.00 ERA as one of the most used arms out of the pen.

After a brief discussion to start the podcast about his other side gig as the owner of one of the biggest indoor skate parks in California, the talk turns baseball and never goes back as Scott uses his storytelling skills to share some cool MLB stories before diving deep into his approach to the game as both a player and a coach, balancing his two lives at a musician and professional athlete, and ending with some fun rapid fire questions about his playing, coaching and musical career.

Today, Scott continues to tour with his band and is a free agent looking for a coaching or managing career in Europe. You can follow his band on Instagram under the handle @pulleymatters. You can also see the video I put together of them playing at Punk Rock Holiday in Slovenia here.

We invite you to listen to what we consider our best episode to date.

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CSU Bakersfield Stud Arm’s Mental Approach and 95mph FB Has Him in High Demand Overseas https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/ethan-skuija-interview/ Wed, 30 Aug 2023 07:14:56 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=493863

Seattle-born, Ethan Skuija, has always been a dominant pitcher. He dominated as a kid growing up in Canada, in junior college in California, and in division one baseball playing for CSU Bakersfield.

None of this changed since he decided to take his career overseas after missing the draft.

At the time of this interview, Ethan was a handful of weeks into a winter ball stint in Australia for the 2022-2023 season, his second season overseas that saw him go on to dominate. He was fresh off a dominant 2022 season in the Czech Republic where he posted a 0.62 ERA in 47.2 innings of work, with a whopping 90 strikeouts in what many regard as a strong hitting league.

Although Ethan was not a member of our website, he was a pitcher we could not ignore when recruiting for our Globetrotters team that would compete at Prague Baseball Week against the likes of the Spanish and Czech National teams.

In this interview, we talk about Ethan’s career in baseball, his mental approach to the game, the unmatched energy he brings to the dugout when not pitching, and of course, all the goodness about his experience playing baseball overseas thus far.

Since this interview, Ethan has gone on to pitch for the Savannah Party Animals in 2023 —a role he claims he was “born for”— and then finished his 2023 summer in the Atlantic League with the Staten Island FerryHawks. Ethan’s story is far from over and there will definitely be a part two to this interview. Listen to part one here:

Follow Ethan on Instagram: @ethanskuija

 

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This French Pitcher Quickly Went from an Unknown Community College Pitcher to MLB Draft Pick https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/mathias-lacombe-story/ Mon, 28 Aug 2023 16:02:31 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=493738

Mathias LaCombe is the embodiment of the old phrase “how quickly things can change”.  

At the beginning of this spring, he was a virtually unknown relief pitcher at a community college in a rural region of eastern Arizona who had trouble consistently throwing strikes.  At the end of the spring, he became only the second native of France drafted by an MLB team when the Chicago White Sox called his name in the 12th round.  

Yes, things can often change in a hurry.

To learn more, one needs to go back a bit.

From Pineuilh, a town in the famous wine region of Bordeaux, LaCombe began playing baseball at the age of 8.  He tried other sports, such as rugby, but stayed with baseball because he liked it’s “difficulty”.  He played for various club teams and also spent three years training at the French national baseball academy in Toulouse before eventually finding his way to Cochise College in Douglas, AZ, which several French players had previously attended.

In his first season, he had a good strikeout rate (10.4 per 9 innings), but also a 5.04 earned-run average and a high 1.52 WHIP after walking 14 and allowing 24 hits in 25 innings. 

“When he got here, he was a skinny dude without a lot of pitchability,” said Cochise Coach Todd Inglehart, who has been at the school for 25 years.  “His fast ball velocity was probably 87-88 – maybe 89 – and he had trouble throwing strikes.  He was a one-pitch guy who didn’t control the strike zone well.  He did better in the playoffs – he was throwing more strikes and his velocity had improved to the low 90s – but he was still a one-pitch pitcher.”

Photo: In April 2023, Mathias LaCombe was pitching for a small community college in rural Arizona. Four months later he signed an affiliated contract. 

As the 2023 season neared, LaCombe had gotten stronger – he’s now 6-2 and 185 pounds – and gained velocity through a weight-training program, but Inglehart still didn’t have a good fix on his potential upside.

“We were patient, because we’ve had a lot of international guys here, and there is an understandable adjustment period,” Inglehart said.  “It’s a step-by-step process.  I give kids time to figure things out before I make any assumptions.  I didn’t know at first what his role would be, and I really didn’t know at the start of his second season.  I knew that he had great makeup – he was fearless, competitive, and willing to be coached – but he had such a long way to go.”

As it turned out, LaCombe made up a lot of ground quickly.

The team’s closer the previous season – voted to the All-America team – had been moved to the starting rotation, and Lacombe took over as closer.  But he wasn’t getting many save opportunities because the team’s offense wasn’t generating a lot of late-inning leads, so Inglehart moved  him into the rotation.

“His first start was kind of marginal, but his velocity had improved to 94-97, and he really started to get better by mid-March,” Inglehart said.  “He went from having poor command to pitching through a shoebox.”

White Sox area scout John Kazanas also took note.

“I saw him last year but nothing came out to tell me, ‘Wow,’ until this year,” Kazanas said. “He relieved [in one game] and I believe threw four or five innings of shutout ball. The life of the fastball, the arm strength that he possessed, the looseness in his arm, just the definition of his body for projection — all of a sudden, [I thought], ‘Holy smokes!’”

LaCombe could tell the difference, too.

“My command and velocity had improved,” he said. “I was hitting 94-95 regularly when starting and hit 96 six times in the seventh inning of starts.  Once, I hit 98 in a relief appearance, and I was starting to put up some really good numbers.”  

Photo: LaCombe’s hometown club in France is Stade Toulouse which competes in the French First Division. Photo credit: Stade Toulousain Baseball 

Numbers such as a 1.74 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and a 7-to-1 strikeout/walk ratio – good enough that Kazanas was able to get White Sox area supervisor Ryan Dorsey to make the trip to Cochise, a seven-hour round trip by car, to see him pitch.  And the club eventually made him the 359th player taken in the draft.

LaCombe said he had been “pretty confident of being drafted because I’d been putting up great numbers and been getting more calls from scouts before the draft.  [Kazanas] was one of the first scouts to get in touch with me.  A lot of them thought I’d be drafted on the second day, so I was a little disappointed when I didn’t get picked by then, but I was pleasantly surprised to be picked on the third day and still get the money I had been looking for.”

His goal, of course, is to make it to the big leagues, which would make him the first French player to do so.  The only other French player drafted by an MLB team is outfielder Joris Bert, who was taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 19th round of the 2007 draft and played two seasons at the rookie-league level.  

“He is driven to be the first French player to play in the big leagues,” Kazanas said. “When he goes back to France, he’s going to make an impact on hundreds of kids who have that same dream.”

Photo: Mathias LaCombe signs his first affiliated contract with the Chicago White Sox. 

LaCombe appeared for France in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers late last year, allowing a run and striking out two in one inning against Great Britain.  

Boris Rothermundt, assistant national technical director of the French Baseball and Softball Federation, as well as the first French player to have played college baseball in the United States, said, “Mathias has been our future in terms of the World Baseball Classic qualifier, so we’ve got four years to build a team around [him and 15-year-old pitching prospect Ben Couvreur] and other players that have either university or professional experience.”

LaCombe currently is at the White Sox’ training facility in Glendale, AZ, and is not sure of his next posting.  He may be kept in Arizona to train, since the development league there – the Arizona Complex League – is near the end of its season, and the low U.S. minor leagues complete their regular seasons by mid-September.

“I definitely need to work on some things, like my slider, the movement on my  pitches, and overall consistency,” LaCombe said, “but I’ve always had the dream of playing pro ball in the U.S., and I’m going to do everything I can to make the most of this opportunity.”

Inglehart added, “He’s so young as a pitcher that he probably has a pretty high ceiling.  In my opinion, he’s only scratched the surface.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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The Lennard Pietersz Story: From the Small Island of Curaçao to Japan via Austria https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/lennard-pietersz-story/ Wed, 23 Aug 2023 08:47:04 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=493500

If the particulars of Lennard Pietersz’ journey thus far were set to a medley of songs, an appropriate title track would be “The Long and Winding Road”.  

The native of Curacao, a former Dutch colony in the Caribbean now a “constituent country” of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, started learning the game at the age of six, emigrated to the United States at 14, played high school ball in Florida, and played college ball in Oklahoma and Texas before returning to Florida.  Then came a winter ball stint in California, followed by a season in Austria. Next was Japan, where he became the first member of Baseball Jobs Overseas to play in the Japan Winter League (JWL) and now is performing in the independent Hokkaido Baseball League.  

“It’s been a long road, for sure,” the 24-year-old says with a laugh.  “Not something I ever expected.”

Certainly not when he was a youngster, despite the fact that he came from a baseball family – several older relatives having played the game, and his father and one uncle having gone to the Netherlands to play.  But his first move came 10 years ago when he moved to Naples, Florida, to live with an uncle, Robert Guda, who has continued to be a key mentor.    

The next turn came when he earned a scholarship to Western Oklahoma State, the alma mater of fellow Curacaoan and four-time Gold Glove Award winner Andrelton Simmons.  Pietersz batted .364 with a .965 OPS in his one season there before moving farther west to Clarendon College in Texas, where he batted .317 with an .868 OPS in 2019.  

The road then took him back to Florida – to Warner University in Lake Wales, though he was ineligible to play because not enough of his credits transferred.  He became eligible after two seasons, but another bend in the road took him to California for Winter League ball in January 2022, and it was there that his next moves came into focus.

Listen to Lenny’s podcast interview with us here: 

 

“While in California, I met a Japanese guy who told me about the winter league there,” Pietersz said.  “And at the same time, I found out about Baseball Jobs Overseas.  I talked with them, signed up, and – to my surprise – got five offers within the first week.”

He chose Kufstein in the Austrian second division and batted .568 for the Vikings, driving in 20 runs in 12 games and stealing 11 bases in as many attempts.  He stayed there until August 2022 before going back to Florida where he expected to finally play for Warner, but another fork appeared in the road, so he followed Yogi Berra’s advice and took it.  

“I was finally eligible to play for Warner, but my uncle and I decided it would be a good idea to try for the Japan Winter League and get that extra experience,” he said.  “Also, my girlfriend at Warner, who is Japanese, was back in Japan.”

The JWL is more of a developmental league with two levels – one for players that may have pro potential and one for those more focused on the independent and industrial leagues.  The JWL season lasts approximately a month, from late November to the latter part of December, and Pietersz found the experience to be very worthwhile.

As has been pointed out many times, foreign players must make significant adjustments to the Japanese culture and approach to the game in order to succeed, particularly the stringent focus on repetition in the long daily workouts.  Many, including former MLB stars, have not been able to overcome the necessary hurdles.  

“It helped that my girlfriend, whom I met at Warner University, is Japanese, so I already had some insights into the culture,” he said, “but there are still so many differences.  It’s tough mentally when you’re alone and a long way from home.  

“And the workouts – Oh, man!  Back home, our practices were maybe two hours.  Here, we have individual practice from 1-3 and other stuff from 3 to about 7.  Even after games, they’ll run for 15-30 minutes and then go to the gym.  I had been doing a lot of extra work before, but their work ethic made me realize how much less I had actually been doing.  They take stretching very seriously.  Before, I’d just get to the field and get going, but I’m seeing how stretching can help, particularly by preventing injuries. There’s a lot of focus on meditation, too, and I’m trying to absorb that.

“The way they work is amazing.  It helps motivate you.”

Pietersz made the adjustment on the field.  Playing primarily at shortstop but occasionally slotting in at second base and third base, he batted .357 in 24 games with a .444 on-base percentage and .500 slugging mark.  

It helped, too, that he was able to connect with Hiroyuki Sakanashi, one of his coaches.  Sakanashi speaks English fluently – Pietersz speaks English, Dutch, Spanish, as well as Papiamentu, the language for Curacao, Aruba, and Bonaire – and has played and coached in Austria since 2004.   He coaches a club team with the first-division Vienna Wanderers and is head coach for the senior and U-23 Austrian national teams.

“When I was first talking with the players, I noticed that there were a few imports so I spoke in English, and I think that made him feel more comfortable,” Sakanashi said.  “When I first saw Lenny, he was tall and skinny, so I wasn’t sure what type of player he was,” Sakanashi said.  “Defensively, he was a little worried about his arm strength at first, but I think it was just that he wasn’t throwing as hard as he could.  We were playing five games a week, and he was not wanting to hurt his arm.  But he did well at all the infield spots.  We trusted him to play more than the others.

“As a hitter, he has great plate discipline, can read the game well, and move runners over.  He’s a very aggressive hitter and can drive balls early in the count.  He didn’t have much power in the beginning, but he started emerging once he got used to the Japanese style of pitching.”

Pietersz acknowledged that it takes time to get used to the different style of play in Japan, including more emphasis on “small ball” and pitchers who deliver more off-speed pitches.  

“They can slash, drag bunt – all that stuff.  It doesn’t matter if you’re the No. 3 or No. 4 hitter – you’re still expected to lay down a bunt,” he said. “It definitely takes some getting used to, but it’s still baseball.  And, luckily, I love small ball.”

Photo: Hiro Sakanashi recognizes Lenny as the 2022 Japan Winter League MVP

Sakanashi said that the JWL is a “tryout league”, in which the coaches make sure to give all players equal numbers of games, at bats, innings pitched, etc., so that everyone gets an equal opportunity to be seen by scouts.

The final day of registration for the 2023 Japan Winter League ends August 31st! Sign up here using our discount code BBJO2023!

That worked for Pietersz, who did well enough in the JWL to earn a contract with the Shibestsu Samurai Blades of the Hokkaido Baseball League. 

“There was another team – the Kochi Fighting Dogs, the team Manny Ramirez played for – that  came to see me, but the weather was bad that day and I played badly,” he said. “I played well the next day, though, and a scout from Shibetsu wanted to see me do some defensive drills after the game.  They hit about 10 balls to me and asked if I wanted to sign.”

He did, joining the team in May, 2023 after playing part of the spring season for Warner back in Florida and following his girlfriend’s graduation.  He’s continued to do well on the field, batting .297 as of August 20, though he missed nearly three weeks because of a wrist injury incurred on a slide and a pulled quadriceps muscle.  

Off the field has been a bit more challenging.  For one thing, there is a language barrier with many of his teammates.  And since his girlfriend is on another island, he’s more on his own, but he stays in regular touch with her and Sakanashi, which helps. 

“I don’t think he had much of a problem adjusting to the winter league, but I think he’s struggling a bit at the moment,” Sakanashi said.  “They wake up early and then leave early for the games so they can practice beforehand.  If a game starts at 10am, they need to be at the field by 6, so he’ll wake up at 5.”

And then there are normal activities that require more effort than back home.  “It takes more time to do things here,” Pietersz acknowledged.  “If I need to get groceries, or if I want to go somewhere on an off day, I have to plan it in advance. 

“But it’s manageable, and I’m learning a lot.”

He has more time, since the season will last until October.  What comes after that is an open question at the moment.  Ideally, he’ll get a contract with a team in a higher-level league.  If that doesn’t happen, he plans to go back to the winter league and then perhaps go home for a short break.  Regardless, his journey will continue.

“My goal is to get to the highest level possible,” he said.  “I just have to keep working and do whatever I can to get better.  I never got the opportunity to play in the States, but then I got the chance here, and it’s been a blessing.”

Below is our interview with Lenny followed by an interview with Hiro Sakanashi of the Japan Winter League.

Japan Winter League 2023 Registration (bbjo discount code: BBJO2023)

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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This Player Signed in Japan with No Prior Professional Experience https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/lenny-pietersz/ Fri, 18 Aug 2023 13:04:29 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=493276

Lenny Pietersz is a native of Curaçao who has always dreamed of playing professional baseball. He recently achieved that goal, but he had to invest in himself by flying to Japan to play in the Japan Winter League in November of 2022. After two junior college baseball seasons in the U.S.A., Lenny signed up for the California Winter League in hopes to gain a pro contract. After that didn’t pan out, he signed up with Baseball Jobs Overseas and soon found himself playing in second division Austria. Lenny loved this experience but continued to pursue his dream of playing in a true professional league. That is when he discovered the Japan Winter League. In this interview with Lenny, he talks about his experience at the Japan Winter League and how that led to apro contact with an independent professional baseball team in Japan.

Show notes:

Japan Winter League 2023 Registration (bbjo discount code: BBJO2023)

Related episodes:

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Get Signed in Japan via the Japan Winter League https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/japan-winter-league/ Mon, 31 Jul 2023 14:44:25 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=492779

If you’re interested in playing baseball in Japan, the Japan Winter League is the perfect place to start. In this episode, Dave and Jimmy interview league president Issei Washizaki—via translator Hiro Sakanshi—and find out everything about the Japan Winter League that an interested player would want to know.

The JWL is a showcase league running from November 23-December 24th. The purpose of the league is to get players exposure to professional opportunities throughout Japan.

Every game played will be live-streamed with Rapsodo data so that scouts can follow the games remotely. With scouts representing teams from the MLB, NPB, and Japanese Independent Leagues with on-the-spot signing power, the JWL is the perfect platform for you to get signed at the next level.

To register for the Japan Winter League, visit https://www.japanleague.co.jp  and enter discount code “BBJO2023” for a 20,000 yen discount.

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Jaz Shergill Discovered his True Calling While Playing in Africa https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/jaz-shergill-story/ Mon, 03 Jul 2023 14:01:27 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=491745

Baseball.  Uganda.

For the vast majority of people, those words would not seem to belong in the same sentence.  Yet, they do.  There is baseball in Uganda – more than one might think – and that’s thanks to people such as Jaz Shergill and others.  

Shergill is a native of Toronto who utilized Baseball Jobs Overseas to earn playing opportunities in Australia, South Africa and Germany, and he also played in Canada’s Inter-County Baseball League and the former Can-Am independent pro league.  While playing in South Africa, he worked with a charity called Play Sports 4 Life that worked with disadvantaged communities around Cape Town.  

“I helped teach people the game,” Shergill said, “and the experience really changed my perspective on life.  When my contract was over and I came home, I felt kind of an emptiness, so I started my own organization called Every Child Deserves a Chance.  We would collect a lot of equipment and send it to Play Sports 4 Life.  We started having other requests for help and decided to meet with one of the Ugandan baseball organizations. 

Photo: While playing baseball in South Africa during the 2016-2017 winter, Jaz worked with a charity called Play Sports 4 Life. It was there he discovered his true calling, to work with kids in disadvantaged communities in Africa. 

“I went over there and took four or five suitcases of equipment, and that trip really opened my eyes as to how much organization existed and big the interest in baseball was there.  It was clear they knew about the game, and that surprised me, so we decided to focus on Uganda.”

Matt Soren, a former Philadelphia Phillies farmhand, lives in New York and essentially acts as the organization’s director of East Coast operations. As a dual U.S./Israel citizen, he also pitches for Team Israel and will play in the European Cup this September.  He met Shergill while playing in South Africa and has been with ECDC from the beginning.  He focuses primarily on getting equipment.  

“After meeting Jaz and seeing what he was doing with the non-profit there, I got inspired to use sports to help kids’ lives,” Soren said.  

“With ECDC, I try to help however I can.  I spread the word on social media, but the main thing is getting equipment and then getting it to people who need it.  Shipping costs are large.  The last shipment to South Africa was 2,500 pounds and cost $30,000, and we’re always looking for donations to help defray the costs.  We do key on Uganda, but we also are active in South Africa and Cameroon.  Ideally, this would someday become a world project – I’ve been doing some legwork in South America, for example – but we don’t want to expand too quickly.”

Shergill’s organization in Uganda has its main location in Luwero, but it works with players from various parts of the country.  It has a few paid coaches, but most are volunteers.  It currently supports 14 teams, with 15-20 players per team, and also helps train other younger players.  ECDC provides assistance in any way it can – by supplying and helping coaches, supporting tournaments, sometimes helping players financially, giving players chances to play overseas, and more.  

Photo: Jaz poses for a photo with kids in Africa and the baseball equipment he brought with him.

Because of Covid-19, Shergill hadn’t been to Uganda since 2019 until he traveled there in May of this year.

“It was amazing to see the growth,” he said.  “The talent level has really grown.  We put together a 14-team tournament, and everyone was extremely developed. The competition was very balanced, and you could tell that they knew what they were doing.”

A pitcher from Luwero, David Matoma, recently signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates – just the third Ugandan to sign with an MLB club.  And another pitcher, Kato Edrine, played semi-pro ball in Japan last year.  

“Matoma is the first player we’ve worked with who has signed with an MLB team,” Shergill said.  “He’s in the Dominican Summer League now and recently hit 101 on the radar gun.  Edrine is a lefthander who’s touched 94 [mph] with his fast ball, and he’s getting some interest from NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) teams.”

Those are significant milestones, as baseball is relatively new in Uganda.  Shergill’s understanding is that missionaries brought it with them during the 1980s and 1990s.  A 2015 article says that George Mukhobe, a former manager of a top Ugandan Little League team and later president of the Ugandan Baseball Federation, learned the game from American missionaries while in school in the mid-1990s. But [Mukhobe] said no one at that time considered staying involved with the game after finishing school.

According to a May 2023 Los Angeles Times story, baseball was “introduced” to Uganda in 2002. Like some others, the Times story discusses the efforts of Richard Stanley, a retired chemical engineer and former part-owner of a minor-league baseball team who was volunteering for an international development project in Uganda and was asked to help start a baseball league for children.  Interest in the sport grew, and Stanley eventually built a Little League complex and a secondary school in Mpigi, a complex shared by the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2019 for what the Times article says amounts to a “secret” baseball academy.

Clearly, interest in the game and the quality of play have continued to grow since then. 

Uganda’s Little League team improved quickly but went through quite a few hoops before finally getting to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA., for the first time in 2014.  The Europe/Middle East/Africa regional tournament is held in Poland, and getting there was extremely complicated and expensive.  Just getting birth certificates for the players was challenging, since some can be orphaned and documentation in Uganda is not what it is in more developed countries.  Then the entire team had to go as a group to get their visas at the Polish embassy – the nearest of which was 16 hours away by bus in Nairobi, Kenya.  

However, when the team won the regional, it was denied visas by the U.S. State Department because of alleged discrepancies in their documents.  There was suspicion of forgery because, in interviews, parents did not always give birth dates that aligned with what was in the documents.  

The team did get visas the following year and became the first African team to participate in the LLWS, winning one of three games.   The team returned to the LLWS in 2015 and defeated the Dominican Republic before losing to two powers – Venezuela and Chinese Taipei.

Photo: Uganda’s 2015 team was the first to participate in the Little League Baseball World Series. 

Only two Africans have played in Major League Baseball – South Africans Gift Ngoepe (Pittsburgh, Toronto) and Tayler Scott (Los Angeles Dodgers), but the Dodgers signed two players last year out of their Ugandan academy – reliever Ben Serunkuma and outfielder/third baseman Umar Male, who are currently playing in the Arizona rookie league.  And then there is Matoma.  

In February 2023, the Ugandan U-12 and U-18 teams qualified for the Baseball World Cup tournament, which is scheduled to take place in August.  Also, two Ugandans – Isaac Odongo and Nick Alumai – are playing college ball at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX.

In addition, recent publications have highlighted the story of 18-year-old catcher Dennis Kasumba, who received a travel visa to play in the MLB Draft League, a six-team circuit comprised of amateur players hoping to be drafted.  Kasumba lost both parents at an early age and has lived in extreme poverty much of his life.  

“Great for Dennis, he’s going to have the experience of a lifetime,” MLB Draft League president Sean Campbell said. “Hopefully it leads to other baseball opportunities down the road.  But it’s really about those 12- and 13-year-olds who are playing baseball in Uganda right now and seeing that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

And that is the goal – to fuel continual growth of the sport.  And that is a challenge.

Photo: The LA Dodgers signed reliever Ben Serunkuma and outfielder/third baseman Umar Male out of the Ugandan academy. Both are currently playing in the Arizona rookie league. Photo Credit: Georgge Katongole

Shergill highlights the need to create a Ugandan league so that teams from different communities are able to travel and compete against one another.  Another barrier is that players often have to quit playing at a relatively young age so they can help support their families by farming or other activities.  In addition, visa restrictions can sometimes make it difficult for Ugandans to play in other countries, and teams often are reluctant to take a chance on an Ugandan player when they can more easily get players from countries like Canada and the United States that have much longer baseball histories.

Yet another complication is that the different baseball-related organizations in Uganda tend to work independently, rather than in concert.

“Uganda Baseball and Softball is located in a different region and doesn’t always fully trust and support outside organizations that want to provide assistance,” Shergill said.  “Then you have the Dodgers’ academy, which takes players.  The different organizations sometimes have their own interests and don’t work together as often as they might.

“We’ve been working hard to fix this; it’s a slow process, but we’re going in the right direction.    Our coaches work with the Uganda Baseball and Softball Association as much as possible and include them in everything we can.  We work really hard to create connections. The only way we can prove that we’re doing this for the right reasons is to attend to all the little things.  We want nothing except to help provide opportunities.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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How This Cali Softball Player Became the Austrian National Team Coach https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/gabriella-gonzalez/ Mon, 22 May 2023 16:32:50 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=490595

Gabriella Gonzalez represents a classic case of how quickly things can change.  In a mere 11-day period back in 2016, her life’s path veered from typical to atypical.  

Gonzalez grew up in northern California and was a softball player and sometimes coach while attending college.  Her future plans were a bit hazy but were aligned with the conventional.

“I wanted to be a nutritionist or maybe do something with my [kinesiology] degree,” she said.  “Then maybe get a master’s degree and get on with a career.  Though I had coached some, that was never going to be my career.”

Well, you know what they say about plans.

Instead of taking a standard path, Gonzalez took off for Europe and has spent most of the last seven years playing and coaching softball in Austria.  She is player/coach for her club and head coach of the Austrian national team, earning 2022 coach-of-the-year honors in Austria.  She is now in a relationship with a Greek man who works as a ship’s captain, and she plans to remain in Europe for the long term.

Photo: Gabriella (right), is the head coach of the Austrian National Softball Team.

“If you had asked me 10 years ago where my life would go, this is not at all what I would have thought,” she acknowledged.

And the turn came within that small window in 2016 as she neared graduation from California State University – East Bay in Hayward, Calif.  

A representative of Baseball Jobs Overseas had contacted the Cal State coach about several players, including Gonzalez, regarding overseas opportunities, but Gonzalez didn’t take it seriously.  

“I’d never even heard of playing overseas,” she said.

But matters accelerated quickly after she talked with her coach, Claire Sua-Amundson, and then got an offer from the Vienna Wanderers of the Austrian Softball League.

“I knew she’d spent her life up to that point in northern California, but I’d seen other players go overseas, and I encouraged her to try it,” Sua-Amundson said.  “I said this was her chance to travel since she was young and had no commitments, and I thought it would be a life-changing opportunity.”

That got Gonzalez to thinking about it, but another roadblock was her fear of flying.  She had taken only three or four flights to that point and was white-knuckled each time.  Once during her senior season in college, the team had to fly to San Diego for a game, and she asked if she could drive instead.

“I told her no, we were a college softball team and were going to fly,” Sua-Amundson said. “She was a nervous wreck, but she did it.”

Despite her fears, Gonzalez began to entertain the idea of going overseas.

Photo: Gabriella takes a swing for the Vienna Wanderers of the Austrian Softball League.

“At first, it just seemed like just a shot in the dark,” she said, “but I talked with Jimmy [Jensen of Baseball Jobs Overseas] and found out more about what they do. Then, when the Wanderers contacted me, I started to realize it was possible.  I remember being in my apartment and on the phone with Jimmy asking ‘Is this real?  Is this really happening?’”

It was.

“The person from the Wanderers said they wanted me and needed me on a certain day,” Gonzalez recalled, “So I had 11 days to take my final exams, graduate, plan what I needed to take with me, say good-bye to everyone and move out of my place.  It was a crazy time. I didn’t even have time to get all my stuff out of the apartment, and my family had to finish for me.”

Suddenly, the woman who had traveled little up to that point found herself on a flight bound for Vienna, and the experience wasn’t as traumatic as she had expected.

“Things had taken place so fast that I don’t think I fully realized what was happening,” she said with a laugh.  “I got on the plane, was able to relax some, and was fine.  It was such an adventure to travel alone.”

And the adventure hasn’t stopped.  Her first go-round in Vienna lasted three months, and she quickly became enamored – “I cried when it was time to leave.”

She returned to the U.S., worked, and served as an assistant coach at Sierra College, the junior college where she had starred as a player prior to transferring to Cal State.  “That was  great training for what I’m doing now . . . it helped me grow quickly as a coach.” The Wanderers asked her back for the 2017 season, and after that she began to consider staying there on a more permanent basis.

It is difficult for foreigners to get Austrian visas, but Gonzalez was accepted into a master’s degree program in health and physical activity at the University of Vienna that enabled her to get a student visa.  After that, she was hired by the Austrian Baseball Federation as an assistant coach with the national team and obtained a work visa.

Photo: Gabriella coaching for the Austrian National Softball Team.

She has been a player/coach for the Wanderers from the start and also coaches at the Austrian Baseball Softball Federation’s youth academy.  The Wanderers played in the European Cup last year and did well enough to qualify for the Premier Cup – matching the top teams in Europe – this August.  She has primarily played second base, winning a couple of Gold Glove awards, and also received an award for her hitting. She has averaged .442 at the plate over seven seasons. 

Gonzalez served as an assistant with the national team for four years until becoming head coach before the 2022 season.  In her first go-round as head coach, the team jumped five places in the world rankings, from 29th to 24th.

None of which surprises Sua-Amundson.

“As a player, Gabby was very athletic, could play most any position, and had a great work ethic and passion for the sport,” she said.  “She can see the big picture on the field and can think several plays ahead, which a lot of players can’t do.  She was voted newcomer of the year in our conference the season before I arrived and was second-team all-conference.”

In addition, she saw Gonzalez’ natural leadership abilities.  

“She’s like a coach on the field.  I was hired after recruiting had been completed, so I relied on her and the other seniors to learn about the program.  Gabby was really good with the freshmen and had great insights about where we needed to go with the team. 

“I remember a time when the team was running up and down the bleachers as part of our conditioning program, and the players were just miserable.  Gabby got them together and said this was one thing we had to do to get better, and they got back to it.  I could see then that she could really make an impact on a program.”

And Gonzalez’ plan is to continue making an impact from Europe.  In addition to playing and coaching softball, she is a certified Group Fitness trainer, as well as an Active Aging Trainer accredited by the European Register Of Exercise Professionals.

“America is home, and I miss it, especially my grandparents,” she said, “but I love Europe and have built a life here.  I love to travel, too – no more fear of flying – and it’s a lot easier to travel from Europe because the countries are so much closer.  The best way I can describe it is that there is more a sense here of working to live rather than living to work.”

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This Pitcher’s Path to the Minors Was Through Semi-Pro Leagues in Canada, Australia and Germany https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/kaleb-bowman-podcast-interview/ Wed, 26 Apr 2023 18:05:47 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=489083
Former Appalachian State standout, Kaleb Bowman, found himself undrafted upon graduation and made the decision to travel the world and play baseball. This journey landed him in Canada that very same summer after graduating, playing in a five-team semi-professional men’s league in New Brunswick. After that season, Kaleb hopped on a plane to play winter ball for Surfers Paradise Baseball Club on the beautiful gold coast of Australia. After back-to-back very successful seasons overseas —including a single-season strikeout record in Australia— Kaleb took the summer of 2020 off along with the 2020-2021 winter. It was during this time that Kaleb worked hard at taking his game to a new level, eventually signing with the Regensburg Legionäre, a premiere club in Germany that has produced the likes of Max Kepler and Donald Lutz.

Kaleb’s hard work paid off as he was named the German Bundesliga “Pitcher of the Year” in 2021 and 2022 in his two seasons with Regensburg and the league MVP & Triple Crown (Pitching) winner in 2022. Kaleb leveraged this success, and his Twitter account, to get noticed by the Gastonia Honey Hunters of the Atlantic League, the team with which he signed and finished the 2022 season.

The success didn’t stop there.

Kaleb picked up where he left off, despite pitching against many players with MLB experience. In his 10 innings of relief with the Honey Hunters, Kaleb struck out 11 and produced a stingy era of 0.90. This didn’t go unnoticed and led to his first-ever MLB contract, signing with the Milwaukee Brewers to play the 2023 season.

In the BBJO Podcast episode below, Kaleb dives into his unusual path to the minor leagues including his off-season program and how he took his game to a new level. He also shares how he utilized Twitter to get noticed by pro scouts. A strong theme throughout this episode is Kaleb’s strong mental approach to his career, with an open mind towards overseas baseball while still grinding towards his MLB dream.

2023 UPDATE:

“Spring training (with the Brewers) went great,” said Bowman on April 5th, 2023. “I got to go out early, so I was there for 6 weeks. About 40 minor leaguers arrived when the big leaguers did and got the extra spring training. Including practicing with the big leaguers and getting to pick their brains some.”
Kaleb was fortunate enough to back up 10 of the big league games.
“Sure enough, my first-ever affiliate appearance was in a big league (spring) game!”
Kaleb came in with a man on 3rd and two outs, facing the Guardians’ #6 prospect Bryan Rocchio. He threw 3 pitches for 3 strikes and a strikeout.
With about 3 weeks left, the rest of the minor league players came and they continued to scrimmage, play other affiliates, and practice daily.
“It was just an awesome experience that I was told by many different people to just soak it all in, and I sure did that.”

 

Audio interview:

 

Video Interview:

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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There is Baseball Fever in the Czech Republic after World Baseball Classic https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/czech-baseball-world-baseball-classic/ Mon, 24 Apr 2023 07:06:11 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=489677

By participating for the first time in the recently completed World Baseball Classic, the Czech Republic’s national team checked off multiple items on its to-do list.

“Before the tournament, we had three goals – increase the number of baseball fans in the Czech Republic, encourage more young people to play, and qualify for the next WBC,” team manager Pavel Chadim said.  “We accomplished all those, and it’s a great feeling.”

The Czech team was a surprise qualifier for the WBC back in November and then defeated China in its first tournament game before losing to Japan, South Korea and Australia.  Against Australia, with a quarterfinal berth on the line, the teams were tied 1-1 before the Australians scored seven runs in the last three innings to take an 8-3 victory.  Nonetheless, the Czechs did well enough to automatically qualify for the next WBC in 2026.

“We had a good chance against Australia, and I think we can be happy, even though we eventually lost,” Chadim said  “We accomplished all three of our main goals.”

Catcher Martin Cervenka, a veteran of the U.S. minor leagues, added, “This was a big step for us.  It was great to show Czech baseball to the rest of the world.  I knew what kind of talent we had; it was just a matter of putting it all together.  We competed well in the three losses.  In the game against Korea [a 7-3 defeat], for example, we gave up five runs in the first inning but then fought back.  We didn’t roll over.”

Photo: Marek Chlup calls time after doubling off a 101.9 MPH fastball from Roki Sasaki at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Photo credit: Lenka Brožová

Chadim said that the game with Japan was followed by 850,000 people in the Czech Republic, thanks in part to the fact that it began at a convenient time for the locals – 11 on a Saturday morning – and came on the heels of the team’s opening-round victory over China.  Approximately 200 Czech fans even traveled to Tokyo to support the team.

“It’s unreal,” first baseman Martin Muzik said after the game against China.  “Two hundred people flew from Czech.  They flew across the world to watch us and support us.  It means a lot for us.  They gave us huge energy.”

Right fielder Matej Mensik added, “It’s really awesome that we have them here and [that] they are cheering for us, the same as they were in Regensburg [for the qualifiers]. It just makes you play better.”

Chadim believes that, all told, more than a million people followed the game from broadcasting, newspapers, and other outlets.

“All the WBC games were televised back home, which had never happened before,” he said.  “The TV people had had a big success with the rugby World Cup a few years before, and now they think they could have similar success with the WBC.”

Chadim noted that he has been asked to co-author a book about the success of baseball in the Czech Republic and that the country’s prime minister has invited the team to Prague to offer official congratulations – “For us in baseball here, that’s unbelievable.”

Cervenka’s thoughts aligned with those of Chadim.

“There is definitely more interest in baseball now,” Cervenka said.  “The media did a good job of promoting us, and all games were televised live.  Usually, the talk about baseball is among the baseball community only, but it seems that others heard about us and started talking about the games.  When I got back to work [in sales], I found that other people there had followed the games.  People were excited.

“I think this got us more on the map, and I hope it means that more young kids get involved with baseball.  We’ll just have to wait and see.”  

Photo: With this swing, Martin Muzik hits a three-run home run in the top of the 9th versus China and lead the Czechs to their first-ever World Baseball Classic win. Photo credit: Lenka Brožová, Tomáš Icík

John Hussey, who works full-time with the Hrosi Brno team in the Czech Extraliga and is the national team’s pitching coach, said, “We’re hoping that our play in the WBC and the fact that we automatically qualified for the next WBC will be very motivating for our guys.  It helps our confidence and raises expectations.  

“The hope, too, is that more young people will get interested in baseball.  We won’t see the results of that for at least a few years, especially with the younger kids, but if that happens, it would make a difference.  More than anything, we need more depth [on the national team].  We run out of depth quicker than some other countries, and long-term growth of the game here will give us more.” 

Now, of course, the question is: What’s next?

“I don’t want to jump too high, too quickly,” Chadim said.  “2026 [the next WBC] is a long way off.  Our next focus will be the European championships [to be held in the Czech Republic this fall], and it will be tough putting the team together because rosters will be limited to 24 players instead 31, like in the WBC.  But the Czech team has not won a medal in 30 years, and the dream of everyone in Czech Republic baseball is to win a medal there.  That’s very important to us because the other 11 countries have at least one medal during that time.”

Cervenka agreed that “winning the European championship for the first time would be a great next step.  

“To get better, we need to face better competition more often, especially pitchers with more velocity,” he continued.  “Having more of our guys play college ball in the U.S. is one way we can accomplish that. It would really help if we could get some professionals to play here, but that’s kind of far-fetched because there’s not enough money to pay them.  Having [former MLB player] Eric Sogard [a second baseman who batted .438 in the tournament] on the WBC team was great.  He was a true professional, and I hope we learned some things from seeing how well prepared and focused he was.”

Photo: Manager Pavel Chadim (far left) —a neurologist in Brno by day—believes the WBC will help grow Czech baseball at all levels. Photo credit: Lenka Brožová

Chadim, a neurologist in Brno by day, has a better perspective on Czech baseball than most, as he’s been involved since the early 1990s as a player, coach, and director of development.  He’s coached the national team since 2003.   He initiated the country’s baseball development program; has managed the Under-12, Under-18, Under-21 and Under-23 teams; and has a 22-year-old son who is an outfielder for Chadim’s Draci Brno team in the Czech Extraliga.

“It takes time, and we’ve gradually improved our requirements and participation,” he said.  “Twenty years ago, we had 2,000 young players across the country.  Now, we have 10,000, and we want to increase that.  

“Looking ahead, we have the opportunity to continuing improving at all levels.  We have some great junior players and a great Under-23 team, and our performance in the WBC has been a big motivation for them.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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33 Year-Old Pitcher From Boise, Idaho Shuts Down South Korea at the WBC https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/jeff-barto-wbc/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 08:30:39 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=488305
Photo credit: Baseball Czech

Jeff Barto pitched against the South Korean National Team at the Tokyo Dome as a representative of the Czech National Team this past Saturday in World Baseball Classic pool play. He threw 5.2 innings in relief, surrendering only 2 hits and one earned run, giving his team a chance to come back from a 6-0 deficit, which they almost did.

How did Jeff get to this moment?

It started back in 2014 after the former NCAA 1 pitcher decided to take his career overseas, landing him in Austria after signing up for a membership with Baseball Jobs Overseas. From there, Jeff went on to play a second season in Austria, two seasons of winter ball in Australia, a season in Croatia and five seasons in the Czech Republic, where he now lives year-round.

BBJO: How did you qualify for the Czech Nt? 

JB: I was able to qualify for the NT because of my permanent residence in the Czech Republic. My (then) girlfriend and I moved back to Czech in September of 2020 to start our family. We got married in February of 2021 and our little girl was born in July. After two full years of living in Czech I was able to apply for residency status which I was finally granted in December 2022.

BBJO: How was the experience of pitching against Korea in the Tokyo Dome? How were the nerves?

JB: Just being in the Tokyo Dome was an awesome experience. The night before we played Japan in front of 41,637 fans. The energy and electricity from that were unbelievable but also left you with an exhausted hungover feeling the next morning. Honestly, I wasn’t nervous one bit. When I got out to the mound for my warmup pitches I just wanted to soak it all in. Did the usual, situation and signs from the catcher and got a feel for the mound. The last thing I did was find my wife and baby girl in the stands. Once I saw them smiling and waving it was all good.

BBJO: How was your approach to that lineup?

JB: I knew they were ultra-aggressive. We came over to Japan a week early for some preparation games against local teams in Miyazaki. Right from there the aggressiveness of these hitters was obvious. I was able to speak with Kenny Takubo(former teammate with Feldkirch Cardinals 2014) about the Korea lineup. He told me to expect very much the same style as the local Japanese hitters we faced. They want to ambush your fastball early but will struggle against lefties with any movement on off-speed pitches. For me, it makes a great matchup. I knew if I could get my change-up going right from the start I’d be fine.

 

Photo: Barto came in relief with his team trailing 6-0 and held South Korea to 1 run over 5.2 innings of work. PC: Baseball Czech

BBJO: It seems the Czech team was a fan favorite in Japan. Can you share anything about that experience?

JB: How could you not get behind these guys?!? Everyone loves a good underdog story and that’s exactly who we are. I don’t think anyone really expected us to do anything in this tournament but now the world knows about Czech baseball. We were it the whole time. We had our opportunities and that’s all we can ask for. Few pitches go this way or that way for us and we could have pulled out another win or two. It was awesome seeing the local fans with Czech stickers and paint on their faces. Always smiling, waving Czech flags and cheering for us like they were lifelong fans.

BBJO: Aside from your moment, what was your favorite moment at the wbc?

JB: The entire trip to Japan has been amazing. From Martin Muziks “shot heard round the world” to lift us in the 9th over China, Satoria striking out Ohtani, Roki Sasaki showing up to the hotel to apologize for absolutely lighting up Willie with 102, getting shaken awake one morning from an earthquake and seeing my little baby girl dancing and cheering for daddy on the big screen… let’s just say there was a lot going on. It’ll take some time to process what happened and what was accomplished but man…. Good times.

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BBJO’s Sarah Edwards is the Newest Hitting Development Coach with the Phillies https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/sarah-edwards-story/ Fri, 10 Mar 2023 14:53:14 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=487942

There was a time not long ago that Sarah Edwards thought she might live in Italy the rest of her life.  But it turned out that this was not the time.

Instead, the rest of her life began March 1 in Clearwater, Florida, spring training home of Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies and home base for the club’s minor-league development complex.  She will be a hitting development coach and the Phillies’ first female on-field coach.  

How she got there requires some explanation.

 Edwards, now 26, grew up on New York’s Long Island, and began playing softball at the age of 7.  She starred in high school, in college at the University of Buffalo and Hofstra University, and in professional leagues in the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland and Italy.  She lived in Italy for four years, played for Italy’s national team, and obtained an Italian passport in 2019, thanks to her Italian lineage.  

“The way my life had been going, I thought I might be in Italy forever,” she said.

But no.  Not yet, at least.

In mid-October of this past year, a recruiter from the Phillies organization reached out to her regarding a “player development associate” position, which turned out to be a role as a video technician.  The job description said “baseball experience preferred”. 

“It interested me because it would be a way to get my foot in the door,” Edwards said, “but I’m not a big tech person and thought the role wouldn’t be very fulfilling.  The recruiter said he’d understand if I wanted to keep playing, but I thought about it more and decided that, if nothing else, it might help me be a better player. So I got back to him, and he set me up with Dana Parks, the assistant director of player development.

“It was cool that my first interview was with a woman in a position of such status,” she added.  “I told her I would be most interested in a situation in which I would have a voice.  I thought it would be hard if I didn’t.  She asked if I would be more interested in a coaching role, and I said yes.”

Sarah Edwards played two years at Hofstra University and started all 53 games of her senior 2018 season in the 4 spot.

From that point, things progressed until she got a job offer and made it official in mid-January.  She is primarily working with the Phillies’ rookie league team and occasionally with the club’s Class A team based in Clearwater.  In addition, she may also continue her playing career, with winter ball in New Zealand or Australia a possibility, and she hopes to continue her role as softball coordinator for Baseball Jobs Overseas

David Burns, CEO of Baseball Jobs Overseas, said, “I’m not surprised that the Phillies recruited Sarah.  She is a go-getter and has made a major impact on Baseball Jobs Overseas.  We love having her on board. She has gone over and above from Day One, and I’m sure she will do the same in her role with the Phillies and exceed expectations. 

Phillies manager Rob Thompson said, “I’ve got two daughters, so anytime you include females in whatever business it is, I think it’s great.  I had some time to speak with her during our organizational summit, and she seemed very knowledgeable. It sounds like she wants to help players get better and that’s all we’re looking for — knowledgeable people who want to help our players. She epitomizes that.”

Edwards had four brothers, so she was exposed to baseball from a young age, but working in baseball didn’t seem possible until recently when major league clubs started hiring more women, including in on-field roles. 

“When I was young, being involved with baseball was more of a fantasy than anything,” she said. “It wasn’t really a possibility then. I probably started thinking about it in college, but it was still a rare thing.”

Sarah played 6 seasons overseas, four of which were in the Italian Softball League.

The most notable female appointment has been that of Kim Ng as general manager of the Miami Marlins.  Among others, the list also includes Rachel Balkovec, the first full-time female field manager (of the New York Yankees’ low Class A team); Alyssa Nakken of the San Francisco Giants, the first female to hold a coaching position with a major league team; Bianca Smith, a minor league coach in the Boston Red Sox organization; Sara Goodrum, minor league hitting coordinator for the Milwaukee Brewers;  Veronica Alvarez, a catching instructor in the Oakland Athletics’ system; Gretchen Aucoin, a development coach in the New York Mets’ system; Kayla Baptista, a development coaching apprentice in the Texas Rangers’ organization; Caitlyn Callahan, a development coach in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ system; Ronnie Gajownik, a coach in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ system; Katie Krall, a development coach in the Red Sox system; and Jaime Vieira, a hitting coach in the Blue Jays’ system.

Edwards is the Phillies’ only on-field female coach at the moment, but she’s working on Parks’ team and there are women in roles such as mental performance coaches, so she won’t be alone.  

“[Women in baseball] is still a relatively rare thing, but I’m not the only woman at the complex,” she said, “and that provides a sense of support.  I feel as prepared and qualified as I can be at this point.  It’s an entry-level position, so I’m here to learn as much as possible and absorb as much as I can as quickly as I can.  The biggest thing initially has been to learn how the Phillies organization thinks and goes about things, and I’m also learning the nuances of baseball and the differences between baseball and softball.  The pitching, for sure, is different.”

She isn’t new to coaching, though, possessing more than 10 years of experience as a youth instructor, high school assistant, and assistant coach for professional clubs in Europe and New Zealand.  

“I’ve always wanted to teach, and coaching is along the same lines,” she said.  “I had thought I would end up as a college softball coach.  But this may take me in a different direction.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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This Georgetown Alum Works Mobile While Traveling the World and Playing Ball https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/steve-anderson-episode/ Mon, 26 Dec 2022 09:13:18 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=486409
After wrapping up his college career at Georgetown University with a successful senior campaign which saw him hit .344 and lead the Big East Conference in slugging percentage, Steve Anderson was hopeful of being drafted. When that didn’t come to fruition, he opted to forgo independent pro offers to pursue a business career as a management consultant.

In 2018, Steve started his own consulting business (CoLo Consulting) and has been operating the company remotely while living in 10+ countries around the globe. Steve’s nomadic journey has taken him to Germany, Czech Republic, England, Hungary, the Netherlands, Georgia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Canada among other places.

In 2021, while living in Canada, Steve decided to return to competitive baseball with the Fredericton Astros, who compete in the Capital City Intermediate Baseball League in New Brunswick, Canada. This led to a conversation with a good friend and BBJO member who had played overseas, prompting him to sign up for a membership. 

In 2022, Steve played for the Montpellier Barracudas on the south shore of France while continuing to work mobile. He made the most of that summer by joining the first-ever Baseball Jobs Overseas tournament team at both Finkstonball in Austria and Prague Baseball Week in the Czech Republic. 

Since the recording of this interview, Steve has gone on to play winter ball in Argentina for the Cordoba Falcons.

We invite you to listen to this episode where Steve talks about his thought process as he transitioned from highly competitive college baseball to establishing his own consulting firm, to traveling the world while working mobile, to deciding to take advantage of his mobility with work by combining his love for travel and baseball.

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The Hoops this American Coach Jumped Through to Realize a Baseball Dream Will Inspire You https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/the-will-swindling-story/ Thu, 01 Dec 2022 07:59:07 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=485726

By David Burns

December 1, 2022

After polling our newsletter and social media audience about the top coaches in Europe in 2022, a number of European and import coaches were nominated. Will Swindling’s story stood out to us as our first coach feature, not only because of his accomplishments as a coach in 2022 but because of the entire story behind the community effort his club spent to bring him to France and set him up for success. 

The Valenciennes Vipers are a second-division team in France who back in late 2020 signed up for the BBJO Scouting Service looking for a coach to be their long-term Director of Sports Development. The candidate would need to be french-speaking and would have to commit to a two-year, coaching diploma to make him legally qualified to coach in France, in addition to his coaching duties with the Vipers. The candidate would be responsible for coaching the men’s second-division team, developing all of the club’s coaches, and running all practices across all teams within the club. He would also be responsible for recruiting new players, going to schools, social centers, etc. to introduce the game of baseball. 

BBJO Virtual Coaching Conference January 20-21, 2023. Learn more HERE

After a couple of French-speaking candidates passed on the opportunity, we started looking closely at Will Swindling. Will checked all the boxes except the ability to speak French, which was obviously a big box that needed checking. However, Will had indicated to us previously that he was looking to move to Europe long-term to coach and was ready to dive into the language and culture of wherever he ended up. We decided to discuss it with Marc Williamson, the club president, to hear his thoughts.

After thinking outside the box and with a little effort, Marc was able to confirm that Will’s Bachelor of Science in recreation management/sport studies was transferable and that he would not have to complete the schooling. This meant that Will would only need to learn enough French to get by on the baseball field or during school recruiting sessions. After a few more Zoom meetings to clarify some things, Will was offered the contract, provided they could successfully transfer his degree. Will accepted, it was late January of 2021, and he had seven months to learn as much French as possible to prepare. 

 

Photo: Will receives his jerseys from Marc during his official welcome.
“As soon as I was offered the job I started learning French,” said Swindling. “When I arrived I knew some but there was a very sharp learning curve.”

Initially, the club always had a coach, parent, or player supporting Will at practices and in the schools to translate until his French was at a level where he could communicate well enough.  Now, almost two years later, Will is much more comfortable with the language and continues to work hard at improving.

“The French people really appreciate it when you work hard at speaking their language.”

As soon as I was offered the job I started learning French.

Will Swindling

Now that a solution to the language barrier was found, it was on to what was described as an “intense paperwork process.”

First up, transferring Will’s college degree.

“Marc and Louis (Dupont) were a great help translating and helping me put together a huge document to get my French College Equivalency Degree,” said Will.

In fact, it took hours upon hours to complete and then months to find out if the French Education Federation allowed it.

“Apparently, it is a huge accomplishment for France to recognize a foreign education and grant an equivalency, so it was awesome when mine was granted!”

Next up was the work permit, tax information, long-term visa, residency permit, bank account, phone, and more.

“It can be a complicated process to get everything right in order to legally stay in France. I think Marc and I team-worked it well,” said Will.

Photo: Will sightseeing the north shore in Etretat, France.

Aside from learning French and all the paperwork, Will had the task of adjusting to living in a country much different than his own and where English was not widely spoken. The culture shock was immense but the Vipers baseball family made Will feel welcome from the start. When he first arrived, the club threw a big barbecue welcoming him and held a ceremony to give Will his jersey.

“I have felt part of a big family from the minute I got here,” said Will. “It’s only been a little over a year and I feel at home. This is the culture of North de France. They are very friendly and quickly accept you as part of their own.”

 

Photo: Will also plays for the Viper’s second-division team, winning the league batting title by hitting .600 in 23 games, including 5 home runs

In fact, numerous families have invited Will to dinner and on outings in the area. Will was even invited to a traditional Thanksgiving Day with a family that celebrates the holiday. He has celebrated Christmas with a family in Paris and celebrated New Year’s Eve at Marc’s house with his family. The club even threw Will a surprise birthday party with a “very generous gift”.

“I get gifts of Belgian chocolates from the parents of the kids I coach and French pastries from an older couple that also often take me to dinner and traveling around France,” said Will.  “Marc took me to his family home in Brittany for a week this summer and along the way, we did a lot of WWII historical adventuring. I greatly appreciate and enjoy the club and community.”

“Will has quickly become a true friend with whom many club members enjoy spending time outside of club activities,” said Marc.

Photo: Will out for dinner with Jean Piere and his wife Pascale who work at the indoor facility where he trains

This support Will received came around full circle in the form of results on the field. In Will’s first year with the club, the men’s team qualified for the French D2 final, the highest result of the club in its history. Will started a 15U and 16+ academy, and for the first time a youth player —Gabriel Sobcziak— was selected to a French National Team (12U). Additionally, Theo Deplanque went from a non-dominant 2021 regional 2 pitcher to a very effective 2022 D2 pitcher while Emilie Gomes became a European champion with the French women’s baseball team.

“Never has the club progressed so much in such a short time in 33 years of existence,” said Marc. “The goal when Will arrived was to make it to the D2 championship within five years,” said Marc. “We accomplished that in his first season with us.”

Photos: On the left, Will congratulates Gabriel after he learned he was selected to the French 12U National Team, and on the right, Will and fellow BBJO import Michael Vochelli pose with the French Second Division 2nd place trophy.

The Vipers’ 2022 second-place finish allows them to promote to the first division in 2023, but the club decided to remain in the second division and continue to develop before making the jump.

In addition to his role at the club, Will has worked with coaches and players in all of Northern France. He is a coach with the ‘Hauts de France’ 15U baseball team, an all-star team of the best players in the Northern France area. He is also a coach with the north France women’s team. 

“Will has been providing more technical and strategic physical training to teams,” said Marc when asked what has led to Will’s success in his first year. “He spends a lot of one-on-one time with the players to correct their flaws and develop them physically. He knows how to utilize the experience of others to support him and he passes on his knowledge to the coaches who assist him. Additionally, Will is not only a coach during the regular season but someone who knows how to plan and exploit the off-season to its fullest.”

Never has the club progressed so much in such a short time in 33 years of existence.

Marc Williamson

In addition to supporting Will in adjusting to his life in France, the club does its best to support Will’s requests for equipment and proposals for organizational change.

“Our confidence is total and Will has already shown us several times that we are right to trust him in his choices,” said Marc.

The Vipers are truly invested in Will, and with this support, the sky is the limit for a coach.

“We can’t wait to see the progress of the players in 2023 following the creation of the two academies.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.
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From No Professional Experience to Four Seasons Overseas to the Brewers https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/kaleb-bowman-story/ Thu, 24 Nov 2022 07:16:16 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=485504

Written by: Carter Cromwell

November 23, 2022

“The manager would like to see you in his office” is a line usually guaranteed to make a ballplayer think “uh, oh” and envision a trek to the guillotine.  But in Kaleb Bowman’s case, it meant he would be moving onward and upward in the baseball world.

Bowman, an American who starred for Regensburg in the German Bundesliga the last two seasons, was pitching in September for Gastonia (N.C.) of the Atlantic League, the highest-profile independent circuit in the United States.  He and teammate Zach Godley, a former major league pitcher, were chatting in the locker room just prior to a game when he got a tap on the shoulder from Assistant General Manager Brady Salisbury.

“We were going into our last series, and we knew some of us would be put on the inactive list because of roster limitations for the playoffs,” Bowman said.  “I thought it might be me.”

Instead, he was told that the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball were actively pursuing him.   

“Most guys don’t like it when they get called into the manager’s office,” Salisbury said with a chuckle, “but Kaleb is a pretty straight-up guy and said ‘no problem’ and followed me into the office.  Obviously, it was a really good conversation.”

Bowman then had a phone call with Bryan Gale, special assistant in the Brewers’ scouting department, and eventually signed a minor-league contract.  

“I was so excited,” Bowman said.  “It’s great to know I’ll be back playing in the States again.  I went and told Zach, and he gathered all the bullpen guys around and told them.  He knew what that moment meant to me.  Then we called my parents and my sister and her husband, and the excitement they had for me was amazing.”

Photo credit: Michael Schöberl

Given that the U.S. minor-league season was nearly over by then, the Brewers allowed Bowman to finish the season with Gastonia. He then spent a couple of weeks at Milwaukee’s spring training and player development facility in Arizona getting acclimated and undergoing standard physical exams.  He’ll now take a month or so off from throwing and then start training in November so he’ll be ready when he reports to camp in February.

So how did he get to this point in his career?  Just how did an unheralded 25-year-old who went undrafted by MLB teams after college and traveled overseas to play get noticed?  That requires a bit of explanation.

The son of a church pastor born in Texas and raised mostly in Virginia, he attended junior college in South Carolina and then moved to Applaichan State University in North Carolina, where he played two seasons, purely as a relief pitcher.  In his senior year, he was 6-2 with a 3.05 ERA for a team that finished nine games under .500 and 11th in a 12-team league.  He was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player.

That did not impress major league clubs enough to draft him in 2019, but he didn’t let his baseball dreams die.  

Photo credit: App State Athletics

“I’ve been my best friend and also my worst enemy,” Bowman said. “When you go undrafted, you sort of give up on that chance a bit.  But when I heard about Baseball Jobs Overseas, I thought it was at least a chance to keep playing.  I love to travel, too, and this gave me an opportunity to do that while also playing ball.”

He went to Canada for a season with Fredericton in the New Brunswick Senior League and immediately followed that by going to Surfers Paradise for the 2019-2020 Australian winter season.  The next season was canceled because of Covid-19, but he then played the 2021 and 2022 seasons with Regensburg, one of the more visible and forward-thinking clubs in Europe.

He was successful at every stop.  He pitched to a 3.30 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP for Fredericton, was league pitcher of the year and the team MVP for Surfers Paradise (5-2, 2.54, 1.16 WHIP),  was voted Pitcher of the Year in the 1st German Bundesliga (9-0, 2.52, 1.09 WHIP, 124 strikeouts in 93 innings) in 2021, and was a stalwart with Regensburg in 2022 (11-1, 0.83, 0.55 WHIP, 137 strikeouts in 86 innings).  

None of which surprised Devon Ramirez, a player and pitching coach for Regensburg, and also the person who brought him to the club.  

“We needed a pitcher, and we needed a frontline starter to be competitive,” Ramirez said.  “I had gotten some names, including Kaleb’s, through Baseball Jobs Overseas, and after looking at his video highlights and having just one conversation with him, I knew he was the right guy.  He comes from a good family, has a lot of positive energy, and has a good vibe about him.  His character is off the charts.  Plus, he’d done the overseas thing before, which was important.  Guys coming over from the U.S. don’t always know what to expect.

Photo: Bowman pitching for Surfers Paradise of the Greater Brisbane Baseball League, essentially a glorified adult men’s league where import players work on the side and live with a host family

“He’s a happy-go-lucky guy, but he’s really locked in on days he’s pitching.  When he’s on the mound, he sets the tone.  He was a bulldog, and he pitched well each time he went out there.  His fastball/slider combination was terrific.  Then he came back his second year and began throwing from a three-quarter arm slot, in addition to sidearm, which gave him more ways to get batters out.”

Bowman, a 6-1, 190-pounder, said, “I improved my flexibility and also switched to pitching from the third-base side of the rubber and started hitting 95 and 96 (mph) occasionally and being tougher on righthanders. I talked to a lot of [right-handed] hitters, and they said the ball seemed to be coming from behind them but would then break over the inside corner.”

Bowman throws a slider from both arm slots, along with what he calls a “true forkball” from over the top.  He has some hesitation in his motion, and he tries to mix the tempo to help keep hitters off balance.  

His skills and 2022 performance at last got him some attention, as the Washington Nationals of MLB showed interest, though nothing materialized. 

“We’d been working on getting him signed and had come really close a few times,” Ramirez said.  “The Nationals, (Atlanta) Braves and a few others had scouted him.  I told Kaleb after his first year – and especially after his second – that I didn’t want to see him back at Regensburg.  He was too good and too young and had too good a work ethic to not keep his dream alive.” 

Bowman acknowledges becoming discouraged at times, but said signing with a major league team “was never fully out of the picture for me” and had planned to keep at it.  After the 2022 season in Germany, he returned home, taught special education students and also managed a baseball facility. His plan was to again play in Australia this winter and go back to Europe next summer, but fate intervened when the Gastonia club gave him the call.  

“We were down quite a few pitchers and needed help,” Salisbury said.  “I happened to see a video of some highlights that he had posted on Twitter.  After watching it a couple of times, I called our manager, and things worked out pretty quickly.”

Bowman went to Gastonia in late August and stayed through September, appearing in six games and allowing just four hits and no walks in seven innings of relief.  He struck out 10 batters over that period and posted a microscopic 0.57 WHIP.

Photo credit: Gastonia Honey Hunters

“He was with us the last 2-3 weeks of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs,” Salisbury said.  “When you pick up guys in the middle of a season, you don’t know how they’re going to fit into the clubhouse, but he was great.  He was one of the younger players, but he fit right in with the veterans.  He was one of our best pickups of the season.”

Which led to the Brewers picking him up.

“I was surprised to get the call from Milwaukee because I didn’t know the Brewers were scouting me, and I hadn’t pitched many innings for Gastonia,” Bowman said. 

Milwaukee had actually been watching him for some time.  

“One of our scouts, Matt Roffe, originally flagged him, so we started checking him out,” said Gale, who oversees scouting in the independent ranks.  “I scouted him, and we also had a couple of other scouts evaluate him.

“Kaleb’s performances over the years certainly didn’t go unnoticed, but what really moved the needle for us was how he did in the Atlantic League.  There are ex-major leaguers and former AA and AAA guys there, but he stepped in at 25 – which is young for that league – and hit the ground running.  From that point, we viewed him as someone who had pitched well against good hitters.

“The combination of his stuff and how he uses it is what interests us,” Gale added.  “He does a lot of creative things with his delivery and arm slot that help keep hitters off balance and enable him to succeed.  It’s always good to acquire a player who does things a little differently.  Plus, he’s been through a lot to get to this point.  There aren’t many who commit this long to the goal of getting into affiliated ball.  That kind of separates him.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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A decade of traveling and baseball and still going https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/tim-brown-podcast-interview/ Fri, 04 Nov 2022 07:00:37 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=485011 As an indy pro pitcher in the Frontier League and American Association, Tim Brown spent his winters pitching in Australian state leagues — and some time in the ABL— for five straight years. Pitching year-round for five straight years. He even threw a no-hitter in the Frontier League during this time. Then, one day, he decided to forgo his stateside pro career for a full-time overseas travel baseball experience, playing in Europe in the summers and Australia, New Zealand and Argentina in the winters. To date, Tim has spent five winters in Australia, one in New Zealand, and one in Argentina. Since 2017, summers have been spent in the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, and most recently in 2021 and 2022; Croatia. Tim has re-signed to play in Croatia in 2023 and after recording this episode, he signed to play the 2022-2023 winter in South Africa, the 6th continent he has played baseball on in his lifetime.

In this episode, we talk equally about his experiences on the field and off the field, while also diving into his mindset, wisdom, and motivation to continue doing what he is doing at the age of 35.

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Heart and Grit Behind Czech National Team Advancing to the World Baseball Classic for the First Time https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/czechs-advance-to-wbc/ Fri, 14 Oct 2022 18:29:24 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=484473

By Carter Cromwell

October 15, 2022

When the World Baseball Classic begins next March, the Czechs will most likely be an underdog, but that won’t faze them.  After all, the Czech team wasn’t a favorite before the recent qualifying round, but it proved adept at climbing out of deep holes and rallying from behind and won a spot in the WBC for the very first time. 

In the Qualifiers at Regensburg, Germany, the Czechs fell into a hole with an ugly 21-7 loss to pre-tournament favorite Spain in the opening game of the double-elimination setup.  Then they rallied to defeat France, but found themselves trailing early in the semi-final and final rounds against Germany and Spain, respectively, before coming back to win.

In all, the lopsided opening defeat eventually proved to be nothing more than an aberration.  

“It was just one of those games,” said catcher Martin Cervenka, who has reached as high as the AAA level in his pro career in the United States. “Pretty much everything went wrong. It seemed like they hit every pitch we threw to them.  At one point, I was wondering if we ever going to get an out.”

Photo: Former AAA catcher with the Orioles, Martin Cervenka, hit .375 with two home runs and five RBI for the Czechs at the WBC Qualifiers in Regensburg. Photo credit: Ladislav Svěnčík

Manager Pavel Chadim said, “If you don’t count the 12 runs Spain got in one inning, it’s a 9-7 game.  Also, our pitcher made a bad throw on what should have been a double play to end an inning, and they ended up getting four runs.  Our team wasn’t demoralized afterward – we realized that it was just one game lost.”

And pitching coach John Hussey thought the defeat actually had a positive result.

“Losing the first game like that was unexpected – embarrassing,” he said.  “Spain was just on fire – hitting everything.  It was one of those games that you did not want to come into.”

“Spain was a free-swinging team – very aggressive – and we weren’t locating our pitches well.  They were hitting, and we were giving it up.  It couldn’t have gotten any worse.”

“But the loss was beneficial because it had the effect of really clarifying things.  It might have been the best thing because it narrowed our focus to just the next game – win that, and then focus on what’s next.  It forced us to have pride in how we played.  We were completely present when we played France in the next day.”

In that 7-1 victory, leftfielder Vojtech Mensik hit a home run in the first inning; Cervenka drove in another with a double; and the Czechs had control from then on.  Marek Chlup, who played for 2022 NCAA Division II champion North Greenville University in the U.S., drove in two more runs in the sixth inning, and the Czechs got another run in the seventh and two additional ones in the eighth.  France’s only run came in the top of the eighth inning.

Photo: 2022 NCAA Division II champion, Marek Chlup hit two home runs for the Czechs in the tournament. Photo credit: Ladislav Svěnčík

Starting pitcher Lukas Ercoli, a top reliever for Hrosi Brno in the Czech Extraliga and a late addition to the roster, pitched four shutout innings, and Martin Schneider, usually a shortstop, followed with four strong innings.  Michal Kovala, an 18-year-old who has committed to play at Georgia Tech University in the U.S., pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

“That was the story for the next three games – two pitchers did the bulk of the work,” Hussey said.  “Ercoli had been tabbed earlier to start against France – he was the best local pitcher in our league this year.  Most everyone was available for that game . . . we intuitively knew what needed to be done.”

Chadim said, “Of all the games, probably the most pressure was in the game against France.  We only had a 2-0 lead after five innings, and then France put runners on first and second with no one out.  Then they made a great bunt to try and move the runners up.  Our third baseman couldn’t make the play, but our pitcher (Schneider) was able get to the ball and throw out the runner at third.  That was a key defensive play and gave us some added energy.”

Photo: Czech National Team manager, Pavel Chadim, looks on during 2022 WBC Qualifier action at the Armin-Wolf Arena in Regensburg, Germany. Photo credit: Ladislav Svěnčík

Two days later, the Czechs faced Germany in another elimination game.  They fell behind 3-0 in the first inning when Billy Germaine hit a three-run homer to centerfield but rallied in the bottom half of the inning to tie it on a two-run homer by Petr Zyma and a solo shot by Cervenka.

“The German pitcher was taken out after one inning, so we got into their bullpen earlier than we expected,” Chadim said.  “The key to the game was our two pitchers (starter Daniel Padysak and the closer Kovala).  They really did well.”

The Czech team scored three more times in the third inning when Zyma was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run and Arnost Dubovy hit a two-run single.  The Germans scored a run in the fifth inning, but Cervenka – who batted .375 with a 1.222 OPS in the tournament – hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to account for the final 8-4 score.

With that, the Czechs advanced to the final game the next day – against Spain, the team that had handed them the huge defeat in the opener but which had squandered a five-run lead and fallen to Great Britain in extra innings the day before.  

Schneider, 36, had pitched just a few innings in the Extraliga season and was expected to appear only in relief.  However, Chadim asked if he could start the final, and he said, “Hey, you know me.  I was prepared for it.”

And he clearly was, as he went 6.1 innings, striking out five batters and walking none.  He gave up a first-inning run when Engel Beltre doubled and later scored on a sacrifice fly, but that was all.  

Video: 36-year-old Czech firefighter, Martin Schneider, pitches the game of his life vs a stacked Spanish National Team at the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Regensburg, Germany. Video credit: World Baseball Classic YouTube Channel

Spain loaded the bases in the fourth inning but wasn’t able to score after Schneider got Lesther Galvan to ground out after falling behind 3-0.

Cervenka came out for a mound visit during that at-bat to visit with Schneider. 

“I was just asking, ‘What do you want? I know what to do. I know I need to throw strikes, so get back there,'” Schneider said with a laugh. “On a full count, I was pretty confident with my slider. I threw one for a strike and got a ground-ball out.”

Martin Muzik supported Schneider’s effort with a two-run homer in the second inning for a 2-1 advantage, and then Chlup hit a solo shot in the fourth. Chlup also made the defensive play of the game, throwing out Edison Valerio at the plate in the seventh inning.  

Videos: Czech sluggers Martin Muzik and Marek Chlup each hit a home run in the 3-1 win over Spain to advance to the World Baseball Classic in 2023 Video credit: World Baseball Classic YouTube Channel

After Schneider left with one out in the seventh inning, Marek Minarik – who had started and lasted just 1.1 innings in the opening game – entered and held Spain scoreless the rest of the way to get the save.

If anyone was surprised at the outcome, it was not Cervenka.

“Going into the tournament, I told our manager that I wanted us to qualify,” he said. “Some people may have thought I was joking, but I told him a couple of weeks beforehand that I thought we had a shot at winning.”

So now the focus turns to training and preparation for the upcoming WBC next March.  As yet, the Czechs don’t know in which pool they will be. They could end up in Taichung, Tokyo, Phoenix or Miami.  Second-round games will be played in Tokyo and Miami, with the championship round in Miami.

Chadim said, “We have the Czech Cup this weekend, then take a month off and start up again in November.  After that, we’ll go to Tenerife [one of the Canary Islands] and play some exhibition games against different teams, and then work inside before starting baseball in early January.”  

Cervenka, who works in sales for a plastics company, said, “Some guys from team are going to Australia to play in the winter, but the rest of us will work at our regular jobs and then train.  

Hussey added, “It will be a different off-season because we’ll have to start earlier than usual. We’ll take a little time off, but then start organizing workouts in a month or so.”

In the WBC, the Czechs will be up against heavyweights such as Japan, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, South Korea, the U.S., Venezuela and others, but they’re looking forward to it.   

“It’s going to be a tough tournament, but a great experience,” Hussey said.  It will be exciting to be on the same field with the great names in baseball and see how we measure up.  But we’re very competitive, and we have nothing to lose, so it’s an enviable position.”

Video: Final two outs as Czech National Team makes history, advancing to the WBC. Video credit: World Baseball Classic YouTube Channel

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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A Pitcher from Texas and a First Baseman From NYC Combine to Win a Championship in Europe https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/alec-lemmon-brett-holtz/ Sun, 11 Sep 2022 19:00:13 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=483750
Brett Holtz is an Ivy League first baseman who had his college baseball career ripped away from him by COVID-19 and Alec Lemmon had hung up the cleats and got the travel bug while backpacking in Australia before deciding to combine his new passion with his old passion; baseball. The two soon found themselves as roommates living in a small town in the Czech Republic and became fast friends on their way to a Czech championship.

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Finding Your Post-Playing Career Path: The Gretchen Aucoin Story https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/the-gretchen-aucoin-story/ Tue, 23 Aug 2022 21:35:55 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=483024

When Gretchen Aucoin was hired as minor-league player development coach by the New York Mets in January – thereby becoming the Mets’ first female on-field coach – it might have seemed the culmination of a long-held goal steadily worked toward over time.

But it wasn’t.  

“I’ve never been a goal-setter,” she said.  “Most the goals I would set for myself would probably be too safe or easy – or possibly the other way . . . too far-fetched. Either way, I see goals as limiting and disappointing.  I’ve just tried to give my best every day, control what I could and let the rest happen.”

The position with the Mets was – to borrow from Hemingway – something that happened gradually, then suddenly.  The opportunity arose in a short period of time, but things had happened beforehand that, unknowingly, positioned her to take advantage of it.  So it’s best to rewind to her high school days in Mississippi.

Then, Aucoin starred in basketball and on high-level softball travel teams in California and Mississippi, was named the state’s female athlete of the year in 2012, and also graduated with high honors.  In a tournament, she hit a home run far over a leftfield fence that had been moved back prior to the start of the event. That caught the eye of a coach from Texas Tech and eventually led to a scholarship offer.

At the time, then-Tech coach Shanon Hays said, “She’s a fantastic athlete, 6’0 feet tall, runs well, throws hard.  She’s . . . one of the most talented kids I’ve ever recruited.  We expect her to make an impact.”

And she did.  As a freshman, Aucoin was 6-3 on the mound and batted .317 with a .414 on-base percentage.  As a sophomore, she had a 14-9 pitching mark, a .999 OPS as a hitter, and was named to the all-region and all-conference teams.  That year, she was voted to the all-Big 12 second team and to the NFCA Division I All-Central Region team.  Over two seasons, she was 61-30 on the mound and posted a .936 OPS at the plate.  

She chose to transfer after her second season because of a coaching change at Tech and ended up at Tennessee.  The Volunteers reached the NCAA College World Series during her junior year and advanced to the Super Regionals in her final season.  Individually, she was 9-2 on the mound and a .317 hitter with a 1.026 OPS.  

Following graduation in 2016, and still not sure of her eventual career path, Aucoin initially decided to go for an MBA at Belhaven College in Mississippi while serving as a graduate assistant coach for the school’s softball team.  

“I thought I’d do that and just see what happened,” she said.

And the unexpected happened.

While on the way to Belhaven, she received a mass email from the coach of the U.S. Olympic handball team.  The message was aimed at recent graduates who had played basketball, softball or soccer and who were perhaps interested in handball.

“I thought it was amazing – the idea of merging skills from my two sports into a third,” Aucoin said.  “The tryout was at Auburn University in Alabama, which was on my way home, so I gave it a go.  There were only three people at the tryout, and I was invited to be in their residency program.  I would get in-state tuition and get an assistantship to work with the softball team on research related to that sport.  It was a great opportunity, but I realized after a while that it was too much to juggle – teaching, helping raise money for the program and training full time in a sport I’d never played, so I had to drop handball.  It was a short-lived experience but incredibly impactful.”

Aucoin remained at Auburn afterward and earned a master’s degree in kinesiology in 2018.  Still, she was again facing an unclear future.  Then an opportunity to play softball internationally happened. 

“In early 2018, I got a message from a former college teammate asking if I was interested in playing for a team in New Zealand beginning that fall,” she said.  “At the time, I was thinking of perhaps being a prosthetic technician, but I hadn’t committed to any career plan, so I thought ‘Why not?’”

Then, in June of that year, the coach of the Cleveland Comets of the National Professional Fast Pitch League contacted her out of the blue and said he needed a pitcher, right then.  Again, she thought, “Why not?”

“Within a week, I packed up everything, went to Cleveland for a couple of months, and then went to New Zealand,” she said with a laugh.

She was in New Zealand for the 2018-2019 season, earning her league’s most valuable player award, and then Italy happened.  She played for the Bussolengo club in Verona during the summer of 2019 and helped lead it to the Italian championship and the runner-up spot in Europe’s Premier Cup competition.  

“She was a major part of our success that season,” said Craig Montvidas, an American who coached the club for two seasons.  “She’s very, very disciplined and one of the most professional players I’ve coached, and I’ve coached more than 20 Olympic athletes, pros in the U.S., and national team players.  You’d give her something to do, and you knew it would get done.  Coaching would be very simple if all players were like her.”

In July 2019, during a break in the Italian season for the Olympic Qualifiers, Aucoin even found a bit of a “side hustle” – playing on her older brother’s baseball team in Germany.

“It was another one of those things that just happened,” she said.  “He’d played overseas for a while by then.  The club had had a softball team at one point and he and I had joked about me playing for it, but they’d dropped softball by the time I went over there, so I played baseball. 

“That was the first time I’d played baseball,” she said, “and it helped open my eyes to the fact that girls could play this sport.  I didn’t think about it then, but I now see it as maybe a steppingstone to what’s happened with the Mets.”

First, though, the steps led back to New Zealand where she was voted the tournament’s most valuable player when Auckland won the 2020 championships, and MVP when she pitched the Auckland-based West Waves to the Fastball 45 national title later in 2020.  She also became the first to pitch a no-hitter in the tourney.

“Gretchen was initially brought over to replace me when I stopped playing,” said Sammi Parks, an American living in New Zealand who played with Aucoin one season and coached her for two.  “I wasn’t involved with softball during her first season, but we had become friends and I came back the next year so I could play a season with her.  She’s definitely someone you want on your team. Not only was she a terrific pitcher, but she was one of the best batters in the country and a great fielder, as well.  She was too good to keep out of the lineup.   

“Gretchen has a very mature approach,” Parks added. “She’s always striving to be the best but also knows when to take a step back mentally and analyze situations. She understands what she needs to do to succeed.”  

Aucoin had originally planned to play again in Italy, but the 2020 season was canceled because of Covid-19, so she stayed in New Zealand.  Later, she assumed a role in Wellington as the Lower North Island softball development officer, another step that broadened her resume and helped prepare her for the opportunity with the Mets.

“I’d done some similar work for the Auckland club before that,” she said. “It involved helping run a lot of camps, and I enjoyed it.  It was good experience, but I realized after a while that I wanted to get more from the personal and career development perspectives.  By 2021, I knew my playing career was getting closer to the end.  I was getting ready to retire and wondering what I could do back in the States.”

And that’s when the gradual became the seemingly sudden.

Aucoin had been passively following the social media presence of Rachel Balkovec, who in January was named by the New York Yankees as the first female minor league field manager. Balkovec had a month-long mentorship program for women, to which Aucoin applied and was accepted into in November 2021.

“Until then, other than talking to college coaches, I hadn’t known where to start to figure out what I would do back in the States,” she said.  “I’d figured the natural thing would be as an assistant softball coach.  But, seeing Rachel’s journey and what she had done, I became interested in her mentorship program.”

Once she got into the program, Balkovec helped with guidance on a variety of subjects, including goals, breaking down and rebuilding her resume, and whether to return to the U.S. to pursue other opportunities.

“Rachel presented a number of opportunities in the States,” Aucoin said.  “She looked at my resume and thought I’d be a perfect candidate for a job one of her co-workers [Jeremy Barnes, now an assistant hitting coach for the Mets] had asked her about.  He had asked if she knew any women who were interested in applying for a player development opportunity.”

At the time, Balkovec told Barnes she wasn’t aware of any obvious candidates, but that changed after she met Aucoin and saw her resume.

“She asked me if I had thought about switching to baseball, and I said no, but that I wasn’t opposed to it,” Aucoin said. “That started the conversation.”

Balkovec said she was most impressed with Aucoin’s overall demeanor – “very intense and no-BS.  She has so much potential as a coach after playing as such a high level. I know she’s lacking experience, but it doesn’t matter. Someone took a chance on me when I was lacking experience because they saw the same thing – work ethic, overall demeanor, competitiveness, understanding the environment in high-level sports.”

Aucoin sent her resume to Barnes, had a telephone interview with him, and also talked with Kevin Howard, now the Mets’ farm director.

“At the time, I was packing up in New Zealand and saying good-bye to everyone, although I had nothing secured at that point,” she said. “I was just taking a chance.”

She flew to Chicago in early January for a coaches’ conference. Knowing Rachel Folden, a minor-league hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs, she got her perspective.  Then, at lunch the same day, she got the job offer from Howard.

“Suddenly, my whole perspective at the conference changed,” Aucoin said with a laugh. “It went from job-hunting to networking.  It was great, since I was tremendously jet-lagged.

“So this all happened over a two-month period, from my decision to start looking for something else.  Baseball wasn’t something I thought about when left U.S., or while I was in New Zealand. I’d always wanted to come back to the U.S, but I never expected this.  I knew women were in the majors, but never thought of myself being one of them.”

And yet, that’s what has happened.  Aucoin is a player development coach based at the Mets’ minor-league development facility in Port St. Lucie, FL, and she’s occasionally filled in as a coach with the Class A Port St. Lucie Mets.  She describes her role so far as that of jack-of-all-trades – handling charts, hitting fungos, keeping statistics, throwing some batting practice, sometimes serving as a first- or third-base coach during games, and more. 

“The more, the merrier,” she said.  “I’m here to learn a lot, soak it all in and be as useful as possible.”

While softball and baseball have some clear similarities – to her, the strategy in the two sports is very similar, and she understands the necessary mental approach – but there are also differences.  Aucoin said the biggest thing she’s had to grasp regards baserunning – leadoffs, secondary leads, etc.  The pitching is obviously different, and, having never played the outfield, she’s had to learn about that.  And, she’s had to get deeper into data and analytics than she had previously.  Hitting, too, she’s found to be very individualized.  

But . . . “It’s exciting, day in and day out, to be in player development,” she added.  “I’m like a sponge around these guys.  I enjoy the learning.” 

And while this all happened in a short amount of time, she hasn’t been knocked off-kilter. She’s moved around enough and been in enough different environments that she has the ability to adjust quickly to new situations.  

Her attitude, Parks says, is to “live life and see what happens.  She gauges how she feels in the moment and works toward that.  She’s going for what fulfills her.” 

As Aucoin noted wryly, “It’s safe to say that my life has changed significantly for six months at a time over the course of 3-4 years.  

“My time has been temporary everywhere I’ve been.  I haven’t had the luxury of thinking five years, three years or even a year down the line, and I’m really thankful for that.  It’s allowed me to be fully invested wherever I’ve been. The only thing that has surprised me [with the Mets] is that little or nothing has surprised me. This feels like a new home.  I’ve had a lot of those across the world, but I’m thoroughly impressed with how this has felt so natural, so quickly.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Locked Down in a Dreamland; The Logan Moreland International Softball Story https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/logan-moreland-story/ Thu, 16 Jun 2022 12:53:19 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=479728

By Carter Cromwell

April 5th, 2022

When Logan Moreland went to New Zealand in late 2019 to play softball, it was to be for just one season – get in, get out, go home.  Pretty simple.

Then Covid-19 happened, and things weren’t so clear-cut.  Suddenly, the short-term thing became long term . . . and may well become even longer.

“Yes, it’s interesting how things sometimes turn out,” Moreland said with great understatement.

Moreland, an American, had played three seasons in Italy when the opportunity arose to travel south and play in the New Zealand summer – a not-unusual arrangement for overseas players. 

After her 2019 Italian season, she had contacted other European clubs to see if any needed help during the playoffs, and she landed with Roef in The Netherlands for the tail-end of its regular season.  

“Then I heard from New Zealand,” Moreland said. “They were bringing a team to play in the European Cup and asked me to play.  So I did that, went back to Holland for their playoffs, and then went to New Zealand in October of 2019.  My plan had been to play a season there and then go straight back to Europe, but then Covid came along.  The lockdown happened in March 2020, and I’ve been here since.”

Her team was able to play most of its 2019-2020 season, though the club nationals were canceled.  The 2020-2021 season came off pretty normally, but the current season was disrupted when the number of Covid cases began increasing substantially.  March 2022 was a “rough go”, as the National Fast-Pitch Championship tournament – in which the best players from each region compete – was canceled.   

“We got lucky and sneaked last season in,” she said, “but, with the number of cases now, it didn’t make sense to have a season.  If we flew somewhere from Auckland and then one or more of us got sick and had to quarantine for 10 days, it would be really tough logistically.”

Now it appears that Moreland, who plays shortstop for the Othuhu club in Auckland, may be there for the long haul.  She recently signed up to play again for the Roef club this spring and summer, but her plan is to apply for New Zealand residency once she’s eligible late this year. 

“That’s my plan now,” she said.  “Under normal circumstances, I would have gone to Europe or even back home, but I’m settled in a bit now. I had a couple of inquiries about going back to Europe and playing this summer, but I’d rather get my residency sorted out first.  I’ve made some friends and built myself somewhat of a life here.”

And it’s a life beyond softball.  Moreland first found work in a supermarket owned by her club’s coach and has worked for the past year in a café where she is a cook.  

“It’s been an interesting experience for Logan – getting stuck in New Zealand because of Covid,” said Sarah Edwards, an American who now plays in Italy.  The two were opponents in the Italian league in 2018 and 2019 and also in Holland for a brief time.  “Although she didn’t always have softball to rely on there, she still fell in love with the place and created a name for herself.  There have been quite a few players who’ve stayed overseas and built lives for themselves, but she did it because of Covid.”

Of course, Moreland’s overseas journey is just part of her story. 

A native of Woodland, Calif., near the state capitol of Sacramento, she starred in high school, batting .359 with 21 runs scored and seven stolen bases as a senior, and was also a summer league standout.  Her performance attracted interest from collegiate coaches and eventually earned her a scholarship to North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, ND.  

Photo credit: Cory Erickson

Jamie Trachsel, now the head coach at the University of Mississippi but then at NDSU, noticed Moreland at a tournament during the summer before her junior season.  Rules at the time prevented the two from talking, but NDSU followed Moreland’s progress.  Hawaii-Hilo and Mississippi Southern also showed interest, and she eventually made official visits to both before deciding on North Dakota State.  

It might seem a stretch for someone who grew up near Sacramento to trade that for college in the upper midwest region of the United States.  It’s a significant culture and climate shift, but Moreland says the adjustment wasn’t as difficult as one might imagine.

“The winters in North Dakota are very cold, of course, but I was used to the snow since I grew up not too far from Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and I was used to snow because I snowboarded a lot in the winters,” she said.  “Also, there were three other players from California in my class, and there were six altogether on the team, so we had kind of family, and that helped.

“I will say, though, that the wind chill in North Dakota was not what I was expecting.  When they say you shouldn’t go outside for more than a couple of minutes, they’re not kidding – you can’t quite grasp that until you try it.”

Still, Moreland took hold of things quickly and quite well from the softball standpoint.  In four seasons, she started all 201 games in which she played and averaged .373 with 28 home runs and 132 RBI.  She also stole 73 bases while hitting 22 doubles and six triples.  She made the Summit Conference all-tournament team three times, was twice an all-league selection, and was voted the league’s player-of-the-year following her senior year.  In addition, she was named a Summit League Distinguished Scholar and an NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete in 2016.  

After completing her eligibility, she started graduate school but then got the chance to play in Italy and decided to go there in 2017.  

“In the U.S., a softball player is pretty much done after college,” she said.  “There aren’t too many opportunities right now.”

Moreland quickly made the most of her opportunity in Italy, however, batting .422 with four doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI in 16 starts for Labadini Collecchio.  Her batting average was the fourth-highest in the league of those who played enough games to qualify for the batting title.  In addition, she posted a .536 on-base percentage, stole 11 bases in 13 attempts, and had a .711 slugging percentage.  

Photo credit: Roef Dames Softball

About the only thing she had difficulty adjusting to was the absence of ranch dressing for salads and pizza.

“There was no ranch dressing anywhere,” she said with a laugh.  “It’s one of my favorite condiments, and I never realized how much I took it for granted.”

After that, she returned to North Dakota and did another semester of school before going back to Italy for a second season in which she led her team in most offensive categories, including a .398 batting mark, .509 on-base percentage and .656 slugging percentage for an other-worldly 1.165 OPS.  

That year Edwards was in her first season as an import player, and she noticed Moreland immediately.

“I was looking for other Americans, and Logan really stood out,” Edwards said.  “She’s very tall  with wild blond hair and plays with kind of a swagger.  Pitchers fear her; she looks mean and nasty whenever she steps up to the plate.  She’s very strong because she does a lot of [weight] lifting and looks like she can do damage at any time.

“She radiates an energy on the field that’s very noticeable.  She’s the type of player people notice.”

That was true in high school, in college, and in Italy.  And no less so in New Zealand, where Moreland has again excelled.  In her first season, she was Top Batter in her league and had a .695 on-base percentage.  

In the National Fast-Pitch Championships, she led her team to the title in 2020 and the runner-up spot in 2021.  She was named to the all-series team both years and was voted the Most Valuable Player and the Top Batter in the 2021 NFP Championships after averaging .640 with a .758 on-base percentage.   She also led in stolen bases.

And what are her options going forward?  A stay in New Zealand seems to be in the cards, at least for the near-term – “I’d played there before she did, and I told her she’d really like it,” Edwards said  “There is an easy-going vibe there.”  

In the short-term, she would simply like to see her parents and brother.  Because of Covid-related restrictions, she hasn’t been able to visit with them since meeting her parents during a layover at the San Francisco airport in 2019.

“They keep asking me when they can come over,” Moreland said.  “I hope soon.”

Longer term, another sojourn in Europe is a possibility – “maybe after I get the residency thing here taken care of.   I’m 27 and have a few years of playing left in me, and I’d like to play at least one more season in Europe.  

“I have some aspirations to coach, too.  I’ve done some of that in Auckland – a lot of clinics, which were really cool – and I’d probably still be doing that if it hadn’t been for the Covid lockdown.  

“I certainly did not envision being here as long as I’ve been, but I’ve developed relationships with a lot of people and have gotten used to it.  It’s a great place to be.”

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Chasing Summer; The Gary Owens International Baseball Story https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/gary-owens-story/ Mon, 25 Apr 2022 13:41:56 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=479400

By Carter Cromwell

April 25th, 2022

From very early on, Gary Owens had a vision – he knew he wanted to be a baseball player.  But he couldn’t envision then how far the game could and would take him.

At the time, his vision extended only to the boundaries of his homemade backyard ballpark, later extending slightly to the nearby elementary school where a team played.  As for seeing himself playing collegiately and at various stops on the U.S. independent league circuit and on diamonds in far-flung overseas locales – uh, no.

And yet, that’s what’s happened.

Baseball has taken Owens from that backyard setup in his native Greenville, South Carolina, to college, to a variety of places in the midwestern and southwestern United States and then to Australia and Europe.  He played eight seasons in Australia beginning with the 2012-13 campaign and has played in Germany since 2015.  Northern Hemisphere summer followed by Southern Hemisphere summer.  Then repeat.    

Photo: Gary Owens has played in Germany ever since 2015. His last 6 seasons have been with the Heidenheim Heideöpfe, the reigning German Bundesglia Champions as of the publishing of this post. Photo credit: Thomas Schönenborn

And the ride shows no signs of ending.  The 2022 season will be his sixth in Heidenheim – champion of the top German Bundesliga in four of the last five seasons and runner-up the other time – and he’s done a star turn each time. He’s also prepared to play again in Australia when Covid-19 loosens hits grip and he can return there.  

“It’s just fun to be around the ballpark in any way,” he said.

It’s always been that way.

“When I was really small and in art class in school, all I would draw were baseball fields,” he said.  “That’s all I wanted to do.  I played at other things, but baseball was the dream, the thing that was important to me.”

“He started when he was maybe six years old with a plastic bat and tennis ball in the backyard,” his father, Milton, said.  And he turned his family back yard into that mini-ballpark, digging holes and placing old bricks in them to serve as bases.

“It was great for three-on-three games. We walked off so many paces between bases and said that was enough. The only problem was that trees were in the way, so we had to create some special ground rules,” Owens said.

When he was eight years old, he saw a few kids and an adult taking ground balls on the field of the neighborhood elementary school.  He and a friend decided to walk over and check things out, and that led to the next step in Owens’ baseball journey.

“After we’d watched for a few minutes, they asked if we’d like to join them.  We threw the ball around, took some grounders and then hit – just having fun,” he said.  “Then the one adult – Jeff – asked if he could talk to my parents about having me play on his team, which was a coach-pitch league for seven- and eight-year-olds.  My dad and I came out to the next practice, and that was the beginning of my playing days and a still-ongoing friendship with the Llewellyn family.”

Later came high-school ball, during which he earned all-region recognition as a junior. He played football for a couple of years, too, but it didn’t displace baseball.  Next was junior college, where he batted .283 and .333 in two seasons, was twice voted the regional pitcher of the week and once named player of the week.  Afterward, he moved on to the University of South Carolina-Aiken and finally Southern Polytechnic in Georgia, which since has merged with Kennesaw State University.  

Photo: One of the most feared hitters in Germany, Gary is also one of the most liked. Photo credit: Susanne Liedtke

Owens played one season at Aiken and red-shirted the other.  During his one active campaign in 2008, he posted a .335/.391/.544 slash line with 12 home runs and 61 RBIs in 64 games.  One-third of hits went for extra bases, and, for added measure, he pitched to an 0.68 earned-run average over 13 innings.  

Owens, whose father was engineer specializing in piping design for large plants, majored in industrial mathematics, though one could argue that his real major was baseball.

“In junior college, I had a lot of credits toward nothing,” he said.  “I went into industrial mathematics when I got to Aiken, but I had to redshirt that one season because I didn’t have enough credits toward a specific degree.  I stayed with industrial math when I went to Southern Polytechnic, and I enjoyed it, but I really had no desire to do anything with the degree.”

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, other than be a baseball player, so I stopped it [college] to go play ball.”

So the journey continued, albeit with some twists and turns, starts and stops, seeming dead-ends and then openings.

Undrafted by a major league team while in college, Owens garnered interest from the Southern Illinois Miners of the independent Frontier League in the United States.  He was cut toward the end of spring training in 2011 and returned home to work part-time at a shipping company and give private baseball lessons.  He then went to a new league in Arizona but was cut soon after when he sprained an ankle while playing pickup basketball. 

In 2012, he got an opportunity to play in the Pecos League, another independent professional league in the U.S., and batted .268 with a .722 OPS for the Roswell (New Mexico) Invaders, who reached the semifinals of the league playoffs.  More importantly, the pathway overseas beckoned when teammate Josh Cakebread, a native of Adelaide, Australia, began urging him to play there.

“The first year in the Pecos League was when things started picking up for me,” Owens said.  “Josh asked me what I’d be doing in the winter [2012-13] and said they could use me over there.  I had nothing else going on, and how many times will you get a chance to go there and play?  So that’s when the international thing got going.”

He played for the Port Adelaide Magpies in the South Australian Baseball League (SABL) for two years, except for a short late-season stint with the Adelaide Bite of the Australian Baseball League, the country’s highest league. He followed that by playing and coaching six seasons with the SABL’s Woodville Senators.  

Photo: Gary played 6 of his 7 seasons in Australia with the Woodville Senators of the South Australian Baseball League.

After his first season in Adelaide, he played baseball vagabond by returning to the U.S. in 2013 and trying out for the Frontier League team in Florence, Kentucky.  He was released by the end of spring training, but was called back later in the season and batted .294 with a .797 OPS in 11 games before again being let go.  

He went back to Adelaide for the 2013-14 season, then bounced back to the U.S. for a full season with the Pecos League’s Las Vegas (New Mexico) Train Robbers in 2014.  There, he made the all-star team and put up a sterling .366/.441/.541 slash line with 43 RBIs in 51 games and a third of his hits going for extra bases.  But . . .

“I enjoyed playing every day and baseball being THE thing, but we were getting paid very, very little and I was starting to age out of the independent leagues,” he said.  “I didn’t see things going further than the Pecos League for me, and I thought I should use baseball as a way to travel while I still had the chance.”

Ergo – back to Australia for the 2014-15 season, this time to Woodville, and then came a chance to play with Bad Hamburg in the top German league in the summer of 2015.  

“I heard from Kevin Nobles, one of the club managers and also a former player,” Owens said.  “He had contacted me before – he’d seen my stats from Australia and also noticed me on Baseball Jobs Overseas – but I had kept saying I wanted to try independent ball in the U.S.  By that time, though, I’d gotten tired of being released so I was open to it.”

And he took immediate advantage of the opening.  Blew right through it, actually, posting a batting average of .389 with a .478 on-base percentage and .726 slugging mark for an other-worldly 1.204 OPS.  He also drove in 23 runs in 28 games and was named to the all-star team.  

He moved to the Stuttgart Reds the next season and didn’t slow down, putting up a slash line of .394/.508/.702 and again making the all-star team.  He didn’t stop there, though, moving to Heidenheim in 2017 and, seemingly, finding a home.  He helped lead the team to the German championship with a .417/.493/.744 slash line, 39 RBI in 28 games, and 11 home runs that tied for the league high.  He was named most valuable player of the league’s Southern Division, beating out Triple Crown winner Max Boldt.

Photo: Gary’s big numbers during his sophomore season in Germany with the Stuttgart Reds caught the attention of Heidenheim. Photo credit: Thomas Schönenborn

The 2018 campaign wasn’t much different, except that the club lost to the Bonn Capitals in the playoff finals for the only time in the last five years.  Owens batted .467 with a 1.369 OPS and made just one error in 2018, and he continued at that performance level in the last three seasons, batting .398, .378 and .404 with corresponding OPS figures of 1.144, 1.233 and 1.298, respectively. 

At the same time, he also coached Heidenheim’s second-Bundesliga team, while also playing for the Woodville club in Australia during the Northern Hemisphere winters.  He even  served as player/manager for a couple of seasons.  

None of which surprises anyone who knows him.

“He has a real love for the game,” his mother Bianca said. “We didn’t push him when he was young, but he always read a lot of books and got a lot of input from his coaches, so it was pretty clear to us that he really wanted to take baseball as far as he could.”  

“Gary is very calm and soft-spoken, but he’s very disciplined,” said Simon Guehring, a teammate at Heidenheim who once played in the Milwaukee Brewers system. “That’s stood out for me when he was at Bad Hamburg and we talked after a game.  He has a very professional mindset.  That’s always a concern we have about imports – whether they’re coming over to play or just to party. But Gary doesn’t drink, doesn’t party.  He’s focused on the game and how to make the players around him better. He also understands that local players aren’t professionals; they have jobs or school and can’t train as much as the imports can.  Some imports don’t get that.”

Photo: Gary’s trademark is his power, but his speed is another reason why Heidenheim welcomes him back to their line up year after year. Photo credit: Thomas Schönenborn

In assessing Owens as a player, most naturally focus first on his hitting, but he’s also adept in the field and on the base paths.

Klaus Eckle – player, team manager, and general manager at Heidenheim – first connected with Owens when Eckle coached him at the league all-star game in 2015.  Heidenheim wanted Owens back then, but it had its quota of imports so nothing could be done.  But things opened up following the 2016 season.

“Gary has gotten more selective at the plate over time,” Eckle said.  “We got him to use a lighter bat, too, which is easier to handle.  He’s worked a lot on hitting to the opposite field, so he’s more accurate now at connecting with pitches on the outside part of the plate.  But he’s not just a hitter.  He can steal bases, too, and he’s a smart baserunner – uses his speed well.  Defensively, he gets a really good jump on balls.”

Guehring added, “You could tell immediately that he was a dangerous hitter.  He was in a lineup that wasn’t very strong, so he didn’t have much protection but still did really well.  It’s very impressive the way he approaches his at bats.  He’s a big, strong guy who tries to hit the ball hard but doesn’t try to hit home runs.  In batting practice, he works a lot on hitting to the opposite field.  He gets backspin like no one I’ve ever seen.  I’ve seen him hit homers that never got very high off the ground.  He hits ground balls so hard that they bounce over infielders – we call it the “Gary Chop” or “Gary Single”.

Troy Williams is an American who first went overseas to play in 1990, has coached and taught at the high-school level in the U.S., and both played and managed at Heidenheim.  He still works with the club some, also assists with the German senior national and Under-23 teams, and has scouted in Europe for multiple major-league clubs – currently for the New York Yankees.

He calls Owens a “throwback”.  

“When you see Gary play – whether he’s in the outfield, running the bases or even waiting in the on-deck circle – it’s like going back in time,” Williams said. “He plays hard-nosed, heads-up baseball and with respect for the opposition.  He doesn’t wear batting gloves and all the extra protective equipment.  He’s very deliberate and conscientious – he wants to leave the game better with whatever he does.”

Williams sees Owens as becoming even better as time goes on.

“It seems like he’s gained a step over the last few years because he’s smarter, sees the whole field well and knows the competition.  In the field, he positions himself well and takes good routes to the ball.  He could lose another step or two and still be effective because of the way he plays the game.  His baseball IQ could keep him in the game as long as he wants.”

Photo: Heidenheim manager Klaus Eckle congratulates Gary Owens as he rounds third base after hitting a home run in the European Cup in 2021. Photo credit: Heidenheim Heideköpfe

Just how long that will be is indeterminate. Owens, now 35, says he’d “like to push it to at least 40.”  Wiliams believes that, “barring injury, he could play past 40.”

If nothing else, Owens will most likely be in Germany for the foreseeable future since he married a German woman back in August. His wife has a daughter from a previous relationship, and the couple is expecting another child in May.  As Owens said, “This changes things, big time.”

Ironically, the two met when she was the physical therapist for the team.  “We met when I was rehabbing an injury.  That worked out,” he said with a laugh.

“That wasn’t in his contract,” Eckle confirmed wryly.

Owens was last in Australia in early 2020.  He returned to the U.S. for what he thought would be a short visit with family, but was stuck there for seven months because of the Covid-19 pandemic and therefore got a late start to the 2020 German season.  He was eventually allowed to go back to Germany because he was in the long-term relationship with the woman now his wife.  He was not able to play in Australia last season or the current one because of Covid restrictions, but he’s getting matters squared away for when he’s able to return.

“I’d like to set it up so I can go back there for a month or so at a time,” he said. “I don’t want Covid to be the end of it.  I’d like to go there one more time, at least.” 

As for the longer term, he still sees baseball ahead.

“After playing, I’ll try to stick with it,” he acknowledged. “I may try coaching later on, but I want to play as long as possible.  Baseball is a hard thing to shake.  You grow up with a toy stick for a bat, work up to a metal toy, then to a fungo bat and then to a real bat.  You’ve played the game since you were a little kid, and then someone tells you that you need to grow up.  

“That doesn‘t come easy.”

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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Working in the offseason for summers in Europe playing baseball; This UCLA Bruin continues at 34 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/eddie-murray-interview/ Mon, 14 Mar 2022 19:30:19 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=478244

UCLA Bruin alumnus Eddie Murray (far right above) teaches in the offseason in order to play baseball in Europe during the summer.

Eddie wrapped up his college career in 2009 but it wasn’t until 2014 that he discover that baseball in Europe was a thing. He got his start in second division Germany, living and playing ball in Berlin before signing on in 2015 to play for PUC, a club located in the center of Paris competing in France’s top division. He remained there for four straight seasons before deciding to hang them up in 2019.

Of course, like many ballplayers before him, Eddie got baseball fever come the spring of 2020, and ended up signing in the Liberation League instead of overseas due to the pandemic and challenges with traveling. In 2021, Eddie signed on to play in Slovenia where he and three other BBJO members led his club, Kranjski Lisjaki to a national championship. 

Now at 34, Eddie has signed on to play for Lisjaki again in 2022. 

Listen to his story here:

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Haven’t played in three years? No problem, come hit leadoff, win a championship and coach our National Team https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/jacob-biller/ Mon, 14 Feb 2022 11:01:00 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=477614
Photo Credit: jchristophestudio.fr

In this episode, Baseball Jobs Overseas founder David Burns and co-host Jimmy Jensen interview Jacob Biller, a BBJO member who played his first season overseas in France in 2021 where he won a championship and even managed to get on with the French National Team as a coach for the European Championships in Italy.

Jacob is a former NCAA D1 switching hitting shortstop out of Kansas State University who spent the summer at the top of the batting order for the Rouen Huskies, the reigning French champions, joining them at the champions cup in the Czech Republic where Jacob and the Huskies competed again the best teams in Europe, including the top teams from Italy and the Netherlands.

What makes this story even more special, is that Jacob was a bit of a gamble to bring in as an import since he had not competed since graduating in 2018. In order for teams to roll the dice on someone who hasn’t competed in that long and whom they haven’t ever seen play firsthand, they need to have something special within their BBJO profile. So aside from coming from a big D1 school, what was it about Jacob that caught their eye?????

It was his coaching experience.

Ever since graduating he had been coaching at the junior college level and the Huskies were in the market for someone to help coach at their academy.

Bringing over import players who bring a coaching element has always been a theme with clubs in the low to mid leagues in Europe, or the teams at the bottom of say France or Germany, but the trend we are starting to see is that coaching is becoming more and more a part of the profile of many of our members who sign overseas with some of the top clubs or in top leagues.

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After two years playing professionally in Japan, Lisa Maulden shares her experience https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/lisa-maulden-in-japan/ Mon, 31 Jan 2022 21:46:02 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=477238 Seattle University alumna, Lisa Maulden, first took her career overseas in 2015 and never looked back. Her first few seasons overseas were in lower leagues including the Belgian second division and Hungarian Softball League before moving up the ranks to higher-level leagues such as the Dutch Golden League, Premiere Women’s league in New Zealand, and the Italian Series A. However, it never dawned on Lisa that she would ever play in the Japanese Softball League, which is a pure professional softball league and considered by some, the best women’s softball in the world. Lisa is about to enter her third season in Japan in 2022 and sits down for this interview with us from her apartment in Japan where she lives year-round. She shares her experiences on and off the field and advises others on how to go about playing there and what to expect.

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Repping The Motherland; the Erika Piancastelli Story https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/the-erika-piancastelli-story/ Thu, 20 Jan 2022 10:52:21 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=476942

January 20, 2022

By Carter Cromwell

Given that her father played baseball and her mother was a member of the 2000 Italian Olympic softball team, one could easily assume that Erika Piancastelli’s path to softball stardom was pre-ordained – mapped out early on and rigidly adhered to. 

But not really.  Her road to this point has covered many miles and been somewhat winding, but she’s never carried a map and detailed instructions.

“I never thought that far ahead – about the future,” Piancastelli acknowledged, “and I never thought softball would take me this far. Softball wasn’t in the Olympics when I was younger, so it was a good while before I realized what I could do with the sport and where it could take me.”

Indeed.  From Italy to southern California, to Louisiana and back to Italy.  In 2021, she divided her time between Italy and the United States, depending on where she was playing, and she’ll add Japan to her itinerary in 2022, having recently signed a contract to play for SG Holdings in the top Japanese league.

Her journey to this point began in Modena, Italy, where she was born in 1996.  When she was five years old, the family moved to Carlsbad in southern California when her computer-programmer father had an employment opportunity.  

“He had a very good position in Italy, but he put his name on a job web site and, to his surprise, got an offer from a company in California.  They thought they’d be there for a couple of years or so.”

Instead, it was a couple of decades before the parents returned to Modena.  In the interim, Piancastelli and her twin sister grew up playing various sports but weren’t driven by their parents.  The parents coached them for a couple of years when they were young and playing in recreational leagues, but they wanted them to try all sports and didn’t push either to play a particular one.

Photo: Erika with her parents—Loredana Auletta and Pier Andrea Piancastelli—after winning the 2021 European championship 

“If they had forced it on us, we might not have played as much,” she said.

Piancastelli’s sister eventually chose basketball and played it through junior college, while Erika stayed with softball as a catcher and sometimes first baseman and outfielder, but without an all-encompassing drive to go as far as she could with it.  She eventually found her way to McNeese State University in Louisiana – a world away from southern California – but even that kind of, sort of just happened.

The summer prior to her junior year in high school, she was with a travel team at a tournament in Colorado.  A coach saw her at a clinic for pitchers and catchers the day before the tourney began and later contacted her.  She eventually committed to McNeese before her junior year even started.  

“I hadn’t really thought about college at that point,” Piancastelli said. “I was never that person who was looking to go to college and play, so I was never striving for it.  But it was my only scholarship offer, and three other teammates were going to McNeese.  Plus it was a full ride, so I went ahead with it, even though it was a long way from home and in a very different environment.”

And that’s when it began to dawn on her that softball might be a vehicle that she could ride a long way.

In her first game with McNeese in February 2015, Piancastelli was 2-4 at the plate with a double and an  RBI, and she never slowed down.  By the season’s end, she was the team leader in hits, batting average (.430), RBIs (54 in 55 games), home runs (a then-school record 18 that she later exceeded), doubles and slugging percentage (.905).  She earned Freshman-of-the-Year,  Player-of-the-Year, and Hitter-of-the-Year honors in her conference, as well as third-team all-America recognition.

“There was definitely an Aha! moment there, or at least the beginning of one,” she said.  “I’d always loved playing, but I then started to think about reaching the highest level that I could. Like the Olympics – I never thought about that until I got to college.  It was just that overall freshman experience that got me going – playing 50 games, working out all the time, and just seeing what it takes to play a full season.”

Photo: Erika hit .401 with 75 HR in her four years playing for the McNeese State University Cowgirls

Clearly, she had what it took, as she continued her first-year success throughout a career that finished with the 2018 season.  Piancastelli was voted the Southland Conference Player-of-the-Year and Hitter-of-the-Year in each of her four collegiate seasons and remains the conference record-holder in RBIs, home runs, doubles, slugging percentage, and bases on balls.

Playing at catcher and third base, she batted .401 over the four seasons with a .560 on-base mark and .868 slugging percentage, as 56 percent of her hits were for extra bases. She drove in 212 runs in 235 games and had a 79-percent success rate at base-stealing.  She had a slugging percentage of 1.000 in her sophomore year.  During her time there, McNeese won consecutive conference tournament championships and reached the NCAA playoffs for the first time.

In addition, she would go back to Italy each year and play for the national team before returning to McNeese.  

Greta Cecchetti also played college ball in the United States at Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, which is in the same conference as McNeese, but she had finished her career by the time Piancastelli began hers.  Since then, though, she has played with and against Piancastelli beginning with the 2015 European championships.  She now plays for Bollate in the Italian league, though in a different pool than Forli, so their teams meet only in the playoffs.  In addition, she will play with Piancastelli on the SG Holdings team in Japan.  

“She was known for her offense, but she has a cannon for an arm and is really hard to steal against,” Cecchetti said.  “She sometimes is a designated hitter, but not too often because she’s someone you want on the field.”

“People have always had great things to say about Erika.  When I first played on the same team with her, she was very quiet – just sitting back and listening – but she gradually became more of a leader and found her voice.  She’s a person people look up to.”

Rosellini Francesca, known to most as simply “Juni”, has coached Piancastelli’s team in Forli for the past two seasons, but he’s been aware of Piancastelli for much longer. A native of Aruba who has lived in The Netherlands for 30 years and once coached the Dutch national softball team, Francesca first saw her play in 2015.

“At the time, she had just finished her first year in college in the U.S., but she was burning up our league, and they added her to the Italian national team,” Francesca said.  “Even then, everyone could see that she could play.  By the time of the European championships that year, she moved up to the first team.  I saw a kid who, at 17, could hit the ball 120 meters (393 feet) and also had a great throwing arm.  She was a pioneer of the leg kick, as well; now, you see more and more players trying that.  She was doing things at an age at which most kids could not.”

Now, at 25, she still is. She captained Forli to the league championship in 2021, as well as captaining the Italian national team to the European championship and then getting to the Olympics with Team Italy. 

Photo: Erika playing for Team Italia

“One of her strengths is being able to change and adapt,” Francesca said.  “Her load and balance are good, and her bat speed is super-high, but she’s also learning to keep her hands back more and stay in the zone a little longer to better deal with low, outside pitches. She’s a more mature hitter now; before, she only knew to hit the ball hard.”

She was busy enough in 2021 that she could have been forgiven if she occasionally forgot where she was playing and for whom.  In addition to the club in Forli, she also captained the Italian national team that won the European Cup, added Olympic experience to her resume, and then played her second season in Athletes Unlimited, a league in the United States.  

The Italian national team had lost its head coach, Enrico Obletter, in February to complications resulting from Covid-19, but the club rallied to win the European Cup and then participate in the Olympics.  Reaching the Olympics was a dream come true for Piancastelli, especially since her mother, Loredana Auletta, had preceded her as a catcher and third baseman in the 2000 Games.

“I always wanted to be like my mom,” she said.  “She wants me to be like her, but even better.  That drives me to keep getting better every day.”

The 2021 Italian club faced stiff competition in the Games, going 0-5 against the United States, Australia, Japan, Mexico and Canada.  Piancastelli was 2-15 overall.

“Our pitching and defense kept us in the games, but we didn’t hit well,” Piancastelli said.  Cecchetti agreed, saying, “We weren’t used to facing pitching that was that good.”

“Still,” Piancastelli said, “The summer was huge for Team Italy.  We won the European championship and then the Olympic qualifying.  Getting to the Olympics was a huge accomplishment.  We played a lot better than I expected, and it was an amazing experience that can only help going forward.”

Following the Olympics, she went to Chicago to play in Athletes Unlimited, which includes top players from around the world and utilizes an unusual format.  There are four teams; the season lasts six weeks; and players change teams on a weekly basis.  An alternate scoring system enables players to earn points.  The top four point-getters at the end of each week become captains and draft players to form teams for the coming week.  Players earn points from individual innings won, overall team wins and individual stats. Their points determine their rankings, which are used each week for the draft.

Photo: Erika playing with Athletes Unlimited

“It’s really fun and challenging,” Piancastelli said.  “The format is unique, and the level of competition is high.  They had reached out to me in 2020 to see if I was interested, and I did well enough that I was invited back for this [the 2021] season.”

In her first two seasons in Athletes Unlimited, she has batted .295 with 12 home runs and 25 RBI in 30 games, while slugging .884 in 2020 and posting a .418 on-base percentage in 2021.  She is under contract with AU for the next two seasons, and she’ll divide her time in 2022 between Japan and the U.S.  The Japan league has a split season, so she’ll play there in the spring, compete in Athletes Unlimited in the summer and then return to Japan for the fall season.  And, as time allows, she’ll play for Team Italia.  

The lure of playing in Japan is that the competition there is at a very high level.  The Japanese have won the two most recent Olympic softball gold medals.

“It will be great to experience that and see where it takes me,” Piancastelli said.

Which leads to the broader question of what her future holds.  As for softball, Francesca is certain that she can take that far.

“She and [Britt] Vonk [a middle infielder for the Dutch national team who attended college in the United States] are the only players in Europe that have a chance to play in the pro leagues,” he said.  “They both played in the [Athletes Unlimited] league in Chicago.  They have more experience playing against top competition and get more at-bats against class pitchers, so you can really see the difference when they play.  Vonk has been the best European player for 10 years or so, but Erika is the best at the moment.”

She  indicated that she’ll be alternating between Europe, the U.S. and Japan for the foreseeable future.  

“In a way, Italy will always be home because most of my family lives there,” said Piancastelli, who holds dual U.S. and Italian citizenship. “When I was young, I always wanted to move back there.  But I’m kind of confused now as to what is home.  My sister still lives in Carlsbad [Calif.], so I imagine I’ll be bouncing back and forth a lot.  

“A lot of what has happened wasn’t anything I really planned.  Then I look back and see the whole journey, and it’s better than anything I’d ever imagined.”

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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The Only Active Openly Gay Pro Baseball Player Tells his Story; Bryan Ruby Part 3 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/bryan-ruby-3/ Mon, 03 Jan 2022 19:48:49 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=476123

In my previous two podcast interviews with Bryan Ruby, he was not openly gay. Since our last interview, Bryan has come out and is now the only known active, openly gay professional baseball player in the world. His coming out was not just within his friend and family circle but on a national stage when his story was featured on the front page of the sports section of U.S.A. Today and at Dodgers Stadium when announced prior to singing the national anthem this past fall.

In this episode, Bryan talks about his fear of jeopardizing his career as a professional baseball player and a country music singer and songwriter by coming out. He also talks about his struggles as a closeted gay baseball player growing up. Although Bryan shy’s away from all of the attention, he decided to use it to help broadcast an organization he started to help others athletes in the LGBTQ community titled ProudToBeInBaseball.

 

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Playing Winter Ball in Guatemala to the Upstart Mavericks League https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/byran-ruby-2/ Mon, 20 Dec 2021 16:00:06 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=476129 In this second interview with our globetrottin’, country-music-singin’, pro baseball player, Bryan Ruby, we talk about his experience playing winter ball in Guatemala in the fall/early winter of 2020 during the midst of a second COVID-19 wave and the Mavericks League in Oregon during the summer of 2021. This interview takes place two-thirds of the way through his 2021 season with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and shortly after Bryan’s life was turned upside down, resulting in a feature of Bryan on the cover of the sports section of USA Today. Make sure to mark January 3rd, 2022 on your calendar as the date we publish our third interview with Bryan where he tells that story.

Related: Bryan Ruby’s all in approach to playing overseas is working

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Sick Set-Up in the Czech Republic for this Two-Way Guy https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/ryan-johnson-interview/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 14:35:27 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=475705
Ryan “RJ” Johnson is a player in high demand overseas for a number of reasons and is currently living in the Czech Republic year-round as an import for a club that is on the rise. The former American Association pitcher has re-invented himself as a high-level two-way player overseas and it is paying off as quoted below from the interview.

“I said make me an offer I can’t refuse and they said ‘here’s our offer’ and I went ‘Oh boy!’ The money is nice, don’t get me wrong, but it was the coaching aspect and being here full time that was the low-hanging fruit.”

Listen to the full interview here:

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UNCG Softball Twins Pause D1 Coaching Careers For Overseas Softball https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/thomas-twins-story/ Sun, 21 Nov 2021 19:47:11 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=475293

Lindsay and Nicole Thomas took their twin pitcher-catcher act overseas in 2017, one year after graduating from UNC Greensboro where they were both standout players. A year into NCAA D1 coaching careers, both girls made the decision to put their coaching careers on hold and sign together to play in Vienna, Austria. Their international careers snowballed from there, both as a pair and as individuals. The girls continue to play overseas while doubling as virtual Mental Performance Coaches, a business they started together during the early days of the pandemic.

Episode notes:

Training Untamed Instagram handle: @training_untamed

Correction: Sarah Edwards’ email is s.edwards@softballjobsoverseas.com

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.
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Cut for the First Time Ever, Billy Germaine Found Solace in Overseas Ball https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/billy-germaine-story/ Wed, 17 Nov 2021 13:38:59 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=475110

November 16th, 2021

By Carter Cromwell

When Billy Germaine was released from his independent league team in the summer of 2017, it seemed to represent a dead end for his baseball career.  Instead, it was just a detour.

And no small one, as it turned out.  The new path took him back to Canada and then to Germany – all the while playing baseball.

Undrafted by Major League clubs following his final college season in 2016, Germaine eventually signed with the Southern Illinois Miners of the Frontier League, a professional league in the United States that has no affiliation with Major League Baseball.  It seemed then as if his career was a “go” . . . until it wasn’t.   

Photo: Billy was released by the Southern Illinois Miners despite being one of their best hitters. (Photo credit: The Southern Illinoisan)

Southern Illinois had won division championships the previous three years but was suffering the only losing season in its eventual 15-season history.  After getting looks at catcher, first base and left field, Germaine was cut loose after just 20 games, despite posting a .298 batting average and .379 on-base percentage.  

Huh?

“Yes, I was mostly surprised because I was one of the best hitters on the team,” he said, “but I sort of saw it coming, too.  I’d transitioned from playing a couple of times a week to just pinch-hitting to just catching bullpen sessions.  I was told that I was hitting but that there wasn’t a position for me.  I don’t think [the manager] liked what he saw in me defensively, and he had a couple of returning guys that he liked.”

PitchAI; Bringing biomechanics to the palm of your hand!!

Germaine served as a bullpen catcher for another month, hoping to hook on with another club, but was unsuccessful and returned home to Aldergrove, just east of Vancouver in the Canadian province of British Columbia.   

“I went home and didn’t even touch a ball for several months,” he said.  “I’d never been released before, so it was really tough.”

Indeed, his history to that point had been one of success.  As a high-schooler, he played on a travel team in a league that had several players drafted by MLB teams, including current St. Louis Cardinals’ standout Tyler O’Neill.  Germaine batted .321 and .384 his last two seasons and made all-league both years.  Next came two seasons of junior-college play at Hill College in Texas, during which he averaged .302 with an .813 OPS, followed by two years at Southern Arkansas University.  There, he was twice all-conference and once all-region while posting a slash line of .321/.428/.647.   

Photo: Billy hit 30 home runs in his two seasons with the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders.

So getting released was, as he put it, “a gut punch”.  After moving back to Canada and trying to regain his equilibrium, he applied to graduate school – his undergraduate degree is in physical therapy – started a part-time job, and took a couple of classes to boost his grade-point average.  But baseball, with his older brother Joe the driver, eventually beckoned.

Now back in Canada and owner of a high-performance athletic training company, Joe was then in the middle of a baseball sojourn that had taken him to Australia and then to Germany, the latter opportunity through Baseball Jobs Overseas.  At the time, he was playing and coaching with Lauf, a second-division German team.  Slowly but surely, he got Billy interested in joining him.

“My brother got back from Germany in late September of that year,” Billy said.  “At that point, I thought I’d probably go back to school, but he started chipping away at me, saying how much fun it was playing there and that we could travel around, too.  I was resistant, though.”

Joe agreed.

“It took several months to get him interested,” Joe said.  “I’d asked Bill the year before and the year before that about playing in Europe, but he had wanted to try pro ball in the U.S.  He’d always had a quiet but unshakeable confidence, but he was pretty down this time after getting released, so it took a while for him to consider baseball again.  

“At the time, our club had given me full control over our youth teams and top men’s team.  We just needed one more key piece to be good enough to move up a level, and Bill is the good-hitting catcher that everyone wants.  I told him that he’d be able to play all the time there and have a good time without a lot of pressure.”

Eventually, the persistence paid off, and Billy joined his brother in Germany in February 2018.  

Photo: Billy decides to play overseas in Germany with his brother Joe, following his professional baseball stint in the Frontier League

The Lauf club had made much progress during Joe’s time there as shortstop and manager, rising from the fourth league to the second in three years and winning the title of second league in 2017. Billy immediately fit in – or, more accurately, really stood out.

In 28 games, he posted video-game numbers – a .567 batting average, a .680 on-base percentage, a 1.056 slugging mark and 40 RBIs.  Twenty-five of his 51 hits went for extra bases, including eight home runs, and he had 30 bases on balls and just two strikeouts in 120 plate appearances.  In addition, he stole 32 bases and was caught stealing just three times, a 91-percent success rate.

Lauf, though, only had Germaine’s services for that one season.  His brother Joe had wanted the club to move up to the first league, but the team voted to remain where it was.  

“The team voted against it while we were on vacation,” Billy said.  “We got a text about it while in the desert in Jordan.”

Joe added, “I tried to convince them to move up, but they didn’t think they had what it took.  We had a lot of talent, but people have to believe in themselves.”

Photo: Billy and his brother Joe take a trip to the deserts of Jordan.

So, from there, the brothers moved to Ulm, a club in the German first league, Joe as player/manager and Billy as the catcher.  Billy again starred, with a .347/.449/.643 slash line.  He hit seven home runs, struck out just nine times in 116 plate appearances and was 15-17 in stolen-base attempts.  He finished #12 in the ranking of the year’s Top 25 Batters among Baseball Jobs Overseas members. 

Unfortunately, that also was a one-year stint – “not a great experience,” as Billy put it.

“A couple of months after we got there, the club decided that having a player/coach wasn’t a good idea, so they brought in another manager – but only for game days,” he explained.  “My brother would work all week to prepare the team, and then the other guy would come in for the games.  It didn’t work because he didn’t know what was going on, and they let him go after a couple of months.”

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The team finished in seventh place with a 5-23 record, though it did win 10 games in the “playdowns”, in which the division’s bottom four teams play and the loser is relegated to the second league.  Billy again starred, batting .533 in 12 games with an other-worldly OPS of 1.838, but it was again time to move on – Joe back to British Columbia and Billy eventually to the Stuttgart Reds.

Germaine batted .488 with a 1.743 OPS in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and was voted Best Batter in the South Division.  His performance helped boost the Reds to third place, tying their best-ever finish and a significant improvement over the previous year’s sixth-place standing.  He continued his success in 2021 with a .483 average and 1.606 OPS along with 16 home runs and 45 RBIs in 28 regular-season games, as Stuttgart again finished in third place.

Photo: At the time of this posting, Billy has hit 24 home runs in 140 at-bats since joining the Stuttgart Reds. (Photo credit: Iris Drobny)

After the club lost in the playoff quarterfinals, he returned to Canada, albeit temporarily. 

“I hadn’t planned to come back, but I had messages from the Welland team in the IBL (Inter-County Baseball League) and a team in Quebec – Drummondville – that needed a power hitter, so I went there for the last month of their season and the playoffs.”  Germaine put up numbers at Drummondville similar those in Germany – a .444 batting mark with eight home runs and 24 RBI through the playoffs.

None of this has caught brother Joe off guard.  

“He puts the ball in play a lot and had good power to all fields – and easy power, too.  The ball would just jump off his bat.  He’d hit low line drives that would go all the way to the fence.  He got a lot of walks, too, and he’d always had good speed for a big guy [6-3, 220 pounds], having been timed at 6.9 seconds in the 60-yard dash.”

Nor has Germaine’s success surprised Steve Browning, Southern Arkansas’ head coach/athletics director during Germaine’s time there and still the school’s athletics director.  

“I remember his junior-college coach telling me he thought Billy had been overlooked,” Browning said.  “We just took what Billy had and built on that.  One thing that helped was our off-season weight program.  We don’t play as many games in the fall as the junior colleges often do, so Billy had more time to train, and he embraced it.  He had the frame, but then put on 10-15 pounds in his first year here, and his body just transformed.”

That translated to more power.  Germaine hit nine home runs and drove in 61 runs in 89 games over two junior-college seasons.  In his first year at Southern Arkansas, he homered 12 times in 58 games and drove in 66 runs.  As a senior, he had 18 home runs and 58 RBIs in 50 games.

Photo: Billy hit 8 home runs in 54 at-bats after joining Drummondville late in the 2021 season following his season in Germany. 

“We saw that the bat speed was there, as well as the power potential,” Browning said.  “Combine that with his athletic ability – good speed for a big guy and the ability to also play left field, right field or first base – and you’ve got a really good one.  

“Also, Billy was a grinder, a workhorse.  He always had a dirty uniform when he left a practice or a game.  He had a passion for the game; he wasn’t just here because it was paying for college. He had a 3.8 GPA in the classroom, too.  

“Here, we gave him the platform to be successful, and he’s taken that and run with it.”

He’s now back in Germany and planning to play for the Tubingen Hawks in 2022.  He gets along well with the Tubingen manager, and the commute there is much easier – a 10-minute bicycle ride rather than a three-hour round trip by car.

The Hawks advanced to the first league beginning in 2020 and both years have finished seventh in the eight-team South Division.  

“They need to be better offensively, so I’m hoping I can help with that,” said Germaine, who plans to also serve as the hitting coach.

He has other plans, as well – some more definite, others less so.  

For one, he recently proposed to a German woman – a quality assurance engineer for a biomedical device company and also a softball player – whom he met in Ulm.  They’re planning to marry some time following the 2022 season.  

Photo: Billy recently proposed to a German woman and plans to be married following the 2022 season. 

As for a career not involving baseball, that’s less clear.  He could try and go to graduate school in physical therapy, though that would entail finding a university that offers classes in English since he’s still in the learning process with German.  At the moment, he’s taking some online college classes in computer science.

“It would be for a degree in applied sciences,” he said.  “It’s something I might do if I don’t go the physical therapy route.  I have a residency permit in Germany, so I could go to any school in the European Union.”

At the moment, though, baseball is still a significant part of his life, if only a part.  

“I came over here to play ball with my brother, and one year has turned into three,” the 27-year-old said.  “I figure I’ll play for at least the next couple of years, but it’s hard to plan outside of that.”

All in all, Germaine’s life has changed a lot along the path that has wound from British Columbia to Hillsboro, Texas; Magnolia, Arkansas; Marion, Illinois; and multiple locations in Germany.  

“I never pictured the way things have turned out,” he acknowledged.  “Absolutely not.  I’d always thought that I’d try pro ball in the U.S., and, if that didn’t work, would just go to graduate school and move on with the rest of my life.

“But baseball in the U.S. didn’t end on a happy note, so I came over here, met my fiancé and have been having a great time playing ball.  This is the most fun I’ve had playing since I was 14 or 15.  When I was in the Frontier League, I found it to be more cutthroat.  A lot of guys were into it more for themselves than the team.  Here, baseball is still new enough that people really want to learn.  No one here really plans on making this a career. This is more like a men’s league, and more fun to be around in some ways.”

So a return to pro ball doesn’t seem to be in the cards.  

“I haven’t thought about that since I’ve been in Germany,” Germaine said.  “I would consider it, but I’m very happy with everything here, so it would have to be a really compelling opportunity to get me back there.  

“It’s turned out that coming overseas was the best decision of my life.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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This D3 Player’s All-in Approach to Playing Overseas Ball is Working https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/bryan-ruby-part-one/ Thu, 21 Oct 2021 20:53:01 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=475301

Pennsylvania-born Bryan Ruby is a baseball player and country music songwriter who has traveled the world playing baseball while continuing with his career in music. Bryan’s passion for country music was behind his decision to pass up a D1 baseball scholarship in order to study and play closer to Nashville, the mecca of country music. Bryan eventually wrapped up his college career at a D3 school in upstate New York in 2019 before taking his career overseas. In one of his final college games, Bryan played all 9 positions in a single game and it is this versatility combined with a little networking savviness that led to playing baseball in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Chile and Peru within his first year overseas. In this interview, Bryan talks about his European jet-setting baseball experience and springboarding that adventure to join a crew of international baseball players on a South American baseball journey. Bryan also provides some great tips on how he utilized his first overseas experience to draw in multiple offers and further his off-the-field career.

Photo: Bryan (back row, fourth from left) and his Los Chivos teammates pose for a photo at Machu Picchu, Peru.

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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A’s Ballpark; Attnang-Puchheim, Austria https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/as-ballpark-attnang-puchheim-austria/ Sat, 04 Sep 2021 18:45:05 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=475190

The Attnang Athletics was the first club in Austria to build a modern ballpark (2009) with the capability of hosting international baseball events. Since then, many others have followed suit such as the Wr. Neustadt Diving Ducks and Dornbirn Indians. The hosts of the Finkstonball Baseball & Softball Music Festival added lights to the park in 2021 and expanded the tiki bar overlooking centerfield. Taking away from what is a beautiful ballpark with a lot of character sections of fence in the outfield and some construction blemishes in left field, both from the recent installation of the lights. It is expected that by Finkstonball 2022 those should be fixed up and the park looking in top form.

This video features their second team vs a local upper Austrian team (Grammastetten), which both compete in the middle division of the second division of Austria. Both teams feature some young stars that also play on the A’s first division team and some veteran players who previously played in the first division.

The Athletics second field was built through MLB’s baseball tomorrow fund and is home to a number of youth teams and a second division women’s softball team.

https://www.finkstonball.com/

https://athleticsbaseball.at/

YouTube Video

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Imports Break Down the Japanese Softball Experience https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/imports-on-softball-in-japan/ Fri, 20 Aug 2021 16:15:39 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=472668

August 20, 2021

By Carter Cromwell

Right off the bat, Chelsea Goodacre realized that playing softball in Japan was going to be different.

“The first practices were real eye-openers,” said the former all-American from the University of Arizona, who is a catcher with Toyota Shokki in the first division of the Japanese Women’s Softball League. “We practiced six hours a day. At first, I tried to do everything they did, but that only lasted a day and a half.”

Yet, she and other import players in Japan have lasted – and succeeded – despite significant differences in language, culture, food, style of play, approaches to the game, and much more. 

So, the question is, “how?”  

Photo: Chelsea Goodacre rounds third base after a home run in Japan Softball League action. 

Succeeding outside one’s home country involves more than ability and knowledge – to survive and thrive, one must adapt. The rules of the game may be the same, but the way the game is played often is not. 

And, for westerners playing in Asia, there is hardly anything familiar about life off the field.

The experience can be meaningful and rewarding, but it can also be disappointing. While it’s important to produce on the field, how a person deals with it all – the different, the funny, the confusing – is a major factor determining success or failure.  

“I try to open up to the culture as much as possible and take in all I can,” said Dallas Escobedo, an American from Arizona who pitches for Toyota Shokki. “I try to show respect for everything.”

“There are players that come here and stay just a season. There is definitely some adjusting to do, and not everyone can work through it. You end up being alone a lot when you’re not playing or practicing, and not everyone is okay with that. If you’re not able to fill your off time, it can be a struggle.”

The players that successfully work through the challenges are the ones who embrace the differences, show a willingness to learn new things, and go with the flow. 

Those players end up liking the country and having incredible experiences.

Ellen Roberts, an Australian who played college ball in the United States and now pitches for Minamo Ogaki in the Japanese first division, recalled, “While at first I noticed a big difference in culture, I immersed myself in every way possible – learning the language, trying new foods, and embracing the Japanese way. I loved the new aspects and challenges of life in Japan, and it was just the start of what life in Japan was going to be like. 

Photo: Ellen Roberts wih Minamo Ogaki

“Other than the language, the biggest challenges were the workload and the schedule itself,” she added. 

“As part of my contract, I actually work for the company – an international transportation company – that sponsors the team. I work in the mornings, and then we practice from 1pm to 7pm, with optional practice after that. It’s grueling, but worth it – I’ve learned a lot, and I love the opportunity to work. 

“It’s helped me understand the culture better and pick up more of the language. You have to be open-minded.”

And from Goodacre – “When I came over, I didn’t say anything and just did what they did. It’s a bit different this season because I have some experience, but I just try to give input that might be useful. The biggest thing is understanding that it’s their game. I’ve known of some players who couldn’t adjust and went home after one season. It can be a shock if you’re not able to adapt and take things in stride.”

The initial shock was literal for Sarah Pauly, a pitcher for Minamo Ogaki, who first came to Japan in 2011, just a week or so after the earthquake and resulting tsunami that severely damaged the nuclear power plant at Fukushima.  

“Some other foreign players were coming in that day and had to be re-routed,” Pauly said. “We felt the aftershocks for several days and months afterward.”

For Pauly, that first experience was “kind of a blur. It was my first time overseas, and I didn’t take in the culture. It was extremely difficult being away from home, and I didn’t care for the adventure or travel. I was there to play softball and didn’t do much other than that. I came over here, rushed right into playing, and quit right after the season, even though the team asked me to come back.

“I was pretty immature when I first went there, and I remember telling my parents later that not taking full advantage of that opportunity was the biggest mistake I’d made,” Pauly continued. I said that if I had another chance to go there, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

She got that chance in 2014.

Photo: Sarah Pauly prepares to deliver a pitch for Minamo Ogaki

“I really saw the country the second time,” she said. “I was mesmerized by the food, the culture, and different places. It was like I’d never been there before, even though I had, so the experience was much different than the first time I played in Japan.”

Cultural differences abound, from the obvious to the seemingly insignificant. But, no matter how small, the differences add up and make for a period of adjustment.

Chopsticks, for one – not just how to eat with them, but also what to do with them when you’re not eating.

Pauly learned that it’s considered bad etiquette to leave them anywhere but on top of one’s bowl when finished – “Once, after I first came to Japan, I stuck my chopsticks in the leftover rice, and someone actually came over and put them on the bowl.” 

The food challenges don’t end with the utensils.

“Our players have to eat all their food, even if they’re full,” she said. “If not, the implication is that they don’t like it.”

The players have to weigh their rice to make sure they only eat a certain amount. Some fans bring snacks to the players at practices and games; the older players get to eat first, and it goes down the line according to age. With many teams, seating on the bus is regimented, as well – the captain and older players in the back and the younger players sitting forward.

Escobedo said she has to have three pairs of shoes wherever the team goes – a clean pair for the gym, a clean pair of cleats, and a pair to wear outside – “You can’t wear your gym shoes outside. There is so much attention to detail as far as keeping everything neat and clean. Luckily, I’m that way myself.”

Language is constantly a challenge, and sometimes a source of humor. “Throwing a runner out,” for example, translates to “make the runner dead.” Escobedo once referred to a crate of balls as a “box,” and none of her Japanese teammates understood what she meant.  Also, Japanese tend to add an extra “o” to many English words – “Friend-o,” “Cost-o-co,” “McDonald-o” – and often don’t understand what one is saying without it.

For the players, perhaps the biggest areas of adjustment come with the practices and the style of play.  

The amount of time Japanese teams practice is famous . . . or infamous, depending on who is talking.  

“Practices are crazy,” said Lisa Maulden, an American first baseman and designated hitter for Minamo Ogaki. “We had to take 15,000 swings in 23 days, and I thought I couldn’t do it, but I did. Pitchers had to run about 30 times a day from foul pole to foul pole.”

Photo: Lisa Maulden, former Softball Recruitment Manager for Baseball Jobs Overseas, plays along side Sarah on Minamo Ogaki

“It’s good to an extent, though,” she added. “Some coaches will have you practice hitting foul balls. [My coaches] said foul balls were okay – that I needed to be swinging – and it changed my approach at the plate. Before, I was seeing more pitches and waiting for a good one to hit.”

Still, the practice process, for the lack of a better term, is an area where the go-along-to-get-along philosophy undergoes some modifications. To an extent, the imports can do things their way as long as they produce on the field, though all try to fit in as much as possible.

“The imports have some leeway to modify things,” said Escobedo, an alum of Arizona State University who also pitches for Mexico’s Olympic team. “They let us kind of pick and choose what we do.”

Roberts added, “They’ve always let me do the training program I want, but I want to be part of the team, so I try to do what they do as much as possible. Once in training camp, we had a four-hour fitness test, and I did it all. From the Australian point of view, we tend to focus on quality over quantity. In Japan, it’s quality and quantity.”

Perhaps none of the imports have Debbie Schneider’s perspective. Schneider – the battery coach for Tokyo Shokki – is in her 30th season with the club. She was a catcher for 14 seasons and has been a coach since.  

“I had a job I was reluctant to leave, but I decided to give Japan a go for a year, maybe two. After all, the money was better than what I was making, and I didn’t have to wear heels and a skirt – just play around in the dirt like when I was ten years old,” Schneider said with a laugh.

Since then, she’s seen things change . . . and not change.

“The practices – oh, wow,” she said. “They have changed some . . . They’re a little shorter now, but I still have a hard time getting used to them. Our people work for the company from 8am to noon and then practice from 1:30 to about 6. 

But when I first came here, we all had to work from 8am to 3:30pm, and then we’d practice until 9:30 or 10. On weekends, practices would be from 8:30 to five or six. I’d be exhausted. I never went anywhere on our day off because I just wanted to rest.”

Although shorter than they used to be, the practices are still tough.  

“They do this thing they call “Brazil Taiso” – like the military with a lot of chanting – and they do it for 45 minutes,” Schneider said. “It’s amazing that they can do that and still practice. That’s one thing I find very bizarre. And the amount of batting they do – long tee, short tee, machine, live pitching. Then they’re back inside doing it again after practice – every day. I sometimes think they need to give themselves a break.”

Roberts added, “I’m sometimes in awe of what they do. They hit several hundred balls a day in practice. Back home, we might take a week to do that. Also, they’ll hit off the tee, do a squat, hit off the tee, do a squat . . . and just keep doing that.”

Photo: Debbie Schneider talking with Dallas Escobedo

Most import players are permitted to prepare in a way that works for them. The successful ones find a way to blend their routines with that of their Japanese teammates.

Pauly explains: “The best piece of advice I got was to do what I needed to do to prepare myself. I do everything with the team, but I have my own workout plan. Here, pitchers throw in the morning, and then they throw in the afternoon after lunch. If I did that, I would hurt myself. Instead, if I only need to throw a 30- or 45-minute bullpen session, that’s what I do. If you know your plan will set you up for success, you need to stick to it. I always try to stay and help however I can, though, and the teams I’ve played on have all been okay with what I was doing.”

Escobedo has a similarly toned-down plan: “Since I’m a pitcher, I’ll do a 45-minute bullpen, then work on defense, then go into the weight room for my training. Our other pitchers do throw a lot – hour-long bullpens of 70-90 pitches and then throw batting practice that will amount to 200-250 pitches. I try to keep my pitch count to between 80 and 120.”

But it’s not just pitchers that feel the need to limit their reps. Goodacre explains, “I’ll take 200 swings a day, and the others do twice as much or more. And they do even more on their own after practice. They’re very quantity-focused.”  

The long hours of practice and preparation apply to games, too. Escobedo’s team begins warmups about three hours before game time. They’ll hit for up to 45 minutes, then do drills like playing pepper, then warm up some more before changing into their uniforms and having a break to snack on rice balls.

As to the style of play, it’s similar to Japanese baseball in that there is more small-ball, less emphasis on power, and a greater reliance on off-speed pitches. According to the import players, the game in Japan is more structured and less based on feel, flow, and instincts than in other countries, which can sometimes be frustrating or perplexing.  

  • Schneider: “We’re more about power, while they’re more about the small game. They’re very good at that. When they aren’t hitting well, they rely more on things like bunts and the hit-and-run. The players today are extremely good – amazing, but their ability to adjust to situations that come up is less than when I first came here. If a play comes up that they haven’t practiced, they can be at a loss.”
  • Goodacre: “Watching the Japanese play defense is like watching art. All the games here are intense, and the level of talent is very high. Given all the practice, they’re often better at various skills. But they don’t go with the flow of a game as easily – what you do when something goes wrong. They want an answer – a plan – for every single thing.”
  • Maulden: “They definitely pitch foreigners differently. Occasionally, they’ll challenge you inside with something hard, but most pitches are off-speed. I think probably six or seven of my first ten hits here were off change-ups. 
  • Roberts: “They’re very nimble, and they practice so much that they don’t make a lot of errors. That’s part of the reason they’re so successful. You have to be ready for anything. Their swings are short, explosive, and very compact.  
  • Schneider: “When I came here, the strike zone was quite wide, especially outside. It’s a little better now, but we sometimes have to reach and foul off wide pitches. Foreign pitchers have smaller strike zones than Japanese pitchers, too. I think it’s because foreigners tend to have more movement on their pitches. We struggled with that when Michelle Smith first came over. She was a rise-ball pitcher, and they weren’t calling strikes. I kept telling the umpires that what counts is where the ball crosses the plate, not where the catcher receives it. Little by little, they got it, but we had a terrible time at first.”
  • Pauly: “They use multiple cutoffs instead of letting the outfielders use their arms. Outfielders will throw to one cutoff person, who throws to another who then throws to try and get the runner. I’m not sure why they can’t do that with just one cutoff.”
  • Maulden: “They’ve adapted the game to their body types. Their mechanics are different in some ways. As I see it, they’ve revamped the game and made it a Japanese-style sport. Their men’s and women’s teams are both ranked #1 in the world, so it clearly works for them.”

Photo: Sarah, Lisa and their Minamo Ogaki teammates

The Japanese players have had to adjust to their foreign teammates, as well.  

“I believe the Japanese sometimes have a different view of Americans since we do practice less and train much less than they do,” Goodacre said. “However, I think they’ve come to realize that the players who come over here and immerse themselves have the same great passion for their teams and the game.”

Schneider further explains why it can be difficult for an import player to fit in: “They pay you a good salary, so you’re automatically expected to perform,” she said. “But we’re just as human as they are and will have good days and bad days, and it’s not as easily forgivable with us as it is for the Japanese players. That adds pressure. Having a friend or mentor here really makes a difference. I had a friend on the team when I first got here, and she really helped, so I do that for others. I’ve seen foreigners who didn’t have that support, and it was more difficult for them.”

Despite that, Schneider has no plans to leave the Japanese game.

“I love what I do,” she said. “I’ve always been on one-year contracts and thought for sure there would come a day they’d say, ‘We don’t need you anymore,’ but I’ll keep doing this as long as they ask me to come back.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Bulls Ballpark; Hard Austria https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/bulls-ballpark-hard-austria/ Wed, 18 Aug 2021 20:44:11 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=475209 Film Date: June 13, 2021 Home Team: Hard Bulls League: Austrian Bundesliga Recent Baseball Jobs Overseas imports to the club: Clayton Carson, Yodai Nakamura, Marcus Fukuhara, Jose Ruiz, Zeke Howie

YouTube Video

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Tempo Praha Ballpark; Prague, Czech Republic https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/tempo-praha-ballpark-prague-czech-republic/ Sun, 18 Jul 2021 19:14:34 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=475196 This Drone footage is of the Opening Ceremony at Prague Baseball Week 2021 featuring the International Stars and the Czech National Team. The International Stars featured 23 members from Baseball Jobs Overseas who were playing around Europe that made their way for the tournament.

YouTube Video

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Eagles Ballpark; Prague, Czech Republic https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/eagles-ballpark-prague-czech-republic/ Tue, 06 Jul 2021 18:50:03 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=475193 The Eagles Praha (Prague Eagles) are a steadfast top 4 team in the Czech Extraliga and are owners of one of the best baseball and softball complexes in all of Europe, thus called upon to host numerous baseball and fastpitch tournaments for all ages. Many of our members have graced the ball field at the Prague Eagle complex either as their import or as a member of the International Stars tournament team competing at Prague Baseball Week.

The first video was taken at Prague Baseball Week 2021. Teams on the field are the International Stars and the Spanish National Team.

The second video is a combination of Drone and game footage from the 2019 playoffs. Video credit: @hustleproduction

YouTube Video

 

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Hellenstein Energie Ballpark; Heidenheim, Germany https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/hellenstein-energie-ballpark/ Fri, 18 Jun 2021 16:28:20 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=470769 Film Date: June 11, 2021

Home Team: Heidenheim Heideköpfe

Visiting Team: Stuttgart Red

League: Germany Bundesliga

Former/Current Baseball Jobs Overseas imports: Gary Owens, Logan Grigsby, RJ Hively, Aaron Dunsmore, Mitch Nilsson, Terrell Joyce, Fernando Escarra

YouTube Video

 

Heidenheim Heideköpfe, based in Heidenheim an der Brenz, Baden-Württemberg, was established in 1992 as the baseball division of the Heidenheimer Sportbund (www.hsb1846.de), an organization that contains several clubs in different sports. The baseball team played its first season in 1993, was eventually promoted to the first division of the Baseball-Bundesliga end of 1999, and has remained there since.

Overall, the club has won league championships in 2009, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. The team won the CEB-European Cup in 2019 and was runner-up in 2010. The year it finished second marked the first time a German team had won a medal in the history of the tournament.

In 2008, former major leaguer Mike Hartley became the team’s head coach and led it to a divisional title in 2008 and the first Men’s German Championship in 2009. Hartley became the first ex-Big Leaguer to play in the Bundesliga.

Heidenheim’s home is “HellensteinEnergie Ballpark”, a facility built in 2002 with 1,000 permanent grandstand seats and capacity for another 1,500 people in a grassy picnic area. The field is 98 meters (322 feet) down the lines and 120 meters (394 feet) to centerfield. The average per-game attendance is 400.

The team’s name means “heathland’s head,” a reference to Heidenheim’s coat of arms.

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The Non-Binary Softball Nomad https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/the-alyson-spinas-valainis-story/ Tue, 15 Jun 2021 20:04:09 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=470630

June 15th, 2021

By Carter Cromwell

[NOTE: Alyson Spinas-Valainis is non-binary, meaning they do not specifically identify with either gender.  Therefore, the following article employs the pronouns “they” and “them” in reference to Spinas-Valainis.]

That Alyson Spinas-Valainis lives in a small studio flat in London might seem pretty ordinary to a lot of folks.  But it’s not to them.

“I actually have a place to live now,” they said. “It’s great to be in one spot after so much moving around – being a nomad.”

Indeed, while the majority of people undergo periods of movement, change and self-discovery, they have experienced more than the norm.

An American who has played the role of softball vagabond for several years, Spinas-Valainis was named Fastpitch Development Manager for BaseballSoftballUK and the British Softball Federation in October 2019.  In their current role, Spinas-Valainis has responsibilities aimed at promoting the growth and development of fast-pitch softball in the UK.

Despite the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, this has amounted to a period of unexpected stability for someone who had spent the previous several years going back and forth between continents and hemispheres to play and coach. 

“I got a ‘regular job’ that enabled me to get a three-year visa,” they said with a laugh.  “I have this flat now – since before the lockdown started early last year – with room for me and my plants.  Even better is that I’m just a half-hour flight away from my team in the Netherlands (Olympia Haarlem), so it’s easy to go play there every weekend.”

So just how did things get to this point?  Well, that’s a longer story.

Alyson celebrating the 2018 Dutch Championship with Olympia Haarlem teammates 

The oldest of four siblings, Spinas-Valainis was born in Eureka, Calif. Following a parental split, Spinas-Valainis shuttled between California and Iowa until their early teens before trading the rain and fog of the Northern California coast for the Mississippi River town of Davenport, Iowa. 

They played softball and basketball in high school – receiving first-team all-state honors in each sport and a McDonald’s All-America nomination in basketball – and earned a Division I full-ride basketball scholarship to Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.  After four seasons, Spinas-Valainis had eligibility remaining, so they exchanged sneakers and shorts for cleats and a glove and played a season-and-a-half of softball before graduating.  

Well, that’s really a longer story, too.

Let’s start with the time Bradley women’s softball coach Amy Hayes first heard of Spinas-Valainis.

“A junior college coach I know saw them pitching in the Iowa state tournament in 2010,” Hayes said.  “The coach called and asked me about this kid that was throwing gas and was coming to Bradley.  I didn’t have any players from Iowa, so he asked around and found out Alyson was coming to Bradley to play basketball.

“I immediately called our basketball coach and yelled at her for not telling me there was a 6-3 pitcher coming here,” Hayes added with a chuckle.

It took several years, but Spinas-Valanis eventually came out for softball, and there was no hesitation when the time came.  In fact, the day after their last basketball game in March 2014, they got on the softball team bus to Springfield, Mo., for the beginning of conference play. 

Alyson pitching for Bradley

“It was amazing,” they said. “I didn’t imagine as a freshman that I’d get the chance to pitch again. I loved pitching, but a full-ride is a full-ride, so I chose basketball. However, I’d gotten burned out on basketball toward the end of my eligibility. We’d changed to a full-court transition team instead of half-court, and, as a center, it was a difficult fit for my body type.  

“In October 2014, Coach Hayes approached me and told me they were in a tough spot and needed someone to throw batting practice in the spring.  I said I would be happy to after basketball was over. I then tried out, and it went well enough that they asked me to join the team.”

Hayes recalls, “Alyson was really popping it in that tryout.  One of our players said the pitches were really moving. It was clear that they could be a difference-maker.

“The mindset they brought as far as competitiveness and grit was interesting,” Hayes added. “That was something our team needed.  Once before a game, Alyson spoke up and said we needed to stop whining, and that really opened our team’s eyes, especially since it was the perspective of a person coming from another sport.”  

Spinas-Valainis relieved in nine games that first season (2014) and then transitioned to the starting rotation as a fifth-year senior (2015), making a team-high 41 appearances and pitching 64 percent of the team’s innings in conference play.  They were once voted Missouri Valley Conference pitcher of the week and earned the team’s co-Most Valuable Player award.

After that came graduation, playing all over the world, coaching overseas, and the current job in the UK.

But it’s a longer story than that – a lot longer, actually.

By the spring of their senior year, Spinas-Valainis didn’t have a direction.  That is, until Hayes pointed toward New Zealand.

“At the time, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do,” they said.  “It seemed that all my classmates and teammates knew, but I didn’t.  With me being a fine-art major in drawing and painting, I probably would have had to go to a big city to get work.  But Coach Hayes had played in New Zealand, and she mentioned the possibility of playing overseas for a season.  That sounded awesome.”

Alyson taking in the beauty of New Zealand

Hayes added, “I’ve always tried to get players to go overseas.  A lot of kids don’t want to go, but when I mentioned it to Al, they were all over it. They wanted to see the world and immediately realized this was a great way to do it.  I love how Al took it even further than I did.  The journey hasn’t always been bright and cheery, but they’ve worked through it all.

“They’re basically living my dream life now.”

They’ve had an extensive international playing career in New Zealand, Australia and Europe, with much success: 

  • MVP awards in 2016 and 2017 with Hutt Valley in New Zealand
  • Top Pitcher honors in 2018 and 2019 while playing for Howick in Auckland
  • As a member of Jourds Praha in the Czech Republic, they were named League Playoff MVP as the team won the national title in 2016
  • Helped lead the Tubingen Hawks to their first final-four appearance in the German Bundesliga and led the country in strikeouts
  • Helped lead Olympia Haarlem in The Netherlands to a national title in 2018 and the runner-up spot in the Dutch Golden League in 2019
  • Additionally, both Jourds Praha and Olympia Haarlem have medaled in the European Premier Cup in Italy, accounting for one second-place and two third-place finishes.

But times were not always easy.  Despite the international playing career and successes, there were tough times of personal growth and discovery. 

“I am thankful I was focused so much on sport – partly because during my school and university days, I started realizing that I wasn’t quite straight,” they said. “I didn’t have a name for it, but I didn’t feel ‘normal.’ I had never been interested in dating or intimacy, just focused on my passions, such as sport and art. It was difficult, especially when family and friends would often ask me about a boyfriend or if I was dating anyone. I used to hate those questions without even knowing why. It was very confusing.

“I vividly remember encountering a same-sex couple that was married and playing softball together during my first season in New Zealand, and it wasn’t a big deal to anyone. It was completely normal. It was just two people, happy and whole together. It was beautiful.

“It took years of education and un-learning behaviors and notions I’d had after growing up in a conservative, Catholic environment.  But I finally got the chance to grow into myself and was able to put names to things I once thought made me ‘different’ or ‘wrong.’ Living in cultures and countries where LGBTQIA+ people are present, open and respected has been key in helping me figure myself out.

Alyson in London, England

“I eventually realized that I was asexual – not experiencing sexual attraction towards anyone – which is still an outlier, even within the LGBTQ community. I had never been interested in dating or intimacy, and being able to place a name to my identity was hugely validating. I quickly realized I was panromantic (pansexual for non-asexuals), because gender never factored into my preferences or who I liked. I just like people, and learning that was eye-opening and validating. I’m also non-binary, meaning that I don’t identify with any particular gender – I am just Alyson, and not held to any gender or expectation.

“I am very thankful that I’ve been able learn so much about myself and to now be out as an asexual, non-binary person.  It’s a euphoric feeling after a lifetime of not understanding who I was or why I felt – or didn’t feel – certain ways.”

There are, of course, those who take issue with the lifestyle, or simply don’t understand it. Even people close to them. Luckily, they’ve been able to find support.

Annie Link, a close friend from college, said, “The sexuality thing was a lot to work through for them.  It was definitely hard – the ‘norm’ vs. what they were feeling.  They had a friend in college, though, who was non-binary, and that helped give Alyson the courage to explore it on their own.”  

Spinas-Valainis added, “There are some people I’ve known all my life who either don’t accept this or love ‘conditionally.’  But though I lack support from some, I’ve had incredible support from many people – old friends, people I have met while playing, and some through my work here in the UK.  Coming out is always scary.  While I was out as romantically queer since 2016, I came out to my mom as non-binary in September 2020 and shared that I wanted to pursue top surgery the next year.  I was a little flustered when I told her, and she asked me why I was upset and crying. She said I looked so happy and relieved after telling her. My fears had been based on other peoples’ reactions, not how I saw myself.

“It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m privileged to be in a place where I can be open and true. I’ve been incredibly lucky to meet the people I have – so many of them have changed my life forever.

While living in New Zealand in 2017, they developed a relationship with Brad Croawell, the son of the president and secretary of the Howick club, who had been diagnosed as a child with a degenerative muscular disease, Friederichs Ataxia.

“Brad and I hit it off right away and had an incredible relationship. We became best friends upon meeting in 2017, and we naturally progressed from there,” they said, “I have never met anyone like him. He was an incredible person.

Brad and Alyson

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been able to share myself and my heart with someone who understood every aspect of me and loved me for it, not despite it.  Brad was special, and he touched everyone who knew him with his kindness, wicked sense of humor and unwavering love.”

Croawell’s health declined in the early part of 2018, and he passed away that August.

“I am so thankful I was with the Croawells then. I truly don’t think I would have made it through without them,” they said.  “That was the most difficult year I’ve experienced. I was not able to secure a work visa, so I had to leave New Zealand seven months after Brad passed away.”  

They returned to Europe in May 2019 to play in Germany and The Netherlands.  Later that year, they learned about the job in London from Brad’s mother, who remains a close friend – “She saw the job opening online and encouraged me to apply.  It was one of the few times Barb used tough love on me.  She said this was a great opportunity and that I should get myself together and apply for it . . . and that Brad would have wanted me to.”

They got the job in August and moved to London in October 2019 after the Dutch softball season ended. 

Despite the difficult times and long journey, Spinas-Valainis has always had passion for softball and now is in position to make an impact on the game. 

Link said, “They’re just a giant person – so full of energy.  They’re very open, and that helps them connect with people.”

Sarah Pauly, an opposing player in New Zealand and the Netherlands, added, “They’re one of those people that you feel is a friend as soon as you meet them.”

Lisa Maulden, Spinas-Valainis’ teammate and friend (met in Australia, 2016), said, “Simply put, they’re amazing.  They’re like a spark – an energy starter.  They’ll go the extra mile to make their teammates laugh and enjoy the game. They’ve gone through a lot trying to find a home overseas, and I’m proud of them.”

“Alyson has been through a lot,” said Sarah Edwards, who played against Spinas-Valainis in New Zealand and was a teammate in The Netherlands.  “They have a lot of compassion for others and is a great teammate.

“They have a huge personality.  They’re fiery – loud and expressive in the dugout and well-known for their colorful makeup.  But it doesn’t get in the way of how they play.  They have a lot of fun and can get everyone laughing – even the umpires and opposing players.  We were playing once in the New Zealand club nationals championship game when the Baby Shark song came over the loudspeaker. They started doing the dance on the mound between warm-up pitches. She really leads a team.”

Alyson unleashes a pitch in Czech Extraliga action

And just where Spinas-Valainis’ path leads from here is unclear.  Probably not back to the U.S. anytime soon, since they’re still playing in The Netherlands and have the role with the UK softball organizations.

As Link put it: “When Alyson first went to New Zealand, they said ‘I can see myself living here.’  At that point, I knew they weren’t coming back for a good while.”

Or, as Hayes put it: “They’re an adventurous spirit and will go wherever the wind takes them. They love what they’re doing now.  I don’t know when or if they might come home, but I think they’ll stay in the world of sport.”

Or, as Spinas-Valainis put it: “All my siblings are homebodies, but I was restless. I may not have known what I wanted to do after graduating, but I found it when I began this journey.”

When asked about a possible finish to their playing career: “In women’s sports especially, it seems that there is sometimes an expectation that you have to sacrifice your playing career if you want to ‘settle down.’ 

“Here, I have a ‘regular job’ that is very fulfilling; I live in a London flat with plants and books; and I’m still playing professionally. I want to show that athletes, especially women, can do this without sacrificing the playing experience or travel. I don’t want to be in a situation in which it’s a ‘requirement’ or ‘expectation’ to give up those things.  One can live free and vibrantly, without limitations.” 

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From Water Girl to NCAA I Softball to 10 Seasons Overseas https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/lisa-maulden-story/ Sat, 20 Mar 2021 19:43:27 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=468107

March 21st, 2021

By Carter Cromwell

That Lisa Maulden is an American playing softball overseas isn’t particularly unusual, but her path to this point has been.

“My softball journey has been very non-linear,” she acknowledges.

Indeed, her road from growing up near Seattle, WA, to her current posting in Ogaki, Japan has had a lot of curves, twists and sudden turns.  Straightaways have been few and far between.

Maulden didn’t start playing softball until she was 12 – “One of the last sports I tried’ – and didn’t make the team on her first attempt.  She later performed well on club teams and her high-school squad, but decided she wanted to focus on academics while in college and not play softball.  She was set to go to Seattle University on a partial academic scholarship, but walked on for the team at the last minute and made it, eventually becoming a four-year starter and two-time all-conference selection.

And the journey didn’t stop at graduation.  Since then, she’s played and coached in Austria, Belgium, Australia, Hungary, New Zealand (three times), The Netherlands, Italy and now Japan.  

There is, of course, a back story – or stories – to all this.

Maulden, who currently plays for the Ogaki Minamoto Softball Club in Japan, tried a number of other sports before getting into softball.

Photo: Lisa approaches a pitch during a softball game in Japan in 2020. Photo credit: Ogaki Minamoto Softball

“Basketball was my main sport for a long time, but some friends were trying out for softball, so I figured I should, too,” she said.  “We hit off a pitching machine during the tryout for the middle-school team, and I wasn’t used to it, so I didn’t do well.  Luckily, another coach there thought I had talent and asked me to be part of his team.

“Actually, I started out as the water girl,” she said with a laugh.

That’s how the “other coach” – Joe Jimenez, who coached the Tahoma Little League team that also played as a club team at other times during the year – first noticed her. 

“I kept seeing Lisa sitting on a bucket, carrying all the bags and looking happy to be there,” Jimenez said.  “She looked athletic, so I asked my players who she was, and they said she was the manager – that she had done pretty well in the tryouts but hadn’t made it. 

“For some reason, though, I thought she could play,” he continued.  “One day, I was running practice because the head coach had to be away, and I told Lisa to grab a bat and hit.  She said, ‘Coach, I’m just the manager,’ and I said that was OK and asked her which side she hit from.  She said both, so I had her bat lefthanded.  She fouled off the first pitch and then hit the next one off the fence.  I threw more to her, and she hit as well as anyone else.” 

Right then and there, Jimenez made up his mind – Maulden was on the team.  In his words, she ended up being “one of the best players in the state.  She was a quick learner – always strategic in games and thinking several steps ahead.”

Later, she moved to some club teams that traveled a lot, while also playing for her high school team in Maple Valley, WA, that made its first appearance in the state playoffs during her time there.  

Photo: Lisa (left) at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany with fellow international softball travellers Kingsley Avery and Katie Park. The three girls did a European tour in 2019 spanning one week and 10 countries. 

“She wasn’t simply a good athlete.  Her competitiveness and mental maturity really stood out,” her high school coach, Tom Milligan, said. “Some players understand your expectations and strategy right away – she was one of those.”  

However, despite being a four-year starter, batting over .400 each season and earning all-league recognition – with a good academic record as a bonus – she didn’t have an abundance of collegiate offers.

“By her freshman year in high school, the select team coaches were saying that she had a good chance to play in college,” her mother, Jamesa, said. 

However, she quit the travel team prior to her senior season so she could focus more on academics, and that may have limited her visibility to college coaches.  As Milligan said, “The club programs had more impact with recruitment.  They kind of held the reins.” 

One school in the eastern U.S., wanted her to come for an official visit but wasn’t offering a full scholarship, and she didn’t want to go that far from her family and then-boyfriend.  But she had applied at Seattle University and been offered a partial academic scholarship, and fate once again stepped in.

“My high school coach was telling me that I should re-consider playing,” Maulden said, “and he recommended me as a walk-on candidate to the coach at Seattle U. I talked with him at a tournament just a couple of weeks before school was to start and was encouraged to try out. I did, and ended up making the team.”

Mom Jamesa added, “She had been planning to live at home and commute to school to keep costs down, but freshman athletes are required to live on campus, so she had to make sure she was eligible to play from the academic standpoint and get campus housing.  We had to figure all that out over a weekend.”

Photo: Lisa  with Seattle U

And they did.  Once on campus, it took a bit of time for her to get organized and take care of both schoolwork and softball, but she ended up managing well in school and starting most of the team’s games at first base.

Toward the end of that first year, though, came a crisis of sorts that could have derailed her career.  This one involved money. The on-campus housing cost was becoming untenable, and Maulden thought she might have to transfer to another school.

“I talked with my mom, and she said that if I couldn’t get any additional financial help, I’d need to transfer,” she said.  “I talked to my coaches about it – explained that I’d really enjoyed the year – and they told me they were going to give me a partial scholarship. When they started talking money, I could feel a big weight come off my shoulders because I really loved the school.  That was the reason I’d chosen it to begin with.” 

Her sophomore year was difficult because her relationship ended, there was competition for her position and she had to adjust to playing outfield part of the time, but she ended up starting 45 of the team’s 48 games and putting herself on course to making the all-Western Athletic Conference team the next two seasons.

The next step in her journey took her overseas, a move for which her mom “blames” herself.

“It was my ‘fault’,” Jamesa acknowledged wryly.  “She had a former teammate who’d posted something online about going overseas to play, and Lisa asked me how she could do that.  I went online, found a message board that said certain teams were looking for players, and she got a job through that.”

“When I first saw the email, I thought it was to play in Australia,” Lisa said with a laugh. “Then my family told me, ‘Uh, Lisa . . . that’s Austria.’  But I was super-excited to have an opportunity.”

Photo: Lisa wih the Wr. Neustadt Crazy Chicklets of the Austrian Softball League

Her father, Dean, remembers his thoughts at her graduation celebration, the day before she was to leave.

“I recall chatting with family members and wondering, ‘Okay, but what’s her career choice?’” he said.  “It was at least a year before I realized that Lisa was living her dream – playing and coaching softball internationally.”

She left the day after graduation, and opportunities since then have taken her to various points on the globe and expanded her collection of baggage tags.  

“When Lisa played in Europe, I rarely knew her exact location,” her dad said with a chuckle.   “The clues were in the photos she sent from places like Hungary, Germany, Italy, France, Malta.”

Maulden is an American playing in Japan with a New Zealand-issued phone number and a Hungarian passport in addition to her U.S. one. 

“I was playing and coaching in Budapest, and they were looking for people who were eligible for a passport and could play on the national team,” she said. “The club took care of everything … I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but I’m happy to have the flexibility it gives me.”

Until now, she’s followed the summer, playing in Europe during the Northern Hemisphere summer and moving to New Zealand when the weather north of the equator turned cold.

She went to Japan in 2020 to play there for the first time, and then the Covid-19 pandemic happened.

“I came to Japan in January [2020] to meet my new team,” she said, “and then went back to my New Zealand club.  But then Covid caused the rest of the season there to be canceled, so I told the Japanese team I could be there earlier than planned, if they needed me.  Shortly after that, my general manager called at around 6pm and asked if I could be on a flight at 9am the next day.  I packed my bags and that night and was on the flight.”

Photo: Lisa with Mt. Albert Ramblers Softball Club of Auckland, New Zealand

As expected, Maulden discovered differences in the way the game is approached and played in Asia. 

“In Japan, there is a routine and a process to everything, and they’ve revamped softball to make it work for their bodies.  They’re more petite – foreigners stand out like sore thumbs – so they use different mechanics, whether hitting or throwing.  They pitch to foreigners differently, too – mostly off-speed.  Of the first 10 hits I had in the league, I think seven were off change-ups.  My coach helped me change my approach to hitting, too.  He said I needed to be swinging more – foul balls are OK – whereas before I’d wait until getting what I thought was a good pitch to hit, or my pitch.

“On the other hand, the practices can have some crazy aspects.  Hitters had to take 15,000 swings in 23 days, and pitchers had to run 500 poles (foul pole to foul pole) – about 30 a day.  They focus on quantity a lot more than is necessary, and there are little to no consequences for failure.  In America, you have to run or do push-ups if you miss your bunts in practice.  As a team, though we’ve gotten better at emphasizing quality over quantity and creating a competitive environment.”  

Still, Maulden adjusted to the environment well, helping her team win the championship of the second division of the Japanese Women’s Softball League and earn a promotion to the first division. She finished second in the league with a .455 batting average and was named to the league’s Top 9 as the designated hitter.  She is signed for the upcoming season.

“Lisa has always worked hard to improve individually, while still being a good team player,” her father said, “and that extends to adjusting to the environment.  Being in Japan has been a challenge because of Covid-related travel restrictions, language barriers and cultural differences, but she’s always been able to adapt.”

Maulden is actually surprised that she’s in Asia to begin with.

“I never imagined playing here,” she said. “It’s very difficult to get into this market, and I’d never rated myself on this level as a player.  But I’ve loved the experience and am blown away that I’m still here.

“I’ll be here until November,” she added.  “Typically, I live life about six months in advance, one contract at a time.  Past that, I don’t know.”

And that is true in the larger context, as well.  What will happen in the next few years and then after her playing career is over is open to question.  It’s quite possible that she’ll remain overseas for the foreseeable future.

Photo: Lisa takes a bow during the opening ceremonies in Japan. Photo credit: Ogaki Minamoto Softball

“I always have to ask Lisa where she is or what continent she’s on,” her mother said with a laugh.  “It’s a Catch-22 – I miss her a lot, but I’m super happy that she’s able to follow her passion.  I think she’ll travel for a long time and will end up finding a place she wants to stay. I’m proud, too, that she’s influencing other young girls in a positive way.”

Milligan added, “She’s definitely following her heart and desires.  Through that experience – traveling and being around all different cultures – she’ll be able to expand on it and do something really positive.”

Maulden, who will be 28 in March, could always coach, of course, and has a passion for statistics and baseball that she could apply to the growing area of analytics.  But that probably would entail going back to school, something she’s not ready to do.  

She also served as director of softball operations for Baseball Jobs Overseas from 2015 until March 2021 and now remains on as a board member, a role she can leverage toward her goal of helping the sport continue to grow and attract more people overseas to play and coach.  

“This started as kind of a four- or five-year vacation, but now I’ve been gone too long and seen too much,” she acknowledged.  “Some people back home think I’m trying to escape reality, but, for me, being home and living a ‘regular’ lifestyle didn’t work.  I guess I have an abnormal lifestyle, but I truly love what I do.  I want to continue to play and travel and live to the fullest while I can.

“The future? – I have no idea.  These days, I’m just taking life as it comes and am thankful for the journey I’m on.”

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High School Draft Hopeful –> Injured And Passed On –> Living The Overseas Baseball Dream https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/will-swindling-story/ Sat, 13 Feb 2021 09:46:59 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=467318

February 14th, 2021

By Carter Cromwell

Will Swindling’s baseball career hasn’t gone as he originally envisioned, but he never envisioned how it has gone.

A star on his youth teams and an all-state performer in high school in Eugene, Ore., he attracted attention from major league scouts.  Unfortunately, shoulder trouble eventually tempered scouts’ enthusiasm, and he opted for college. The shoulder issues continued in college, though, and after a while, it appeared that his time as a player was over.  

But no.  

His story did not end with a fade into the day-to-day grind of the so-called real world.  At 28, he’s doing what he wants to do – play and coach baseball – but in places such as Argentina, Slovenia, Germany, New Zealand and Australia.  Not at all what he expected.

Budapest, Hungary

“Nope.  Never,” he said emphatically. “If my career had gone the way I’d wanted then, I’d probably have spent a couple of years in the minors and then come back home and been very content.  But it’s unreal how things have turned out.

“I never thought I’d be learning other languages and making all these friends and connections overseas.  I can have an off day and go hiking in the Austrian Alps or the Italian Dolomites.  It’s the coolest thing, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. I have friends playing in the minors who tell me my experience has been so amazing.”

So just how did the road lead to this?  Let’s go back a dozen or so years.  

As a youth, Swindling both pitched and caught, and he developed significant pain in his shoulder – later diagnosed as a torn labrum – that bothered him during his high school and early college careers.  

“I threw a lot since I played both positions, and there were no pitch counts,” he said wryly.

The shoulder pain didn’t keep him from starring in high school, but it lowered his ceiling in the minds of pro scouts.  He had some interest from a few teams but, had he been drafted, it would most likely have been in a low round.

“He came to us with a lot of hype, and he turned out even better,” his high school coach, Bill Ferrari, said.  “All the scouts liked his bat – he had a really good swing and good natural power.  With a bat in his hands, he didn’t look like anyone else.  The ball came off his bat differently, and everyone knew it.  

New Zealand

“But even though he worked hard to have a quick release and be as efficient a thrower as possible, the question was always whether he’d be able to throw well enough to be a catcher at a higher level.  Who knows what might have happened if his arm had been healthier?  He was good at all the other things – he had a lot of positive skills defensively.”

Swindling had offers from some Division I college programs, and he chose the University of San Francisco, but the shoulder trouble persisted during his freshman year.  Doctors told him he had a long tear – something usually seen in older players – rather than a deep one, and advised that he rehab and strengthen the shoulder as much as possible in lieu of surgery.

Around that time, he also decided that USF was not the proper fit for him, so he transferred to Arizona Western Junior College.  

“Things just didn’t line up for me at USF,” Swindling said.  “I didn’t enjoy the year and thought I needed new scenery. But I re-aggravated the shoulder during my time at Arizona Western, and the game stopped being fun.”

Ferrari acknowledged the injury problems, but added, “I don’t think he got a full chance at USF or the JC to show all he had.  He always performed when he got a chance, but I think he was looked upon as a kid from a small town that was not a baseball hotbed, with the assumption that someone from a place with a greater reputation for generating baseball talent was better.”

Germany

Regardless, Swindling felt that his “baseball experience was going in the wrong direction.  I needed to be away from the game for a while.”

To do that, he went away to the other side of the country – to Lockhaven University in central Pennsylvania.  “They had a great recreation management program, and it was good to go somewhere different from what I’d known. I really got into weight training there, too, which helped with my competitive side.”

Following graduation in 2015, he became a personal trainer, relocated to Texas for a short time, then moved back to Oregon where he again caught the baseball bug.

“I’d given a couple of training sessions to a young kid, and that made things click for me,” Swindling said.  “I decided I wanted to give baseball one more shot.”

As his mother, Mary, said, “He was disappointed in how his baseball career had gone, and he’s not the type to say ‘woulda-coulda-shoulda.’ ”

Swindling continued doing personal training – starting as early as 5am and going until early evening – and then going straight to his baseball workouts.  

After a while, his arm started coming back, and he solicited the input of a Miami Marlins scout who had followed him during his high school career.  The scout, though, told him that his age was against him. 

“I was 24 by then and wouldn’t have had a really high ceiling, so I probably had no shot at getting signed by a major league team,” he said. 

Australia

But he soon learned that he still had a shot at a baseball career, just not the standard one.  A friend who had just returned from playing in Sweden put a bug in his ear about playing in Europe.   

“My ears perked up when he told me that,” Swindling said.  “When you think of guys playing overseas, you think of places like Japan, Korea, Australia or Latin America,” he said, “but my friend said there were a lot more opportunities overseas than people realize.”

He began his foreign odyssey in Germany in 2017 as a player/coach, followed with winter ball in Argentina, returned to Germany as player/coach the following season, spent the 2018-19 winter in Australia, went to Slovenia last year, and then coached youth teams in New Zealand over the past winter.  He still has some shoulder pain – always will – but it’s now manageable with regular stretching and strengthening exercises.  

Swindling was to have played in Austria in 2020, but Covid-19 upended that, and he’s been working and training in Eugene, where his parents, brother and other family members still live.  The plan is to play in Austria this year if things return to something resembling normal.

Tarvisio, Italy

“I was supposed to be here for nine days, but it’s turned into seven months,” he said with a laugh just prior to the holidays. “All my family still lives here, and they’d like me to be closer, but they’ve been extremely supportive of the path I’ve taken.”

Some of his stops along that path – particularly Slovenia – might seem odd choices for a baseball player, but the more one knows about Swindling, the more logical it seems.  Baseball is a passion for him, but so is the rest of life.

“Will loves traveling and baseball, so this is a great fit for him,” Mary Swindling said.  “He does well in situations in which he knows nothing and knows no one.  He’ll just go out there and start talking to people and learning.  Doing what he’s doing is thrilling for him.”

Will agreed.

“When I first went to Germany, it was a very low-level league, but I had a great time . . . I was just so happy to be back on a baseball field,” he said.  “I loved the region, and I had a great host family that I’m still in regular contact with. I haven’t regretted that decision for a moment. The same was true in Australia and the other places I’ve been.  I’ve made so many connections and had opportunities to hike, explore and see many things I wouldn’t have had otherwise.  Playing at a high level is great, and that was my focus at first, but the travel aspect makes it a real adventure.”

In fact, he had an offer to play in the top French league in 2019, but a last-minute chance to go to Slovenia – hardly a baseball hotbed – won out.

Slovenia

“As soon as I learned that the league was spread over Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia, Hungary and Croatia, I had to go there. It was such a cool experience.”

Tim Brown, a pitcher and Swindling’s teammate in Slovenia, said, “Will always has a positive outlook.  He embraces things and takes them for what they are.  We clicked right away as players and adventurers.  We might go to a gym in the morning, do some exploring in the afternoon, and then baseball later.  Once, we had an off-day in Serbia and spent the whole day walking around Belgrade.  

“And, of course, he’s a really good player, too,” Brown said with a chuckle.  “As a pitcher, you feel really confident with him behind the plate.  And he can really hit.  He’d go 4-4 in a game with all doubles, and the Slovenian guys would say, ‘What?? No home runs?!’”   

As for the future, at least the near team, Swindling’s plan is to continue doing what he’s doing.

Play maybe three to five more years, and then, well, probably something that will keep him in Europe. Coaching is a possibility, as is personal training, and he and Brown have floated the idea of some day opening a European baseball academy.  

In short, who knows?  

“I’m in awe of how things have worked out to this point, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds,” he said.  “I may not be playing at the highest level, but if I’m happy and having a good time, that’s bigger than baseball in a way.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Pros Describe the Cultural Differences in the International Game https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/cultural-differences-in-baseball/ Tue, 12 Jan 2021 08:07:37 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=465557

January 12, 2021

By Carter Cromwell 

On the surface, baseball is pretty much the same game wherever it’s played.  But where it’s played is often a whole new ballgame.

And therein lies the challenge for the players, coaches and others who go outside their home countries to work.  Succeeding elsewhere involves more than ability and knowledge. To survive and thrive, one must adapt to all manner of cultural differences and approaches to the game.  The rules may be mostly the same, but the game often is not.  And the environment is almost always not.  

The experience can be very successful, meaningful and rewarding.  It can also be disappointing.  Certainly, it’s important to produce on the field, but how one deals with it all – the different, the funny, the confusing, the maddening, the weird – is a major factor determining success or failure.  

Talk to anyone who has been involved in baseball overseas, and you’ll consistently hear advice such as “be flexible”, “go with the flow” and “do what the others do”.  To put it another way, you go along to get along.

“If you learn the game and the culture, you’ll be all right,” said Craig Brazell, who split seven seasons in Japan between the Hanshin Tigers and Chiba Lotte Marines. “If you’re productive and respectful, you’ll be fine.” 

Brazell with the Hanshin Tigers

Carlos Mirabal, an American who pitched in Taiwan and Japan, said, “My attitude was always to go along and learn new things. You have to be a good player, but you also have to have an open mind to make it in other countries.  When the Japanese come to the U.S. to scout players, the first thing they look for is how open-minded the guys are.  In my experience, guys who weren’t that way didn’t last long.”

Arik Sikula learned that early.  An American, he pitched in the Toronto Blue Jays organization and had stints in Puerto Rico, Colombia, Australia, Mexico, the predominately French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec, and Venezuela, where he met his now-wife. 

“I love to explore different cultures,” he said, “but you have to work to fit in.  Doing things with your teammates helps you integrate more easily.  You have to put yourself out there.  Like I’m not a good dancer, but I noticed that a lot more guys in Latin America dance – in the stands, in the locker room or on the field during a lull in a game.  So I tried it, even though I didn’t feel comfortable.  If you let your guard down, it helps you fit in.”

Arik Sikula releases a pitch in Liga Mexicana de Béisbol action

Jack Howell agrees. A seven-season major leaguer who found himself a free agent after the 1991 season, he went to Japan for four years, winning the most valuable player award after batting .331 with 38 home runs in his first season with Yakult and then helping lead the Swallows to the Japan Series championship in 1993.  Playing in Japan revived his career, as he played four more seasons in the majors after returning.  

“I played with Rex Hudler the year we won the championship,” he said. “We had a rainout one day, but the manager wanted us to work out. The turf was wet, and the temperature was rising, so there were worms around.  I knew Rex had once eaten a beetle, so I picked up a worm and asked him to eat it.  The guys got a pot of something like 35,000 Yen, and he ate the worm.  Everyone was clapping, and we went on another winning streak.  The Americans became a real part of the team then.

“I’d always heard that the guys who didn’t make it in Japan had been less flexible,” Howell  continued. “So I did everything the others did, and I think that shocked them a bit. I did things their way, and it worked.”

And that advice doesn’t only apply to players and coaches.  Shane Barclay spent a college semester studying in the Dominican Republic and two years there working for Major League Baseball.  He now operates a baseball-themed travel company, JapanBall.

“I was curious about their culture, which helped,” Barclay said. “I’d stayed with a host family when I studied there, and that provided me with something of a foundation when I went back there with MLB.  I lived in a regular part of the city, not a gated community for expats, and I took public transportation a lot, which got me some added credibility.”

Shane Barclay (far right) with a JapanBall tour group. 

All this is not to say that simply having an open mind will automatically smooth the bumps and fill the potholes in the road. Languages are different; prices are shown in the local currencies; signs are in the local languages, etc.  It takes time to integrate, and situations can arise almost daily that range from the amusing to the scary.

  • Howell: “Our interpreter was more from the countryside, so not all the words we learned from him were those you’d hear in the cities.  My wife would always say a word for ‘toilet’ until we found out that it was considered a coarse slang word.  From then on, we said ‘toilette’.”
  • Barclay: “Once, I was going to cook a holiday meal for my host family.  I was at the store and wasn’t sure if we had any penne pasta, so I called our housekeeper.  She didn’t understand what I was saying – I think she thought I was saying something crude – so I had to come home and show her the bag to make her understand.”
  • Sikula: “When I was in Venezuela in 2015, the team put us up at a resort, and we were warned not to leave the resort unless we were with a Venezuelan player.  The beach and a mall were just across the street, and I wanted to go to the beach once on an off day.  Luckily, I decided against it.  The next day, I read in the paper that a couple of boats had stopped, robbed everyone on the beach and shot several people. I asked some people about it, and they just said, “Yeah, that can happen.”
Jack Howell was the California Angels third baseman from 1985-1991
  • Mark Weidemaier, bench coach in 2020 for the Kia Tigers of the Korean league: “On bus trips in Mexico, we’d go through towns and see young boys 8-9 years old holding burning sticks into which they would spit gasoline to create bigger flames.  People would toss money at them. It was like a sideshow.”
  • Kevin Beirne, who pitched four seasons in Japan: “Our Venezuelan players told us they had armed guards with German shepherds by the dugouts in their games.  If someone ran onto the field, they’d let the dogs go – So no one ran onto the field!”
  • Sikula: “I was playing winter ball in Colombia, where motorcycles are often used as taxis, and I took one to the ballpark one day.  I had my uniform on with my bag over my shoulder and was on the back of the scooter.  This guy was weaving in and out of traffic, breaking every driving rule there was, and I was hanging on for dear life.  My heart was really racing.  But what an experience to look back on now.”
  • Scotty Mulhearn, an Australian who has played for independent teams in multiple countries and now lives in Prague: “You get different sides of historical matters than what you were taught. I see the most difference in grocery stores.  Everything is in the local language and currency, so what would take me 20 minutes at home might take an hour here.”
Scotty Mulhearn, player-coach for Kotlarka Praha of the Czech Extraliga

The media and fans add to the experience, too.  In Japan, for example, the media can be difficult, a notorious example being that of Randy Bass, who batted .337 over six seasons for the Hanshin Tigers, won two triple crowns and one year hit 54 home runs. But when he returned to the U.S. after his son was diagnosed with brain cancer, the media vilified him and the team released him, though he later proved that the Tigers had authorized a leave of absence.  

Howell never experienced anything like that, but he noted that “when we lost, it was because we weren’t playing as a team.  When we won, it was because we were learning how to play as a team. That was kind of irritating.  Certainly, there is some truth to the concept of team play, but baseball is a team game played by individuals.” 

Speaking with the media through an interpreter can be interesting, as well.   

“I’d give a long answer to a question, and the interpreter might give a very short response to the media person,” Beirne said.  “I’d ask the interpreter what he said, and he’d just say ‘I told him you agreed with him.’  That was odd.”

Mirabal concurred, adding that “I was always giving the same answers to the same questions, so my interpreter started answering for me.  Occasionally, a reporter would ask me about a quote of mine from several days before, and I wouldn’t know what he was talking about.”

At the age of 44, Carlos Mirabal pitched in the German Bundesliga. 

The fans can often be passionate … sometimes to the extreme.  Japanese fans make a lot of noise, and the cheering sections are “on” the entire game, though everything is very orchestrated.  Latin American fans, on the other hand, are much more spontaneous.  It’s not unusual to see fans forming conga lines and moving through the stands.  

  • Weidemaier: In Venezuela, fans would throw their cups of beer into the air when a player for the home team hit a home run, thereby giving nearby fans impromptu showers.  And it wasn’t always just beer – “Instead of going to the men’s room, the guys sometimes would relieve themselves in their cups.”

  • Beirne: “The fans in Japan were louder than in any ballpark in the U.S.”

  • Brazell: “My son was born while I was there, and I hit two home runs that day. I still get messages from some fans wishing him a happy birthday.”

  • Scott Mathieson, a reliever for eight seasons with the Yomiuri (Tokyo) Giants, said, “I still get messages on social media from some fans.  Once after a game, I was with my wife and a teammate with some fans nearby.  I mentioned to a young girl that her dress was pretty and introduced her to my teammate.  Later, her father contacted me and thanked me. Apparently, his daughter had had some real problems with depression, but he said meeting us made a real difference for her.”

Even the game itself differs from country to country.  Latin American players, for example, often play with a certain joie de vivre sometimes absent in other parts of the world. Hitters take a lot of time getting into the batter’s box, let the walk-up music play, and often speak with other players and fans as they approach the plate.  And, of course, bat flips are common and accepted.

Scott Mathieson with the Yomiuri Giants

The Asian game is known as being more fundamental.  There are a lot more “by-the-book” moves by managers, and small-ball is predominant.  Pitchers throw far more pitches between games, and they rely more on breaking pitches than in the U.S.  Hitters tend to be more disciplined and focused. 

  • Mulhearn: “It was a shock to me how much they bunted in Japan. The three- or four-hole batter would sometimes bunt – even with no outs and a runner on first base.”

  • Brazell: “I saw guys actually practice hitting foul balls. I did it the first day and wondered what the heck I was doing.  But it made me a better hitter in the long run.”  

  • Beirne: “The mounds are a little flatter in Japan, and the balls are a little smaller and not wound quite as tightly.  The hitters are very good at fouling off pitches and also do a lot more soft-toss and batting practice than we do in the States. It’s all about practice, practice, practice.  Once, (Daisuke) Matsuzaka threw a 365-pitch bullpen session.  I said, “What????!!!”

  • Sikula: “Four-hour games are common in Latin America, and many are longer, because pitching matchups often start in the fourth and fifth inning.  Also, hitters want the crowd to know who is coming up to bat, so they take a lot of practice swings and take their time getting into the batter’s box.”

Mulhearn added, “The style, or mentality, in Japan is almost like being in the military – very strict and rigid.  There are no excuses for being late or having a dirty uniform.  Everyone is very vocal – always yelling and chanting when running. Then again, they’re really good players, so there’s something positive about their approach.” 

Pitchers sometimes have had trouble getting used to the additional workloads, but Beirne and Mathieson adapted to what was a new routine for them and made it work.

Beirne, who bought a car in Japan and learned to drive on the opposite of the road, said, “We threw a lot between starts, but I didn’t have as many injuries because I got used to throwing. They do a lot of massage and acupuncture, which helps you recover more quickly.”

Mathieson added, “I threw a bullpen session every day, and I got used to it.  My arm felt great, and it still does. Actually, you had the option of doing your own training regimen or theirs – but if you do it their way, you’ll tend to last longer there.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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MLB “One Baseball” Shuffle: Winners and losers throughout the Global Game https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/mlb-one-baseball-shuffle/ Mon, 11 Jan 2021 16:07:49 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=466316

January 11, 2021

Written by Arik Sikula

Major League Baseball recently made an announcement that significantly affects minor league baseball and all those associated with it.

The “One Baseball” plan will cut the number of baseball cities, stadiums, and workers that are involved with Major and Minor League Baseball. The number of teams affiliated with major league clubs was reduced by 42. The change of the MiLB structure is causing ripple effects around the world, but it is a double-edged sword.

With a wave of teams changing leagues and affiliations – and some losing affiliation – MiLB players will finally get the treatment and payment they have demanded. But the restructuring also reduces the number of players in MiLB and limits the number of players affiliated with MLB organizations. Also, the 2020 MLB draft saw a reduction of 35 rounds to only 5 rounds, so the competition will be increasing dramatically within affiliated clubs where players try to make their name on the back of their jerseys have a value attractive to clubs whose team name covers the front of the jerseys. 

MLB has partnered with independent leagues and created draft leagues, but the amount of resources being allocated and the details have yet to surface, and there is no guarantee of how long MLB will continue its support of those leagues. Independent leagues are likely to see an increased talent pool, while some cities will be left high and dry. In addition, though new leagues, teams, and stadiums are forming, the overseas market for baseball is expected to be flooded with players left off the shrinking number of roster spots in America.

Bluefield WV changed from the Appalachian league to a newly formed MLB draft league consisting of college players.

The changes MLB made have been demanded for years. MiLB players have been earning less than minimum-wage salaries for their “opportunity to play in the show”. Stadiums, food, and hotels were less than professional. But while the impact is re-making the standard of how lower-level players are treated, the effects shred past prospect lists and into locker rooms (and lack thereof), abroad. I am going to break down my winners and losers for this specific change in structure.

WINNERS

(new) AFFILIATED BASEBALL PLAYERS & ASSOCIATED ‘INDEPENDENT LEAGUE’ PLAYERS

Minor league players will receive higher pay, stay at better hotels, and not be required to play their first season or two in stadiums that do not meet the qualifications for MLB affiliation. First-year players have been receiving $1100 / playing month to start their careers. The reported salaries for the different classifications will increase 20-45% throughout the MiLB, and the overall minor league experience should improve.

The partnership with MLB for two of the independent leagues, the Atlantic League and the American Association, could prove to be exciting for players. Having their Trackman data (output/production) in the hands of front office members and scouts of MLB clubs will give a sense of attainability to players that before would have been happy to see a few radar guns pop up behind home plate. But while the potential for partnership with a business worth approximately $10 billion USD sounds appealing, the partnership with the Atlantic League had been closer to appalling. Being a test case for the automatic strike zone and other rule changes made veterans feel less than appreciated and more an apparatus to a larger scheme than the promised opportunity. Making resources and information accessible to teams that did not have access in the past should give players some hope of gaining a tough affiliated roster spot.

BASEBALL SCHOOLS AND ONLINE TRAINING

The restructuring provides uniformity in that each parent club will have four minor league teams – AAA, AA, A+, and A. Rookie league teams that housed a lot of extra draft picks have been cut under the restructure, so there should be more competition for fewer player/coach/managing spots. But that also means opportunities for other avenues for baseball. IMG Academy, Driveline, and many others are popular places where players go to train. A few of the best schools of baseball are extremely competitive internally and have flirted with ideas of having their own games and leagues. Remote learning and training is staying constant with the times, as virtual coaches and trainers are in demand. As the continual reduction of assets allowed to be kept under the big-league name continues, the evolution of academies, remote trainers, and new ways to approach baseball should spike.

Lack of access to knowledgeable coaching? Check out our list of trusted virtual coaches: BBJO Virtual Coaching Program

These schools have already helped numerous players hear their name called during the MLB Draft. Once an unlimited draft, MLB put rules in place in 1998 to limit the MLB draft to 50 rounds. Started in 1968, the draft then changed to 40 rounds in 2012. 2020 saw only five rounds. While rumors are of 20-30 rounds for 2021 and beyond, the opportunities to ‘earn an opportunity’ to the big leagues are becoming increasingly more difficult. Players that do not see their name on the draft board, or probably on their iPhone, will look for avenues to continue their careers and earn spots on an MiLB roster. With age being a factor in many organizations, it is vital that players continually improve, while putting up statistics to show they have the durability to cover a season and be contributors to a club.

OVERSEAS MARKET

With schools offering remote training, the players getting older and fewer spots in the US, other countries will likely see an influx of imported American talent. Hundreds of players are contracted each year to play at an array of competition levels around the world. More players earned contracts for international baseball than were drafted this past season.

Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan are popular, high-level destinations for players with MLB or other professional experience, and the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and Australia hold the highest competition during the winter months. Europe and South America offer many leagues that are getting better and will benefit greatly from “One Baseball”. The increasing popularity of baseball in newer markets and in American independent leagues offer aspiring professionals chances to continue their careers and move up the baseball ladder.

Many American independent leagues have strict age or experience requirements that make it impossible for the players to play the game and create statistics. Players then turn to an increasingly competitive international market to gain the experience needed to show clubs they are valuable assets inside the white lines.

Arik Sikula releases a pitch in Liga Mexicana de Béisbol action

LOSERS

SMALL-TOWN AMERICA

Numerous communities across the USA lost their baseball seasons in 2020. Unfortunately for fans in many towns, the 2019 season was the last in which they will have had the opportunity to watch baseball in their beloved stadiums. While the wave has not reached its peak, many fans sit and wait to see if their towns will field teams in 2021. Will those teams even have a league? The anticipation is felt from fans of the teams, and those who own teams that have to decide on budgeting and staffing. Many are pressing the pause button and lie in anticipation of the possibility of post-season play.

These small towns have benefited from the camaraderie that their baseball teams have provided for communities. The decisions of the teams to determine if they have the budget to travel to new towns, pay for the rosters, and other rules are masked in anticipation by finding solutions to provide an experience for community members to feel safe when they see fireworks fly after their home team delivers a W.

Lansing Lugnuts – Michigan – moved from Low-A to High-A and are affiliated with the Oakland As.

TENURED PLAYERS, COACHES, STAFFS, & SCOUTS

Veteran players, managers, coaches, trainers, wait to know if their careers will continue. The “One Baseball” plan has the trickle-down effect felt not only from the player’s side. Cutting forty-two teams means forty-two fewer managerial and coaching spots, as well as those for front-office personnel. The staffers do not know if there will be a season to play. Owners are having to decide whether or not to keep staffers on their payrolls.

In addition, many MLB organizations are revamping what scouting will look like for their clubs. With fewer games, come fewer games to scout. With minor, independent and draft leagues having live streaming and data sent directly to the organizations, the need for scouts and the costs to support them are being examined. Nothing beats the eye of a scout to know if the player has trouble with the curve, but, like other veteran players and coaches, scouts need to make sure they are ahead of this curve and find opportunities within the game.

TRADITIONALISTS

Many fans have followed specific clubs and organizations for many years. The change in affiliations and the path to the big leagues has changed dramatically. It’s fun for enthusiasts to watch the draft, follow the first few years of a player’s minor league career, and play owner by predicting future rosters, but their options are more limited by the structural changes to MiLB. The traditional method of finding the diamond in the rough by examining the boxscores and games is lessened as data analysts identify those outliers. Traditionalists may love the idea of a long and enduring minor league career, but those are decreasing as the average age of players is decreasing as fast as average fastball velocity is rising.

Hiram Bithorn Stadium, P.R., the biggest stadium in PR. Bithorn was the first player from PR to make it to the Big Leagues. 

The years of a player hitting a ridiculous 433 home runs in the minor leagues or accumulating more than 3,000 minor league strikeouts are over. Opportunity will knock from other countries. MLB is also facing demands to lower the seven-year contract that enslaves the minor leaguer to be part of their organization for seven minor league seasons. A lot of minor league records will (hopefully) be remembered as much as Nolan Ryan’s 5,714 strikeout total or Pete Rose’s 4,256 hit total. 

These records are timeless.

Sometimes, when baseball is not played like in 2020, it seems like time stands still. But time does not wait.

ADAPT OR DIE

Licenses and certifications are seemingly becoming requirements for staff and scouts, but nothing beats a personal reference. Players are demanded to throw harder and run faster. Announcers are fact-checked, and umpires are scrutinized now by electronics instead of elation. Everyone within baseball will have to bring his, or her, best to get a spot on a team.

Fair-weather fans may not notice the difference when all the leagues have settled and baseball returns to their cities. Two-for Tuesdays, fireworks, and hot dogs being sold will continue to be a staple for each home team. The carousel of teams coming in and out of a city will continue to circle, and the pitcher’s mound will still be 60 ft/6 inches from home plate (for now). The more traditional and dedicated fans will sit in anticipation to know which hat will be worn and what part of the players’ careers they will see.

The prices of food and drink, putting a great product (comparative the league) on the diamond, and the overall entertainment will continue to be factors for the fan experience. But let’s not discount the impact of what is happening to the cities, staff, fans, and players that want the opportunity to take part in America’s pastime.

In a game that demands players and staff make adjustments to get better every day, the MLB is doing the same thing.

Don’t like it?

Play better.

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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This Czech Umpire Followed His Passion To The Baseball Motherland https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/zdenek-zidek-story/ Sun, 20 Dec 2020 08:52:30 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=465544

December 20, 2020

By Carter Cromwell

One thing you can say about Zdenek Zidek . . . He’s not afraid of a challenge.

Zidek is a practicing defense attorney in his hometown of Prague in the Czech Republic — That’s, you know, on another continent across a really big body of water.  He has a wife and ten-month-old son there, not to mention in-laws and extended family.  At the age of 27, most people would think his life pattern was set.

And yet . . . he’s a minor-league umpire in the United States and in the early stages of what will be a long hard slog to get to the big time that is Major League Baseball.

And he’s happy.  

“I’m sure some people think it’s a bit crazy,” he acknowledged, “but I’ve wanted to be an umpire for a long time.  It’s a passion.”

That must be.  After all, the path to becoming an MLB umpire is highlighted by low pay, plenty of fast-food meals and less-than-stellar lodging.  Not to mention stringent competition for a very few slots.  

 

There are only 76 regular MLB umpires, in addition to 16 AAA-level umpires who can be called upon to serve in case of injury or illness.  In a normal season – i.e., one not impacted by Covid-19 – there are only about 230 umpires in the affiliated minor leagues, and that number could possibly decrease after the number of affiliated minor leagues was recently contracted.  A 2013 article reported that just 16 percent of all umpire school enrollees were selected to begin professional umpiring careers.  

And while it’s difficult to get a professional umpiring career started, it’s even more so to get to the majors. The attrition rate for MLB umpires is only about one per year, according to one report, so a minor league umpire is going to have a long wait for an opportunity.

The Minor League Baseball Umpire Training Academy, from which Zidek graduated, states on its website that “Since 1998, 62 umpires evaluated and developed by Academy Instructors have been hired full time by Major League Baseball.”  That’s an average of less than three per year.  

“It takes at least six years, and as many as 10, before you can be considered for a job in MLB,” Zidek said.  

Zidek has been umpiring for 13 years.  There was no baseball where he grew up – in Pilsen, about an hour away from Prague – so he played fast-pitch softball.  He began umpiring when he was 14 and eventually decided he was a better at that than playing.  He was good enough to work the 2015 Junior Women’s Softball World Championship.  

Then he found a television documentary titled “The Third Team”, which focused on the umpires for the 2014 World Series in the U.S.  He watched the documentary numerous times, and that cemented his desire to make it to MLB.

“I still wasn’t that good an umpire, but that documentary made me realize that this was what I really wanted to do,” Zidek said, “and I said, ‘Well, I’m going to finish school first, and then I’ll go for it.'”

He started by going to umpire school in Florida in 2018, but he had a tough time finding a job in the U.S. afterward because he had no experience.

“I couldn’t get enough experience back home because games are pretty much limited to the weekends,” he said, “so I had to get a job in the U.S.  I emailed a lot of people and didn’t get many responses.  The few that did get back to me couldn’t help because I didn’t have a U.S. passport.”

So Zidek stayed home and umpired in the Czech league, one of the better ones in Europe.  He then returned to the U.S., again went through umpire school in early 2019 and was eventually hired to work in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Then in August, he moved up to the short-season Northwest League. 

Since he was only on a work visa, he returned home after the 2019 schedule ended.  He was slated to umpire in the Class A Midwest League in 2020, but when the Covid-19 pandemic forced postponement – and later cancellation – of the minor league season, he again worked in the Czech league.

“Back home, the games are only on weekends,” Zidek said, “so I don’t get as many reps as I’d like.  Umpires are like players in that way – to get better, they need more reps.  Still, it’s better than not umpiring at all.” 

The plan, of course, is to start getting more reps in the U.S. minor leagues next season.  He is still employed by MiLB.  Therefore, barring continuing disruption by the Covid-19 pandemic or effects of the contraction of the minor leagues, he most likely will have a job next year in the Midwest League or elsewhere.

“I feel like I’m getting better,” he continued.  “I feel like my game management is good, but there are always things to work on.  It’s a faster game in the U.S.  Everything is faster and stronger, not just the pitching.  That’s good because it forces me to adjust and keep up.”

The biggest adjustment, aside from those on the field, comes when he’s away from his family for a season.  Though his wife and family are supportive, being a continent away is difficult.

“It’s a challenge,” Zidek acknowledged.  “Luckily, my family has been tremendously supportive, even though they don’t really understand the game. I couldn’t do this without their support. They knew I was kind of struggling with my work . . . I always wanted to be at the fields, even when I was sitting at my regular job.

 “I’m determined to make this work.”

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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At 26, a recent jump in velo leads to first professional baseball contract https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/sam-springer-signs-pro-contract-2/ Wed, 25 Nov 2020 15:51:43 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=464689

November 20, 2020

Carter Cromwell

Sam Belisle-Springer’s path to professional baseball was not a traditional one. After wrapping up a Canadian college baseball career, the french-Canadian pitcher set his sights on baseball overseas. This landed him in Argentina of all places, for the 2017-2018 winter before returning home to play in a local league in Quebec in 2018. In October of 2018, he signed up with Baseball Jobs Overseas to continue with the overseas path while in the meantime, was in the early months of his first-ever weightlifting program.

This led to a 2019 signing with a team at the bottom of the German Bundesliga which led to a second signing in Germany with a team higher up the ladder for the 2020 season. By this time, he was about three years into his lifting program and his velo jumped into the 90’s.

“Definitely had a bump in velo from a lot of strength gains in the offseason that transferred to the mound. I went from 86-88 occasionally touching 90 to 89-92 touching 93. Wasn’t anything crazy, just put on some muscle and weight (175 to 188). Since I didn’t start lifting until the age of 22, I still had (and have) strength gains to catch up to. Mechanically there were no big changes.”

Whatever it was, a lot of success followed along with more durability. In the shortened 2020 season, Sam led the German Bundesliga North division in complete games with 6 and innings pitched with 45.1. He also finished top 3 in strikeouts and wins to go along with a 2.78 ERA.

Said Sam of the German competition, ‘For the lower tier clubs, it’s all about throwing strikes. With my velocity, I could pretty live  mainly on fastballs and that would get me through the game rather quickly. Using that approach against teams like Bonn and Paderborn was a riskier proposition. Their lineups are much deeper with some guys who can really swing it, so hitting my spots and throwing breaking pitches for strikes was a must.”

Sam’s 2020 highlights:

 

Sam’s gains and success in 2020 led to a 2021 signing in the Frontier League with a home-town professional club in Quebec, the Aigles de Trois-Rivières, one of three teams in the independent professional league.

“I plan to keep getting stronger and hopefully bump up that velo another 1-2 mph. I also really want to refine my changeup. At times it has shown flashes of being a plus pitch, but it’s still a little too inconsistent. Frontier League lineups are going to be the deepest I’ve ever faced, so having three pitches I can go to with confidence in any count would be a major boost,” replied Sam when asked about how he will be preparing for the jump to the Frontier League. 

Going from waiting for the weekend to play to playing more than twice as many games in a shorter season in itself will be a great experience for Sam. 

“If I end up in the rotation, it’s only going to shave off a day or two in between starts. If I’m in the bullpen, then it’s a whole different animal,” anticipated Sam of what that change will be like. 

“Either way, I’ll get to be one of the privileged ones who gets paid to be at the ballpark every day and you can’t beat that!”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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How To Take Your BASEBALL Career Overseas Without Pro Experience https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/take-your-baseball-career-overseas-without-pro-experience/ Wed, 25 Nov 2020 11:05:44 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=464679

From their favorite public office in Salzburg, Austria, David Burns and Jimmy Jensen of Baseball Jobs Overseas outline their top five tips for baseball players without professional experience who are looking to take their careers overseas, primarily to Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

   
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A ‘Field of Dreams’ Story from a Small Town in Europe https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/attnang-athletics-story/ Tue, 17 Nov 2020 11:02:13 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=464354

November 17, 2020

By Carter Cromwell

As the 1990s began, baseball was pretty much nothing in Attnang, Austria.  Then Yurek Korzeniowski and a few friends showed up and started to make it something.

Nearly three decades later, the Attnang Athletics club has a loyal fan base, a very nice ballpark and four Austrian League championships to its credit.  

That’s something, but the transition from nothing didn’t happen overnight.  

A’s Ballpark Today

“When we got started, it was just a few goofballs throwing the ball around,” said Andre Gruber, one of the original players and still a member of the team. “It’s hard to believe that a small club from a small town could have come so far.”

Wolfgang Strini, another of the original players, said with chuckle, “We were just lucky that we had several crazy people who kept things going and helped us get to where we are now.”

Indeed.  Let’s go back to the beginning.

Born in 1946, Korzeniowski was originally from Austria but moved with his family to Venezuela – a hotbed of baseball – when he was young.  Later, he spent time in Australia and followed the game there, as well.  He returned to Austria when he was in his late 30s, and he and his friends established the team in Attnang in 1991 as part of a four-team league.

“He’d traveled all over the world,” Gruber said.  “Baseball had been the only constant in his life, and he really missed it when he came back to Austria in his late ‘30s.

“My cousin started playing and told me I should try it,” Gruber continued.  “He said they had this new game going and it was a lot of fun. I’d been a soccer player, but I was too slow and short to be successful.  I loved baseball right away . . . There are so many different facets of the game that fascinated me.”

Strini had seen the movie “Bad News Bears”, had played catch with some balls that a friend’s father had brought back from the United States, and had watched some major league games on television with German commentators.  But he’d never played the game until he was 18 and showed up one Sunday with a friend.  

Today the A’s boast multiple youth teams that practice year round

 

“There were no clubs in existence then, so we decided to start one,” he said.  “The score of our first game was something like 35-26.  We didn’t know how to play.”

The team played its first season on a soccer field, which had no pitching mound and created some odd dimensions, such as a 120-foot right field and a 400-foot left field – “kind of a mess,” Gruber said with a laugh.  “After practices, we’d shovel some sand around to fix up the field.”  

Eventually, though, the wear and tear from baseball made the field unplayable for soccer, so the team had to move. It next rented some land from a farmer in a nearby village, which also produced some oddities. 

“There was a restaurant right behind the backstop, and there were actually two fences in the outfield,” Strini said.  “The first was too close, so the rule was that you had to hit the ball over the second fence to get a home run.  Balls hit between the two fences were considered ground-rule doubles.  There were also some sheep grazing in the area between the fences, but, luckily, we never hit any of them.”

In 1996, the club returned to Attnang when the city rented it some land at a nominal fee.  The team members and other volunteers built the diamond, the costs covered by donations and proceeds from a tournament the club initiated 1997.   

Local friends and family watch in bewilderment of this new game in town

“The city has really helped us out, big time,” said Gruber, whose day job is in banking.  “Players, parents and friends built the ballpark, and we all paid for it.  We started the tournament to make some money, and we were lucky to have 50 people watching at first.  It wasn’t something that had been seen before in our town.  We were like unicorns.  People would watch for an hour or so and leave scratching their heads wondering ‘What are these guys doing?’ ”

It took a while, but they gradually learned, and the club steadily became more solid and competitive.

The tournament started in 1997, and the club brought in its first import players in 1999.

Sebastian Libiseller, now the club president, started as a player in 1998.  Some friends had played, and a younger brother had played on a youth team.  

“I went to practice one day and pretty soon got involved,” Libiseller said.  “I made a comment in a meeting one day that the website wasn’t that good, so it fell to me to re-design it.  I started with that and now have been president for six years.

Libiseller, who works as a sales manager for a food product company, acknowledged that he didn’t at first know how or if the club would develop. 

“I was in my early 20s then.  We’d start to talk about making the tournament bigger, building a stadium, and so forth, but you didn’t know if was just talk or something more.  But there were always a few guys – a core – that were interested in doing more … stuff the other clubs weren’t.  People like our former president, Rainer Krankl.  They always thought you could keep pushing things forward.”

Strini added, “We were lucky to have that core group.  It was the backbone of the club in terms of managing,  making connections, getting sponsors – all the management stuff that is so necessary.”

The tournament gradually got bigger, and the club added an accompanying music festival, which helped draw attendees.  Perhaps the biggest move came in when, under Krankl’s direction, the club started building a new field with accompanying facilities, including permanent seating for about 400 people and standing-room only areas that can hold another 400 or so, concession stands and a picnic area.  There is even a Tiki bar just past the centerfield fence.  

Finkstonball; The Athletics International Baseball & Softball Tournament. Photo credit: Joe Yun

“We first took down the old field and started from scratch.  That took 8-9 months,” Libiseller said.  “Then came the clubhouses and the stands.  Altogether, the project took about two years.   The work was all done by volunteers, except the things that had to be done with heavy machinery.  People would work on it after they got home from their day jobs.

“That’s when I began to think we really had something with staying power,” he continued.  “It was kind of like Field of Dreams stuff.  Now when we do work on the field during the winter, we’ll get 40-50 people to help.  We still have people come to games and tell us they helped build part of the ballpark.”

The new ballpark opened in 2007.  Unfortunately, Korzeniowski didn’t get to see it, as he passed away in late 2006.  However, the new facility sparked more interest – more fans, more people wanting to play, more teams wanting to play in the tournament.  The music festival held at the same time now draws as many as 2000 people nightly.

Finkstonball Open Air Concert

“Before we built the stadium, people thought something suspicious was going on – guys throwing a ball around and hitting it,” Libiseller said. “But then they started to realize we weren’t just goofing around.  Now, you’ll see adults and children in town wearing our caps. Our stadium capacity is too small now.”

The club made its big breakthrough by winning the Austrian title in 2008, and it followed with championships in 2010, 2016 and 2017.  

A’s celebrate their fourth Championship in 2017. Gruber, center with catcher’s gear, Libiseller in Jeans to his right

The club supports one adult team in first-level league, one in the second-level league, four youth teams and a women’s fast-pitch softball team, as well as some recreational slow-pitch softball.  A grant from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, jointly sponsored by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association, helped build a second field for youth teams, and the field also supports the women’s softball team. In addition, the club conducts a summer camp for youths.  There are 110 players involved in the different programs, and about 25% are female athletes.  

The club’s goal is to continue making steady development.  

A’s Fastpitch & Youth Field

 

“We’re working more in the off-season now.  This used to be a six-month sport for us, but we started a more professional off-season training a couple of years ago,” Libiseller said.  “In general, we want to keep getting more knowledge, while improving our coaching and continuing to focus on youth development.  

“Also, there is greater demand for use of the fields because of the number of teams we support, so we’re in the process of adding lights and expect those to be ready for next season,” Libiseller said.  “We want to always be a step ahead as far as infrastructure goes.” 

Related:

Attnang-Athletics 25 Year Anniversary Video 1991-2016

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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German Player Donald Lutz Started Baseball at 14 and was in the Majors at 24 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/donald-lutz-story/ Tue, 10 Nov 2020 07:39:13 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=464334

November 10, 2020

By Carter Cromwell

When it came to baseball, Donald Lutz was a late bloomer but a fast learner.

His is the unlikely story of a guy who didn’t pick up a ball or bat until the advanced age of 14, but was playing professionally in the U.S. by 19 and in the major leagues at 24.   

The son of an American father and German mother, he was born in upstate New York, but the family moved to Germany when he was just a few months old so he grew up near Frankfurt.  For a long time, baseball wasn’t on his radar screen, though his older brother played and is still a member of the German national team.

“I got started in baseball late,” Lutz acknowledged.  “I was playing hockey and then got into European handball, and I liked them both, but hockey got too expensive, so I needed to look for an alternative.”

It turned out that there was a military base in town and a baseball field just a couple of minutes away, and his brother got him to come down and check it out.

“I went down there in my soccer shoes and starting taking batting practice,” he said.  “I was batting righthanded and not hitting anything and felt like the whole thing sucked.  But then someone suggested I try batting lefthanded, and I suddenly started smashing every ball and fell in love with the game.”

And that took his life in a new direction – all the way to Cincinnati, not to mention Mexico and Australia.

“After that first time, they rushed me to get a player pass, but I barely knew the rules.  I hit an inside-the-park home run my first at bat.  On my second at-bat, I struck out swinging but the ball still hit me on the leg, and I thought I got to go to first base because I was hit by the pitch.  I argued with the umpire for five minutes after he called me out,” he said with a laugh.

“At that point, I never imagined where baseball would take me,” he added.  “I was just playing to be around friends and because I loved sports.  Certainly, the thought of playing pro ball –  especially playing in the major leagues – never crossed my mind.”

It would, though, in a relatively short time.

Lutz AB at the WBCQ with the German National Team. Photo credit: Gregor Eisenhuth

About a year and a half later, before he turned 16, he went to the baseball academy that had been established in Regensburg, Germany by the Regensburg Legionaere club.  Martin Brunner, founder of the academy and now coordinator of European development for Major League Baseball, recruited him.

“I had noticed him,” Brunner said. “You look at things differently as a coach than as a scout.  A scout looks at what abilities are there at the moment and any potential upside; a coach looks more at what he thinks is not there but could be developed.  Even though his baseball skills were crude, I could see that he was a big kid [eventually 6-3, 230 pounds] with good natural strength.”

Considered one of the best, if not the best, baseball development programs in Europe, the Regensburg academy was then in its early years, but Lutz found it an extremely worthwhile experience.

“I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but my mother said I should at least go and try,” he said, “and it turned out great.  I was there full time, along with seven or eight other guys.  We would train and go to school during the week and play games on the weekends. School was as important as training; there was always someone there to help if you needed it.”

Brunner added, “Once he got to the academy, he worked very hard and became a big guy who could also move – that got the scouts’ attention.”  

The next step came just a couple of years later in 2007.  Lutz said he was one of 60 players from Europe and Africa invited to a three-week camp in Italy, at which a number of current and former major league players were to instruct.

Just before that, though, representatives of the Cincinnati Reds spent a couple of weeks at the Regensburg academy instructing and observing. He also did very well at a showcase event for European players in front of MLB scouts.  Eventually, the Reds signed him to a free-agent minor-league contract.

“I’m glad Martin was there to help me navigate my way through the process because I was overwhelmed,” Lutz said. “It was so quick from the time I was playing hockey to when I was getting ready to go play pro ball in the States.  At first, I didn’t even know there were different levels of the minor leagues.”

He started with extended spring training and then wound his way through three seasons (2008-2010) in the rookie leagues before starting to make a move.

“At first, the game was way too fast for me,” he acknowledged.  “I’d never faced anyone throwing faster than 80 or 85.  I punched out on, I think, in my first 18 at-bats.  But I wasn’t intimidated, and I gradually started learning.”

He worked his way to Class A and then AA, along with winter-league stints in Australia and Mexico and a season in the Arizona Fall League.  He was at Pensacola (Fla.) in the AA Southern League in 2013 when the call-up came in late April.  Understandably, he remembers the experience in detail.

“I was in AA, but on the 40-man (Reds) roster,” he recalled. “We were in Tennessee and waiting out a rain delay.  A bunch of the guys were trying to chase a bird out of the locker room, and the manager (former major league Delino DeShields) came out and asked what all the noise was about.  Then he called me into his office, and I was worried that it might be bad news.  Instead, he said ‘You’re going up’.  

“At first, I didn’t realize what was happening, but then I started yelling, ‘I’m going to the big leagues’,” he continued.  “I got a Gatorade shower and then had two hours to get to the airport and fly to St. Louis.  I even had to stop at a mall on the way to buy a new suit.”

Lutz with the Reds. Photo credit: New York Times

 

He was so keyed up that he got virtually no sleep that night.  The next day, April 29, before a large crowd, he debuted as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning.

“[Manager] Dusty [Baker] said, ‘Lutz – grab a bat … you’re going in.’  I was so nervous that I forgot my batting helmet when I went to the on-deck circle,” he said with laugh.  “When I went to the plate, the announcer said it was my major league debut, and the crowd gave me a big hand.  Yadi [Molina] was catching, told me congratulations and then walked to the mound for a couple of minutes to give me a chance to drink it in.”

The first pitch from St. Louis mainstay Adam Wainwright was a 12-6 curve ball for strike one.  The next pitch was similarly nasty, and Lutz shattered his bat on a groundout to second base.

His first hit came soon after against the Chicago Cubs – “It’s funny … the pitch before hit me on the foot, and I was mad because the umpire didn’t call it.  But then I got a hit up the middle on the next pitch for my first RBI.”

Lutz batted .241 in 34 games that season and then .176 in 28 games in 2014 between minor-league stints in Pensacola and Louisville (Ky).  In 2015, he hurt his elbow on a throw from the outfield and had to undergo Tommy John surgery.  He was in the minors in 2016 and then released before the 2017 season.  He played briefly in Mexico that summer and has played the last five winters for Brisbane in the Australian Baseball League.  He was briefly with an independent league team and also in China for a couple of months before retiring – “I realized then that the pro ball dream was coming to an end.”

Lutz with the Brisbane Bandits of the Australian Baseball League. PC: The Chronicle (Aus)

In 2019, he was the hitting coach for the Reds’ team in the Arizona Rookie League.  Later last year, he and his wife returned to Brisbane where they’re going through the immigration process while he’s doing some coaching and trying to start a youth baseball academy.  

“We moved to Australia not for baseball reasons,” he said.  “We’ve been here for several winters and thought it would be a great place to raise a family.  Of course, the immigration process here is really tough, so we’ll see what happens. 

I’m not sure where this journey is going to take me, but I’m confident that it’s going to work out.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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The Mark Weidemaier Story; Current Bench Coach of the Kia Tigers of the KBO https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/mark-weidemaier-story/ Tue, 13 Oct 2020 10:25:46 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=463460

October 13, 2020

By Carter Cromwell

A glance at Mark Weidemaier’s baseball resume makes it clear that he’s seen a lot.  A closer inspection might remind one of an old country/western song titled “I’ve Been Everywhere”.   

Well, maybe not everywhere, but a lot of wheres.  His baseball life has taken him from its beginnings in the midwestern United States to countless places in the U.S., as well as quite a few spots in Latin America and Asia.  

He’s known the highs and the lows. The major metro areas and places like Waynesboro, VA; Montreat, NC, and others in Mexico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.  Nice hotels with good food … and also a lot of fast-food meals and lodging that fell way short of 5-star.  Trips on jetliners, and long bus trips on bumpy roads.  Ballparks that were like cathedrals and others like fixer-uppers on the edge of town.  Employment with the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals … and the West Side Wooly Mammoths. 

Weidemaier has been a graduate assistant while in college, field manager in independent leagues, head coach at a small college, assistant to a university athletics director and director of special promotions, minor league manager, scouting supervisor, roving infield instructor, director of baseball academies, advance scout, special assistant to an MLB general manager and, well . . . a bunch of other things leading up to this season, his first as bench coach for manager Matt Williams and the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO).

“I’ve been lucky,” Weidemaier said recently.  “It’s been a great journey.”

And one not likely to end anytime soon for the 65-year-old Ohio native.   

“Baseball has been my life,” he said. “I’ve got 40-plus years on the field, and I’d like to keep going.  

“I have a great gig here,” he added.  “The overall situation is great, and we’re making a lot of progress with the ballclub. The team finished seventh in a 10-team league last season, but we’re in fifth place now – barely out of fourth – and the top 5 teams make the playoffs. We’ve got a young club, so making the playoffs is our goal.  Aside from the team itself, we’re re-working our minor-league team’s processes . . . creating a player-development manual . . . and that’s coming along.” 

As with all expats, they’re getting used to a different culture, environment and style of play.  As is generally the case in Asia, teams rely more on small ball than the long ball, employ more strategy and have a lot more activity on the bases.  Also, since Asian cultures tend to show greater respect for older people than many Western cultures do, the players tend to listen more closely to feedback and instruction.  In addition, the KBO has recently begun allowing small numbers of fans back into the games, and Weidemaier sees differences there, too.

“While fans can really be rough in their comments online, they rarely boo players during games,” he said.  “That’s refreshing.  Still, they’re very passionate. When I was scouting for Samsung in the KBO a few years ago, an MLB scout commented that going to a major-league game was like going to church, but going to a KBO game was like going to a rock concert.”   

Weidemaier went to Korea last fall, right after Williams was hired.  They ran the club’s fall development program, brought the team to Florida for spring training in January and returned to Korea prior to the scheduled start of the season.  The 144-game season was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic and now will go into November.  Because of the pandemic, it’s uncertain whether he’ll be able to go home after the season to his 12-acre spread in North Carolina, four dogs and wife he hasn’t seen for several months.

This is the second go-round for Weidemaier and Williams as a team.  The first was when Williams managed MLB’s Washington Nationals in 2014 and 2015 and Weidemaier was defensive coordinator/advance coach. He ran spring training, handled the team’s defense during the season and coordinated advance scouting and game planning, as well as quality control.

“It was incredible working in that environment,” he said.  “It’s the best league in the world, and I learned the importance of putting together a team with the right makeup. Despite all the focus these days on analytics – and that can be extremely useful – the human element is still important.  You need to make sure that all 25 guys have the makeup – not just the talent – to be champions, and that they mesh as a team.”

The Nationals won the division title in 2014, but suffered a first-round playoff loss to San Francisco.  Despite going 83-79 the next season, Williams and his staff were let go afterward.  Weidemaier then managed in the Mexican Winter League, worked for the MLB Coach Development Program in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, coached with the Team USA 18-Under team, scouted for Samsung, was an advance scout for the Cincinnati Reds and then managed the independent league Wooly Mammoths before catching on with Kia.

“When the job with Kia came open, I gave Matt’s name to a Korean baseball agent who represents players from the States and tries to find them jobs in Asia.  The deal eventually worked out for him, and he asked me to be the bench coach. Ironically, the offer was made on the five-year anniversary of us being fired from Washington,” he said with a chuckle.

The two had met when Weidemaier left the Dodger organization to be a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Williams was the team’s third-base coach at the time.   

“We talked a lot and really got to know each other, and Matt said if he ever got a managing job, he’d bring me on,” Weidemaier said, “and that happened when he got the job with Washington.”

Williams, a former infielder, said in an article published at the time, “His knowledge of scouting and the intricacies of the game is great – certainly regarding the defensive part of it. He has a fantastic advance scouting pedigree . . . [and] . . . the intricacies in which he produces his reports is unmatched.  I’ve worked with him on the defensive aspects of the game, especially infield play.”

Bryan Kloppe, now manager of the Roswell, NM, team in the independent Pecos League, was bench coach for Weidemaier last season with the Wooly Mammoths of the independent United Shore League in Michigan and got a close-up view of his impact on the game.

“He has an amazing baseball mind,” Kloppe said.  “We still talk a lot. I send him my team plans and lineup cards, and he shows me what they’re doing.  He has a ton of knowledge, and his advance scouting experience is very helpful.  I implement a lot of what he’s doing defensively, and it probably meant about 15 outs for us just in the first part of the season – that’s huge.  The other teams just seem to be hitting baseballs where our guys are.”

Weidemaier’s expertise and insights are the types only acquired through time and perseverance.  Through countless hours talking and sharing ideas, watching games and instructing at every level, and learning from different situations wherever the work takes you.  

“I don’t think about it much,” he said of all the moving around and different jobs.  “It just developed that way over the years.  I’ve been a scout for a lot of my career, and that takes you to a lot of different places.  I’ve been in Japan as a scout and have spent a lot of time in Mexico in different roles.  I was the coordinator of the academy there, and I’ve run two academies in the Dominican Republic. 

“I’ve also spent 28 years in winter ball in Latin America,” he added.  “Each one of those is another season in itself – a lot of baseball, and you can’t help but learn a lot.”

And see a lot.   

Like during one of his sojourns in Mexico when his team went to play the Mexico City Reds, and he noticed the clubhouse guys cleaning the players’ shoes with gasoline before they polished them — “A lot of the guys were smoking while they were doing that, and I was sure they were going to blow up the place,” Weidemaier said.  

Or like on bus trips when they would go through towns and see young boys holding burning sticks into which they would spit gasoline to create bigger flames – “Kids that were 8-9 years old would actually gargle gasoline and blow it into the fire to create the effect of breathing fire.  People would toss money at them. It was like a sideshow.”

Or like in Venezuela, where passionate fans would throw their cups of beer into the air when a player for the home team hit a home run, thereby giving nearby fans impromptu showers.  And it wasn’t always just beer – “Instead of going to the men’s room, the guys sometimes would relieve themselves in their cups,” Weidemaier said wryly.  

Weidemaier’s baseball experiences began when he was a graduate assistant coach at Ohio State University while earning his master’s degree.  He was then manager of Waynesboro (VA) in a college summer league; head coach at Montreat-Anderson (NC) College; assistant to the Director of Athletics for Promotion and Development at UNC-Asheville; extended spring manager and minor league coach with the Kansas City Royals; scouting supervisor; roving infield instructor; interim manager in the Texas League; director of player development at the Dominican Republic Academy for the Los Angeles Angels; manager in the AAA Mexican League; minor league manager in the Prince William-Carolina League; director of Dominican operations for the New York Yankees; director of player development for the Pastaje Mexican League academy; holder of scouting and instructor positions with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox; and, well . . . one could go on and on.  As he does.

“I wasn’t yet 30, and it was hard to keep up with him last season,” Kloppe said.  “He has a ton of energy, and it’s contagious.”  

Williams agrees: “He’s passionate, he’s funny, he’s energetic. He’s arguably the first one there every morning and generally the last one to leave. So, he’s a perfect fit.”

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Baseball Globetrotters – Battle for 1st in the West, Baseball League Austria (Part 2) https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-dornbirn-at-attnang/ Mon, 12 Oct 2020 10:45:50 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=463446

The Attnang Athletics (11-7) host the Dornbirn Indians (11-4) in their final two games of a home and away series to end the shortened 2020 season. The teams are battling for 1st in the Baseball League Austria West Division and Attnang has to sweep in order to have a chance to clinch.

This is the second of two episodes featuring Baseball Jobs Overseas members Riley MacDonald (Dornbirn), Ryan Rupp (Dornbirn), Ben Runyon (Dornbirn), Jimmy Jensen (Attnang), Mike Varga (Attnang) and Andreas Lastinger (Attnang). The back story is that Ryan Rupp was previously with Attnang in 2016 and 2017 before leaving for Dornbirn. Also, this is the return of Jimmy Jensen, who began his overseas career in Attnang in 2015.

Jensen and Varga are interviewed in this second part, with Varga’s German being challenged towards the end. Once again, both games were close until the final few innings in the second game where the wheels fall off for one of the teams.

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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A Step-by-Step Guide to Signing with a Club Overseas https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/guide-to-signing-with-a-club-overseas/ Tue, 29 Sep 2020 14:45:43 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=456295

Okay… your profile is live… now what? The following is a step-by-step guide to making the most of this opportunity, starting with best positioning yourself to hopefully receive multiple offers and ending with a detailed contract so that you can set yourself up for the best experience possible. 

Step 1: Attract as many offers as possible

This goes without saying, but the more offers you have on the table, the better the chance you can find an opportunity that is a good fit for you. This all starts with your profile and how you present yourself to clubs.

Obviously, the more experience and success you have on your resume, the more offers you will be able to attract. If you are a seasoned professional player with a long history of statistical success at a high level, you will likely have a lot of offers to choose from. If you are a recent college graduate looking for your first professional experience, you may still be able to attract quite a few offers. With such a wide range of competitive levels, there are opportunities for many different players

 

 

Regardless of your level of experience, here is a profile checklist we recommend you follow:

BIO – Many members do not spend enough time in the bio section selling themselves. In a few paragraphs, without rambling on, this is your opportunity to sell yourself. In your bio, we recommend including the highlights of your career awards, accomplishments, articles, detail of your abilities (pop time, pitching repertoire with velo, etc), and a few sentences on why you would like to take your career overseas. Also, what is it that you bring to the table as a teammate or to the organization as a whole? Are you a vocal leader or do you lead by example or both? Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge about the game and helping those around you improve their game?

If you have not competed in a year or more, or your most recent verifiable stats are a year or older, it is important to mention what you have been doing during this time to remain in shape. If English is not your native language, or if you simply are not very good at articulating yourself, let us know and we can do a third-person bio summary for you.

Statistics – Stats are the most important part of the profile. Teams rely heavily on stats since they can’t see you play firsthand. They offer an unbiased and objective gauge of your playing ability. There is no point in not including seasons where stats are poor, as any serious club will find them. If you do not have a URL but a PDF document of stats, or GameChanger stats, let us know and we can help upload them to the profile properly. If you registered and then began a new season, upload at least the URL to the stats section so clubs can follow your progress. If there are gaps years in stats, explain why in your personal summary. 

Video – Since there are no tryouts and clubs cannot send scouts to put eyes on you, video is the next big part of the profile. Demo video from multiple angles is important to teams so they can see your mechanics and athleticism. In-game highlights are preferred, but if you can only get some video of batting practice, a bullpen, or fielding practice, that works just fine. We also highly recommend making a demo video of your abilities at your secondary positions (teams love two-way guys!). A video playlist on YouTube is the cleanest way for adding to the profile, but you can also paste individual video URLs in the text area of the ‘Personal Info’ or ‘Additional Info’ sections. Same goes with Instagram or Facebook video. VIDEO FILES cannot be uploaded directly to the profile. If you are not very savvy with uploading to YouTube and making a playlist, send your video files to us by email using www.wetransfer.com

“Aside from verifiable statistics, a demo video is the most important part of the profile”

Primary/Secondary Positions – Since teams are limited to how many foreign players they can bring over, most clubs target starting pitchers, catchers, and middle infielders. This doesn’t mean that teams do not sign outfielders or corner infielders, but those positions are more competitive. Occasionally, when teams are looking for a big bat who can help produce offensively, position does not matter as much. But by far, the most sought-after players are two-way players who can pitch, hit, and play the field. With the exception of the highest levels overseas, most clubs will be interested in what positions you can play if needed or given time to work on it. Your position can make a big difference between receiving an offer or not, especially if you can pitch, catch or play middle infield as a secondary position. 

RELATED ARTICLE: 6 TIPS TO PLAYING PRO BALL OVERSEAS

Testimonials – Testimonials from credible baseball people, preferably a recent coach, can help clubs not only further verify your skills, but probably even more importantly, your character. We reach out to the references you provided, but if we do not hear back, these testimonial sections are left blank. It is your responsibility to follow up with references and make sure they respond to us. If you have more than three references, let us know and we will reach out to all of them and we can add more testimonials in the ‘Additional info’ section. The more the better. 

Add Any Coaching Experience – Although you are there to play, clubs overseas often will seek players who can also step into a coaching role. Some time that is as a coach on the team you play on or it is within their youth program.  If you have any experience coaching, even just giving the next-door kid some private lessons, it is worth adding, especially if you are lacking in the successful statistics department.

Catchy tagline – Highlight your best assets in the tagline which appears under your name on the import listing (see screenshot below).

 

Passport – If you do not have a passport, list on your profile that you do have one and get the application in pronto. No club will make a formal offer until you have a passport. Once you have it, update your profile. 

Other aspects of the profile are also not to be ignored:

  • A profile picture of you smiling
  • A cover photo of action shots (which we can help with)
  • Providing multiple ways of reaching you (social media, WhatsApp). You can’t receive offers if they can’t reach you. Check your email spam folder regularly as well
  • Links to articles about previous successes

Step 2: Evaluating offers thoroughly

Many players are way too quick to sign and don’t spend the necessary time making sure that a particular club or league is a good fit for their overseas goals and expectations. There are three sub-steps here to follow thoroughly which will help avoid potential headaches:

Ask Questions

Asking a lot of questions until you have a complete understanding of what you are about to sign up for is best practice. Brainstorm a list of questions with family or friends and send them in an email so the reply by the club is documented for later review, follow up questions, and potential contract items. Let them know that you want to ask some questions so that everything is clear upfront before you sign. If they are serious about you, they will be happy to answer. If you are one of 30 guys they contacted, they might ghost you and save you a lot of time in the end. Here are some questions you may want to ask:

“Send questions in an email so the reply by the club is documented”

  1. When does the contract begin and end and are there any breaks in the season?
    • Sometimes there is overlap with personal commitments. Breaks allow for extended traveling but make sure that if there is a break in the season that you want to take advantage of for traveling, that it is part of the agreement. Sometimes during breaks clubs will ask their imports to help run a youth camp, etc.
  2. When are games played and how many games in a season plus playoffs?
  3. How many practices per week and on which days?
  4. Are there any other weekly responsibilities in addition to playing that will be part of the agreement (for example coaching, camps, clinics, promotional events, fundraisers, field maintenance)? If so, how many hours per week and which days and times of the week?
  5. For those with offers out of state league Australia/New Zealand: Is a job already lined up and if not, if suitable work is not found within an agreed-upon amount of time, am I free to play on other teams which can provide work?
    • Note: You should spend some time here asking what potential work is out there, then decide which jobs you are willing to take and what the chances are of landing such jobs.
  6. Which days would I have completely off to explore the country and surrounding countries?
    • Note: It is good to have at least two days back to back with no responsibilities if you are looking to get some traveling in.
  7. Which visa will I be traveling on and will this visa cover my entire stay? Is there any cost to me to obtain this visa?
    • Note: Many countries will have a working-holiday visa agreement with your country (ie Australia, New Zealand), which is the best visa to travel on when possible. If you are Canadian or Australian, you qualify for the WHV in much of Europe whereas Americans don’t.
      • If there is no such agreement in the country in question, the most common visas used to import players are a tourist visa and a student visa. The student visa is the best option because it will a) be long enough to cover the length of the season and b) qualify you for local health insurance. Sign up for a language class and you don’t even need to show up to class, that simple. Heck, in Europe it doesn’t even have to be the same country you will be playing in, as a student visa in a Schengen zone country will give you the right to travel freely in any Schengen zone country.
      • The visitor’s visa (aka tourist visa) is often for a time period shorter than the length of the season, therefore if the club expects you to travel on a visitor’s visa but play the entire season, you need to clear up if they have the experience and ability to get an extension for their imports on the visitor’s visa. Some countries will allow extensions with a sponsor (person who guarantees to be responsible for you), where other countries do not. This extension application takes place after you have arrived. Usually, nobody within the club is willing to offer sponsorship until they know you will not cause them any headaches and have proven to be a person of good character.
  8. Does the club provide health insurance for the duration of my stay?
    • Note: If the club does not cover your health insurance, then you would be expected to get your own travel insurance from your home country, which would mean that any health costs occurred overseas will need to be paid upfront and reimbursed to a pre-determined percentage (usually 60-70%) when you return to your homeland. If on this plan, the good news is that the cost in countries overseas is very reasonable, but you should research the costs associated with hospital visits by foreigners in that country before agreeing to this. Bringing a credit card for emergencies abroad on such a plan is recommended.
  9. Will I be living on my own or with others? Do I have a private room? Is high-speed internet guaranteed throughout my stay? Are there on-site laundry facilities?
  10. What transportation is provided?
    • Note: Ask follow up questions if necessary to find out proximity to the ballpark, costs involved if a car is provided and who pays, what happens if there is an accident with the car, etc.
  11. Is my flight paid for upfront or am I expected to pay it upfront with reimbursement when I arrive?
    • Note: Follow up questions should draw out when you will be reimbursed.

“Aside from a playing/coaching visa, a working-holiday or student visa are the best options for playing overseas past three months”

Speak with previous imports to the club and/or league

Getting the inside perspective from previous imports is always a good idea. We often already have gathered feedback from previous imports which we can provide you, and if not, we can introduce you. If we can’t connect you, you can always ask the club to connect you with previous imports. Keep in mind, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and we have had many imports in the past who played for the same club that had entirely different experiences. It really does almost always boil down to the expectations going in, which can vary based on the individual and their perception, personal goals, etc, and the amount of communication and clarity achieved prior to the signed agreement.

Utilize the knowledge of BBJO staff

Jimmy & Dave

We can answer the majority of your questions about leagues, clubs, cities, countries, and cultures. We are here to guide you and provide as much information that we have as possible about any given league or club so that you can make an informed decision. So make sure when any clubs reach out, to contact us as we may have some further insight that you may not have thought of, such as the cost of living in that particular country and how far a salary will stretch.

Schedule a video interview

Now you have asked all the questions and are at the point that you are ready to sign. One last recommended step is to have a more personal experience with who you have been communicating to get a feel for the club and the people running it before you move onto the signed agreement. This step is even more important when you have multiple offers on the table that you have gone through all the previous steps with and are still interested in.

Step 3: Getting it ALL on paper

If you have thoroughly completed the first two steps, this should already all be written down and answered in the email correspondence, and now it is as simple as organizing it all on paper along with a few “what if” scenarios and some specifics. Here are some questions you can ask and come to an agreement on to include in the contract.

“Make sure to use specifics instead of broad or general terms in the contract”

  1. What if I am injured and sidelined for two, three, four or more weeks? Will I still receive my full pay and at what point would I be sent home? If sent home, will the club pay for the date change of my return flight?
  2. When will the visa extension take place (assuming this was the agreement) and what happens if we are unsuccessful in getting an extension on it? *If expected to overstay a visa, ask for it in writing that the club will pay any fine associated with it. 
  3. Approximately when would my contract end if we didn’t make the playoffs or made it to the championship series?
  4. Am I still compensated for the period of time between our last game and the date I fly out? 
  5. Can we add the following specifics to the contract with regards to the key aspects of the contract that will allow me to enjoy my time playing for your club?  I would like to stipulate that if these key aspects are not met, I am free to terminate the contract and explore other opportunities. 
    • My living situation is sorted prior to arrival with no temporary living arrangements 
    • My living quarters will have fully functional, high-speed internet
    • Salary is paid on time on an agreed-upon monthly schedule (or job is found within a certain time frame)
    • Reimbursement of flights is by a certain date

In summary, communication is the key to every step. Spend some time on it, do your research and make sure to use specifics instead of broad or general terms in the contract in order to best set yourself up for a great time overseas!

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An Incredible International Baseball Story & Niche Business Within the Game https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/the-owen-reid-story/ Tue, 29 Sep 2020 11:50:03 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=463203

September 29, 2020

By Carter Cromwell

During the last decade or so, Owen Reid has traveled to five continents and approximately 50  countries because of baseball.  During the last several months, he’s been to none.

Thank you, Covid-19 pandemic.

Like everyone, Reid has had to adjust to the reality of the viral scourge.  A man who makes his living as a “mobile” baseball coach – It says so on the home page of his website – has had to stay at his home base of Singapore and conduct daily consultations and instructional sessions via video conferencing.

”It’s good that we can connect on so many virtual platforms. I’ve become very familiar with Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, Messenger and WhatsApp!,” he said wryly.

 

And it’s good that he’s used to adapting to different environments.

After growing up in the midwestern United States – Missouri – he began college at Baylor in Texas, playing one year before transferring to Winthrop University in South Carolina, where he played three seasons. During his college years, he also played summer ball in Alaska, Virginia and Wisconsin.  Just days after graduating in the spring of 2009, he left to play in the Austrian Baseball League. From there, he went to New Zealand as a coach; back to Austria as a player; to Western Australia as a player, coach and front-office person; and then to the Baltimore Orioles’ 2014 spring training in Florida as a guest coach on their strength and conditioning staff.  

Later in 2014, he became director of operations for a baseball facility in Singapore that offered training and consulting services.  Two years later, he became an independent consultant, conducting clinics in a wide range of countries across four continents.  Many of his destinations are not on the baseball map – countries such as Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and others.

Owen in Dubai

“I take my glove, fungo bat and basic equipment,” he said.  “Wherever I land, I just use the space and resources that the client has.”  

Example: A video on his web site highlights two weeks he spent instructing youngsters in the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan.  There was no ballpark – indeed, no field.  The group simply utilized a flat, rocky, weedy area near a river and between two mountainous formations. For throwing drills, the players tossed at a bed sheet Reid had gotten from a local and then hung from what had been the frame for a soccer net.  

And, yet, they made it work.  

“You have to be creative, but it’s amazing what you can do with not all that much,” Reid said.

Owen in Kyrgyzstan

Of course, he sometimes has a lot to work with.

Will Montjoy is a client of Reid’s in Saudi Arabia.  Apart from his day job as a corporate attorney for the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco), he is president of the Dhahran Youth Baseball Association. Its facilities include T-ball fields, pee-wee fields, a couple of fields for older players, four batting cages and concession stands – “a great bubble,” Montjoy acknowledges.

“I met Owen when one of our teams competed in a tournament hosted by the company in Singapore he was working for,” Montjoy said.  “While talking to Owen during that tournament, I realized the huge deficit we had in our program. We didn’t have a teaching pro to build consistency, just a group of dads with varying levels of experience.  We had no one to institute a program-wide approach to learning and playing baseball. We started working on immediate arrangements to bring Owen to the Kingdom to instruct.”

Initially, the plan was for Reid to come over twice a year, but the association quickly realized that wasn’t enough. Now he makes four visits annually, each lasting from 21 to 30 days.

“He brings so much organization and experience,” Montjoy said, “and he has great rapport with the kids. He helps them mature in other areas of life, not just baseball.  He’s a multi-faceted mentor.”

Owen in Saudi Arabia

Aaron Bonomi, a teammate of Reid’s at Winthrop and in Australia, added, “Owen has a passion for baseball and also for teaching the game and associated life lessons. That comes through and helps him connect with people.”

Reid, 33, works with individuals, small groups, teams and coaches. Some individuals are locals, but most are expats or others with North American connections. In normal times, he stages clinics and gives private lessons, while sometimes acting as a guest coach at tournaments or international competitions.  Now, since the pandemic has limited activity, he does 30-minute online sessions. And though he lives in a rather small apartment, he has props that enable him to conduct baseball drills via video conference.   

“I’ve found a way to make the limited space work. I use our kitchen wall as a ‘throwing partner’ for a lot of demonstrations. My wife loves that,” he said with a laugh.

To this point, he’s conducted more than 500 distance-learning sessions with players in six countries. Most sessions are with individuals, but he also works with teams and sometimes has as many as 45 people on video conferences.  He connects every week with the Singapore Men’s National Team players and coaches. 

“Interacting with people lately has been different,” he acknowledged, “but it works. Online sessions may become a bigger part of my interactions with players and coaches, even after the pandemic subsides.”  

 

Just how he got to be working in baseball on the other side of the world from where he began is a story in itself.

His father Bill coached locally, so Owen was on the field from a very young age and, early on, was practicing on regulation-sized fields.  He starred as a high-school pitcher and infielder in Moberly, MO, earning all-state, all-area and team MVP honors during his junior and senior seasons, while gaining membership in the National Honor Society.  He also played on competitive youth teams that traveled throughout the Midwest.

“He’s got a great work ethic,” dad Bill said. “You never had to tell him to practice.  I remember driving back home once after a doubleheader in which he didn’t hit well, and he asked if we could go into the batting cage and hit some. Our cage was actually on top of the clothing store we owned, and we got up there at 1030 on a school night and worked for 30-40 minutes.”

After high school came the stints at Baylor and Winthrop.  Then the overseas odyssey began very shortly after graduation from Winthrop.

His father remembers that vividly.

“Owen’s team was playing a weekend series at Arizona State, and graduation was on the Friday,” Bill said.  “So his mom and I watched Owen graduate, and then we flew to Arizona so he could play Saturday and Sunday.  Then we went back for the Big South Conference Tournament in North Carolina the next week.  Then we loaded up our Explorer with Owen’s stuff and drove back to Missouri, while he drove to Charlotte to catch a flight to Vienna. It was an emotional moment for all of us.”

The Vienna opportunity had come via a former Winthrop player and Austrian native, Christian Tomsich, who had stayed in touch with the team’s coach after graduating.  The coach recommended Reid, and Tomsich was able to connect Reid with the team in Vienna, which had had several ex-Winthrop players previously.

Reid said, “I knew I wasn’t going to play professional baseball in North America,” he said.  “But when I told my coach I was interested in playing internationally, he put me in touch with Christian, and things eventually worked out with the club in Vienna.   

“Ironically, Christian still plays on the Austrian National Team,” Reid added.  “I’m an assistant coach for that team, so we’re again connected.” 

Owen with Team Austria

His team in Austria won the championship for the first time in 20 years, and playing that summer gave him the itch to keep playing overseas.  “Chasing the sun,” as he put it, he got a job in New Zealand as a coach for the 2009-2010 season, went back to Austria for the 2010 season and then found his way to Australia for the 2010-2011 season. 

“I thought that season would be it, but I ended up being in Australia for four.  I worked in the front office for the Perth Heat and later became the player development manager for Baseball Western Australia.  I was on the Heat coaching staff and oversaw strength and conditioning for the team and Baseball WA’s junior programs,” said Reid, who also met his wife, Hayley, there. 

Next was Singapore, which might seem an odd destination in that few would associate “Singapore” with “baseball”. 

Reid acknowledged that “the opportunity was a big surprise. It’s strange how it happened. I was on a plane to the U.S. to attend spring training with the Orioles.  My boss was on the plane, too, and he got an email about the position in Singapore. I just kind of chuckled when he mentioned It – kind of like “yeah, right” – but, after a few conversations, I realized it would be a good fit and now have been here nearly six years.”  

And he’s been to a whole lot of other places, as well – some in which he and his students get uncomprehending looks from passersby bewildered at the goings-on, and where the odd and unexpected sometimes happen.  

“Last year in Bangladesh, I hired a rickshaw to take me to the baseball field,” he said. “There I was in my full baseball uniform, holding a glove and bat, and getting a lot of looks from people because I was definitely an oddity.  I handed my glove to the rickshaw driver so he could check it out, and his first instinct was to put it on his head as if it was a hat.”

Own on the rickshaw in Bangladesh

In Kyrgyzstan, people, cattle, goats and chickens occasionally would wander through the “diamond” area.

Once during batting practice in Saudi Arabia, a family of desert foxes came onto the field and, thinking they were food, tried to pick up the loose balls.  They were too big for them to hold in their mouths, so they eventually dropped them, and Reid ended up with a bunch of balls with teeth marks on them.

Another time in Saudi – on an off-day outing with the father of one of his players . . . “We were leaving a historic fort in Uqair.  On our way back to the car, the fort’s caretakers were intrigued by the baseball I had.  After a quick show-and-tell,  the four of us ended up playing barehanded catch in a parking lot in this small port city in Saudi Arabia overlooking the Arabian Gulf.  Who could have imagined that?”

At one point, Reid could not have – “There’s no way I imagined this when I was young” – though his uncle Kurt isn’t surprised.

“This is very consistent with what I could have envisioned him doing,” Kurt Reid said. “At a pretty early age, he was on travel teams and gone 4-5 days a week.  He always said he most wanted to travel and be involved with baseball.  He’s a really hard worker and very organized, is a very good communicator, and is very focused when there’s something he wants to do, so it’s no surprise to me that he’s doing this and being successful.”

Paul Phillips, who coached for a year at the Singapore facility while Reid was there, said, “He’s very independent and has a heart for seeing and doing new things.  I can see him doing what he’s doing for a long time.” 

His father added, “Owen loves adventure and will try most things at least once.  He and his wife are both triathletes and have done Ironman Triathlons in several countries.  If he can coach baseball, travel and experience new things, he’s a happy camper.”

Owen agrees.

“I’d be hard-pressed to find a better work/life integration.  I have the flexibility to set my own schedule, and I’ve gotten to visit places I otherwise never would have seen – all because of baseball.  I’m very fortunate. When I tell people – even Westerners – that I’m a baseball coach, they say ‘I’d give anything to have your office.’“

To learn more about Reid Baseball visit https://reidbaseball.com/.

To learn more about Owen’s travels through baseball, go to http://owenworldwide.com/.

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

]]>
After a Career-Ending Accident on the Field, this Former AAA Pitching Coach got a Fresh Start in Taiwan https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/tom-signore-story/ Mon, 14 Sep 2020 11:27:48 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=463115

September 14, 2020

By Carter Cromwell

Tom Signore represents a case study supporting the old line about a person never knowing what’s around the next corner in life.

Not long ago, he turned a corner that led him from upstate New York to Taiwan.

Signore with the Brooklyn Cyclones

Signore coached at the college level for six years and, starting in 1997, has been a minor-league pitching coach for the Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates.  He was with the Mets’ AAA Las Vegas affiliate early in the 2014 season when a thrown ball hit him in the head, causing a concussion and eventual loss of sight in his right eye.  For the most part, he hadn’t worked since then.

Then, with no warning, he got a call last December from a Taiwanese former player he’d known when he was with the Toronto organization and who now scouts in Taiwan for the San Diego Padres.  Would he be interested in coaching in the professional league in Taiwan?

Uh . . . yes.  Definitely, yes.

“It came out of the blue,” the 58-year-old Signore said.  “I got the call in late December, had a signed contract three days later and was in Taiwan on January 16.”  

Now, he’s pitching coach of the major- and minor-league teams for the Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League and learning a new culture and style of play.

It’s similar to how he first got into professional baseball as a coach – another unexpected sharp turn that took him in a new direction.

The Connecticut native graduated from Quinnipiac University, spent the 1985 season as a rookie league pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, got his master’s degree from Western Connecticut, and coached at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, NY; Flagler College in Florida; Quinnipiac and Western Connecticut.

Early in 1997, he attended a AAA game in Syracuse, got into a conversation with the Montreal Expos pitching coordinator – whom he had not known previously – and ended up with an offer to be pitching coach for a short-season team in the Expo organization.  

Yep . . . that quickly.

Signore with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats

“I’d just finished the season at Western Connecticut and went to this game as a fan,” Signore said.  “I was sitting behind home plate where the scouts and the guys that keep pitch counts sit and just happened to start talking with this guy.  

“I went home after the game and got a call later that night asking if I could I be with the team in Burlington, Vermont, by June 16.  I thought he meant the next season, but he meant the next month!” Signore said with a laugh.   

“And I’ve been in pro ball ever since.”  

And, like all baseball lifers, he’s been all over the place – Burlington, VT; Cape Fear, NC; Portland, ME; North Carolina again; Auburn, NY; Lansing, MI; Manchester, New Hampshire; Brooklyn, and Las Vegas.  And it was in Las Vegas in 2014 where he turned another corner that, for a good while, seemed like a dead-end for his baseball career. 

Signore was filling in as pitching coach for Frank Viola, the former major-league pitcher who was undergoing open-heart surgery.  During a rain delay, Signore was getting ready to coach a bullpen session with then-prospect Jacob DeGrom. A couple of other players were throwing in what Signore described as an off-limits area in the bullpen, and he was struck by a wayward throw, suffering a concussion and vision loss in his right eye.

He attempted to return later that season with Brooklyn, but the concussion symptoms recurred, and he missed the remainder of the season.  He tried to coach again during spring training the following season, but realized on his second day that he couldn’t make a go of it. 

“I called my doctor, and she said I needed to get off the field immediately,” he said.

Signore was out of the game the rest of 2015 and all of 2016.  He tried to come back during the 2017 spring training with the Pirates, but couldn’t do it because of dizziness and balance issues.  He stayed out of the game in 2018 and then couldn’t find work in 2019.  Though he’d overcome the concussion symptoms, adjusted to seeing with only one eye and was ready to work, he couldn’t help but wonder if his career was finished.

“It took me three years to get back to being able to do the things a coach has to do,” he said, “and, by that time, I wasn’t finding anything.”

Instead, he was at home near Syracuse, NY, with his wife – a supervisor at a medical technology laboratory – and daughter, a recent graduate of Syracuse University.  Then came the call.

“It was completely unexpected,” Signore acknowledged.  “I’d had interviews before that, but nothing solid.  Older guys are getting phased out, even if you’re like me and up to speed on all the analytics.”

Not long after he got to Taiwan, the Covid-19 pandemic hit.  The season had been scheduled to start March 14 but didn’t get under way until April 11.  At first, there were no fans in the games, though certain numbers were gradually allowed in, and capacity crowds are now allowed.  

“For the first 20 or 30 games, we had cardboard cutouts and mannequins in the seats,” Signore said.  “They even had robots playing musical instruments.”

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The first baseball game of the season in the Chinese Professional Baseball League between the Rakuten Monkeys and the Uni Lions was a slugfest in front of a bunch of robots and cardboard fans. It is apparent, these players had a lot of pent up energy, launching a combined 9 long balls. It looks like BBJO member and Monkeys pitching coach, Tom Signore, has his work cut out for him! Video footage from @elevensportstw #homeruns #slugfest #baseballgame #cpbl . . . . . #baseballfamily #baseballjobsoverseas #baseball #baseballlife #internationalbaseball #baseballislife #baseballplayer #baseballplays #baseballplayers #baseballforlife #baseballlove #baseballfam #baseballisbetter #baseballfield #baseballpark #ballpark #europeanbaseball

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Taiwan has very effectively battled the pandemic.  A country of approximately 24 million people, it had only 499 confirmed cases and seven deaths, as of September 12th.  

“They’ve done a great job here,” Signore said. “They were hit very hard by SARS in 2003 and said ‘never again’.  Everyone has to wear masks in public, and we have to have our temperatures taken and our hands washed and sanitized whenever we go into a ballpark – even when we go into the underground parking lot at our home stadium.”  

The team is playing solidly.  The four-team CBPL plays two 60-game halves, and the Monkeys finished second in the first half and are tied for second place as of  September 14th.  The winners of the two halves will meet in a best-of-nine championship series, unless the same team wins both halves – in which case the club with the second-best record will get a spot.

Signore has found the entire experience – on and off the field – very interesting and, at times, unusual. 

As expected, the style of play is different in some respects from the American game.

“They want feedback on the overall program,” Signore said, “which is good, but it’s a different thought process here, and no American guy is going to change that overnight.  

“For one thing, I think the throwing program for pitchers is too long.  I once observed a 100-pitch bullpen session – for a reliever!  I’ve been tracking the pitchers’ velocities, and I’ve seen a noticeable drop-off.  I want a shorter, more structured program so they can save their bullets for the games.”

The length of games is another issue, as it is in the U.S.

Signore with the Rakuten Monkeys

“Our goal is to finish games in less than three hours,” he said, “but we only did that 11 times, and we’ve had approximately 25 that went longer than four hours. A quicker pace puts pressure on the other team and also helps our defenders – there’s less chance of them losing concentration.  To me, there shouldn’t be more than 7-9 seconds between pitches if no one is on base, but it’s tough to push the pace here because they don’t want to upset the opponents.  It’s a real cultural difference.”

He’s found that Taiwanese hitters are very disciplined and that the game, in general, is tilted toward offense.

“Here, even with 0-2 counts, the hitters don’t feel as if the pitchers are in the driver’s seat,” he said.  “They will not swing at a slider in the dirt, and it’s amazing the number of good pitches they spoil.  

“The scores are high here,” he added. “Scorers tend to score things as hits, rather than errors.  They don’t bunt much, either, except maybe from the seventh inning on.”

Another thing Signore noticed is that pitchers tend to toss out balls that are scuffed.

“I tell them not to because you can get extra movement with a scuffed ball,” he said with a chuckle.

 Signore works through an interpreter, which sometimes creates some amusing situations.

“He can’t translate every word verbatim because there’s sometimes no Mandarin word to describe exactly what I’m saying in English,” he said.  “Once, I’d been having trouble getting one of our pitchers to consistently get his hand on top of the ball, so I finally told him to just throw the ball on top of the plate.  And it worked.  Later, I asked the translator what he said, and he said he told the pitcher to throw the ball at the catcher’s shoes.”

Signore giving a Taiwanese ump a piece of his mind

Despite regular 12-hour days at the ballpark, he’s also managed to get some time to himself for a few non-baseball experiences.

“Other than the ballpark, the place I’ve spent the most time is the 7-11 store,” he said with a laugh.

“During Chinese New Year, though, I had dinner at the home of the team’s operations guy, and I had 12 dishes I’d never had before,” he said. “Another time, I had goose for the first time, and it was good. I’ve been to some night markets, too. There’s one right across from our stadium.  Some temples, too, particularly during Chinese New Year. The ornate designs are amazing, and the detail is incredible.

“Overall, this has been a great experience.”

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

]]>
Regensburg Legionaere; Europe’s Baseball Oasis https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/regensburg-legionaere-europes-baseball-oasis/ Mon, 24 Aug 2020 16:41:52 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=462877

August 24, 2020

By Carter Cromwell

It’s a pretty good bet that most non-Europeans aren’t familiar with the city of Regensburg.  It’s an even better bet that most baseball followers don’t know about it.  To the average fan, the terms “Regensburg” and “baseball” don’t link up.

But, in fact, they do.

In fact, the city of approximately 150,000 people in southeast Germany is home to the Regensburg Legionaere, one of the premier baseball programs in Europe – five times the German first-division champion, a finalist three other years and a playoff participant in 12 of the last 13 seasons.  It supports 27 baseball and softball teams from Little League to city leagues and the professional Bundesliga.  Among them, the teams count approximately 800 players.

Photo credit: Stefan Müller

The organization runs an on-site baseball academy that players attend year-round while also going to school.  Twelve academy alumni have gone on to sign with Major League Baseball teams.  Among those are Max Kepler, who hit 36 home runs for the Minnesota Twins last year, and outfielder Donald Lutz, who appeared in parts of two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. In addition, 12 players have performed in the U.S. minor leagues, nine have played on scholarships at U.S. colleges and 27 have risen to play on the German senior national team.

“The overall program has been exciting and successful,” said Martin Brunner, the founder and one-time director of the academy, once the pitching coach for the Regensburg team in the top German league and now coordinator of European development for Major League Baseball.  “It’s become the role model for Europe.”

Andy Berglund, an American who scouts internationally for the Milwaukee Brewers and has played and coached in Europe, including a stint helping Regensburg’s team, said, “To me, it has to be considered one of the best development facilities on the continent, with the professional fields, lights, indoor weight room and cages and the ability for student-athletes to develop on-site with the residence hall right at the stadium.  It’s an incredible blueprint for other European programs to follow.”

Photo credit: catchfever.de

Getting to this point, though, has been a process – not something that happened overnight. The Regensburg organization was founded in 1987 as a grass-roots effort that has grown gradually over the last three-plus decades.

“I started as a player in 1990,” said Armin Zimmerman, now CEO and president of the board, “and I’ve been on the board since 1995.  When we started, we played on a soccer field.  And, of course, the level of play wasn’t high back then.  We were just trying to find people who wanted to play.  Our facilities and the quality of play are much better now.”

The Legionaere built what is now its practice field in the early 1990s and opened its current stadium, the Armin-Wolf-Arena (capacity: 3,100) in 1998.  Regensburg hosted the Baseball World Cup in 2009 and a World Baseball Classic qualifying round in 2012.  It has since added a second field, as well as a boarding house that overlooks the main field and houses participants at the academy, which was begun in 2002.

YouTube Video

Brunner, a native of Austria, began understanding the need for an academy after a rookie league tryout with the former Montreal Expos. He’s gained further insight from nearly 20 years as a coach in spring training for the Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers.  

“I’d played for a team in Munich, and another European player mentioned me to the Expos, who invited me to Florida for what amounted to extended spring training at the rookie-league level,” he said.  “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.  It was culture shock – pitchers throwing 95-96, with 90-mile-an-hour sliders. It was eye-opening to see that level of play – how much faster the game is, even at the lowest level of pro baseball.  That experience made me realize the importance of long-term development.

“I began to feel that I could have more impact as an administrator than as a player,” Brunner continued.  “I came to Regensburg because they had a lot of smart people who weren’t afraid to take on big projects.  It was clear that we needed to support our players if they were to get opportunities to come to the U.S. and play, either in college or professionally, and that’s why we founded the academy.”

Photo by: Stemp Performance

Players at the academy stay seven days a week, up to 330 days a year, Zimmerman said.  They train and go to school during the weeks, and play on the weekends.

Lutz started at the academy in 2005.  His brother Sacsha, who still plays with Donald on the German national team, had introduced him to baseball at age 14.  Brunner then recruited him to Regensburg a couple of years later.  

“I was really raw at the game, and I wasn’t sure if I should do it,” Lutz said, “but my mother said I should try it – said I could come back if I didn’t like it.”

He didn’t come back.

“I liked the program, and I learned a lot there,” Lutz said. “It seemed like we went 24/7.  There were individual sessions, team sessions and then schoolwork.  It was a really good set-up.  They wanted you to train and become a better ballplayer, but also to focus on school.  There was always someone to help if you needed it.  

“There were only eight players at the academy then,” he added, “but there are around 30 now.  We did weight training in a separate gym, and the building we lived in had a small batting cage in the basement.  Now, they have a housing facility that’s like a hotel, a couple of covered batting cages and an indoor workout facility.  It’s come a long way.”


 The experience eventually helped take him all the way to Cincinnati.  The Reds signed him out of Regensburg, and, after working through their farm system, he played for them in parts of 2013 and 2014.  

“I played in the second division with Regensburg and occasionally filled in on the first-division club,” Lutz said.  “I was still rough and didn’t know much about mechanics, but everything I learned there made enough of an impression on the Reds that they signed me.”  

Brunner added, “It’s too bad that Donald had the elbow injury [requiring Tommy John surgery] and wasn’t able to play longer in MLB, but the fact that he got that far was a tremendous achievement.  In Germany, that was kind of like breaking the four-minute mile.  After that, no one could say it wasn’t possible for a German player to get to the big leagues. It showed that what we were doing was legitimate – something that had a plan and a structure behind it.”

Donald Lutz. Photo credit Al Behrman/Associated Press

Kepler provides additional proof of that. The son of an American mother and Polish father who were both professional ballet dancers, he was born in Berlin and started playing Little League ball at age 6.  A Twins scout first noticed him at age 14 in a junior tournament.  He later attended the Regensburg academy for two years and played on the first-division team.

“Max’s mother contacted me when he was 13 about attending the academy,” Brunner said.  “We had a good conversation, but I said we should wait a year because we weren’t working with players that young.  Once he got there, he separated himself from most of the others pretty quickly, and it was clear that he was a prospect.  You could see that he had the tools.”

Kepler began his minor-league career in the Minnesota system in 2010 when he was 17 and first reached the major leagues near the end of the 2015 season.  After last season, he returned to Germany, spoke to many youngsters in several cities and was impressed with the growing interest in baseball there.

“Not only with how many kids came out, but the fact that so many were so young,” Kepler said recently.  “A lot of them had never picked up a ball before.  And that’s just what we need to do – get kids interested in baseball early so they won’t just play soccer their whole lives. I hope that when the pandemic eases, I’ll be able to go back to Germany each off-season and speak to more young people about the game.”

Max Kepler

An article earlier this year quoted Jim Small, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president, International, as saying that Kepler “understands the impact he can have on baseball in Germany, and we all got to see that in the way people responded to him on the trip last fall. Baseball has had a strong foothold in Germany for many years, and creating local heroes will help accelerate the game’s growth.”  

Kepler hopes increased interest will result in greater funding and continually improving facilities – “It starts with funding and then better facilities.  Right now, we have two or three in Germany that are at a higher level, maybe the college level.”

As for Regensburg, it will stick to its plan – the process – in its quest for continual improvement.  Unsurprisingly, the program’s goals align well with Kepler’s thoughts. 

Zimmerman said the program introduces baseball to children as young as 4 – “The earlier we can get them interested in the game, the better.

“We want to keep improving our facilities so this will be the best place in Europe to play,” he continued. “We also want to focus on developing more players in the various regions so we’ll have more depth – a bigger talent pool.  And we’d like to be more international – have players at the academy from all over Europe.  Right now, we’ve got players from Spain, Israel and Austria, and we’ll have one from Italy starting in the fall.”

Brunner added, “The success at Regensburg shows how much impact we’ve had. The guys there know how to play the game.  But a program can always improve.”

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

]]>
Clayton Carson’s Baseball Path Leads To Settling In Austria https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/clayton-carson-interview/ Tue, 21 Jul 2020 03:50:45 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=462465

July 21, 2020

By Carter Cromwell

Like many ballplayers and coaches, Clayton Carson’s story reads more like an odyssey – moving from place to place to place with usually no idea of where the next place will be.

But it appears his days as a baseball nomad may be over.

At 37, he’s living in Bregenz, Austria, and managing the team in the next-door town of Hard in Baseball League AustriaTo most, that may seem an unlikely landing spot for a baseball lifer, but the born-and-bred Californian is more than content with it.

“I’m pretty settled here,” said Carson, now married to an Austrian native and with a one-year-old son.  “Of all the places I’ve been, this is my favorite.”

Bregenz is in far western Austria, borders Lake Constance and is just a short hop from Germany, Switzerland and Lichtenstein.  

Clayton in Vorarlberg, Austria with local friends

“It’s beautiful here,” Carson said. “I can go jogging and be in Germany in 20 minutes, Switzerland in 30 minutes and Lichtenstein in maybe an hour.  I’m definitely not living here with regrets about missing anything.  I’ve scratched that itch.”

That he has.

His mother was first cousin to former major-leaguer Bill Buckner, two of whose brothers also played pro ball.  His older brother Matt, an outfielder, was a fifth-round draft choice of the New York Yankees and appeared in parts of four major-league seasons with Oakland, Minnesota and Cleveland.

Carson starred in high school in the southern California city of Yucaipa, from which seven big-leaguers – including Mark Teahen and Taijuan Walker – hail.  He attended Brigham Young for two years, during which he also spent summers playing in Alaska and Hawaii – the latter including a month-long tour of Japan. Afterward, it was back to California for a stint at Saddleback Junior College and then to San Diego State, where he played for hall-of-famer Tony Gwynn.   

He returned to Saddleback for a four-year run as coach before moving to Southern Utah University.  After that, he was a scout for the Toronto Blue Jays, followed by a first go-round in Austria. Later, he was player/coach in Australia (twice), Switzerland, Italy and Sweden.  He briefly returned to the United States before coming to Austria in 2018.

Whew!

“I’ve been a lot of places because of baseball – that’s for sure,” Carson said with a chuckle. “But I’m really happy here.”

Carson (left) in Australia with fellow international import players Will Thorp (center) and Jeff Barto (right)

In addition to coaching the team, he works mornings at an English-speaking kindergarten, which teams an Austrian teacher with a native English speaker.  He’s looking for full-time work – “Baseball here doesn’t pay the bills” – and also taking classes to improve his German.

But though he’s more settled now, he doesn’t at all regret his baseball experiences.  They were fun and instructive, while also providing perspective.

At BYU, he played briefly as a freshman infielder before back trouble flared up, requiring surgery.  He then hit .326 in a part-time role the next year. He batted .333 to help his Saddleback team win the state title in 2004, after which he moved to SDSU where he batted .288 in 13 games before more back problems resulted in the second of three surgeries.

“That ended my dreams of playing in the major leagues,” he said.

His brother Matt, with whom Clayton overlapped one year at BYU, said, “Baseball was everything to him.  As a kid, he tried soccer and water polo, but baseball was his passion.  It’s unfortunate that the back trouble put a damper on things.  It was one of those things that just got progressively worse.

“Then again, he got into coaching earlier than he might otherwise have,” Matt added.  “When he first went to Europe, I was a little surprised, but not after thinking about it.  In the U.S., it’s tough to get into pro ball in some capacity if you haven’t played professionally, so going overseas opened a lot more opportunities for him.”

After coaching at Saddleback, Clayton spent one year coaching at Southern Utah, which was an experience in itself.

“It was a rough place to recruit,” he said. “The school was in a remote location (Cedar City), and we only had four scholarships, whereas most Division I schools had 11.7.  It was cold in the spring, and a 15-to-20mph wind almost always blew straight in from center field.  And the school dropped the program after that season.”

Carson then spent a year and a half as a scout for Toronto but eventually decided that he preferred to be on the field.  That led to the beginning of his overseas wanderings.

He discovered Baseball Jobs Overseas through a web search, and began thinking more about opportunities in Europe after talking with a friend who had played previously in The Netherlands.

“By then, it was April (2014), and most teams were full,” he said, “but (BBJO CEO) David (Burns) told me that there was a tournament in Austria and that I could try and talk to some of the teams there.  So I flew to Copenhagen two days later and started working my way through Europe.  

Carson at Finkstonball with Burns (center), and Jimmy Jensen (far right)

“David put me up when I got to Austria, and I discovered that there was a Polish team in the tournament that had lost some guys.  They only had seven, so I and a few others played for them.  The team name was so long that it went from the front of my jersey halfway around the back,” he said with a laugh.

Following the tournament, he was asked to help out with the team in Hard which he now coaches.  The then-head coach was Japanese and spoke no English, so Carson came on to help run the practices and also play – “That’s how I got my foot in the door.”  That all led to his stints in Australia and Europe. 

“I was director of the program in Sweden in 2017 when Clayton was there,” said Andy Berglund, an international scout for the Milwaukee Brewers and coach of the South Africa national team.  “He was coaching a team from the suburbs of Stockholm that I had used to play for, and we hit it off right away.  He knows how to handle a club and has tremendous passion for teaching the game.  I saw that just watching him work with his infielders one day.

“It was great talking with someone who has such a deep understanding of the game,” he continued. “And since he played for Tony Gwynn and has a brother that got to the major leagues, I’d pick his brain about what those guys did to be successful. We still stay in touch.”

Baseball is still a relatively minor sport in Austria – indeed, in most of Europe.  Still, the interest has grown, if in fits and starts.   

“Interest is kind of receding in places like Sweden and Italy,” Carson said.  “In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Italy had a really good system for baseball, but now a lot of their stadiums are old and dilapidated.  On the other hand, The Netherlands has a strong program, as does the Czech Republic, and Germany is picking up.  It’s increasing here, too.  The fact that the Olympics reinstated baseball helped because it means more funding for programs.”   

Carson just prior to being ejected during an Italian Series A game while coaching for Novara.

The Bulls have dealt with some growing pains during his watch.  Established in 1991, they won the title in 2001 but were out of the first division from 2005-2016.  They moved back to the first division in 2017 and then a lot of their older players retired, leaving a relatively inexperienced squad.  After a rough season in 2018, Hard made the playoffs last year, despite a losing record. 

“We’ve improved, but it’s been a struggle,” Carson said.  “We’ve had a lot of turnover, and this may be a tough year, too.  The good news is that our season is about to start, and the rule this year is that every team will make the playoffs.  So, knowing that we’ll get into the playoffs regardless, we’ll be able to give our younger guys more playing time than they might get in normal situation.  That’s a positive thing for the future.”

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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This Globetrottin’ Risk-Taker Built Two Baseball Programs from Scratch Overseas https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/ryan-flynn-story/ Wed, 24 Jun 2020 18:29:08 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=462127

June 24, 2020

By Carter Cromwell

One thing about Ryan Flynn – he’s not afraid to roll the dice.

  • Like when he took off for London after graduating from college.
  • Like when he was 22 and took a job interview via telephone while walking out of the Woodstock ’94 music festival.  He got the job – which was in Guam.
  • Or when he took charge of building the Guam baseball program as a relative newcomer to the island.  
  • Or when he and his wife met in Guam and married a week later.
  • Or when the family moved to Seattle, and he started his own marketing firm.
  • Or when he shouldered the task of building New Zealand’s baseball program.
  • Or when he left his family a year ago and moved to the south Pacific island nation of Palau and started a company growing coffee, cacao and vanilla.


The last has posed a special challenge, not just from the myriad of issues facing any start-up company but because of the coronavirus pandemic.  Though Palau is one of the few places that hasn’t recorded a single case of Covid-19, the pandemic has kept potential investors away and him away from his family.


Ryan in Palau

“The people interested in investing were literally stopped at the airport here and turned back because of the pandemic,” Flynn said. “We did get some coffee seeds from Taiwan government, but we’re basically on hiatus.  In fact, the economy here is pretty much decimated, since about 85% of it is based on tourism.”

Not only that, he hasn’t been able to see his family for approximately nine months because of pandemic-related travel restrictions.  His son is going to high school in Seattle, and his wife and daughter are in Auckland.  

“That’s been tough,” he acknowledged.  “My wife had back surgery after an on-the-job accident, and I couldn’t be there with her.”

Still, one gets the feeling that this hill will be climbed, just like all the others.  That, while the current situation may be uncertain and chaotic, Flynn has negotiated enough changes in his life – made enough 90- and 180-degree turns – that one more will not be insurmountable.

Go back to how he reached this point.

Growing up just outside of Albany, NY, he played third base for The College of Saint Rose – first an NAIA school, later NCAA Division Two – in Albany.  Graduating in 1993 with a degree in English literature and going undrafted by MLB, he took off with a friend to London.

“That’s where my mind opened, and the travel bug took hold,” he said.

Then came the opportunity in August 1994 to move to Guam and report for the Pacific Daily News, part of the Gannett chain.  Since Guam is a U.S. territory, he needed no passport or special work permit, so the decision to accept the job was easy.

Flynn started playing on local semi-pro teams, later got involved in building baseball programs within the territory and eventually became CEO of Guam Baseball.  While in Guam, he met his wife, who was born in Palau, and he also spent a year writing speeches for the president of Palau. 

“I was able to travel a lot of different places to cover fascinating stories, and I fell in love with that part of the world,” Flynn said. 

“I was an outsider on Guam – I had no family and knew no one at all – so I started playing ball as a way of getting into the community,” he added.  “We won a couple of championships, and then I got to be CEO when the organization wanted to make a run at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.  We nearly made it, too – got to the final of the qualifying round in South Africa, which was a real accomplishment.  The key for me during that period was that I learned a lot about building a program from scratch.”


1998 Micro Games in Palau

Then, just after the 9/11 disaster, Flynn and his wife moved to Seattle, where his new bride had family and had spent part of her formative years.  Then came the opportunity with Baseball New Zealand and another move across the Pacific.

“That was a big gamble,” he acknowledged.  “I left my wife and kids and went there for three months on a trial basis without knowing how it would work out.  I knew it had potential.  But – with so few players and resources at the time – I also knew would be one of the great challenges of my professional life. There was no staff at the time, very little money and virtually all the equipment in the country was in our little garage in Pakuranga.”

Baseball came to New Zealand when American GIs were there in the 1930s and ‘40s, but it had never taken off, though fast-pitch softball for both men and women became popular.  There was little structure or funding for baseball when Flynn assumed the reins, and he had to leverage and develop various resources, one of which has been Baseball Jobs Overseas.

“I found the organization online and saw that it was amazing,” said Flynn, who continues to serve on the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Development Commission.  “I’ve found coaches through BBJO, and they’ve been pre-screened.  It provides tons of opportunities that weren’t there when I came out of college.  It’s the service to call upon..” 

Pandora Fruean, who serves as Executive Officer for Baseball New Zealand, got involved beginning in 2012, first helping with the Diamondblacks Men’s team at the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in a media role and then coordinating the World Masters Games hosted by New Zealand.  

“She was my right-hand person,” Flynn said.  “My lifeline.”

Fruean said, “Baseball is a relatively young sport in New Zealand, but Ryan was extremely passionate about growing the sport here, and he sold everyone on that vision.  He was passionate about providing opportunities for young Kiwis who would have traditionally gone to other sports like rugby, cricket and soccer.”

In four years, the program went from being unranked to 25th in the world, and the national team twice reached the World Baseball Classic qualifying rounds, surprising numerous programs that were much better funded.  There has been an approximately 4000-percent increase in the number of active players, and Flynn has brought a number of current and former major-leaguers to New Zealand for clinics and fund-raisers.  Those include MLB closer Mark Melancon three times and current Rangers’ manager Chris Woodward four times, along with current and former MLB stars such as Didi Gregorius, Curtis Granderson, Paul Goldschmidt, Nick Hundley, Jim Kaat, Ron Roenicke, Josh Bard and many others. 


Photo: Prime Minister John Key with Baseball New Zealand CEO Ryan Flynn. Photo credit: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport.co.nz

“We have the national body, three regional bodies and then local clubs – about 20 around the country,” Fruean said.  “In the early days age-grade national competitions that originally ran as one tournament have now evolved into five-day standalone events.   We currently have more than 20 players playing college ball in the U.S. and six or seven that have signed with major-league teams.  We are regularly fielding calls from interested parties that want help in starting  new clubs in a new areas of the country.”

Probably the signature accomplishment was the establishment of the country’s first professional team – the Auckland Tuatara – which began play in the eight-team Australian Baseball League (ABL) during the 2018-2019 campaign and made the playoffs this past season. 

Photo credit: Guam Daily Post

“It took a while to get folks to believe, but we stayed consistent with our messaging over a nine-year period and finally got it over the line,” Flynn said.  “This shows young Kiwi ballplayers that there is a career pathway for them, at home and abroad.”

And for Flynn … what is his career path now?  Perhaps coffee.  Perhaps baseball again.  Perhaps something else.

“The future is hard to predict,” he said.  “I left Baseball New Zealand because I was worn down.  Getting the team into the ABL and nurturing it that first year took a lot out of me.  I needed a change and a situation where I could control my own destiny . . . and my family’s.  I still work with some teams here occasionally, but I have to watch out – if you’re not careful, it will take over your life.

“But I do still watch baseball and miss it,” he acknowledged.  “I got a note recently from [former Los Angeles Dodger general manager] Fred Claire who said, ‘You need to be back in the game.’ 

“So we’ll see …”

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This Town of 1200 Fields One of Germany’s Top Northern Division Teams https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/caleb-fenimore-interview/ Sat, 30 May 2020 19:06:42 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=461877

May 20, 2020

By Carter Cromwell

To the Jeopardy answer “hotbed of baseball”, one might offer the question “What is Japan?”

Or “. . . The Dominican Republic?”  Or “. . . St. Louis?”  Or various other places around the world.

It’s highly doubtful that any contestant would come up with “Dohren”.

Yet, in its own way, this small town in the north of Germany is a such a hotbed. 

“We’re the smallest in our league in terms of the town’s population,” said Caleb Fenimore, a 28-year-old American who has played for Dohren the past five seasons and became player/manager in 2019.  “There are only about 1,200 people here, and the next-smallest city has 80,000.  But even though the town is small, we regularly get 300-400 fans to our games, and a lot of them travel to road games.  The community here really supports baseball.”

The Wild Farmers play a 28-game regular season in the eight-team North Division of the top German league, or Bundesliga.  They played in the second league in Fenimore’s first two seasons and finished in first place both times.  Then they ascended to the first league in 2017, finishing second and making the playoffs.  Fenimore became the manager in 2019 and Dohren made the playoffs under his leadership.

Over time, the team has evolved into an interesting mix of Europeans – some with U.S. college experience – Canadians, Latin Americans and Americans . . . some originally drafted by MLB teams, others not.  Occasionally, players formerly with affiliated minor league teams have joined the club.  Some of the players come through Baseball Jobs Overseas – “a really useful tool,” Fenimore said – while some take other routes.  

“We finished 24-4 and 22-6 my first two seasons, and our coach really motivated us to move up the first league and be competitive,” he said.  “It was a big step for us when we made the playoffs in our first season in the top league, and we’ve been able to follow that with two more playoff seasons.

“It’s kind of crazy how we can compete, given that we’re so small . . . It’s no more than a 10-minute walk from where I live to anyone on the team,” he added.  “But we pride ourselves on finding players that are right for us; That’s a big reason for our success.  We’re a tightly knit group, almost like a family.  In fact, whenever my time here is done, most of my memories will be from off the field.

“The thing I’m most impressed with is how far we’ve advanced in such a short time,” he added.  “We’ve gone from hoping to make the playoffs to expecting to.”

Fenimore’s overseas journey is an interesting story in itself.  The native of Rushville, Ind., played catcher in college at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne from 2011-2014.  Afterward, the coach at one of his collegiate rivals – who had himself played in Germany – reached out to him about playing there in 2015.  

“He said he knew of a team that needed a catcher and thought I’d be a good fit,” Fenimore said.  “I figured it was worth a shot.  I was just happy to keep playing.”

Then, while remaining active in the German league, he landed spots through Baseball Jobs Overseas with the MacArthur Orioles of the New South Wales Baseball League during the winters of 2015-16 and 2016-17.  His team finished second his first season there and won the championship in his second.

As expected, his moves put him into a world of unknowns, though his experience growing up in a small town helped ease the adjustment to living in other smaller locales.  But he had no idea what the baseball end of things would be like. 

“I had no expectations when I first went to Germany,” said Fenimore, who now lives in Dohren year-round.  “I’d been told the community supported baseball really well, and I figured the level of competition would be good, but it was all kind of a mystery when I first got here.”

Clearly, though, he’s been able to unravel it.  He’s been named best batter in the league’s North Division the last three seasons, batting .367, .305 and .353, respectively, and posting video game-like OPS figures of 1.294, 1.141 and 1.291.  And his first season as player/manager resulted in a playoff appearance. 

“We got off to a slow start last season, and I wasn’t sure what to expect,” he said.  “But then we got going, finished fourth and got into the playoffs.” 

Of course, this season is in limbo because of the Covid-19 pandemic – the start date is currently pegged at June 27 – but Fenimore is hopeful when the time comes.

“It’ll be great to get going again and continue expanding the baseball community here.”

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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After ‘Hanging Them Up’, Former Blue Jay Arik Sikula Rediscovered His Love For The Game Overseas https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/arik-sikula-story/ Sun, 10 May 2020 09:39:49 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=461819

May 10, 2020

Written by Carter Cromwell

Arik Sikula was done with baseball.  Then he wasn’t.

For that, he can thank a chance meeting and Baseball Jobs Overseas.

At 27, with six minor-league seasons and nine stops on his resume, the former Toronto Blue Jays farmhand had been released by Somerset of the independent Atlantic League after a seven-game stint in 2016.   He decided that was it, left the game and went into business for himself.

That didn’t last long.

“I was kind over the baseball life,” Sikula said, “So I started a franchise business buying and selling homes.  But after about three months, I realized that I hated it.  I was working by myself mostly and not developing any relationships with people.

Sikula (left) in Australia

Not long after that, I was at a wedding and ran into a friend who had played Division III baseball and told me he’d gotten a job playing in the Czech Republic,” he went on.  “I asked him how he did that, and he told me about Baseball Jobs Overseas.”

Sikula set up a profile on BBJO and quickly had multiple offers from European teams. He ended up playing with a team near Adelaide in the South Australian Baseball League, a notch below the Australian Baseball League, over the winter of 2016-17.  

“It was an easy decision to go play internationally,” he said.  “Playing in Adelaide was a great experience, even though we weren’t getting paid.  I pitched about 80 innings; we won the championship; and I regained my love of the game.”

And he still has it.

Sikula Quebec Capitales

He spent the last three summers pitching for Quebec of the independent Canadian-American Association (which announced a merger with the Frontier League in late 2019).  He also had a stint with Saltillo of the AAA-level Mexican League in 2018 and played winter ball in both Venezuela and Colombia.

He had been in talks with multiple teams in Italy about playing this season, but the coronavirus pandemic has put those plans on hold.  At the moment, he’s living near Chicago and working for a medical device company that manufactures test kits for the likes of Covid-19 and insulin. 

“I’m still planning to play again,” he said, “but things are at a standstill now.   

A late-round draft choice of Toronto after a career at Marshall University in West Virginia, Sikula hadn’t envisioned still playing at this point in his life.

“I’d never wanted to be a 30-year-old bouncing around the independent leagues,” he said, “but I’ve found that’s great.  I’ve enjoyed the game, met a lot of interesting people and even met my wife while playing winter ball in Venezuela.”

At the same time, he has a position with Baseball Jobs Overseas in pro recruitment, helping place players with teams around the world.

Sikula in Colombia

“I refer a lot of players to the [BBJO] platform and try to get them to post their profiles.  In particular, I’ve placed a lot of players in Latin America,” he said, “since I have a lot of contacts with teams and agents from times I’ve played there.”    

It’s a role he hopes to nurture.

“I have a real passion for this organization,” he added.  “The idea of playing overseas may seem insurmountable, but BBJO makes it easy.  It’s connected a lot of guys with opportunities in a lot of countries.  It’s really filling a void – giving players that maybe aren’t drafted a chance . . . or maybe older players that want to keep playing and/or get into coaching or front-office work.

“If someone had told me when I was really young that I’d be doing this when I was in my early 30s, I would have been thrilled.”

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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Baseball Globetrotters – Ryan Hooper (UC Davis) in Switzerland https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/baseball-globetrotters-hooper-switzerland/ Sat, 04 Apr 2020 17:11:41 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=461133

Former UC Davis infielder, Ryan Hooper, took his career overseas first to Australia for the winter after he graduated and then to Europe to play in Switzerland the following summer. In Switzerland, he played alongside fellow Baseball Jobs Overseas member, Harry Thomas, a former pitcher for Campbell University.

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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IBC Podcast E78: How to attract offers from clubs overseas and then leverage that opportunity https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/ibc-e78-attract-and-leverage-opportunities/ Mon, 16 Mar 2020 16:38:31 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=460738
David Burns and Jimmy Jensen from Baseball Jobs Overseas discuss how to position yourself for success in receiving offers from clubs overseas and once signed, how to make the most of that opportunity to further your career. This episode is particularly beneficial to those players who have yet to play professional baseball and are looking overseas as a career option but are still looking to play at the highest level possible. There are a lot of additional topics discussed complete with tips and experiences that can benefit aspiring professional baseball and softball players of all backgrounds.

 

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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Baseball Globetrotters – Patrick Cromwell (Clemson) & Evyn Yamaguchi (Mayville) play in Germany https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-cromwell-yamaguchi/ Tue, 10 Mar 2020 16:31:23 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=460635

Patrick and Evyn were two of three BBJO imports who signed on to play with the Wesseling Vermins in the 2019 German Bundesliga season. It was the first season that the Vermins played in the first division and although suffering some pretty tough losses, Patrick, Evyn and their teammates managed to keep their spirits high and make the most of the summer both on and off the field.

YouTube Video

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Indians Ballpark; Dornbirn, Austria https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/dornbirn-ballpark-feature/ Mon, 09 Mar 2020 19:20:28 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=460614

 

This photo went viral internationally after being posted on multiple baseball social media accounts

The Dornbirn Indians had their name put on the international baseball map for all the wrong reasons when this photo went viral way back in the early 2000’s. Basically, at the time and for many years prior, their baseball field doubled as a parking lot for neighboring soccer games. Long story short, one soccer fan had too much to drink and failed to pick up their car the next day before the game of the club’s second mens team. So they improvised…..

Over the course of 2017 and early 2018, the Dornbirn Indians upgraded their ballpark to this little gem highlighted in this short video, which goes well with the beautiful Austrian mountainous backdrop. Soon thereafter the Indians won only their second Baseball League Austrian Championship in 2019, their first since 2003.

YouTube Video

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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Still not signed? Here are some tips that can help https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/not-signed/ Thu, 05 Mar 2020 11:42:41 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=460449 If you have not been having much luck in receiving offers, there are a variety of reasons why this may be. Perhaps the position you play is not in the highest demand? Perhaps you do not have the power numbers clubs are looking for? Perhaps your SO/BB ratio is less than  2:1? There are a number of reasons a club may choose to go another route, and with more-and-more players looking at the overseas route, it is even more critical now than ever to stand out from the rest. Believe it or not, many clubs overseas will place more weight on who you are, rather than what you can do, than you may think. This is because, in most leagues overseas, less organizations bring in players from a business standpoint (ie put wins on the board), but more from a long-term impact both on and off the field standpoint. So many clubs seek imports that can not only make a difference on the scoreboard but also in the overall baseball culture within all levels of their organization. 

With that being said, it is all within your BBJO profile that you can “sell yourself”, and we are here to help you with that and bounce thoughts back and forth.

How to best utilize your profile to attract as many offers as possible

This goes without saying, but the more offers on the table, the better the chance you can find a good fit. This all starts with the profile and how you present yourself to clubs. Obviously, the more experience and success you have at a high level, the more offers you will attract. If you are a seasoned affiliated player or big indy four pro (Frontier, American Association, Atlantic, or CanAm) with a long history of statistical success and a lot of info online about you, the offers will come to you. 

Regardless of your level of experience, here is a profile checklist we recommend you follow:

Statistics – Stats are the most important part of the profile. Teams rely heavily on stats since they can’t see you play firsthand. They offer an unbiased and objective gauge of your playing ability. There is no point in not including seasons where stats are poor, as any serious club will find them. If you do not have a URL but a PDF document of stats, or GameChanger stats, let us know and we can help upload them to the profile properly. If you registered and then began a new season, upload at least the URL to the stats section so clubs can follow your progress. If there are gaps years in stats, explain why. 

Video – Since there are no tryouts and clubs cannot send scouts to put eyes on you, video is the next big part of the profile. Demo video from multiple angles is important and we also recommend making a demo video of your abilities at your secondary position(s). A video playlist on YouTube is the cleanest way for adding to the profile, but you can also paste individual video URLs in the text area of the ‘Personal Info’ or ‘Additional Info’ sections. Same goes with Instagram or Facebook video. VIDEO FILES cannot be uploaded directly to the profile. If you are not very savvy with uploading to YouTube and making a playlist, send your video files to us by email using www.wetransfer.com

“Aside from verifiable statistics, a demo video is the most important part of the profile”

Primary/Secondary Positions – Since teams are limited to how many foreign players they can bring over, most clubs target starting pitchers, catchers, and middle infielders. This doesn’t mean that teams do not sign outfielders or corner infielders, but those positions are more competitive. Occasionally, when teams are looking for a big bat who can help produce offensively, position does not matter as much. But by far, the most sought-after players are two-way players who can pitch, hit, and play the field. With the exception of the highest levels overseas, most clubs will be interested in what positions you can play if needed or given time to work on it. Your position can make a big difference between receiving an offer or not, especially if you can pitch, catch or play middle infield as a secondary position. 

Testimonials – Testimonials from credible baseball people, preferably a recent coach, can help clubs not only further verify your skills, but probably even more importantly, your character. We reach out to the references you provided, but if we do not hear back, these testimonial sections are left blank. It is your responsibility to follow up with references and make sure they respond to us. If you have more than three references, let us know and we will reach out to all of them and we can add more testimonials in the ‘Additional info’ section. The more the better. 

Catchy tagline – Highlight your best assets in the tagline which appears under your name on the import listing (see screenshot below).

BIO – Many members do not spend enough time in the bio section selling themselves. In a few paragraphs, without rambling on, this is your opportunity to sell yourself. In your bio, we recommend including the highlights of your career awards, accomplishments, articles, a summary of your abilities, and explaining any poor seasons or gaps in stats. If you have not completed a year or more, or your most recent verifiable stats are a year or older, it is important to mention what you have been doing during this time to remain in shape. If English is not your native language, or if you simply are not very good at articulating yourself, let us know and we can do a third-person bio summary for you.

Passport – If you do not have a passport, list on your profile that you do have one and get the application in pronto. No club will make a formal offer until you have a passport. Once you have it, update your profile. 

Other aspects of the profile are also not to be ignored:

  • A profile picture of you smiling
  • An attractive cover photo (which we can help with)
  • Providing multiple ways of reaching you (social media, WhatsApp). You can’t receive offers if they can’t reach you. Check your email spam folder regularly as well
  • Links to articles about previous successes
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Armin-Wolf-Arena in Regensburg, Germany https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/armin-wolf-arena/ Sun, 01 Mar 2020 10:39:50 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=460442
Home to the Regensburg Regionaere of the German Bundesliga South, the Armin-Wolf-Arena is one of the top baseball stadiums in Europe and is home to a baseball academy with on-site boarding facilities called Sportinternat Regensburg.

Photo credit: Walter Keller
Video credit: RegensburgTV (Youtube)

YouTube Video

 

 

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

After signing up for a membership I received several offers within as little as two weeks. The entire process was extremely easy due to the hands-on assistance of CEO David Burns who seemed to take a personal interest in my success. Signing up was quite literally one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.

Ryan Saunders - Australia x 2, Austria x 2

It has been nothing short of amazing. Everyone has been so welcoming. Although the softball has been great and I’ve made wonderful friends, I think learning about the Kiwi and Maori culture has been my favorite part of the experience. I could mever have imagined that softball could open so many doors and roads for me.

Shivaun Landeros - New Zealand x 3, Netherlands

I just wanted to thank you for your service and the help you have provided throughout the process. To be honest, I was a little nervous when I first signed up for your website, but the process has been nothing but convenient and efficient. It has been everything I had hoped for and more.  Thank you so much for helping me extend my baseball career and see the world at the same time.
Alex Merithew - Australia, Belgium

The BBJO website was the best thing that has happened to me in my baseball career. In a matter of two weeks after creating an account I was playing my first game in Australia. David and his team work quickly and efficiently.

Andrew Medeiros - Australia, Belgium, France, Czech Republic

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you and appreciate everything you, Jimmy, and everyone with baseballjobsoverseas have done for me over the past 3 years. You gave me the opportunity to travel and open my mind to the world while doing the one and only thing I truly love to do, play baseball. My experience was life changing and worth every second.

Jared van Hoon - Australia x 3

I have loved my experience with BBJO. You guys offer so much support I felt so comfortable and confident throughout the process. You can tell you care about players. There seems to be endless opportunities and the various offers made it a tough decision.

Sydney Underhill - The Netherlands

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Using the overseas route to create your own baseball brand & business with Mobile Coach Owen Reid https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/podcast-owen-reid/ Thu, 27 Feb 2020 12:48:02 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=460373

After a lustrous career as an international import player and coach, Owen Reid decided to go to work for himself as an International Baseball Consultant and Mobile baseball coach. Now settled and based in Singapore, Owen has now traveled to five different continents and 21 countries as a baseball coach including some very unknown baseball markets such as the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, and Kyrgyzstan.

Reid in Kyrgyzstan

His international baseball story began back in 2009, when fresh out of college, Owen signed on with the Vienna Wanderers in Austria as an import player. This led to his first gig as a youth coach the following winter in New Zealand, then in 2010 as a player-coach with another team in Austria, eventually settling in Australia from 2010 through 2014. It is in Australia where Owen’s international coaching career really began to take shape after playing and coaching with three different teams, assuming a role with the Perth Heat in player development and then as their operations and marketing manager. It was also in Australia where Owen met his wife, who continues to fully support his international baseball endeavours to-date.

The couple moved to Singapore in 2014 when Owen landed an Operations job at a major training facility, where he led a staff of coaches and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Albert Pujols and Augie Garrido.

Recoup day

In 2016 Owen found that his passions were no longer in line with his role at the facility, and this is where he found himself at a crossroads in his career, unsure what he wanted to do next, but knew it was in coaching. This is when Owen decided to take a risk and start Reid Baseball and market himself to the baseball world as a mobile coach and international baseball consultant. This role encompasses a number of different services including one-on-one coaching, coaching small groups, running specialized clinics, working with and creating training programs and curriculums for teams or leagues, coach education, building academies and mental conditioning.

The highlights of his international baseball endeavours include coaching in Dhaka, Bangladesh where he had to take a rickshaw from where he was staying through the dirty, crowded and polluted streets to the school where he was coaching or when he went to Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia to coach a group of kids on a small soccer field tucked in between two enormous rock formations which as he described “looked like out of a movie.”

Some of the takeaways for baseball people from all different aspects of the game including how to:

  • Open these doors and build your resume
  • Build your own baseball brand and found his own post-playing career baseball path
  • Connect with organizations around the globe
  • Work with kids of various groups sizes who don’t speak English

You can follow Owen and Reid baseball on his Instagram account or Facebook page @thereidbaseball.

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

After signing up for a membership I received several offers within as little as two weeks. The entire process was extremely easy due to the hands-on assistance of CEO David Burns who seemed to take a personal interest in my success. Signing up was quite literally one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.

Ryan Saunders - Australia x 2, Austria x 2

It has been nothing short of amazing. Everyone has been so welcoming. Although the softball has been great and I’ve made wonderful friends, I think learning about the Kiwi and Maori culture has been my favorite part of the experience. I could mever have imagined that softball could open so many doors and roads for me.

Shivaun Landeros - New Zealand x 3, Netherlands

I just wanted to thank you for your service and the help you have provided throughout the process. To be honest, I was a little nervous when I first signed up for your website, but the process has been nothing but convenient and efficient. It has been everything I had hoped for and more.  Thank you so much for helping me extend my baseball career and see the world at the same time.
Alex Merithew - Australia, Belgium

The BBJO website was the best thing that has happened to me in my baseball career. In a matter of two weeks after creating an account I was playing my first game in Australia. David and his team work quickly and efficiently.

Andrew Medeiros - Australia, Belgium, France, Czech Republic

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you and appreciate everything you, Jimmy, and everyone with baseballjobsoverseas have done for me over the past 3 years. You gave me the opportunity to travel and open my mind to the world while doing the one and only thing I truly love to do, play baseball. My experience was life changing and worth every second.

Jared van Hoon - Australia x 3

I have loved my experience with BBJO. You guys offer so much support I felt so comfortable and confident throughout the process. You can tell you care about players. There seems to be endless opportunities and the various offers made it a tough decision.

Sydney Underhill - The Netherlands

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Guest post: From a baseball career dead end to an experience of a lifetime https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/justin-gil/ Wed, 26 Feb 2020 21:26:34 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=460197

Written by: Justin Gil, BBJO member

My poor girlfriend, she’s probably tired of being reminded that I can’t believe I’m at this point right now. She’s probably annoyed with me occasionally muttering to myself, “ Who would have thought I’d be doing this?” I’m still sometimes in disbelief. Two years ago, I never would’ve believed I’d travel around the world because of America‘s pastime. Living, coaching, and playing, it sounds cliché, but it’s been too much fun. Whether I was in Australia, living and surfing off the South Gippsland Coast or jumping into every body of water I could find in Switzerland. Traveling to Croatia, France, Italy, and Germany. Doing things I never would have imagined I’d get the opportunity to do. It’s been crazy. To be honest, before I started playing and coaching overseas I didn’t know what to expect. I thought baseball was only played in The Americas and Asia. I had no clue. I’ve been playing baseball without pause for the last two years, three seasons in Australia and one in Switzerland and the competition gets intense. I’ve been lucky to be part of a few playoff teams and a championship-winning team in Switzerland and even though I was brought in to be ”the guy“, I found myself relying on and learning from so many teammates along the way. That’s probably what I’ll miss the most from my experience. I got to make friends for life along the way and I didn’t expect that.

In Switzerland

After a successful senior season at Ohio Valley University, a small 500 student Division II university on the border of Ohio and West Virginia, I wanted to continue playing and was ready to try and figure out what was next. I really tried hard to start putting myself out there. If you can think of an independent professional baseball league, chances are I tried out for a handful of teams in it. Maybe you’ve been in this predicament. An insurmountable battle against so many things; I was battling against my fears, my doubts, my identity, and not to mention other guys who are insanely talented. So with that mindset, I channelled all of that energy into my training. I received an email for a tryout in Atlanta, Georgia for an obscure league. I drove up from Miami and managed to do well enough to sign a contract. A few months later as “Spring Training“ approached, I received a phone call that the league wasn’t going to happen. My professional baseball career was over before the preseason started. In a silver lining, all the guys who got signed to this league received a major discount for the California Winter League, which is a pay to play prospect league. Even though it was a pay to play league, there were definitely some legit guys there who could absolutely ball. And it couldn’t hurt to go to Palm Springs and play in front of decision-makers for Independent Professional Baseball teams, so I decided to go to Palm Springs, California and chase the dream one last time. It lasted a month, but it didn’t go exactly as planned.

The first week everything was going so well. I was putting in innings at every infield position and consistently cracking the ball. Then I got sick. My throat swelled and ulcers started popping up all over the inside of my mouth. I ended up losing 30 pounds in two weeks. I was so feverish I couldn’t sleep for more than an hour at a time. My eyes became so crusty, when I’d wake up it’d take two minutes to fully open them. I survived on baby marshmallows and small doses of mashed potatoes. It‘s kind of funny now, but I’m still sick of baby marshmallows. Something similar happened to me the year before at my conference tournament my senior year of college, but it wasn’t nearly as aggressive as this time. I still couldn’t play most of the tournament though. I tried playing in what wound up being the last game of my college career. I played three innings of baseball pretty much blind, broke down crying, knew I couldn’t go anymore, and that was it. Laying in bed I started losing confidence, weight, and my outlook changed. I’d ask myself, ”Why? In the two most important moments of my life has my body betrayed me?” I tried making a comeback after two weeks in bed. Now playing primarily middle infield with my newly acquired slender frame. I came back too quickly. I couldn’t see quite right and my batting average showed it. At the end of the experience, we had a one on one meeting with our head coach for an exit meeting. He was a coach for an Independent League team, he was polite, personable, and honest. He let me know that I was becoming an interesting prospect until I got sick. He said I was tough for trying to comeback, but I didn’t quite do enough this time. I was crushed.

Australia

I went back to hangout with some of the other guys in my room before we all left in the next few days. I was chatting up Louis Cohen, a teammate and hotel next-door neighbor. He mentioned how he’s an ambassador for a website that finds international clubs for baseball players. I figured, hell why not? I felt like I still had it in me and I might be able to see some cool things along the way. So, the next day I signed up and in the days that followed I had arrived back in Miami, filmed myself doing some drills, gathered some college game tape, put my stats together, and arranged for some references; including Louis, my college coach, and my coach from the California Winter League. The next day I received an email from my first overseas club manager from Melbourne, Jake from Footscray. To go from thinking that my only options were to stay in Miami and start working or play in the Pecos League and grind, to now transitioning to a lifestyle where I can constantly travel and play baseball. What a Deus Ex Machina moment.

Fast forward two years and my life perspective has broadened so much. I’m interested in so many things I never considered to try in the past. With focusing on the quality of my diet, constantly exercising, and taking certain precautions, I haven’t been seriously ill since Palm Springs. I‘m currently playing my last season of baseball in Australia‘s Victoria Summer League Division II for the Werribee Giants. I‘ve been living with my girlfriend in a small beach town next to Wilson‘s Promontory for the last five months learning how to surf and transitioning to working online full time to continue my nomadic life. I really still can’t believe I’ve been so lucky. I owe so much of it to Baseball Jobs Overseas, Louis Cohen, and all my friends around the world.

I enjoy traveling, surfing, reading, exercising, baseball, and having a good time.

You can follow Justin’s overseas adventures via his Instagram @justingil27.

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

After signing up for a membership I received several offers within as little as two weeks. The entire process was extremely easy due to the hands-on assistance of CEO David Burns who seemed to take a personal interest in my success. Signing up was quite literally one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.

Ryan Saunders - Australia x 2, Austria x 2

It has been nothing short of amazing. Everyone has been so welcoming. Although the softball has been great and I’ve made wonderful friends, I think learning about the Kiwi and Maori culture has been my favorite part of the experience. I could mever have imagined that softball could open so many doors and roads for me.

Shivaun Landeros - New Zealand x 3, Netherlands

I just wanted to thank you for your service and the help you have provided throughout the process. To be honest, I was a little nervous when I first signed up for your website, but the process has been nothing but convenient and efficient. It has been everything I had hoped for and more.  Thank you so much for helping me extend my baseball career and see the world at the same time.
Alex Merithew - Australia, Belgium

The BBJO website was the best thing that has happened to me in my baseball career. In a matter of two weeks after creating an account I was playing my first game in Australia. David and his team work quickly and efficiently.

Andrew Medeiros - Australia, Belgium, France, Czech Republic

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you and appreciate everything you, Jimmy, and everyone with baseballjobsoverseas have done for me over the past 3 years. You gave me the opportunity to travel and open my mind to the world while doing the one and only thing I truly love to do, play baseball. My experience was life changing and worth every second.

Jared van Hoon - Australia x 3

I have loved my experience with BBJO. You guys offer so much support I felt so comfortable and confident throughout the process. You can tell you care about players. There seems to be endless opportunities and the various offers made it a tough decision.

Sydney Underhill - The Netherlands

]]>
Dual Passport Feature: Paul Kirkpatrick & Ben Andrews https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/dual-passport-great-britain/ Mon, 03 Feb 2020 16:04:25 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=459783

Kirkpatrick (left) and Andrews (right) at the European Championships in 2019

Both Paul Kirkpatrick and Ben Andrews were born in England but grew up in the United States. Paul, a pitcher, played for Western Kentucky University and Ben, a third baseman, for Linfield College. Paul made his debut for Great Britain at the WBC qualifier in 2016 where Trevor Hoffman was his bullpen coach. Ben made his debut in 2019 at the European Championships, alongside of Paul and a number of other dual passport holders. 

 

“It’s always special wearing a country across your chest. But I’ll always remember talking to Trevor Hoffman about his changeup with me” – Paul Kirkpatrick

 

Post-college both players took similar baseball paths, the overseas route, and in Europe specifically, they were both hot commodities given the multiple advantages to a club that secures a player who has an EU passport. The major reason is import players who possess a European passport do not count against the limits set within leagues towards non-European players on the field at a time. Both Paul and Ben utilized this advantage to their favor quite well by securing contracts with top clubs in top European leagues, along with more attractive offers than the typical offer that non-EU passport holders receive. 

 

“What I enjoy about playing on the British National Team is the same thing that I enjoy in all of my international baseball experiences,  meeting new people with the same passion for travel and baseball outside of the United States.” – Ben Andrews

 

Paul’s first overseas stint was in Germany with the Stuttgart Reds of the German Bundesliga South in 2018. This led to a jump to the best league in Europe (along with Italy) the Dutch Major League (Honkbal Hoofdklasse), in 2019 after signing with the Hoofddorp Pioniers. Paul had a career year in the Netherlands, posting a 1.98 era which led to a #2 ranking on our 2019 Top Pitchers Overseas list. Not long after, Paul received contact from the Italian Series A 2019 champions, Fortitudo Bologna. Let’s just say that Paul will be eating the best pasta and pizza of his life in 2020. At the time of publishing of this post, Paul is currently at the Gold Coast of Australia playing in the Greater Brisbane Baseball League. Again, the British passport came into play as the visa for Australia for British citizens is a simple form to fill out, has no fee, and has no limitations to how many times it can be applied for. American players, in contrast, need to apply for the working holiday visa which as a fee around $400 and is only usable once (some can qualify for a second one if working in a certain industry).

 

Ben’s first overseas stint came the winter of 2017-18 when he also signed on to play in the Greater Brisbane Baseball League. He then continued on to Europe in 2018 with the Solingen Alligators, a perennial annual contender in the German Bundesliga North. He kept the overseas train rolling by signing for the following winter to play in South Australia where he absolutely mashed the ball hitting 0.487 with a slugging percentage of 0.757, good enough for a #2 ranking on our Top Batters list for the winter. In 2019 he rejoined the Alligators and his hot bat continued, hitting .380 with 8 home runs, good enough for the #12 spot on our Top Batters list. After chasing summer for four straight seasons and two full years, Ben took the 2019-20 winter off and is looking to play pro ball stateside in 2020, but plans to return overseas again in the future.

 

If you are a baseball player and have a parent, grandparent, or even a great grandparent born in Europe, we recommend you contact the closest embassy of that country to find out if you qualify for a passport. There are plenty of opportunities for players without a European passport, but the European passport can open many more doors.

 

Stay tuned for future features on BBJO members with dual citizenship playing around the world.

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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Support your candidate to win a new custom glove! Vote now! https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/2019-ambassador-of-the-game-giveaway/ Sun, 29 Sep 2019 01:20:58 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=451486

 The “Ambassador of the Game” giveaway is part of an effort by Baseball Jobs Overseas to promote the embodiment of what an import player should be to their new club, given the fact that they have been presented with an amazing opportunity to represent the game overseas. We will be giving away a free, custom baseball or softball glove made by Llerandi Gloves, a custom Spark Bat by Hakusoh Bat, and a Baseball Jobs Overseas 3n2 jersey to the three BBJO players or coaches who best represent the “Ambassador of the Game” moniker. To receive this title, the BBJO members must possess the following characteristics:

  • Embraces the role as coach or mentor to players of all ages within their club
  • Exhibits leadership qualities, motivating those around them to reach common and/or personal goals
  • Exemplifies the characteristics of a quality teammate and sportsman/woman
  • Conducts themselves in a professional manner, on and off the field
  • Is a contributing member of the club off the field
  • Shows up ready to play hard every game

How did we determine this list? First off, they had to be a recent Baseball Jobs Overseas member who signed to play overseas in 2019 as a result of their membership. From there, we narrowed the possible candidates based on the criteria above using a combination of feedback we gathered over the course of the season and our own personal observation. Now that we have narrowed it to 5 candidates, we present the candidates to the public for a vote. To vote, comment on this Facebook or our Instagram post why you think they deserve to win. DM’s are also ok. Only one vote per FB or IG account will be tallied.

Prizes

At noon, central European time on November 1st, 2019, voting will close the three winners will be selected. First place will make their choice of either a free custom glove, a custom Spark bat or a 3n2 Baseball Jobs Overseas jersey. The second place will then choose one of the remaining two prizes and the third-place finisher will receive what is left over.

Special thanks to our sponsors Llerandi Gloves, Spark Bat and 3n2 Sports for the prizes.

 

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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Globetrotters – Season 5, Episode 3 “Beach Bums” https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-season-5-episode-3/ Tue, 30 Jul 2019 20:35:49 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=455514

In his first stint overseas, former UC Davis team captain Ryan Hooper gives us a real look into living on the Gold Coast of Australia while playing winter ball. In the second half of this episode, we revisit with a familiar Globetrotters face in New Zealand, this time he is with his softball GF which he met while playing abroad.

 

YouTube Video

 

 

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

]]>
European Baseball Road Trip: Curaçao Neptunus https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/road-trip-curacao-neptunus/ Wed, 17 Jul 2019 10:34:54 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=455109

Team photo above by: Robert Bos

The Honkbal Hoofdklasse is the highest level of baseball in the Netherlands and is one of two professional leagues in Europe. On the second part of this European baseball trip to the Netherlands (see video below), I stop in to visit the most dominant team in the league in recent history, Curaçao Neptunus, at their beautiful Neptunus Family Stadium. This visit was two-fold because, for the first time since the launch of Baseball Jobs Overseas, we had a member sign with Neptunus in Willie “Coco” Johnson.

Neptunus was founded in 1943 and since that time they have won the most championships in league history with 19, and have won six consecutive leading into 2019. This success has been bittersweet, as although winning is something they obviously enjoy, it is no secret that they only have one real challenger on an annual basis, the Amsterdam Pirates. This leaves much to be desired from a competitive standpoint and for the fans, it can get a bit monotonous, as evident in the nearly empty stadium of 2,460 seating capacity during my visit.

The club’s annual tournament, the World Port Tournament, is the only other time of the year they fill the stadium other than the championship series vs Amsterdam or when hosting other international tournaments or teams. For the club, the biggest goal of the season is to win Europe’s “Champions Cup”, a tournament featuring the top teams from Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany and France thus giving them the opportunity to call themselves the best on the continent. In 2019, they fell short of this goal when host Bologna (Italy) brought in a high-level import pitcher just to face them, a pitcher who was in AA and AAA in the previous two summers. To date, they have won the Champions Cup 9 times, most recently in 2018.

World Port Tournament 2019. Photo: Robert Bos

Much of the starting lineup and pitching staff of Neptunus consists of Dutch National Team members. In fact, over 75 players who dawned the Neptunus pinstripes have also suited up for the Dutch National Team. To put that statement into perspective, as of the most recent world baseball ranking at the end of 2018, the Dutchmen are ranked 8th just above Venezuela and Canada. Infielder Dwayne Kemp is one of those players, who last winter played in the Australian Baseball League for the first time and finished near the top of the offensive leaderboard after batting .348. Dwayne is a veteran of the Hoofdklasse and the Dutch National Team, and fun to watch play. What was even more impressive about Dwayne outside of his play, was that he was very welcoming and friendly.

Thanks again to Ronald for inviting me. I hope everyone enjoys the video.

YouTube Video

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

]]>
European Baseball Road Trip: Hoofddorp Pioniers https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/road-trip-hoofddorp-pioniers/ Mon, 08 Jul 2019 09:42:24 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=454794

By Baseball Jobs Overseas Founder David Burns

I hit the road once again to visit BBJO members along with their clubs, documenting my trip on video, and this time it was a trip to the Netherlands. My first stop was in Hoofddorp to visit the Hoofddorp Pioniers and the Sportpark Pioniers complex (see documentary video below), designed to host the first ever MLB game. As we all now know, they lost the bid to London who recently hosted the Yankees and Red Sox for the first MLB game in Europe and will again in 2020 with the Cubs and Cardinals.

MLB Series London

Despite their obvious disappointment, the Pioniers still hold hope that one day they can host an MLB game, but for now, this amazing $13.5 million stadium which includes three hundred thousand tons of American clay that was shipped in for the field, will settle for hosting teams of the Honkbal Hoofdklasse, one of two pro leagues in Europe. In the meantime, the local municipality pays over $150,000 per year to maintain the field to MLB standards.

Planning out how to get to the stadium from where I was staying in Rotterdam, I realized that public transport would be much longer, with the bus route from the train station in Hoofddorp adding 30 minutes to my trip. So I decided to rent a car. At the rental place, I was happy to find out that they were out of the car I had reserved, an eco-efficient death trap model where my 6’6″ frame would have had to fold behind the steering wheel with my knees next to my ears. So after some subtle charming and realization that the registration lady and I shared a birthdate, I was upgraded to a BMW.

After a smooth, 40 minute drive, I rolled up to the complex about two hours before game time to allow myself plenty of time to watch BP, get some footage of the stadium, and meet up with Baseball Jobs Overseas member Paul Kirkpatrick who is with the Pioniers in 2019. Paul is a pitcher out of Western Kentucky University who at the time of publishing, holds down an era 1.80 with 50 k’s in 55 innings of work. 

As I was walking up the stairs to the front entrance of the stadium and the field began to come into view, I got that feeling every baseball fan gets when they first take in a beautiful baseball stadium they haven’t visited, but yet here I was in the middle of nowhere in the outskirts of a Dutch town of 73 thousand, which made it even more impressive and exciting to take in. Maybe it was because I have been in the game in Europe now for 15 years and I have seen the worst of the worst, and that this $13+ million stadium, along with others such as the Armin-Wolf Arena in Regensburg, Germany, and the Městský Stadium in Brno, Czech Republic, gives me hope that the game one day can be showcased to all of Europe in a continental Europe professional league as per the dream of Wim van den Hurk who got the Euro League Baseball going for a single season in 2016.

A view from the media booth

After some quick footage, I was given the tour by Wilko Geesink, the Chairman of the foundation that operates the stadium, who then invited me to watch the game from the media booth overlooking the field. I enthusiastically accepted and was welcomed by all in the booth (sorry names have since slipped from my memory other than Jason the DJ!).

The Pioniers featured a young, talented team that at that time, sat in fourth place in the league and were up against the 3rd place HCAW (Honkbalclub Allen Weerbaar). Paul didn’t see any action in this game but I did get to see their Dutch star pitcher, Lars Huijer, get the start in his return from a four-game suspension after a recent bench-clearing altercation. Lars spent four seasons in the minors with the Mariners, reaching as high as advanced-A. 

The game was a close, pitchers duel and defensive battle with a handful of double plays and a total of only one error on the day. I did notice that both teams did let their starters go deep into the game, with only one reliever each for an inning or slightly more, which is on par with most teams in Europe and is one major reason why the Hoofdklasse has a clear drop off in depth and level of play after the top two teams, the Amsterdam Pirates and Curacao Neptunus.

Despite not allowing an earned run in 7.2 innings of work, Lars received the loss in the close 3-2 game. The Pioniers managed to win the second game the next day 3-1 in another defensive pitchers duel.  After the game, I returned my rental car and hopped on a train for a short 20-minute ride to Amsterdam, which I can now tick off my bucket list of epic cities to visit in Europe.

Until next time Hoofddorp, thanks for hosting me! Hope you enjoy the video.

YouTube Video

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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European Baseball Documentary: Attnang Athletics https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/documentary-attnang-athletics/ Fri, 05 Jul 2019 08:02:24 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=8595 In 1991 the Attnang Athletics were founded when a local Croatian immigrant who had spent his youth playing baseball in South America and Australia recruited a group of local teens from the small town of approximately 8,000 to form the first baseball team in Attnang.

In their 25th season in 2016, the team completed a Boston Red Sox Style comeback series win after being down zero games to three and down to their last strike in game four, only to come back, witn game four and then the next three games to move on the the championship which they eventually won as well, their third in club history. It was the perfect way to celebrate their 25th anniversary and was a nice reward for years of hard work which included countless volunteers hours building up their club from nothing. The club managed to repeat in 2017, theri first back-to-back championships in club history.

The Athletics grew from an Austrian second division club playing on a local farm field that was donated, to four-time champs playing on a beautiful stadium inclusive with fully-loaded clubhouse, a youth field sponsored by MLB, and host one of the most popular international baseball tournaments on the planet with live music and teams from all over Europe. This documentary we made of their 25 year anniversary shows that America’s pastime is becoming a global pastime.

YouTube Video

 

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Globetrotters Season 5, Episode 2: “Surprise Motha#@%&$” https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-s5e2/ Mon, 17 Jun 2019 10:24:57 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=454259 The pitcher-catcher softball duo from Kansas is back for their second Globetrotters episode and their second straight season playing winter ball in Christchurch, New Zealand. The BBJO pair started their overseas career off in the Czech Republic before focusing on two winter seasons in Kiwiland and taking the 2018 summer off to work.

This 2019 summer, the girls were two of five BBJO members drafted by the new ASBA pro league in Alabama. Once again they are playing together as they both were drafted by the Moh-Beel! USA team.

YouTube Video

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Working Your Way Into The Australian Baseball League https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/podcast-working-way-into-abl/ Wed, 29 May 2019 16:55:42 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=453795
This episode of the IBC Podcast provides content relevant to any player at any stage in their career who is considering Australia as a winter option, whether a college grad, released professional or current professional.

The Australian Baseball League has made huge strides in recent years, with the expansion to include a team from Korea and New Zealand in 2018 as well as the signings of former MLB players such Josh Collmenter, Gift Ngoepe and Pete Kozma. The league also featured Japanese NPB star pitcher Shota Imanaga and some of Europe’s top talent in Markus Solbach (GER), Alex Maestri (ITL), and Dwayne Kemp (NED) who all had standout seasons. Rounded out with a number of young affiliated players, top indy pro players, and top Australian talent, you have a very unique professional league that more and more professional players are looking to as a winter option.

With that being said, we at Baseball Jobs Overseas receive a lot of inquiries from players wanting to play in the ABL. In this episode, David and Jimmy discuss what it takes to sign in the ABL, and how some players have worked their way into the Australian Baseball League through the state leagues in the past and have gone on to sign affiliated contracts.

Related episodes:

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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The world’s best baseball, softball, open air festival, right in the center of Europe https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/finkstonball/ Tue, 28 May 2019 15:41:10 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=9154
If you can find your way to Austria from June 7th through June 10th, 2019, mark that weekend off as “busy” and prepare yourself for the most epic weekend of baseball, softball and party.

Steven Johnson of the host Athletics awaits a pitch in the opening game.

Finkstonball is the longest standing invitational baseball tournament in Europe and is held annually at a small town of 8,000 in Austria called Attnang-Puchheim.

In 2018 the host Attnang Athletics celebrated the tournament’s 21st anniversary, which has become recognized in international baseball circles as a party tournament and networking opportunity with some decent baseball. It is the only baseball tournament in Europe (and likely overseas) which combines baseball and party, held over the course of a long weekend totalling 3 days of baseball and 3 nights of live open air music directly at the ballpark. Starting in 2016, organizers decided to reduce the number baseball teams from 12 to 8 and host a women’s fastpitch softball tournament as well.

IBC members middle front from left: Gaby Gonzalez, Allyne Clark, Paige Crawford

The tournament, for the most part, is a place where teams from around Europe go to enjoy the game in a relaxed, international environment while enjoying the festivities at night. Some teams are there more for the party (Belfast Northstars) while others, like the Austrian National Team, are there for the baseball only. In the end, it always gets competitive and sometimes quite serious, exemplified by the benches clearing between the host Athletics and the Bad Homburg Hornets (Germany) in 2014 round robin play (cooler heads prevailed).

Here is a Youtube playlist highlighting Finkstonball from the past decade:

YouTube Video

Over the years Finkstonball has hosted teams from the Netherlands, U.K., Germany, Czech Republic, Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary, France, Slovenia, Switzerland, Romania, Portugal, Russia, Turkey, Poland, Italy and the United States.

Since 2010, there has been a team assembled of import players, mostly from the U.S., who are playing around Europe. Annually the team features members from our website, providing them with a great opportunity to network and showcase their skills. In recent years, IBC baseball imports who were too late for a spot on the import team have been placed on other teams in the tournament to strengthen the level of play. 

Wham Bam Body Slam is a local Austrian band gone international (also active Athletics slowpitch members) which year-after-year headline the open air stage with their unique, multi-instrumental folk-punk sound which provides the perfect atmosphere for the 500+ party goers to kick off the weekend. Here is clip from WBBS performing at Finkstonball Open Air 2017 with a little support from other local musicians:

YouTube Video

Teams and individuals attending the tournament either sleep in their camper vans in the parking lot, in “Tent City” located behind the stadium or at a “Gasthaus” in Attnang-Puchheim or nearby Voecklabruck if they prefer to actually get some sleep. For those on a tight budget without a tent or camper van are given the option to sleep at a local school gym where they are supplied with mats. Those willing to volunteer on the clean up crew (7am-9am every morning) can receive special privileges such as housing, free beverages or a spot on the Attnang Athletics roster for the tournament.

For any teams or players who wish to participate at the tournament in 2019 please contact:

Baseball clubs: Philip Dressler – p.dressler@athleticsbaseball.at

Women’s fastpitch clubs: Nicole Wiesinger – n.wiesinger@athleticsbaseball.at

Baseball or softball players (import or EU): David Burns –  dburns@baseballjobsoverseas.com

Finkstonball fun facts:

  • The name ‘Finkstonball” was coined by David Burns (Founder of Baseball Jobs Overseas) who was an import player with the Athletics in 1999 and mispronounced the name of the tournament & festival, then called Pfingstspektakel.
  • IBC member Joe Wittig spent his first night at Finkstonball in 2015 sleeping outside under the performance stage after consuming a few too many beverages. He ended up winning the Best Batter and Best Pitcher awards. He used the tournament to showcase his skills and has never looked back, signing with the Prague Eagles in the Czech Republic for multiple seasons which also lead to two stints in Australia where he currently is playing. 
  • In 2014, IBC member Clayton Carson flew to Europe to attend the event in hopes of getting picked up by a team as a coach or player-coach. That is exactly what happened as he signed on with the Hard Bulls of Austria after impressing at the tournament. Clayton has since signed contracts with clubs in Australia twice, Switzerland, Italy and Sweden. He will be returning to his former team in Hard in 2018.

We encourage you to share your Finkstonball story or memories in the comment section of the social medium where you read this post.

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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At a crossroads in his career, this Clemson Tiger chose winter ball Down Under https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-s5-e1/ Mon, 20 May 2019 07:55:00 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=453543

Clemson grad Patrick Cromwell takes us inside his experience playing baseball in Perth, Australia.

YouTube Video

Not ready to hang them up?  Seeking a new career path?

Annually our members sign over 300 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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The Ultimate Guide to Taking Your Baseball Career Overseas https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/6-tips-to-playing-professional-baseball-overseas/ Tue, 26 Mar 2019 09:07:51 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=616

The following are some of our best tips on how to take your baseball career overseas based on our experience over the years. Since most leagues overseas sign players sight unseen, the process is a bit different which is what we tackle in this post. Although relevant to most players, the majority of the information in this post does not pertain to former affiliated veterans whose resumes do the talking. The rest of us have to sell our selves a bit more. 

 

Provide all information up front within your profile

 

A Baseball Jobs Overseas profile filled out completely with all information outlined below will allow recruiters to make a swift, informed decision whether to include you as a potential candidate. The more questions you leave unanswered, the less likely they will even bother asking them and the more likely they will move on to the next profile. The following points are what go into an informative profile:

  • Provide links to recent, verifiable stats. This is the most important thing as previous performance is the biggest indicator of how you would likely perform in their league. If there are gap years in the stats, explain why.
  • Recent video is by far the second most important thing. They need to see what your current skill level is with their own eyes since they cannot scout you personally. Put together a demo video from multiple angles of your swing and defensive abilities. If you’re a pitcher, a bullpen from with angles from the side, behind the mound and behind home plate. If possible, get a radar gun in the video.
  • Write a summary of your baseball background, abilities, and achievements. Without writing a novel, tell them your story and explain what you bring to the table as a player (offensively, defensively, and as a teammate). Any objective data-readings are good to include (velo, pop time, 60-yard dash times). Highlight any achievements in your career (awards) thus far and include any stats that stand out in recent years. If you have any articles that were written about you, you should add those in. You can also include leadership roles or moments where you stepped up as a leader.
  • Fill in the gaps. For example, if you are two years out of college and have been playing in a men’s league, or have been attending winter leagues and pro tryouts, make sure to include it on your “Playing Summary” section. Otherwise, it appears you have not been active at all. If you haven’t been playing but have recently decided to make a comeback and have been working out hard, make sure to include that in your summary and a provide recent, up-to-date demo video to showcase that you are in shape.
  • Include secondary positions, even if not played for some years. Since most leagues overseas have an import player limit of 2 or 3, the decision will often come down to which positions they need to fill. All teams overseas look for that ace starting pitcher to dominate their league, often a second. As far as a position player import is concerned, the higher the level, the more importance placed on a big power bat and less concern about which position you play. The lower the level, the more emphasis placed on certain positions where local players simply can’t play at a high enough level, such as catcher, shortstop and third base. So when in doubt, include all positions that you can play if needed in order to open more doors.
  • List any and all coaching experience. The higher the level you have played, the less relevant this is. However, for most players, the added value of experience working with players of any age could make the difference in choosing you over another player of similar background. Coaching experience is especially important if you are lacking in some of the previously mentioned points, in particular, lack of recent stats or lack of power numbers.
  • Include testimonials from former coaches or baseball mentors. Testimonials can make the difference in receiving an offer or not. Have them touch on what you bring to a team as a whole, including abilities, leadership, character.
  • Provide full disclosure on injuries or other factors that can affect the decision in the “Additional Information” section. Inform of a desire to bring a spouse, of weddings you need to attend and will miss some time, of studies you need to go finish, a seriously ill family member, or any other previous obligations that may require you to return home temporarily or permanently. There is no point in wasting your or their time and in the end, some clubs will be willing to work around some things.
  • Include any get-to-know-you information in the “Additional Information” section. This includes education, academic achievements, hobbies, long term career plans, etc.
  • Make it easy to reach you by providing multiple ways to contact you, including your email, phone number, social media accounts.

 

Do your research, be proactive

 

With your Baseball Jobs Overseas membership comes access to hundreds of club profiles from around the world. We recommend utilizing this database to start reaching out to the clubs you want to play for in the leagues of which your background and skill set fit the best. The most efficient way of doing this would be in the following steps:

  1. Ask BBJO staff which leagues are the best match and are most likely to show interest.
  2. Do your research to find out which are the top clubs in each league, have the best facilities, the best locations to live, etc. Utilizing our blog is one way to do this but a simple Google search would also show up any of our blog posts that cover the club (if any). Also research the cost of living in each country, as the same offer in two different countries can have drastically different purchasing power (ie. Switzerland is crazy expensive whereas the Czech Republic is quite affordable).
  3. Once your profile is filled out completely and you have prepared a brief, but a concise message with a link to your profile, start reaching out to all clubs one at a time. A mass email is not recommended and a personal note with the teams’ names will make a big difference. To take it a step further, you can even congratulate them on their previous season’s success or the building of their new indoor facility, etc. Whatever you can find online to break the ice and show that you invested some time in their club.
  4. Make a spreadsheet with countries as tabs, listing each club with contact info, highlighting your favorites. Use the comment feature to keep track of when you contacted them and by which medium. Here is an example.
  5. Follow up through different mediums if you do not hear back. Persistence shows that you are a go-getter, but spamming can get annoying our recommendation is one message per medium, one week apart.

 

Inform yourself by asking questions

 

Ok assuming you have received some interest either through clubs viewing your profile and reaching out or through your proactive approach, the next step would be to inform yourself before signing any contracts. The most common mistake, both by the club and the import, is to rush into a deal without really making sure it is a good fit. We recommend finding out:

  • Where you will live inclusive with photos or video, location in proximity to the ballpark, grocery store and public transport.
  • Who you will be living with and if you have a private bedroom.
  • If the offer includes flights, salary or job, local transport and any other perks such as a gym pass. If a salary is paid, find out if there is an opportunity to earn extra income.
  • How many practices and games per week, games in a season, length of the season.
  • What the expectations are other than playing (such as coaching, field maintenance, camps, school projects, promotional events, etc.).
  • If the city and area is somewhere you want to live and can afford to live based on the income you will have coming in. Here is one of many “cost of living calculators” online.
  • The level of baseball by asking BBJO staff and watching any game video online.
  • Who former imports are and ask them of their experience. Often BBJO can introduce you to former imports so you can ask us first.
  • If there are any breaks in the season to allow for travel.
  • Which visa you will need to stay for the entire season. BBJO staff again can help you here as this can get complicated.
  • If they provide a written contract. Most clubs do offer one, but some clubs who are new to importing and do not speak English as a first language may try and keep it verbal. If not, strongly consider insisting that you will need one in order to play for their club. Things do get lost in translation so it is better to sort it out now, rather than 4,000 miles from home.

 

Get your foot in the door

Sometimes we receive complaints of our members receiving offers but then stalling in hope of a better offer in a better league. This is a difficult game to play as you don’t want to get stuck on the sidelines. In our experience, honesty is the best policy by informing the club in question that you are interested in their offer, but are also keeping your options open. They will appreciate the honesty and will then give you a timeframe in which they will need an answer. This can buy you some time to be proactive in reaching out to those leagues in which you have more interest and then make a decision as the deadline approaches. Once again, we are here to support in this decision and advise you according to your goals and our experience in your chances of signing in the higher league.

Getting your foot in the door overseas is the biggest hurdle. Once you are overseas and have proven your ability, and more importantly the mindset it takes to succeed overseas, future overseas opportunities start to flow in. With that being said, in the event you have not received ANY offers, offering to pay your flight to get your foot in the door is a route you can take. Clubs overseas enjoy the Walk-on list that Baseball Jobs Overseas provides, as it enables those with smaller budgets to import, while also allowing those with bigger budgets to bring an additional import. Many, many players have gone this route in the past, proven themselves and have gone on to receive offers including flights in concurrent seasons.

 

Dot the I’s and Cross the T’s

The last step is the contract which can be tricky when dealing with recruiters for clubs in semi-pro leagues, run by volunteers. Especially when they do not have a high level of English! Luckily we are here to support our Baseball Jobs Overseas members with a contract checklist and to review any contracts you receive. We also have a contract template we can provide your prospective new club if they do not have a contract already.

Agreements with clubs overseas can involve more than just playing and often come with coaching responsibilities. Also, recruiters and administrators with clubs overseas are most often volunteers and with varying degrees of experience importing. This is why we highly recommend that you get everything in the contract and do not leave any grey area. For example, consider this statement in a contract where they want you to assume a coaching role in their youth program:

The player is expected to assist with the youth program.

Then you arrive and they want you to be the head coach for the U18, U14, and U10 which encompasses 6 additional practices a week in addition to your own as well as attending youth games. This may be a bit of an exaggeration, but you obviously would need to get some clarity on this vague statement. We would want this statement to include much more detail and include which teams specifically you will be assisting with, what your role will be specifically, hours per week (if possible exactly when in the week) and lastly if you are expected to also attend games.

So in the end, too much detail is way better than not enough.

 

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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Globetrotters – Season 4, Episode 5 “Baseball eh? Okie Dokie” https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-s4-e5/ Sat, 23 Mar 2019 09:17:50 +0000 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=452048 Jimmy Jensen is back on Globetrotters along with teammate and fellow BBJO member Pete Gehle, both with the Saint John Alpines of the highly competitive league in New Brunswick, Canada. Baseball Jobs Overseas founder David Burns goes a networking trip to Okotoks, Canada, a hidden baseball paradise home to the one of the top summer collegiate baseball programs in North America.

YouTube Video

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Top 5 things to do overseas…. to prepare for life after baseball https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/top-5-things-to-do-overseas-to-prepare-for-life-after-baseball/ Mon, 18 Mar 2019 12:03:04 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=451887

This post is written by Baseball Jobs Overseas Career Counselor, Michael Calkins. To learn more about Michael and the service he provides our members, you can visit his bio here


Though this topic may be far less appealing than where to travel and what to see overseas, it will help ensure your transition from traveling the world playing baseball/softball, to joining the workforce is seamless.

While overseas, players often find themselves with an abundance of time. After going from 5 practices and 3-4 games per week in college, the more relaxed schedule overseas can often leave players wondering what to do with all the extra time…

Luckily for you, we’ve got you covered! Below we have listed 5 different ways to utilize your time overseas to set yourself up for a good transition back into the working world!

  1.       Graduate Degree

BBJO has partnered with Troy University to give you the opportunity further your education while traveling the world. More information is to come about the opportunities we now have for you to further your education while overseas, but for now if you wish to learn more, email me at M.Calkins@baseballjobsoverseas.com and I can get you more information.

  1.       Building your skillset

Traveling the world can be a unique conversation starter, but it doesn’t always make your resume jump out to hiring managers. While you have the extra time overseas, why not take some time to learn a new skill or two? The skills listed below, won’t only make you more marketable when you look to get back in the job market, but may even allow you to create your own side business while overseas!

·         Coding

·         Video production

·         Copy Writing

·         Graphic Design

·         Writing/Editing

·         SEO/ Data analytics

·         Digital Marketing

·         Translating

·        Excel/Word/PowerPoint

 

  1.       Get more involved with your team overseas

While we all know those early morning youth practices/games may sometimes feel more of a burden than a blessing, getting more involved with your baseball/ softball organization can be beneficial for you professionally.

Small organizations are often great to start a career because they allow you to get your hands on all types of different aspects of the business.

-Interested in working in digital marketing? Talk to your organization about becoming part of the social media team, some teams will even let you take over the entire account.

FACT: Long-term BBJO consultant Owen Reid volunteered as a digital marketer with Perth Heat back in the winter of 2012-13 while playing in the state league. This eventually led to a Director of Operations position with the Heat and a Regional Development position in Western Australia, jumpstarting his career in baseball off the field.

-Interested in working in Sports management? Talk to the organizations president about you taking on a larger role in scheduling the youth games, helping with concessions and coordinating the overall day to day of the field. You will gain marketable experience and may even be able to get some extra side cash for helping within the organization.

“Digital marketing director” has a bit of a better ring to it than “Baseball Player/Coach” ehh?

  1.       Working on your resume and professional social media platform(s)

No no, not your Instagram. Though I’m sure that’s on point right now with all your extravagant travel photos. The platform I’m talking about is LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is Facebook/ Instagram for professionals. And if you’re not on it, you’re missing out on possible job opportunities.

It takes minutes to set up and gives you simple step by step instructions of how to make your profile more likely to be viewed by recruiters and hiring managers. We will have a future blog post about the secrets to a strong LinkedIn profile, but for now just know that having a profile is better than not having one, so sign up and get yourself connected to a new world of possibilities!

  1.       Build your network and better your existing network

With all the traveling you will be doing over the next few summers with BBJO, you will meet many people who can positively impact your professional career. While you might think that a connection half-way around the world (literally) might not be that valuable, you never know what doors it may open for you.

The International Stars tournament team provides a great networking opportunity for BBJO imports in Europe

Since returning to the states, I have had multiple professional and personal opportunities stem from the connections I made overseas. These connections can sometimes help in the business world but regardless, they will always help make for a better international experience.

But…while you’re out traveling the world don’t forget about the people back home. Family and friends are important, you will realize that even more while living away from them for 6-12 months at a time. Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends and family to keep in touch, even the friends that you’re not close with.

After returning to the states, I had one friend help me get my job, and another help me find housing. No matter how far you stray from home, never forget your roots and never forget the people that you’ve met along the way. Building those relationships will be incredibly rewarding not just professionally, but personally!

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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4 tips for making the most of your overseas baseball (or softball) opportunity https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/4-tips-for-first-time-imports/ Fri, 22 Feb 2019 08:26:23 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=1716

Heading overseas to play ball soon? If so, this is a must-read.

In the weeks leading up to your first or next overseas baseball stint, there are some easy steps you can take to set yourself up for success no matter what level you will be playing at.

#1 – Fresh off the plane, roll up your sleeves and get to work. Regardless of what may not go well or how reality compares to what you expected, make sure to leave your mark. In our experience, the best way to do that is by being the club workhorse. Being a professional on the field is your job and is expected, but what we are talking about is the “over and above” stuff.

Jimmy Jensen is the epitome of the hard-working, clubhouse guy

Realize going in that the majority of the people (often all) behind the scenes in any club you sign with are volunteers, even in many pro leagues overseas such as the Australian Baseball League. Budgets are tight and therefore a lot of the work falls on the members of the club, including the players. This means field maintenance, game day preparation, youth coaching, school projects, camps, promotional events, and anything else that is involved in running a successful baseball organization in countries where baseball is simply not that popular. It is also very likely, that the local players are not paid a dime and in fact even pay an annual membership fee and in many pro leagues, they often do not make enough to live on and hold down a job on the side.

Long story short, the members of the club which you will be joining have worked a great deal and volunteered many hours for you to have this opportunity and are very proud of their club, so make sure to not take it for granted and offer to help wherever you can. Think of it this way, there are certain contractual obligations and there are certain volunteer expectations, that may not be written in the contract or even verbalized. So take the initiative.

#2 – Come with no expectations and an open mind. If you have signed an overseas baseball contract, it is almost with certainty that you will be playing at a level LOWER than the level you most recently played at. How do we know this?? First off, because where you just played and how you performed there is the benchmark of your current skill level that clubs overseas have to go on. Secondly, clubs overseas invest in players who they believe will dominate in their league, or minimally be a top 10 player and a good step above all of their local players. In order for them to guarantee that, they strive to import players who had recent success at a level they know is higher than the level of their domestic competition.

Also know that if you signed with a club in a market overseas where baseball is not the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth or in some cases even the twentieth most popular sport, that there will not be a lot of fan support nor big sponsors which in turn may have a negative impact on your pre-conceived expectations. So chances are there will not be many fans, with the exception of those few overseas baseball anomalies like in Regensburg, Germany, but the fans that do show up will think you are a baseball god. Also, facilities will also likely be at a lower standard than you are used to, however, it should be said that more and more new ballparks, clubhouses and indoor facilities are popping up across Europe in recent years.

To arrive with an open mind is to appreciate the subtle differences in the game in another country, to appreciate that the locals play it for the love of the game and not as a potential professional career and that the youth in the organization will look up to you as you would your favorite MLB player. To have an open mind is to realize that playing only on weekends provides you with ample opportunity to prepare for your post-playing career, to hone your skills in hopes of an affiliated contract, or even to experience another culture or country you otherwise never would have experienced.

Josh Wyant has used overseas baseball as a tool to first hand explore his passion of World War II History

#3 – Make a plan, set some goals, save money. In the weeks and even months leading up to the first or next overseas baseball adventure, we recommend preparing as much as possible in order to make this experience the best that it can be. Here are some key tips to consider:

Make a travel & baseball calendar – the first step would be to ask your new club to provide a season schedule and any other dates or events that you will be contractually obligated to be present. Or perhaps a simpler way to do it is to tell them that you want to do some travelling or sightseeing during the season and would like to know if there is a break in the schedule or specific dates which provide for some time to do so. This is important to discuss beforehand with your club so you are both on the same page as to when you will be gone. There have been issues in the past where imports plan trips without consulting with their club or have travelled too much and missed too many practices, games or other contractual obligations such as coaching youth.

Set personal goals – Due to the fact that many local players overseas hold down a job, study or even have a family in addition to playing baseball, the schedules are much lighter than college or professional baseball in the U.S. This combined with the fact that baseball is not a top sport in many of these countries, competitions overseas tend to be held on weekends mostly. Additionally, practices in most leagues are held three times a week in the evenings for 2 to 3 hours apiece. With all that being said, imports have a lot of time on their hands, time that can be used either to improve themselves or waste their time playing video games, watching Netflix or even worse, drinking daily. Many have had good intentions going in, but fall into the lazy or party trap because they had no plan. They were straight out of a college or professional baseball program with daily workout schedules overseen by personal trainers and coaches telling them what to do and when. Overseas, they are on their own and often find themselves overwhelmed with too much time on their hands and unsure how to manage it. Therefore preparing a workout schedule in advance is key to giving yourself the best chance at not falling into this rut. Some of our members have thrived in this environment as they were able to set their own schedule and really hone their skills.

Over the years, while in close contact with clubs and witnessing many imports come and go, it is pretty evident that those who use their time wisely tend to perform better and go on to have successful post-playing careers. Those that don’t often return home lost or are not invited back due to lack of performance and/or help around the club (see point #1). It is also known that the latter tends to fall back on baseball and their talent to avoid the real world and it is these players who will sometimes wake up at 30 years old in a panic because they know that their baseball clock is ticking and they have few post-playing-career options. It is for this reason that Baseball Jobs Overseas now has a Career Counselor in Michael Calkins, a former member who has returned home and is in the career counseling field. He is here to help our members enjoy their overseas career as long as they desire while preparing for the day they hang them up. If you are a Baseball Jobs Overseas member and could use Michael’s support, you can find out more about this free service here.

Save money – Pretty self-explanatory here, but it should be pointed out that to make the most of this experience, meaning do some travelling and enjoy nights out with new friends, you should typically have a supplemental cash supply in addition to your player salary. Of course in some countries like Australia you can work while abroad and make it possible to take your career overseas with little or no savings, but in European countries, the salary is usually too small to allow for much more than a basic standard of living. The exception, of course, is the smaller percentage of players overseas who are proven, successful professional players in top pro leagues overseas who earn enough to enjoy a comfortable standard of living.

#4 – Be an ambassador of the game. Leave your mark on the game overseas by embracing the role of “Ambassador of the Game”. This is simply done in combination with point #1, by proactively stepping into a coaching or mentoring role with younger players. In many leagues in Europe and Australia, coaching in addition to playing will be an expectation, so why not embrace it? By being proactive and getting passionate about it, it will only put you in higher demand overseas and in the least, you will be making an impact on the global game and possibly even inspiring the next international MLB star.

For anyone who has read this far and feels that they can tackle points #1 and #4 head-on, keep an eye out for our “2019 Ambassador of the Game” giveaway which we will be announcing in the near future.

Interested in playing overseas?

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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Globetrotters – Season 4, Episode 4 “Green & Yeller” https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-season-4-episode-4/ Mon, 11 Feb 2019 20:30:14 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=451019 Three BBJO members and a fourth import take use inside one of the fastest growing baseball clubs in Europe and a future French first division contender. The footage takes place in 2018, their inaugural first season at France’s top level.
We then head over to Austria to check in on Europe’s biggest invitational tournament which also features an open-air music festival and countless BBJO members.

YouTube Video

 

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Globetrotters – Season 4, Episode 3 “Baseball in the Alps” https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-season-4-episode-3-baseball-in-the-alps/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 22:13:29 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=450887 Four BBJO members bring us inside their lifestyle of living and playing baseball and softball in the Swiss Alps for the Lucerne Eagles.

YouTube Video

 

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Finkstonball XXII – Europe’s baseball & softball music festival https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/finkstonball-2018/ Wed, 30 Jan 2019 08:45:04 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=410691

If you can find your way to Attnang-Puchheim, Austria from June 7th-10th 2019, mark that weekend off in your calendar as “busy” and prepare yourself for the most epic weekend of baseball, softball and party.

Finkstonball is the longest standing invitational baseball tournament in Europe and is held annually at a small town of 8,000 in Austria named Attnang-Puchheim. From June 7-10, 2019, the host Attnang Athletics will celebrate the tournament’s 22nd anniversary, which has become recognized in international baseball circles as a party tournament and networking opportunity for import players playing around Europe. 

Over 2700 players from more than 110 teams from 24 different nations have participated in the past 21 years, mostly coming from across Europe, but also there will be the occasional tournament team of import players or a summer college travel team. 

In 1997, the Austrian club founded the tournament in an effort to raise money for a new stadium. Over the years the tournament grew in popularity and has drawn teams from 23 different nations over the years and in 2016 expanded to include fastpitch softball, making the evenings more interesting as you can imagine.

Known for late nights and early mornings, the tournament is unique in the fact that it mixes party with baseball and softball, allowing players from around Europe and sometimes overseas, to take a break from their regular seasons (and their lives) to play the game with no pressure while meeting people from around the globe who also live and die for the sport. This is not to say the games are not serious or competitive,  as demonstrated by the entry of a number of European national teams over the years.

Players, family, friends, girlfriends and wives all volunteer their time to pull off this big event every year, most left with no voice at work on Tuesday. Local Austrian band Wham Bam Body Slam headlines Saturday every year, setting the mood for the tournament with their self described “energetic folk-music with hints of Viennese waltz, old style Austrian folk, classic country and American folk influences. The singer’s rough voice brings out the punk roots of the band members.

Finkstonball was originally called “Pfingstspektakel”, translating to “Penecost Spectacle”. The named was changed to Finkstonball after I (BBJO founder David Burns), decided to create his own name for the tournament in 1999 when he was unable to pronounce it correctly. The name stuck and the A’s ran with it since it was a much more marketable name internationally.

Participants at Finkstonball have the option to sleep for free at a local school gym, using exercise mats as a bed, tent behind the ballpark or sleep in the camper vans in the big parking lot. In the morning, breakfast is available at the field and the coffee shack located directly behind home plate is a popular hangout for many of the players who had a few too many the night before. Oh, and don’t forget to grab a Philly Cheese Steak or Hot Dog at the bus shack, the best day-after food money can buy.

The opening ceremony and sideshow entertainment is another aspect which makes Finkstonball Finkstonball. Over the years we have seen BMX stunts, choreographed dance teams mixed in with players (see video), and in 2018, a parcour team. For the smaller fans, Wombl is always nearby handing out high fives, the inflatable batting cage is running most of the day, and the bouncy castle never stops bouncing.

With all that being said, if you are in Europe, whether you are a baseball or softball fan or not, you need to check out Finkstonball. Here are the highlights from 2018:

YouTube Video

 

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Annually our members sign over 200 contracts overseas. There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for players and coaches, both aspiring and established professionals.

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3 Major Reasons Baseball Import Players Go Home Early and How to Prevent It https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/3-reasons-imports-go-home-early/ Wed, 23 Jan 2019 19:26:23 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/internationalbaseballcommunity/?p=1230
Despite the drastic variations in levels of play overseas which offer “professional” (paid) opportunities to play baseball, there are many common factors that often result in a club releasing a player or the player breaking contract and flying home. We at Baseball Jobs Overseas over the years have gathered information on why players go home early and there are many commonalities. We have used this information to improve our service with the end goal of minimizing these occurrences. In the end, it is not good for the club, the player and the growth of the global game so if you are considering playing overseas, we suggest you read this article prior to committing to a club.

Here are a few observations and proposed solutions.
 

#1) Poor Performance

 
Most imports who are sent home early had not performed up to the club’s expectations. Poor performance can be chalked up to a number of things, but most common are:

Lack of self-discipline – Many college or pro players who go overseas often find that for the first time in their career, nobody is telling them what to do and when. They are so used to a daily workout schedule provided to them by their previous coaches, that when overseas they find out that things are different and they do not have access to the same coaching or resources they did back home. If they are not able to adapt and improvise to find a routine, they can get distracted by the lifestyle of living overseas and ample free time that comes with it.
 

Solution: Just knowing this and being proactive prior to arrival by coming up with a schedule and workout plan while finding out from your club what resources are at your disposal, will help you execute your plan.

 
Cultural differences – This is a tough one. When going to a country that is culturally very different, it can be a challenge for anyone, even a seasoned world traveler. Things may get challenging and things can sometimes be different to a point of discomfort and in turn, affect your performance. Also, baseball culture in itself can be quite different overseas and can vary greatly from country-to-country, club-to-club, and season-to-season. Some organizations will have a strong winning culture year-after-year while others may struggle to keep people consistently motivated in a country where baseball is a sport that traditionally does not provide much opportunity outside of its domestic league.
 
Solution: The key is informing yourself and preparing for this cultural undertaking. Take the punches in stride, as a life experience and roll with it, as opposed to dwelling on it. Tackle the challenge head-on by learning about where you are going and embracing it fully. The best thing to do from a baseball standpoint is to speak with previous imports about their experience within that country, club, and league and try and get a feel for what baseball is all about in that part of the world. In the end, suck it up and make the most of what is an experience that will last a lifetime.

 

#2) Poor Communication Prior to Signing Contract

 
This is often two-sided and can either be a lack of questions from the player side, and a lack of proactive information-sharing from the club side. Despite the enormity of such a decision as committing to live and play baseball in another country far away for an extended period of time, players often rush into signing an agreement without really knowing what they are signing up for. From the club side, most general managers in semi-pro leagues overseas are volunteers and can have varying degrees of experience in signing import players, which sometimes leads to unintentional omission of information that should have been communicated up front.

Here are the two most common communication breakdowns that we have identified:

Unrealistic expectations of what pro ball is like in the country the player signed in – This is usually a case of the player having a more glamorous view of what being a pro player in that country is in reality. In the end, professional baseball is not glamorous unless you are one of the top 0.5% of pro players currently lacing up their cleats. Overseas, there are so many levels which offer paid opportunities that you need to do your research before committing, especially if the level of play is a top priority for you. What happens on occasion, is that players who feel like pro ball in the U.S. has not been fair to them will have a chip on their shoulder, and when faced with playing in a league they feel is beneath them, egos will sometimes take over and their appreciation of the opportunity in front of them diminishes to a point of frustration. One important rule of thumb that many do not realize….. import players are brought in to be a dominant player in the league, which means the league most likely is at a level LOWER than where the player has most recently played if benchmarked properly by the recruiting club.

Misunderstanding of duties on and off the field – From the perspective of the club, they provide an import player with an opportunity of a lifetime, which is to see another part of the world and experience another culture all while playing the game they love at no cost to them (sometimes even banking a bit). From the player’s perspective, they envision themselves playing baseball, traveling, having fun, and that is it. However, in most leagues, that is not the case as clubs will expect the import to be involved in the club as much as the local players and extended family and friends, all of which are volunteers and put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the organization Even in most pro leagues, locals are paid very little and often work on the side. So with that comes expectations to do your share, usually contributing to the development of younger players, lend a helping hand maintaining the ballpark, setting up for home games, promotional events, etc. Sometimes, however, this is not always communicated well by clubs. Sometimes, import players feel they are above that and do not step back and appreciate what is in front of them.
 

Solution: This is where we come in, to guide you through all this, answer questions about the league, clubs, contracts, etc. We can also introduce you to former imports to the league and club so you can pick their brain. We also provide our members with a contract checklist of things to ask about so you can make it clear what is expected of you. The best advice we have heard time-and-time again from IBC podcast guests and former members is to “leave your expectations at the door and come with an open mind” or “Embrace the experience and assume the role as ambassador of the game”. Or advice is to ask questions until you have a clear idea of what you are signing up for.

 

#3) Lack of Due Diligence from Either Side

 
You know the old saying “Dot the i’s and cross the T’s”? Sometimes both sides of the import-club relationship need a reminder of this concept.  Here are a few of the most common mistakes that can easily be avoided:

  • Player wants to travel a lot but did not communicate it with the club beforehand. Ditches duties to travel, club is pissed, club sends home or withholds payment
  • Player arrives, the apartment has no internet, or there is an unexpected roommate. Player never asked, club never offered info.
  • Player is out of shape or recently had surgery and did not disclose to the club nor did club ask for a recent video or ask of any recent injuries. Club sends home within days of arriving. Not good for anyone.
  • Player has further studies they need to return for prior to season end. Club did not disclose the contract length, player didn’t inform club.
  • Import roommates don’t like each other or host family and import have issues.

 

Solution: Our contract list we provide members is a great tool for this. Also, come up with a list of game-changers that would make the situation bad or undesirable and ask questions to extract the information you need. Picking up a phone and/or skyping is a must before signing anything.

 

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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European Baseball Road Trip, Part 3: Bologna & Milan https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/eu-baseball-road-trip-part-3/ Mon, 07 Jan 2019 11:23:09 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=432081 In 2016, Baseball Jobs Overseas founder David Burns, along with two BBJO members playing in Austria at the time, take a road trip down to Bologna and Milan to visit with two teams in the Italian Baseball League. One team, Fortitudo Bologna, is a perennial league contender whereas the Novara Baseball Club, located 30 minutes out of Milan, was newly promoted to the league at the time and has since be relegated to the second division.

YouTube Video

 

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Picking the brain of Mark Weidemaier and his 30+ pro years including the MLB, KBO, MX and DR https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/mark-weidemaier-former-mlb-coach/ Fri, 04 Jan 2019 23:17:41 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=431965 The newest member of the Baseball Jobs Overseas database looking to take his career overseas, Mark Weidemaier, agreed to sit down with BBJO and share his knowledge and experience gained over the course of 30+ years in professional baseball, highlighted by two years working for Matt Williams and the Washington Nationals as the MLB Defensive Coordinator and Advance Coach.

Mark has held down a variety of roles in the game over his career (as highlighted in his BBJO profile), which included positions with the Kansas City RoyalsLos Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals and most recently with the Cincinnati Reds in 2018.

Mark has also spent a lot of time in professional baseball outside the U.S., most recently from 2016-2018 as the Scouting Coordinator and Coach for the Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). He also has experience coaching in winter leagues in Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. 

BBJO:

What is the primary asset you bring to a baseball organization, both as an administrator and as a coach?

MW:

Asset wise, as an administrator, I bring my organizational philosophies on creating a winning culture and environment for the owners, managers, coaches, players, and support staff. I coordinate the training aspect of the team, from Spring Training on. Make the daily work schedules (see EXAMPLE PICS I WILL FORWARD), and supervise the overall Management of the team.

As a coach, my expertise is as Field Coordinator (overseeing the total Player Development implementation), coaching the coaches so to speak. My level of expertise as an infield/outfield instructor, baserunning and hitting, from the lowest age level to the Major leagues. My ability to manage or coach a ballclub both professionally as well as on the amateur levels.

BBJO:

You’ve spent a lot of time overseas in a variety of roles between Mexico, the DR, Venezuela, and for the past two years in Korea. What is it about overseas baseball that keeps you looking abroad frequently throughout your career?

MW:

I enjoy the challenge of working abroad and teaching the great game of baseball to various groups and teams worldwide. Baseball is the most over-coached, least taught game in the world.

BBJO:

You have shown an ability to adapt to drastically different environments within a single year. The prime example of that is going from MLB Defensive Coordinator and Advance Coach for the Washington Nationals to coaching top level 14-18 year-olds in the DR within a year from 2015 to 2016. What skill set do you draw on or approach do you take to enable you to adapt to those changes while maintaining a high standard of coaching for the given level?

MW:

Whether it is the 14-16 age group or Major League players, there is one way to teach the game, not the “old school” or the “new school” the key is to teach from the “RIGHT SCHOOL.” Must be able to relate to the players and their various skill levels. Must be able to teach the correct fundamentals and proper techniques. Be able to keep it simple yet effective. The transfer of information in any language and to any age group is critical to the teaching process. The teacher must adapt to the level of student he is tasked with instructing.

BBJO:

Do you have any tips or hacks that has helped you in adjusting to living and coaching in countries where there is a completely different baseball culture, often including massive language and cultural barriers to overcome on and off the field?

MW:

When working as a Field Manager or Coach overseas, it is critical to remember you are in THEIR WORLD, certain ways they have of running the ballclub may be different than the way it is done in the Big Leagues or in the states, you must be able to adjust accordingly. As I was told in Mexico, ” nuestro mundo ” OUR WORLD, and to change their approach is often counterproductive. Learn to adapt and integrate your philosophies and coaching to the way the locals can relate to.

BBJO:

When considering all of the on-field and off-field roles in the game which you have undertaken, are there any that stand out as your bread-and-butter and why? Which was the most challenging and how did you approach it?

MW:

My “bread and butter” is the role of Advance Scout, Field Coordinator, Manager of a ballclub, and game planning ( quality control coach ). I have the ability to install and implement training from the scheduling to the actual on-field activities. I am a very good game planner and Manager. I am also well skilled in the scouting realm, all phases of scouting from player evaluation to actual team advance scouting. How to break down an upcoming opponent.

BBJO:

In your two seasons working for Matt Williams as the Nationals MLB Defensive Coordinator and Advance Coach, what were your primary takeaways of that experience for your own personal development as a coach?

MW:

My primary take away from two years coaching in the Big Leagues is the approach you take as an instructor is critical. First, you must earn the players trust, and go from there. The other critical aspect that I saw was the overall makeup and character of the players we had in the clubhouse. This is why player evaluation is so important and especially the human element of “eyes on the players,” qualified people have to watch the players and make evaluations. As one of my mentors, the late Bill Lajoie once told me, “character is not a statistic,” and cannot be found on a keyboard.

BBJO:

Everyone in baseball, whether as a player, coach, or administrator, dream of making it to the MLB. You managed to accomplish that. What would you say is your secret sauce that got you there? Feel free to brag a bit here!

MW:

Work ethic, the ability to communicate, and passion for the game. A commitment to excellence, and the stamina to pursue success. You must embrace the daily grind on and off the baseball field. Nothing worth working for, ever came easy and nobody said it would always be fair. You must inherit a dogged determination to achieve your goals and have a single-minded commitment to the daily task at hand.

BBJO:

Are there any particular memories of your experience in the MLB which stand out that you like to tell at family gatherings or to the grandkids?

MW:

Just the ability to smell the grass and work at all the great baseball Cathedrals (STADIUMS) in the Major Leagues.

BBJO:

We all know that succeeding in anything in life often takes persevering through adversity. Do you have a specific moment of adversity, or moment that humbled you, that you persevered through and in turn provide you with the confidence in the eye of adversity moving forward in your career?

MW:

Too many moments of adversity to describe. Just know you will fail often, the ability to get back up and keep moving forward toward your goal and the determination to never quit is paramount in the pursuit of success in professional baseball and in life in general. Once again, I go back to the fact that it takes a great deal of stamina to pursue success. The three E’s (energy, enthusiasm, and effort).

BBJO:

What are your goals in the game from here and how does overseas play a part of that?

MW:

My goal is to keep working in the game I love. To work overseas and explore new frontiers, Manage, coach and instruct in Europe, Australia, Asia or Mexico, and Latin America. Summer Leagues or Winter Ball, so that I may share my knowledge and love for the game worldwide. I have a tremendous amount of baseball wisdom to impart and can lead a team to a Championship season by providing excellent coaching and by installing a culture and environment that breeds success from the top down.

Any clubs in professional leagues overseas or top clubs in Germany or the Czech Republic that want to benefit from Mark’s experience are encouraged to reach out to him about potentially joining their organization.

For anyone that has interest, below are some PDF documents which Mark shared for the post.

Nationals Hitter Advance Scouting Report

Nationals Spring training morning workout example

 

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Interview with 7 year MLB pitcher and Baseball Jobs Overseas member, Josh Collmenter https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/josh-collmenter-interview/ Sat, 22 Dec 2018 10:41:13 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=431596 Former MLB pitcher Josh Collmenter became an official member of the Baseball Jobs Overseas website on February 19, 2018, after he elected for free agency four months earlier following a 2017 season which started well with the Atlanta Braves but eventually saw him outrighted to their AAA affiliate after a rough May. This ended a 7 year MLB career where Collmenter posted a 3.64 era and a 38-35 record over 695.1 innings pitched.

Collmenter reached out to BBJO in search of an overseas option where he could make a major impact, experience another culture, and look to work out some issues in hopes of another run at an MLB contract.

This audio interview has Josh as a guest commentator for the play-by-play of a December 21, 2018 game between the Adelaide Bite and his new team, the upstart Auckland Tuatara which is the first-ever professional team out of New Zealand which joined the Australian Baseball League for the 2018-19 expansion season. The 32 year-old has a 3-2 record and a 2.23 era for the 7-16 Tuatara going into the Christmas break on December 23rd.

YouTube Video

 

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European Baseball eBook: Part 1 https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/european-baseball-ebook-part-1/ Sun, 25 Mar 2018 10:35:20 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=406323 In this first part, we dive into the complex beast which is European baseball and the various levels of play which offer paid opportunities for the professional baseball player or coach.

In this first part, you will learn about countries rankings, schedules, levels of professionalism,  amount of importing, importing trends, backgrounds of imports, expectations of imports, compensation & contract, level of play in detail, visa laws and requirements and the import lifestyle. 

In part 2, we dive into more detail on each and every league. With many changes in 2018, this second part will be updated in the near future and made available to our members.

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Globetrotters – Season 3, Episode 1 “The Global Game” https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-season-3-episode-1-the-global-game/ Sun, 18 Feb 2018 17:15:57 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=404258

In this episode we visit three IBC members playing in South Africa, Jaz Shergill along with couple Chelsea Cohen and Tyler Krobetzky, all of whom are with the same club. Chelsea is playing in her 7th season overseas and met Tyler while playing in Adelaide, Australia. The couple have since played in Europe twice and Australia a second time together. Jaz is in his second season in South Africa and previous to that went from not playing pro ball to being called up to the Australian Baseball League in 2014 where he was also voted into the ABL All-Star game.

For the second half of this episode we visit two IBC members who are playing for team Chile. It all started when Daniel Catalan was listening to the IBC podcast about other members who qualified for passports in various countries and were able to play on national teams overseas. He realized his Chilean heritage likely qualifies him and soon thereafter found himself playing on the national team in 2016.

In 2017 he met fellow IBC member Nick Ruppert while playing for the International Stars at Prague Baseball Week in the Czech Republic. It was there he told Nick his story and Nick replied that he also had Chilean descent and sure enough, also qualified for a passport within a few months. This past winter the two played for the Chilean National Team together in the Dominican Republic and Panama and were able to snap some footage for us!

YouTube Video

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Literally travel the world playing baseball or fastpitch softball without spending a dime https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/travel-the-world-using-baseball-as-your-ticket/ Mon, 05 Feb 2018 19:26:26 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=3210

Accounting for both players and coaches in baseball as well as women’s fastpitch softball, as of December 31st, 2018, members of our website have signed over 900 baseball and softball contracts encompassing 26 different countries. Many of these members alternate between winter and summer baseball overseas, year-after-year.

Jimmy in Australia

“The International Baseball Community has given me the opportunity to travel the world to places I never thought I would see in this lifetime and keep playing the game I love.”

– veteran import player Jimmy Jensen on Baseball Globetrotters season 2, episode 10

FACT: For the summer of 2019, our members signed a record 221 contracts

We continue to expand within each of the countries listed above as well as into new markets. Countries which we expect to see more importing from in the near future are New Zealand, Canada, Japan and China. We also have initiatives in place to increasing importing in the Netherlands, Italy, South Africa, United Kingdom, Croatia, Bulgaria and Poland. 

Lisa in Budapest, Hungary

The large majority of signings has been in baseball however women’s fastpitch softball is growing rapidly and we recently brought on board veteran import player Lisa Maulden to lead the charge. Lisa has been overseas since 2014 and has played in Austria, Belgium, Australia, Hungary, New Zealand twice and the Netherlands.

Currently there is more demand for fastpitch softball imports than there is supply, so we have amped up our efforts to find more talented girls who want to extend their careers overseas.

You won’t spend a dime of your own money if you are smart

For the most part our members who sign overseas can travel the world playing the game they love without dipping into their own savings. Some even manage to save money during the winters in Australia since clubs there do not pay a salary but offer jobs earning $20+ AUS or more per hour, which is their minimum wage. Imports to Australia have worked full time, part time and casual jobs at sporting facilities, hotels, construction jobs, the list goes on. It all depends on the club, their connections in the community and how much you are willing to work to support your lifestyle while there.

Get started here!

Imports overseas who wish to make the most of their experience and do some traveling should bring their own savings unless they plan to work full time while in Australia and save up for traveling during the Christmas break and while they are in Europe during the summer.

Andrew playing for the Rouen Huskies

This IBC podcast episode 49 with veteran overseas import Andrew Medeiros is one of many podcast interviews on the Australian baseball experience. Andrew shares some detail on his set up and the cool job he had. Andrew worked all fall and then took a three week road trip to New Zealand with other imports in the league.

Outside of Australia, the typical monthly salary for the player with no or little pro experience will range from as little as a food stipend of $250-$300 U.S. per month up to $800 U.S. a month. The experienced professionals who have had a successful minor or independent professional career usually fall between at $800 and $2,500 per month with a few earning upwards of $5000 per month.

Want to know your chances of signing? Fill out this form and we will contact you with feedback. 

Those with European dual citizenship are in high demand in Europe and therefore typically get paid more than others at the same skill and experience level. If you have parents, grandparents or even great grandparents born in Europe, it is worth looking into by contacting the closest embassy of the country where they were born.

Another thing to consider is the cost of living in the country of the club which makes you an offer. For example, an offer from a club in Zurich, Switzerland for $800 per month is not the same as an offer from a club in Prague, Czech Republic for the same amount. Check out  cost of living comparisons at https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living before signing contracts!

Often within an offer clubs will include a public transport pass, performance bonuses, opportunity to earn extra cash, and/or free food at the clubhouse on games days and other events of which you are required to work. These are all worth asking about if you are on a tight budget and want to maximize your experience.

If you are a college senior or an established professional who has peaked in his/her career or was recently released, baseball overseas is a great option to continue your career. 

Questions?

If you have any questions about playing or coaching overseas feel free to email BBJO founder David Burns at dburns@baseballjobsoverseas.com

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What opportunities are there to play baseball professionally overseas? Guaranteed there are more than you realize…. https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/overseas-baseball-opportunities/ Tue, 30 Jan 2018 16:10:44 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=9214 There are plenty of opportunities to play professional baseball overseas for both the established and aspiring professional baseball player. Due to the wide spectrum in level of play overseas which offer paid opportunities, there are good fits for players out of the weakest of college conferences as well as for minor leaguers who have had long, successful careers.

This article will outline opportunities for players who are:

  • Established, successful pros
  • From high level college programs with little or no pro experience
  • From low-to-mid level college programs with little or no pro experience
  • Late bloomers, recently injured, misfortunate, and foreign talent
  • Have mediocre college success or no/few stats online 

The article is summarized at the end with some “rules of thumb” for gauging if playing overseas is for you at this point in your career.
 

Established, Successful Pros

 
For the established minor leaguers or indy pro players who have had a successful pro career but did not reach their end goal of the MLB, there are plenty of opportunities overseas to continue in the game and it really comes down to what you want out of it and your expectations of level of pay and play. For those with an open mind and are in it to help grow the game while traveling the world, the opportunities are endless. For those who need to play at a level close to what they are used to and are not very flexible financially, the options are fewer.

The established, successful professional fits well with top clubs from top level, first division semi-professional leagues and professional leagues overseas.
 

Professional Leagues

 
There are a handful of professional leagues in the summer which actively seek out and import the recently released or those professionals who are looking for a change and have decided to stop chasing the dream and see some of the world. There are also winter overseas opportunities for those currently playing pro ball and want to stay active in the offseason.

The Italian Baseball League (IBL) is probably the pro league of which we receive the most inquiries about for obvious reasons, it is a good league and Italy is one of the most desirable destinations to play baseball overseas. Other than Italy, the Dutch Major League (Honkbal Hoofdklasse) in the Netherlands is the only other pro league in Europe. These two leagues only consider those with a long history of success in indy or pro ball unless holding dual citizenship in Europe, something they hold in high regard as it helps avoid working visa complications and foreigner restrictions.

IBC Member Mike Hart got the call up to the Perth Heat of the ABL in 2018

The MLB originally owned 75% of the Australian Baseball League up until the 2016-2017 season when the Australian Baseball Federation became the sole owners. However the MLB gave the ABL the jumpstart it needed and it is now thriving with ABL.tv broadcasting most games, some high profile signings (Delmon Young, Mark Hamburger) and the addition of numerous sponsors.

The ABL has become a highly sought after winter destination for current affiliated players and in turn competition is getting tougher. The possibilities to sign directly into the ABL are few but the good news is that ABL franchises all utilize the state league first divisions to call up imports, and this has been an in for many of our members.

Below is our Globetrotters youtube series episode featuring members Max MacNabb and Louis Cohen from last year. Both were called up to the ABL and took full advantage of their opportunity. Both soon after signed pro contracts with the Orioles and in the Atlantic League respectively.

YouTube Video

The Shikoku Island League and Baseball Challenge League are two independent professional leagues in Japan which fit into the same level of play category as the previously mentioned pro leagues, however the difference between these leagues and the European Leagues is purchasing power. With that being said, these leagues can pay more, thus attracting seasoned professionals and with any remaining budget they spend on a handful they sign out of tryouts held in the U.S. and Japan. In the past importing was very minimal but every year they are importing more and more and as of recently, recruiters from these leagues have agreed to consider our top members without attending tryouts.

Sign up to take your career overseas here. 

Similarly but operating on a slightly higher budget level is the Chinese Professional Baseball League, which is the next league on the horizon that is looking to import high level professional players through U.S. based tryouts. 

Future prospective leagues for our established professional members may include New Zealand as the ABL looks to expand there and Latin American countries such as the Colombian Professional Baseball League.

Other pro leagues overseas (NPB, KBO, LVPB, etc) have their own scouts and affiliate connections and therefore are beyond the scope of signing our members sight unseen.

Top Level, First Division Semi-Professional Leagues

 

Former Minor Leaguer Terrell Joyce has played for top clubs in both Germany and the Czech Republic

These are leagues where local players pay to play, but the level is quite good, where clubs have been established for decades and have built up some wealth and operate in a professional manner with good facilities, resources, and highly developed local talent.

These leagues will see each club importing typically 2-5 professional players, typically with a successful minor league or indy pro background. Specifically, the first divisions of A-Pool Europe (Germany, Czech Republic, France). Spain was in the picture until recent import prohibition in 2018 left clubs only seeking imports who hold dual citizenship in Europe (or EU players themselves). Do not be surprised if this rule is thrown out in 2019.

The six state leagues in Australia are comparable to A-Pool semi-pro in level of play and importing, but do not have the financial power of the European clubs and therefore do not pay a salary but provide a side job at $20 AUS/ hour, their minimum wage. The beauty about the six state leagues, is that they act as farm leagues to the Australian Baseball League, which has provided a number of our members the opportunity to showcase their talent, leading to big time exposure and for some, affiliated or indy pro contracts.

Listen to this interview (above) with our former member Tim Brown who has had a long, successful career in indy pro ball and used Australian state leagues as an option to stay active during the winters while also experiencing the Australian culture.

High level Canadian semi-pro leagues are becoming more and more the choice for former minor league, indy pro or talented college players. The level is good and the “set-up” provides for a better standard of living than that of most European or Australian clubs. 

Pro corner infielder Austin Gallagher is loving his transition from indy pro to overseas semi-pro. He has played for top clubs in semi-pro Australia and Germany

The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) headlines this pack but other competitive leagues in Canada are following suit and have used our website to recruit imports.

It should be noted that clubs in these semi-pro leagues often have a wide discrepancy between the top and the bottom of the league in both level of play and financial capacity. Often the bottom clubs present an opportunity to the talented college grad who has not played pro ball or little of, but is not the ideal club for an established, successful pro player.

The pro’s that land on with the top clubs in these leagues are always happy with their experience because the experience has the pro “feel” to it, with more games than other semi-pro teams including and competitions at the European Cup against the top clubs in Europe which feature pro teams from Italy and the Netherlands.

For the pro player that did not see much success or opportunity and was released, the opportunities mostly lie within the bottom half of these leagues or within mid-level first division semi-pro leagues (D1 B-Pool Europe; Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Euro Interleague, Sweden).
 

Players from High Level Colleges with Little/No Pro Experience

 
It is no secret that number of talented college players from good college programs were either overlooked or not given the opportunity in pro ball they feel they deserved.

The so-called talents that “slipped through the cracks”. These are the players that often find a name for themselves overseas and that clubs overseas drool over because they are still hungry and they have something to prove, provided they have the right mindset for baseball overseas and do not get frustrated because they feel they should be playing at a higher level.

Sign up to take your career overseas here. 

These players typically start their overseas career in top level, first division semi-professional leagues (A-Pool Europe, Canada, Australian state leagues as described above) and sometimes work their way into professional leagues overseas or into indy pro or affiliated ball. Some decide to forgo the indy pro route and travel the world year-round for years to come at this same level before hanging them up.

Jack Shannon (University of San Diego) is an overseas veteran and IBC member who has traveled the world and in 2017 played in a semi-pro league in Canada. He had nothing but good things to say about his experience and the surprisingly high level of ball he experienced. Check out Jack’s Globetrotters youtube episode showcasing his experience.

YouTube Video

Some of these players perhaps had sub-par stats but because of the level they played at, will still receive good interest from high level semi-pro clubs overseas as well as from mid-level first division semi-pro leagues (D1 B-Pool Europe; Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Euro Interleague, Sweden)

 

Players from Low/Mid Level Colleges with Little/No Pro Experience

 
As long as a player has good, recent statistics that are verifiable online from a college program, they have a good shot at receiving offers from a club overseas, regardless of the college level they played at.

These players often receive offers from a wide spectrum of leagues ranging from lower ranked clubs in top level semi-pro leagues (described above), to mid-level semi pro (B-Pool Europe described above) down to second and third divisions of European countries. 

In fact, there are more total opportunities for college grads with little or no pro experience than there are for those who do, especially if they are open to playing at level overseas that is a low college level (2nd, 3rd divisions).

YouTube Video

Jimmy Jensen is a graduate of Menlo University (NAIA) who spent a year in the Pecos league where he was a top pitcher. He first took his career overseas to play in Austria (B-Pool Europe) in 2015 and after dominating the league created a name for himself. He has since played twice in Australia, in France, Germany and now will play in a top Canadian semi-pro league in 2018. Jimmy has received a number of professional offers from independent teams in the U.S. but has decided to continue traveling the world to places he has never been using baseball as his ticket. In this Globetrotters episode from 2017 Jimmy tells us his story.

Late Bloomers, Recently Injured, Misfortunate, Foreign talent

 

Czech pitcher Jan Tomek was our first European born member (Czech) and since signing up has played in Germany, Australia, and the Netherlands

Overseas is a great route for those who still have a lot to offer but their careers have taken a seemingly less-than-normal path that has left them on the sidelines. I say “seemingly” because you would be surprised how common it is to have missed entire college seasons because of an injury, family emergency, or because they took a back seat to some super stud. Sometimes they didn’t play college ball at all simply because they were not born in a country with the same opportunities in baseball, but yet are very talented. It is the overseas success stories of our members with these stories of which we take the most pride in.

So why is it that overseas can provide a path for these players? Simply put, because it is not just their playing ability that clubs value, it is also their coaching experience, ability to motivate, and sometimes just because they are a more affordable option with high potential ROI (return on investment).

There are countless stories of our members coming back from injuries through the overseas route. Most recently IBC member Dustin Ward won the German Bundesliga North Best Pitcher award in 2017, two years after TJ surgery and has since re-signed with his team. Dustin used Austria as his comeback start end worked his way to Australia and Germany. Here is an old story from 2014 of two pitchers who came back from arm injuries to play overseas with success.


Every year, more and more second and third division clubs from around Europe and Australia are looking to import players who not only can play, but are also passionate about making a difference and can make a massive impact on the development of their players from the youth upwards. It is a win-win situation as the club provides a foot-in-the-door opportunity for the player which can lead to offers from better leagues, while the club benefits from the talented yet knowledgeable player who is looking to jumpstart a professional career overseas.

The biggest lower division import markets are in Austria, Australia, Belgium, France, and Germany. There are also first divisions of countries which are a little less developed which provide similar opportunities such as Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, United Kingdom and Bulgaria.

 

Mediocre College Background or No Verifiable Stats Online

 

Josh Wyant plays in Europe every summer despite not having a very strong college background

If your college numbers are average or even above average but not jumping off the page, you often will not receive much interest unless you can add value in some other way. Typically IBC staff seek out added value by asking potential members who fall in this category if they have:

  • experience coaching youth
  • experience hitting if they are a pitcher
  • experience pitching, catching or playing shortstop, even as far back as high school since the positions are in higher demand overseas to fill with foreign talent
  • the ability to pay their flight and/ or a willingness to work in exchange for housing and a roster spot

The more boxes we can check here, the more chance they can get their foot in the door somewhere and jumpstart an overseas career.

Josh Wyant is the epitome of added value and has used his ability to pitch, hit, coach and pay his flight to find a niche for himself overseas and eventually receive fully compensated offers. Josh is going into his 5th season in Europe in 2018. He spends the winter working and saving money in order to fund some traveling during the summers during time off from the season.


 

Rules of Thumb

 
Playing “Pro” ball overseas is a different beast than pro ball in the U.S. and there are certain people that thrive in the overseas environment and some that don’t. Here are some rules of thumb to go by to help determine if overseas is the right answer for you at this point in your career.

  • If you are chasing the MLB dream overseas is not yet the route. Some have used it to get into affiliated or indy pro ball, but there have been zero cases to-date of imports overseas making it to the MLB.
  • Clubs overseas want players who will dominate, not just be good. Therefore you can expect to attract clubs in leagues of which you would be a dominant player, meaning a level likely lower than you are used to.
  • There is not a lot of money overseas, so do not expect to save much unless you end up with a top semi pro, EU pro, in Japan, or possibly the ABL. However you can expect to at least earn enough to cover your living expenses including flight.
  • Those who thrive tend to be leaders, who like to share their knowledge and want to make a major impact in the game wherever they go
  • Semi-pro leagues tend to want you to help in some capacity with the development of their payers, whether at the youth or adult level.
  • Most semi-pro leagues operate on weekends and practice 2-3 times per week.
  • In European imports are not permitted to work on the side unless they secure a work visa, which is not easy to do.
  • Expect to have more time on your hands than you are used to. A small saving for travel is recommended or come prepared on how you are going to spend your time off the field.

To get started on taking your career overseas today you can sign up here. For feedback on what your chances are and in which leagues, feel free to contact the CEO and Founder of the Baseball Jobs Overseas website, David Burns at dburns@baseballjobsoverseas.com.
 

Related articles:

 

Baseball overseas is a better option for pro’s than you may think

Professional women’s fastpitch softball overseas is a thing now for college grads

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Top 10 Signs Your Import Player is a Dud https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/top-10-signs-your-import-player-is-a-dud/ Thu, 11 Jan 2018 22:32:30 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=9140 As European spring training approaches, imports from around the globe will begin landing in Europe and settling in with their prospect clubs. Without a doubt, any club that has imported for a number of years has encountered some issues with regards to imports and more likely than not, some of the items on this list will be all too familiar.

 

#10

He won’t pick up a rake because it isn’t in his contract

 

#9

He doesn’t know how to boil water

 

#8

He is homesick after a week

 

#7

He asks for an advance on his first months pay

 

#6

He pimped the shit out of what he thought was his first home run

 

#5

He took time off for traveling within a week of arrival

 

#4

He messages in the group for a ride to practice when it is a 10 minute walk

 

#3

He is 60 pounds heavier than his profile pic

 

#2

He passed out in the clubhouse the night of the first home game

 

#1

He doesn’t shower after road games

 

Keep in mind that although this list was put together to make you laugh if you are in an import recruitment role, it was also a reminder to do your due diligence when importing a player. Just because their stats are flying off the paper doesn’t mean they are the right import for your club. Also, keep in mind, you can always use the IBC Scouting service as our experience in these matters can help to avoid disasters and maximize the value of your investment.

If you have any dud import stories we want to hear it, and if funny enough, they may just make the next top ten list!

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Globetrotters – Season 2, Episode 11 “Doppler Effect” https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-season-2-episode-11-doppler-effect/ Tue, 12 Dec 2017 15:03:52 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=9129 After winning the Baseball League Austria Championship with the Attnang Athletics in 2016, Steven Johnson and Ryan Rupp both re-signed with the Athletics with one goal in mind…..repeat. This episode highlights their 2017 playoff journey both on and off the field.

YouTube Video

 

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Globetrotters – Season 2, Episode 10 “Take a breath” https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/globetrotters-season-2-episode-10-take-a-breath/ Mon, 04 Dec 2017 15:13:01 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=9117 The epitome of a baseball globetrotter, Jimmy Jensen wraps up his 5th straight season overseas (year-round), this time with the Stuttgart Reds of the German Bundesliga. In this episode Jimmy shares his 2017 summer experience of baseball and travel while also reflecting on his journey overseas thus far.

YouTube Video

 

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European Baseball Documentary: T&A San Marino https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/italian-baseball-league-documentary-part-1-ta-san-marino/ Tue, 07 Nov 2017 19:53:36 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=8876 Every year the baseball club I play for in Austria, the Attnang Athletics, holds a four day spring training near Grado, Italy. The past couple of years I decided to stay after spring training and do an Italian baseball tour.

For the first tour, imports Jimmy Jensen and Melvin Perdue accompanied me. Out first top was the beautiful San Marino, an enclaved microstate surrounded by Italy. Not a member of the European union, San Marino has a comparable standing of living index to Denmark, the top ranked country in Europe in 2017. When entering San Marino from Italy, we found that there was a noticeable improvement in wealth and infrastructure.

During our stay in San Marino, we visited the Guaita fortress, the oldest of the three towers constructed on Monte Titano overlooking San Marino. Originally a prison, the 11th century Fortress was registered as one of the World Heritage Sites in 2008.

San Marino baseball club GM Mauro Mazzotti was kind enough to invite us for a tour of the ballpark and participate in an off-day open batting practice.

YouTube Video

 

 

 

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European Baseball Video Documentary Episode 2: A week of baseball with the boys in Prague https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/european-baseball-video-documentary-episode-2-a-week-of-baseball-with-the-boys-in-prague/ Thu, 14 Jan 2016 23:05:11 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=3383 In 2013 and 2014, numerous Baseball Jobs Overseas members who found jobs playing pro baseball in Europe were picked up by the International Stars tournament team to play at both Finkstonball in Austria and at Prague Baseball Week in the Czech Republic.

In the past I had not been able to make it to Prague Baseball Week and have missed out on meeting IBC members who I really wanted to have a beer with and I also missed out on what is said to be a great week of baseball and hanging out with the guys.

Luckily in 2015, I was able to make it for the first time and boy was I pumped. Head Coach Ty Eriksen and GM Boomer Prinstein were nice enough to offer me a spot as assistant coach. The time finally arrived and sure enough, I was under the weather. Nothing serious, but I had a cold and felt very lethargic. Not a good start. But what the hell, my job was to take video, coach some first base and drink beer, all things I was definitely up to (see the video at the bottom of this post).

After the 4+ hour drive from Austria, my Austrian teammates Melvin Perdue, Jimmy Jensen and I rolled into the hotel parking lot and immediately we see Joe Wittig, the best batter and hitter at Finkstonball a month ago, hanging out on his balcony. I could tell right away this was going to be a good week.

That first night was a pretty quiet one. Dutch pitcher Rick van Dijck met us at the hotel and took us out for a traditional Czech dinner. We left after a couple of super cheap Czech beers and some good food and we were back by midnight.

10 am came fast and we packed into the car and drove down the street about 5 minutes and were at the ballpark. It was my first time at the Prague Eagles complex and I was immediately impressed. A nice big clubhouse with a kitchen, bar, fanshop and a big terrace with picnic tables overlooking one of two well manicured baseball fields. Off in the distance was the main field and behind that were two youth diamonds doubling as softball fields.

Our dugout was crowded with many familiar names and faces I knew from my website and from Finkstonball a month earlier. In total, there were 32 on the roster and I counted 13 guys that were members of my website. Some of the players were not imports but were European players that played in the Czech Republic. The team was made up of players and coaches from the U.S., Japan, Canada, Australia, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Curacao, Austria and the Netherlands. Altogether, a lot of talent in the dugout no doubt.

Our game was at 1pm and first up was Great Britain. I had no idea what to expect. Given the low key nature of the tournament, they definitely were not flying in any ringers from the U.S. with British passports like they do for the EU Championships. There were not many memorable moments in this 14-0 blowout as the Stars cruised behind a 4 for 4 day from Melvin.

The second night was another early one. Maybe old age was catching up with me but I was tired from the post game beers and the big meal we had in town. Again we were back by midnight, but I am pretty sure it was a different story for some of the others.

Take your career overseas! Start here.

At breakfast the next morning there were a few red eyes and conversation was to a minimum. The 1pm start time was a luxury but was also probably a major factor in the decisions to stay out all night. But hey, why break tradition. The stories from the past two years were of partying all night and bringing home championships. Is it possible to pull that off again? We are a talented bunch but I know that the Czechs are major competitors and the national team will for sure be tucked in with lights out by 11pm the night before our game later in the week.

At the field we were up against a very young, but talented Czech U18 national team. If there is something that can be said about Czech baseball, it is that they can hit. However our pitching was too strong for them on this day as we held them to 1 run while scoring 12 ourselves behind the strong bat of the 2014 tournament best batter, Alex Lee (Ostrava Arrows) as he when 4 for 4 putting himself in contention for the best batter title again. Lee’s teammate with the Arrows, Polish catcher Paluch Przemyslaw, also had a strong game going 3 for 4.

On the third night it was time to stay out a little longer, but I was still not feeling tip top. But first, we needed some grub. About 12 of us headed to a popular restaurant called Vytopna in downtown Prague that is famous for bringing your drinks on a remote train that rolls right up onto your table. Nothing like having the best beer in the world served up on a mini train after a long day at the ballpark. Another heavy Czech meal, a few beers and an annoyed waitress later, we decided it was time to head into the Old Town to do a little sight seeing and have a drink. We eventually made our way to Hooters for a nightcap before calling it a night, much to the displeasure of my ex-roommate Scotty Mulhearn who was looking to have a big night.

Day three saw “zee Germans” come our way, but they were baby Germans as they also were a U18 national team. In previous years Germany sent their senior national team, but in 2015 it was the young ones. Perhaps their young faces were misleading as the Deutschlanders gave the Stars a scare and were actually leading at one point. The overconfident Stars were definitely underestimating them and were not in the best game shape that is for sure. Eventually the bats starting coming around led by Wittig (3 for 3) and Mulhearn (2 for 3). The Stars pulled out a 9-6 win to bring their record to 3-0.

It was our fourth night out and it was time to see what all this Prague Nightlife hype was about. Although way past my bar years at the age of 40, I had to show up for at least one late one with the guys. Plus all these early nights I was worried the guys might start thinking I was just going back to the hotel early for a Thai massage on the first floor (see right).

We started at a place that had half naked women dancing in cages, definitely something that screams Czech. Very crowded and full with baseball players. We spent maybe an hour there and then we were off to bar number two, a bigger bar with a big dance floor and again, very packed. Luckily, drinks are cheap in the Czech Republic, even in this touristy city.

From there we got split up a bit and I found myself in a hip-hop bar with some shady looking characters around. We didn’t stay there long before we decided it was time for a kebap across the street. That is when the kebap incident happened which is a story we will keep within the team.  It was time to get back to the hotel needless to say.

Day four brought on the one true threat of the tournament, the Czech Senior National Team. A very talented team with former minor league players and young rising Czech stars. Top pitching in the high 80’s with good movement and off-speed stuff. Lucas Hagberg (Therwil Flyers) and Alex Lee had two hits apiece but the Stars were unable to string together enough hits as they fell 3-1 in this pitchers duel. The Czechs sent a message that this three-peat was not going to be an easy one, something we already knew.

Our final night was a quiet one as the next day brought our first morning game against Planet Baseball USA, a travel team made up of recent college grads. The championship was a sure thing at this point and was to follow later in the evening at 6pm. The Stars were looking to find their stride after narrowly beating the German U18 team and losing to the Czech NT the previous day. That is exactly what they did behind 5 solid innings from Jack Shannon (Therwil Flyers) on the mound before giving away to relief pitchers. Jake Rabinowitz (Tempo Titans), Michael Stowers (Prague Eagles), Brandon Marshall (Cologne Cardinals) and Adam Greenberg (Lucerne Eagles) each had two hits a peice on route to an 11-2 win.

This set up the championship game against the Czech National Team, a much anticipated re-match of the previous year where the Stars beat the Czechs to win the tournament for the second year in a row. This year they were looking to three-peat and beat the Czechs in front of their home crowd again.

The Stars jumped out to an early 4-1 lead behind stellar pitching from Will Lee and were firing on all cylinders after 4 innings. The Czechs kept pressing with some small ball and shortened the lead to 4-2, then 4-3 and then tied it up on a controversial call on a third strike check swing that would have ended the inning. Instead they scored another run on the very next pitch on an error from the catcher. With the score tied, the Stars bats fell silent as they watched the Czechs tack on two insurance runs in the final frames to crush the Stars dreams of three-peating.

Despite the loss, Perdue won the best batter award (.667) for the tournament while Will Lee took home the best pitcher award. It was a great tournament and the players on the team not only made a ton of new friends in the international baseball world, they established networks that have helped many of them continue their baseball career overseas.

Check out this video in memory of that great week and as inspiration to others in Europe looking to join the team for 2016. (MISSING FROM THE VIDEO: Mitch Stephan. Sorry Mitch! But I got your nice double to the wall under the lights!)

YouTube Video

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European Baseball Documentary: Barcelona, Sant Boi, Viladecans https://baseballjobsoverseas.com/european-baseball-documentary-episode-1-spanish-division-de-honor/ Thu, 09 Apr 2015 21:41:12 +0000 http://baseballjobsoverseas.com/?p=2685

During a recent visit to Barcelona, I was able to catch two Spanish Division de Honor games and interview some players and coaches for this first of many European baseball video documentaries. The clubs I visited were the CB Barcelona, CB Viladecans (20 min from Barcelona) and Sant Boi (20 minutes from Barcelona). I hope to return to Spain for a second documentary to cover the rest of the league.

YouTube Video

Travel the world using baseball or softball as your ticket

Our baseball and softball members get paid to play or coach overseas year-round, mostly in Europe and Australia.

There are a variety of levels overseas which present opportunities for both the college grad and the established professional.

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