Herts have received a boost ahead of the new baseball season with the news that Sri Lanka national team player Mahendra Prasad is back in London and will be making his return in a Herts uniform.
He joined Herts in 2010. In that first season he was part of the Herts Eagles team which finished third in the Triple-A National Championships after a heartbreaking loss to the Oxford Kings. Prasad’s outstanding performances were recognised with three end-of-season awards – Home Run Champion, Outfield Gold Glove and Most Stolen Bases.
In 2011 he was added to the Herts Falcons roster in the National Baseball League. He felt very much at home moving up to Britain’s top league. In a difficult season for the Falcons, Mahendra Prasad stood out and was deservedly voted the Herts Falcons 2011 Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was also awarded the Outfield Gold Glove.
His batting average during the 2011 NBL season was .277 and on-base average of .393, slugging average .447, 5 stolen bases and 1 home run.
In 2012 Prasad left the UK, and the club has missed him, but he is back now. Defensively he will bring a gold glove to the outfield with outstanding speed and range. His speed will also help the team offensively. At first sight he may not have the body structure of a home run hitter but in previous seasons he has punished pitchers hitting one or two home runs per season. It will be interesting to see if Mahendra Prasad has changed as a player since 2011.
He will be reporting for Spring Training shortly where he will see many familiar faces, and some new ones.