Herts Baseball Club has announced the appointment of Rob Jones and Kal Dimitrov as co-managers of the Herts Raptors.
Last year the team was managed by Geoff Thomas and Rob Jones, but at the end of the season Thomas stepped down. For the board of the club it has been a case of finding the right person to partner Jones who has done an outstanding job and whose presence gives continuity and an opportunity to build on the progress made so far.
Both Rob Jones and Kal Dimitrov has been a long-standing members of the club. 2015 would be Jones’ twelfth and Dimitrov’s thirteenth season with Herts. Their experience is expected to add value to the club’s fourth adult league team which is made up predominantly of players who are relatively new to the British baseball leagues or are playing the game for the first time. Their appointment also means that they will be added to the club’s board, which will be an extra boost for the club.
The Raptors had a record of 3 wins and 10 losses in last year’s Single-A League – BBF’s fourth league tier. There appears to be a change in the club’s approach which resembles that of the 2012 season. That year proved to be the most successful year in the club’s history when all four teams finished with a record of .500 or above in the regular season. Only time will tell if the Herts teams can produce the same performances as they did in 2012, but the signs at this stage of Spring Training are good.
The newly appointed co-managers have three weeks of Spring Training followed by three weeks of pre-season games in the Herts Spring League to assess their roster and turn it into a winning team for Opening Day on 12 April.