The Herts Falcons may have a week off from NBL action but they have been busy in the transfer market again. They welcome back Great Britain Under-23 National Team infielder Luis Goncalves.
The 21-year old made his debut for Herts in 2008 when he was just 14. When he came for his first Herts training session alongside his father, Humberto, the Herts coaches were amazed at how advanced he was at such a young age so it was an easy decision to immediately add him to the Herts senior league teams. In that first season he was awarded the Herts Hawks (Double-A League) Infield Gold Glove and Rookie of the Year awards. He quickly progressed through the Herts ranks and made his debut in Britain’s top league, the NBL, in 2009 with the Herts Falcons, age 15. In his first and second seasons in the NBL he was awarded the Herts Falcons Infield Gold Glove twice and led the team in stolen bases in 2009.
After two seasons with the Falcons in the NBL, Goncalves moved to the Harlow Nationals with whom he won three consecutive NBL national championships between 2011 and 2013. His outstanding fielding abilities were recognised in 2012 when he was selected in the NBL Team of the Year at second base, which is the equivalent of MLB’s Gold Glove Award.
|
TEAM |
SEASON |
AB |
R |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
BA |
OBA |
SLA |
|
Herts Falcons |
2009 |
47 |
10 |
0 |
7 |
13 |
10 |
0.191 |
0.365 |
0.213 |
|
Herts Falcons |
2010 |
71 |
16 |
0 |
9 |
9 |
6 |
0.282 |
0.369 |
0.324 |
|
Harlow Nationals |
2011 |
71 |
25 |
0 |
12 |
16 |
10 |
0.254 |
0.391 |
0.324 |
|
Harlow Nationals |
2012 |
78 |
16 |
0 |
7 |
10 |
7 |
0.269 |
0.356 |
0.321 |
|
Harlow Nationals |
2013 |
64 |
18 |
0 |
7 |
9 |
6 |
0.234 |
0.347 |
0.344 |
|
Harlow Nationals |
2014 |
27 |
8 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
0.259 |
0.355 |
0.444 |
Source: Project COBB
Since 2013 Goncalves has been a member of the Great Britain Under-23 National Team.
“Everyone at the club has missed Luis and his family over the last few years, but he is back at Herts now” said Herts Falcons manager, Lee Manning. This will be tremendous news for Herts fans as Luis Goncalves was a fan favourite in his first spell with the club. This is another top class addition to the Herts Falcons roster which puts them in a good position to fight for a place in the NBL playoffs.