Category: Adult Leagues

14 March 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Countdown to HSL – first chance to see the teams ahead of the 2015 British baseball season

The biggest pre-season baseball competition in Britain is back. Commencing on March 21, the Herts Spring League (HSL) will see 20 teams compete over the 3 weeks of the HSL. Organised by Herts Baseball Club, it is Britain’s very own version of MLB’s Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues currently under way in the US, and it signals that the season is just around the corner.

FORMAT

The 20 teams will be entered into three HSL tiers. The top teams in the country from the National Baseball League and Triple-A Leagues will play in the HSL Majors. The HSL-AA is the second tier of the Herts Spring League. It will feature predominantly British Double-A League teams. The third tier is the HSL-A consisting mainly of Single-A teams.

The organisers considered the possibility of a tournament format, but ultimately adopted a league format in the same way as the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in MLB. “The objective of the HSL is to enable the teams to prepare for the new season and we have noticed that teams are increasingly starting to approach the HSL in the same way as MLB teams approach the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues” said HSL Commissioner, Aspi Dimitrov. He added “we have taken this into account when formulating the schedule putting greater emphasis on the preferences and requirements of the teams over the format of the competition”.

The teams finishing at the top of their respective division will win the HSL. The “games-back” column in the standings will be critical, but undoubtedly some teams will end up with the same record and so it may go down to the number of runs conceded per game to break the tie.

THE VENUES

The action will take place at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead and Town Mead Ballpark in Waltham Abbey, the home of the Essex Arrows and Essex Archers.

SCHEDULE

32 games are scheduled to be played on the three diamonds. The competition begins on March 21 with a clash between the Herts Raptors and the Kent Mariners in the HSL-A bracket. The HSL-AA and HSL Majors divisions commence 24 hours later when the 2014 Triple-A National Champions, Cambridge Royals, face the Double-A National Champions, London Mammoths, which secured their promotion to the Triple-A League this year.

Click to view full 2015 HSL schedule

EXCITEMENT BUILDING UP

The Herts Spring League adds a competitive edge to Spring training. It’s the time for managers to work out their winning formula going into the BBF league season. It is an opportunity to evaluate existing and newly recruited players – which players will earn a spot in the pitching rotation and who will be batting where in the batting order? Who will make the first team and who will have to work their way up with the minor league teams? Not forgetting, it’s a chance to size up your rivals for the year ahead. It’s the first big challenge and the first big excitement of the baseball year. Don’t miss it.

GET IN THE GAME

For more details about the event or if you are interested to give baseball a try in this competition contact Herts Baseball Club.

13 March 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

20 teams will signal the arrival of Spring in the 2015 HSL

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that 20 teams have entered this year’s Herts Spring League (HSL). The teams come from all British baseball leagues including the National Baseball League (NBL), Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A Leagues.

The HSL teams will be divided into three divisions as follows:

HSL – MAJORS
TEAM	CLASS	HSL RANKING
Cambridge Royals	AAA	3
Essex Arrows	NBL	1
Herts Eagles	AAA	7
Herts Falcons	NBL	2
London Mammoths	AAA	6
London Metros	AAA	4
Milton Keynes Bucks	AAA	5

HSL – AA
TEAM	CLASS	HSL RANKING
Brighton	AAA/A	2
Cambridge Monarchs	AA	5
Haverhill Blackjacks	A	4
Herts Hawks	A	6
London Marauders	AA	3
Sidewinders	AA	1

HSL – A
TEAM	CLASS	HSL RANKING
Bracknell Inferno	A	6
Guildford Mavericks	A	5
Herts Raptors	A	7
Kent Mariners	A	4
London Musketeers	A	1
Milton Keynes Coyotes	AA	2
Tonbridge	A	3

SCHEDULE AND FORMAT

The HSL will be played over three weeks commencing on the weekend of 21 and 22 March and ending on 4 and 5 April. The HSL format and games schedule are expected to be announced shortly and hertsbaseball.com will bring this and all other HSL news as they happen.

12 March 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts add Vasquez to the roster

Moises Vasquez has completed his move to Herts Baseball Club.

The Dominican infielder played last season with the Harlow Nationals in the National Baseball League and prior to that with the Richmond Knights and the Leones de Feltham. He is the third former Harlow Nationals player to join Herts this Spring after Maikel Azcuy and Robbie Almanzar.

Herts fans remember Vasquez well. He hit two home runs against the Falcons in the heart-breaking 6-5 defeat against the Nationals in June 2014. Thankfully he will be wearing a Herts uniform this season.

His NBL career batting average stands at .317 with slugging average of .512 so it looks like Herts have added another productive right-handed batter to the lineup.

He has already met his new team mates in Spring Training and he would have seen several familiar faces among them. Vasquez is expected to play his first game for Herts in the upcoming Herts Spring League which is a pre-season competition ahead of the league Opening Day on 12 April.

8 March 20158 March 2015 by Daniel Levitt

Herts Falcons announce the acquisition of the 2012 NBL best pitcher

Pitcher Robbie Almanzar facing Falcons slugger Ryan Bird in game 6 of the 2012 National Championship Final

The Herts Falcons have announced the signing of left-handed pitcher Robbie Almanzar.

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Almanzar is entering his fourth season in the National Baseball League, having spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons with the Harlow Nationals followed by a brief spell with the Essex Arrows last year.

In his NBL debut season he burst onto the scene scooping the Most Valuable Pitcher Award after a remarkable debut season. He led all of the key pitching categories including Most Wins (9 wins 0 losses), Most Strike-Outs (52), Best ERA 3.36, Best WHIP (1.17) and Most Innings Pitched (72).

TEAM	SEASON	W	L	ERA	CG	IP	SO	SO/9IP
Harlow Nationals	2012	9	0	3.36	8	75	52	6.2
Harlow Nationals	2013	1	4	6.75	2	29 1/3	18	5.5
Essex Arrows	2014	0	0	0	0	2/3	0	0

Source: Project COBB

Herts fans remember him well after he broke their hearts in game 6 of the National Baseball League Championship Final. He won that game 6-3.

Robbie Almanzar (left) trying to get to first base in the 2013 National Championship Semi-Final (photo by Richard Lee)

He added to Herts Falcons’ misery a year later when the two teams met again in the playoffs, this time in the National Semi-Final. The game finished 9-8 with Almanzar once again pitching a complete game to claim the win.

Although NBL fans mostly recognise him for his pitching achievements, he has impressive batting stats with career batting average of .281, slugging average of .378, including one home run, which was a grand slam against the Essex Redbacks in May 2013.

TEAM	SEASON	R	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBA	SLA	PA/SO
Harlow Nationals	2012	24	1	10	6	0.338	0.44	0.463	12.1
Harlow Nationals	2013	14	0	5	6	0.216	0.32	0.275	15.3
Essex Arrows	2014	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	4

This news is a major boost for Herts ahead of the new season. With 2014 NBL Most Valuable Batter and Most valuable Pitcher, Abel Salas, making the move to the USA, the Falcons were desperate to add to their roster. The additions of Maikel Azcuy and Robbie Almanzar are two major acquisitions which have put the team straight back in the NBL race.

Falcons fans are expected to see both new signings make their Spring Training debuts when the Herts Spring League commences later this month.

By Daniel Levitt @DanielLevitt32

2 March 20153 March 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Difficult opponents for Eagles, Hawks and Raptors on Opening Day

The British Baseball Federation has published the games schedules for the three minor league tiers below the National Baseball League.

TRIPLE-A LEAGUE

The Herts Eagles will face some familiar opponents in the Triple-A League. The only change from last year’s lineup is the promotion of the London Mammoths from Double-A after their triumphant year. Hove Tuesday have been re-branded as the Brighton Baseball Club, with the Brighton Bulldogs retaining their Triple-A spot. The division will adopt a 24-game schedule, with each team playing home and away doubleheaders.

The Eagles will open the season with a very difficult home doubleheader versus the 2014 runners-up, London Metros. The game will start at 1pm immediately after the first game in the NBL Opener between the Herts Falcons and the South London Pirates.

Newly appointed Herts Eagles managers, Arnie Longboy and Jake Caress, will be keen to find out the playoff qualification process as the team goes into the season with one more year of baseball under their belt and in a more upbeat mood compared to 2014.

SINGLE-A LEAGUE

The BBF’s Single-A League will be contested across three evenly-sized pools consisting of five teams each. Teams will play each other once, with a balance of home and away fixtures.

Herts will be represented by two teams in the Single-A League this year. The Herts Hawks find themselves in a division with Brentwood Bucks, Essex Archers and Forest Glade Redbacks and Haverhill Blackjacks. The Herts Raptors are in a division with the Old Timers, London Marauders, Richmond Dukes and Bracknell Inferno.

The Hawks will start their season on the road against the 2014 Single-A national runners-up Haverhill Blackjacks. This would be the first ever meeting between the two teams.

The Raptors will have to wait an extra week for their season opener at home against Tonbridge on 19 April. This may work in their favour as newly appointed joint-managers Rob Jones and Kal Dimitrov will have an extra week to prepare the team.

28 February 201528 February 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Managerial duo to guide Herts Raptors in the Single-A League

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.

25 February 201510 June 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Baseball is coming to North West London

Herts Baseball Club has been awarded a £10,000 grant from Sport England to launch the club’s branch in North West London and give the local community an opportunity to play baseball.

Herts Baseball Club has been based at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead since it was founded in 1996. It has grown into one of the biggest baseball clubs in the UK with eight teams playing in the various adult and youth leagues of the British Baseball Federation. In 2013 the club recognised that in order to accommodate the growing number of new players who want to play baseball, the club needed to expand.

“30% of our members are based in North West London and our data also showed that we receive many enquiries from potential new members from that part of London, however many of them have not been able to start playing because the public transport connections from North West London to our ballpark in Hemel Hempstead are very poor” said cub President, Aspi Dimitrov. He added that “currently there is no other club located in the North West quadrant of London which offers adult and youth baseball so the natural progression for the club was to expand by establishing a branch in this densely-populated area.”

This project would not be possible without the £10,000 grant awarded by Sport England as part of its National Lottery-funded Small Grants programme. The funds will be invested in launching the new branch with various open events for the local community to try baseball and start to play regularly in the youth and adult leagues at regional, national and even international level. The grant will also fund taster sessions and other activities in local schools to promote the new baseball programme among students.

With support from the London Borough of Barnet the club’s new diamond in North West London will be located at West Hendon Playing Fields. Dr. Matthew Offord, Member of Parliament for Hendon, welcomed the news and said “Sport England has made a tremendous bequest to our area by making this award. Baseball is not a traditional game of the UK but there is not only a great appetite for different type of sports but it also presents an opportunity for people of different backgrounds to come together and be united in the games. I look forward to visiting the diamond and perhaps swinging a bat myself.”

The venue has good bus, train and London Underground connections. It is also in the M1 corridor just a 25-minute drive from the club’s other ballpark in Hemel Hempstead which opens up the opportunity for interaction between the two branches.

Events will begin this month with open sessions for youth and adult players at the fantastic sports facilities of Middlesex University (click here for more details on how to take part in upcoming open sessions). The adult and youth baseball leagues will then commence in April and May when we will see the first baseball games played at the club’s new ballpark in West Hendon.

“We are very excited to be bringing baseball to North West London and we hope to repeat the success of our existing programme in Hemel Hempstead which would mean that boys and girls, men and women of all ages, from beginners to elite players, will be able to play this fantastic sport, stay fit and healthy and become part of the Herts Baseball family and the wider British Baseball community” said Aspi Dimitrov.

With the prospect of Major League Baseball coming to London in 2016 to create a similar extravaganza as the NFL international series at Wembley Stadium, Herts Baseball Club hopes that this project will help increase the size of the club by fifty per cent in time for the arrival of MLB in London.

For more information about the project, the club or playing baseball with Herts contact us.

13 February 201512 February 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Record-chasing Azcuy to play under the manager who robbed him of a legitimate home run

Ever since the announcement of GB slugger Maikel Azcuy joining the Herts Falcons, the club has been buzzing with anticipation. Can he help the team get back in the title race? Which spot will he take in the batting order? Will the Grovehill Ballpark outfield dimensions suit him? These are just some of the questions ahead of the new season, but there is also a NBL record on the line. Azcuy currently has 33 career NBL home runs and in 2015 he could potentially overtake the all-time record-holder Simon Pole who is on 35.

We all remember the excitement of the home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa as well as Barry Bonds breaking Hank Aaron’s record 733 MLB career home runs. Azcuy versus Pole is unlikely to get the same media coverage, but it will be followed with interest by fans of British baseball.

Little-known incident dating back to 2011 didn’t generate much media coverage at the time, but it has suddenly gained significance now that Maikel Azcuy has joined Herts and is so close to breaking the record. The Falcons were the visitors on a hot day in Croydon as they faced the Pirates in a key NBL doubleheader. Maikel Azcuy was playing third base for the Croydon Pirates. Lee Manning, was the catcher for the Falcons on the day and, as the Herts Falcons manager, Azcuy will be playing under Manning’s management in 2015. We spoke with both of them to help us reconstruct the incident.

What do you remember from that NBL game between the Croydon Pirates and Herts Falcons in 2011?

Lee Manning: I remember it like it was yesterday. Jose (Sosa) was on the mound for Croydon sitting us down in order. It was a tight ball game and Maikel was a hard out, as he always is. I think this play was the only time we got him out the whole day. I was catching and called for a low outside curve. It was a ball low and away. Maikel crushed the ball over the right field wall. The Pirates went crazy as the ball landed in the car park – a massive homer. As he was rounding the bases I nicely asked the umpire to watch him touch the bases and home. When he came home his teammates were jumping all over him and home plate, like he just hit the game-winning dinger in game seven of the World Series. We made the appeal and I think the umpire called him out on a rule about the on-deck batter touching or entering the batter’s box before the hitter crossed the plate. We went on to win the game by one run. I must say that Maikel was class. He sat down and let his manager do the talking. I apologised after. He didn’t seem to mind and we had a laugh about it.

Maikel Azcuy: What I remember most from that game is that I hit a home run and Lee appealed because I didn’t step on the home plate. It was a really good game. The moment I hit that home run it was something special for me because we could have won the game but we lost by one run at the end.

Most players would be angry when a perfectly legitimate home run is taken away from them, but you did not dispute the decision and were the calmest player in the ballpark. How did you manage to keep your composure?

Maikel Azcuy: To be honest, I was really disappointed because I couldn’t believe the umpire called me out and took the home run away from me, especially in a situation where we could have won the game. I remember that after the home run I sat on the bench. I saw Lee and my manager talk to the umpire and then my home run was cancelled. I felt that was a bit silly because I never heard of this happening before. I stayed calm because I knew I could not do anything about it.

Maikel is one of the most liked players in the NBL and he is a rare case where opponents really like him despite the fact that he is a formidable opponent. At the time of the incident did you feel bad having to take away a perfectly legitimate home run from a nice guy like Maikel?

Lee Manning: I was interested in winning the game and I couldn’t see if he touched the plate with 12+ players jumping on top of him. I think it ended the inning and when I sat down I felt awful. I apologised once I got to third base the following inning. I’m still surprised I didn’t get beamed during my next at bat. We laughed about it after the game.

When the 2015 season starts there will be a lot of media attention to see if you will set the new all-time home run record. Is this likely to play on your mind when you step up to bat or do you have a way of separating yourself from this?

Maikel Azcuy: When the 2015 season starts I think I will be fine because I have been playing this game for a long time. Of course I am very happy to be only three home runs away from breaking the NBL home run record. I’m the kind of person who never thinks about hitting a home run when I go up to bat, because hitting a home run is difficult to predict. I’m always trying to get a good pitch and hit the ball very hard, and I’m pretty sure it will be the same next season.

Grovehill Ballpark has some of the shortest home run distances in the NBL. Where do you usually hit your home runs, left field, left-centerfield, centerfield, right-centerfield or down the right field foul line?

Maikel Azcuy: I think most of my home runs at Grovehill Ballpark were to the right-centerfield.

Lee, we know you feel bad about taking away that home run. Is there something that you as Falcons manager can do to help Maikel reach the all-time NBL home run record quicker? Perhaps bringing in the outfield wall in left field?

Lee Manning: In our ballpark I’m sure Maikel can hit double digits. We’re working hard on strengthening the team and have Cris and Jose who could hit fourth in the batting order. We need runners on the bases so the pitcher has to pitch to Maikel.

12 February 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

2011 Herts Falcons MVP is back in a Herts jersey

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.

11 February 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

2015 HSL dates announced

The Herts Spring League (HSL) has confirmed the game dates for the 2015 edition of the competition*.

HSL (Week 1 of 3)
Sat, 21-Mar-15
Sun, 22-Mar-15

HSL (Week 2 of 3)
Sat, 28-Mar-15
Sun, 29-Mar-15

HSL (Week 3 of 3)
Sat, 4-Apr-15
Sun, 5-Apr-15

Spring is the time when managers put together their teams and aim to turn them into winning machines ahead of Opening Day. Similar to the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in MLB, the HSL provides a competitive edge to spring training. This is the eighth year of the HSL. Every year this competition keeps growing. The geographic spread of participating teams seems to be expanding as well. For more details visit the HSL site.

LEAGUE FORMAT

Teams will be placed in two or more divisions (HSL Majors and HSL Minors) based on the teams’ ranking going into the new season. The exact format will depend on the number of teams entering the HSL and the availability of venues, therefore full details will be published when the league line-up is confirmed.

TEAMS

Over the years the HSL has featured teams from the National Baseball League (NBL), Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A Leagues, as well as international teams such as the GB Under-19 and Under-16 National Teams and the ASL Eagles.

“The number of team entries has been going up every year. Last year we somehow managed to fit all of the entrants, however in 2015 we have to be mindful of the fact that we may once again reach our full capacity and we may have to restrict team entries when we reach that level again.” said HSL Commissioner, Aspi Dimitrov.

The addition of U17 league teams in previous years has worked very well. The high standard of most of the BBF U17 League teams will certainly enable them to comfortably compete at the level of adult teams from the Double-A and Triple-A League teams, or perhaps even NBL.

Teams from around the United Kingdom will be submitting their entries over the next few weeks and the HSL lineup and games schedule is expected to be published in early March.

* – The HSL dates are based on the indication that the BBF season will start on April 12. If these dates change the HSL may make adjustments where necessary.