A compilation of images from the 2014 Herts Baseball season involving all of the club’s adult and youth teams. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the outstanding photographers who manage to capture and preserve these moments.
Category: Featured
Slater and Russell triple play is Best Play of 2014
Herts fans have been voting over the last few weeks and they have determined that Andrew Slater and Nick Russell’s 3-6 triple play was the Best Play of the 2014 baseball season.
It happened on Opening Day, 13 April 2014, in a Double-A league game between the Herts Hawks and the eventual national champions, London Mammoths. With runners on first and second and no one out, the ball was hit sharply on a frozen rope to first base where Andrew Slater caught it for the first out. Without hesitation he stepped on first base for the second out and then threw to Nick Russell at second base for the third out with runners in both cases desperately diving back into the bags but unable to stay alive.
Zac Malone’s 2-3 double play versus London Mets in the NBL was one of the contenders for Play of the Year (photo by Paul Holdrick)
Even as early as April, both Slater and Russell were confident that this rarest of defensive plays in the game of baseball will be votes Play of the Year. This was despite facing some stern competition from Zac Malone (2-6 double play from his knees in extra innings vs London Mets), Cris Hiche (grand slam vs London Mets on Opening Day in the NBL), Carlos Casal Jr. (outfield catch on his horse vs Southampton Mustangs) Joseph Osborne-Brade, Takaya Miki and Ilya Dimitrov (all three with diving or leaping outfield catches) and again Cris Hiche (acrobatic line drive catch at first base in the Hunlock Series Final).
The 2014 Nob-Out was awarded to Ralph Bartholomew for trying to retrieve a ball stuck high up on the backstop fence using a bat, only to lose the bat in the process by lodging it up onto the backstop.
Raptors get their rewards
The winter weather means different things to different people. For those of us in the baseball world, it means a bit of rest for aching bones, and it also means awards! Herts Baseball Club is looking back on the season and handing out the silverware.
For the Raptors, who battled to 3 wins in the Single-A league, there were plenty of heroes both old and new. After a close-run vote, the players chose Michael Cresswell as their MVP for 2014. In his third year with Herts, this was a well deserved honour. Not only did he lead key categories, as you will see below, Cresswell was also among the team leaders in others.
Joint manager Rob Jones said: “Mikey was part of everything this year. Above and beyond the stats, he had the x-factor that you need to compete and drive on your team-mates.”
And so here, to complete the picture, is the full list of Raptors winners. There are no actual trophies — this is the age of austerity after all — but raise a glass to them all.
Best pitcher – Michael Cresswell. The young lefty never even expected to be a starting pitcher when the season began, but he became the most reliable go-to guy as the Raptors searched for leadership from the mound. His consistency improved further from his pitching debut in 2013, and by the year’s end he had achieved the best ERA on the staff and the best K/BB ratio. An almost flawless pickoff move — which claimed numerous victims — only added to his achievements for the year.
Infield Gold Glove – Jamie Lang. The long-suffering Mets fan missed part of the year due to a visit to the United States, but either side of that he was a solid figure in the middle of the infield defence. He ended with more than a dozen assists and got the honour of securing the final out of the year at the Essex Redbacks.
Outfield Gold Glove – Joseph Osborne-Brade. A classic story of an impressive return from injury. After missing the entire 2013 season following a broken leg, Joseph stamped his authority on the Raptors outfield in 2014. He took a series of spectacular catches – including one at Essex which was nominated for play of the year – and perhaps even more importantly he was a safe pair of hands in every inning.
Batting title – Rob Jones. The team’s co-manager played in more games than usual in 2014, and used them to fight to another .500 year with the bat. He might have moaned publicly about his batting in July, but in fact the stats showed him with the most hits and the most runs, and the highest average (based on a minimum of 15 PAs).
Most RBIs – Tomasz Kosak. The Warsaw Express – in what turned out to be his final year with the Raptors – claimed the title with the help of big offensive outbursts against Tonbridge and at Haverhill. It’s a trophy which caps years at Grovehill which saw a big impact from a big character.
Stolen Base King – Michael Cresswell. A close-run thing (terrible pun intended) on a team with many keen base thieves…. but our leading pitcher also racked up the most steals. Honourable mention should go to Jeff Witter, who was in the mix despite the fact that some might think he lacked the traditional skill-set of a base-stealer!
Rookie of the Year – Daniel Bennett. New recruits did sterling work for the Raptors, and showed great dedication. Daniel made himself a tough out at the plate and – in the field — played several positions, including acquitting himself well at shortstop and trying out as a catcher.
Bochan-Slater era begins for Herts Hawks
Yesterday we reported on the appointment of Arnie Longboy and Jake Caress as co-managers of the Herts Eagles. Further managerial appointments were announced at Herts Baseball Club’s Annual General Meeting. With Longboy moving up to manage the Herts Eagles and Herts Hawks co-Manager, Andy Cornish, stepping down to spend more time with his family in 2015, the club announced a new managerial team to head the Herts Hawks in 2015.
The two co-managers are Greg Bochan and Andrew Slater. Bochan has been a manager of the Herts Hawks for many years so the camaraderie and continuity of the team will be preserved. The 7-foot-tall Slater gave Double-A opponents a weekly dose of crafty pitching and clutch hitting this year and in 2015 he will look to add his managerial nous to that. He brings an impressive win-loss record as a manager having previously led the Herts Raptors to their first season over .500 in the Single-A League.
Despite finishing the 2014 regular season with 6 wins and 14 losses, the Hawks produced some impressive performances when their team was at full strength. What will 2015 bring for the Hawks? One thing is certain, with Bochan and Slater at the helm, the Herts Hawks will have a fun season.
Managerial duo to lead Herts Eagles into 2015
Jake Caress (left) and Arnie Longboy (right) will hope to turn Herts Eagles’ fortunes around in 2015 (photo by Paul Holdrick)
At its Annual General Meeting Herts Baseball Club announced that Carlos Casal will be stepping down as manager of the Herts Eagles. In his place the club has appointed two co-managers – Arnie Longboy and Jake Caress.
Longboy is a long-standing member of the club who has managed the Herts Raptors in the Single-A League, the Herts Hawks in the Double-A League and now he makes the step up to the Triple-A League with the Eagles.
Jake Caress is a product of the Herts youth programme. He has grown through the ranks playing for the club’s Under-14, Under-17, Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A teams. His progress has not gone unnoticed and this summer he was a member of the Great Britain Under-19 National Team which had a successful qualifying campaign in Croatia winning promotion to Pool A for the European Championships next year. In the last two seasons Caress was the manager of the Herts Cardinals in the BBF Under-14 League. He led the Cardinals to a bronze medal finish in this year’s U14 National Baseball Championships.
The Herts Eagles had a difficult 2014 season in the Triple-A League. They finished last in the standings with a record of 2 wins and 14 losses (W-L% .125). Can the new managerial team improve the team’s record in 2015?
VIDEO: First glimpse of new Falcons player Pau Sancho in action
For Herts fans who can’t wait until Spring Training to see new arrival Pau Sancho, here are some video clips of him in action with FC Barcelona.
Pau Sancho joins Herts Falcons from German Bundesliga
Herts Falcons can officially announc the free agent signing of Pau Sancho from German side Bonn Capitals, their second signing of the offseason thus far.
At 27 years of age, Pau brings a wealth of experience with him, having played in America, Spain and Germany to date. He most recently helped the Capitals to a 17-7 record in the German Bundesliga.
Pau is a natural baseball athlete having been a part of the Under-15 Spanish National Team in 2002, even winning the European Championships MVP award in the same year. His success as a junior earned him a call up to the senior Spanish National Team, and was the second-youngest player at the Baseball World Cup in 2005. In 2008 he won the Under-21 European Championship with Spain defeating Italy in the final.
Pau was invited to the MLB European Academy in 2003, 2005 and 2006, an event attended by a host of MLB teams and scouts. He then went on to play and study at San Diego City College and Rogers State University, Oklahoma, – NCAA Division II – between the years 2007-08 and 2009-10 respectively.
Having played at second-base, shortstop and third-base in the past, the right-hander will add versatility to the Falcons infield and will be an offensive threat in the line-up. Over the last four seasons with Barcelona FC and Bonn Capitals, Sancho maintained a .389 average in 103 games and hit 9 home runs over that period.
Everyone connected with Herts Baseball Club will look forward to seeing Pau on the field in 2015.
By Daniel Levitt @DanielLevitt32
Follow Herts Baseball on Twitter: @HertsBaseball
Herts Falcons sign GB star Maikel Azcuy from Essex Arrows
The Herts Falcons can officially confirm the signing of Maikel Azcuy from national champions Essex Arrows.
Azcuy joins the Falcons after winning four straight national titles, a feat achieved by only 16 other players, with the latest coming this year with the Arrows. Azcuy’s three other titles came with the Harlow Nationals.
A full list of all the four-time winners can be viewed here.
From the 2014 Herts Falcons roster, only Darrin Ward and John Blose have worn the Great Britain Senior National Team uniform in the past, but Azcuy is the first Herts Falcons player in the club’s history who is a current GB Senior Team player. He has been a key member of the GB squad in the last 3 years playing in the 2012 and 2014 European Championship campaigns. In this year’s European Championships in Germany and the Czech Republic, Maikel Azcuy had an impressive .370 batting average.
The Falcons have come up against Azcuy on many occasions over the years, but in 2015 he will be wearing Herts uniform (photo by Richard Lee richardleephotography.org)
Herts Baseball Club is delighted to add such a gifted player to its roster, both on offense and defense. Maikel has won five home run titles in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. He has a career average of .421 in 9 seasons in the National Baseball League.
Azcuy currently has 33 career NBL home runs and, in 2015, will chase down the all-time record, currently held by Simon Pole with 35.
MAIKEL AZCUY NBL CAREER STATISTICS
|
TEAM |
SEASON |
PA |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
HBP |
SO |
SB |
BA |
OBA |
SLA |
|
Essex Arrows |
2014 |
74 |
68 |
24 |
28 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
30 |
5 |
0 |
13 |
7 |
0.412 |
0.446 |
0.750 |
|
Harlow Nationals |
2013 |
66 |
54 |
18 |
19 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
10 |
9 |
3 |
7 |
7 |
0.352 |
0.470 |
0.648 |
|
Harlow Nationals |
2012 |
89 |
76 |
15 |
32 |
8 |
0 |
4 |
26 |
8 |
3 |
12 |
9 |
0.421 |
0.478 |
0.684 |
|
Southern Nationals |
2011 |
84 |
71 |
25 |
30 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
23 |
9 |
2 |
17 |
11 |
0.423 |
0.494 |
0.690 |
|
Croydon Pirates |
2010 |
96 |
85 |
19 |
36 |
5 |
2 |
6 |
31 |
9 |
1 |
18 |
3 |
0.424 |
0.479 |
0.741 |
|
Croydon Pirates |
2009 |
44 |
39 |
15 |
12 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
7 |
8 |
0.308 |
0.386 |
0.590 |
|
Croydon Pirates |
2008 |
37 |
34 |
8 |
16 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
12 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
1 |
0.471 |
0.514 |
0.912 |
|
Croydon Pirates |
2007 |
71 |
58 |
33 |
31 |
4 |
1 |
5 |
31 |
11 |
0 |
6 |
6 |
0.534 |
0.592 |
0.897 |
|
Croydon Pirates |
2006 |
25 |
23 |
9 |
10 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
0.435 |
0.480 |
0.826 |
|
TOTALS |
586 |
508 |
166 |
214 |
38 |
12 |
33 |
173 |
59 |
11 |
94 |
54 |
0.421 |
0.485 |
0.738 |
Source: Project COBB
On the defensive side, the Falcons welcome the reigning Best Third Baseman in the NBL, an award equivalent to Major League Baseball’s Gold Glove Award. Azcuy also won the same award in 2010 with the Croydon Pirates.
Herts Falcons fans will be able to see Azcuy for the first time when he joins the team for spring training in 2015.
By Daniel Levitt @DanielLevitt32
Follow Herts Baseball on Twitter: @HertsBaseball
Herts Falcons ace Abel Salas is National Baseball League MVP
Abel Salas launches another home run (photo by Paul Holdrick)
Project COBB has published the 2014 National Baseball League award winners in the various categories and Herts Falcons’ ace Abel Salas has scooped up all three of the Most Valuable Player awards. These are the most prestigious prizes awarded to individual players and are the equivalent of MLB’s MVP and Cy Young Awards.
MOST VALUABLE BATTER
Abel Salas’ outstanding offensive numbers secured the Most Valuable Batter Award after he led or was among the top players in all of the main batting categories. He had the highest slugging average (.848), tied with Maikel Azcuy of the Essex Arrows for most home runs (3), third in batting average (.435) behind Martin Tucker of the London Mets (.525) and Fraser Duggan of the Bracknell Blazers (.522), fourth in on-base average (.567), third in runs batted in (20). We understand that the formula used to determine the winner indicated that the race for the Most Valuable Batter title was very close and Abel Salas’ grand slam home run against the South London Pirates in the final game of the season may have clinched it.
MOST VALUABLE PITCHER
NBL batters struggled to make contact with Abel Salas’ pitches all season long (photo by Paul Holdrick)
In the pitching category Abel Salas was just as impressive. He led in wins (5) a 4-way tie, strike-outs (56), was second in earned run average (3.73) behind Pietro Sollecito (2.95) of the London Mets. It was the strike outs per 9 innings where Salas stood apart from the rest with 12.3. We have to go back to 2009 when Cody Cain had 12.8 and 2008 when Ryan Bird led this category with a mind-boggling 16.9.
BEST TWO-WAY PLAYER
If the top batting and pitching awards were very closely fought, the Most Valuable Two-Way Player Award must have been easier to determine given Abel Salas’ offensive and defensive numbers. It is very rare for a player to dominate both the batting and the pitching categories. Baseball has become a game where players specialise in one or the other so Salas’ feat is significant. We have to go back to 2005 and 2002 when Simon Pole won both the Most Valuable Batter and Most Valuable Pitcher Awards playing for the London Warriors.
FIELDING AWARDS
Ryan Hackel filled the hole in the Falcons infield left after the departure of Robbie Unsell and Xavi Gonzalez (photo by Paul Holdrick)
The Herts Falcons’ biggest weakness in 2104 was fielding. It was the main reason for the team missing out on the postseason for the first time in 3 years. However, it is not a surprise to see Ryan Hackel named as the best shortstop in the NBL this season. Hack’s arrival at the end of May played a key role in bringing the team back into the playoff race after a string of injuries to key players resulted in the team’s poor start of the season.
FALCONS AMONGST THE LEADERS
John Blose played hard all season long (photo by Will Baxter)
John Blose led in the Runs Scored category (27) to round of a season in which his numbers have exploded compared to 2013, making him one of the most productive players for the Herts Falcons. Jamie Gregory’ batting average was .429 which puts him fourth overall in that category. There were two Herts Falcons players whose season was cut short due to injury to Cris Hiche and transfer to the USA in the case of Ryan Bird. If their season was not cut short, they would have been right up with the leaders. Cris Hiche had a batting average of .778 with 1 home run from 14 plate appearances. Ryan Bird batted 1.000 with 1 home run from his 5 plate appearances. 17-year-old Will Zucker also impressed with a batting average of .571 from 7 at bats in his NBL debut season, while another Herts youngster Carlos Casal Jr had an average of .400 from his 25 at bats – a very promising sign for the future of the club.
WHAT WILL 2015 BRING?
In 2013 Robbie Unsell won the Most Valuable Pitcher and Most Valuable Two-Way Player Awards. This was his final season in the NBL as he moved to America. Ryan Bird won the Most Valuable Batter Award and also moved across the Atlantic shortly after the 2013 season. 2013 team MVP Xavi Gonzalez signed with Stuttgart Reds. 2014 was Abel Salas’ final season in the NBL as he too will be moving to the USA so there is a trend for the Herts Falcons to attract the league’s star players and lose them shortly after that, however the noise coming out of the club’s front office is that there are positive signs that the Falcons will be able to make the player acquisitions needed to get back in the playoff race in 2015. We will keep you updated as soon as the club makes any announcements in the coming months as we build up to the 2015 season.
Red Roosters win Hunlock Series after late-inning drama
.
A heavyweight battle between pitcher Jamie Gregory and batter Cris Hiche in the final of the 2014 Hunlock Series
The Red Roosters came back from behind in both the semi-final and the final to win the 2014 Hunlock Series.
The day began with the Blue Dogs’ shock win over White Lightning in the Quarter-Final elimination game. They had a win-loss percentage of just .146 finishing bottom in the league stage of the competition miles behind the other three teams. Everyone had written them off ahead of the elimination stage of the Series and they took full advantage of the low expectations. Their opponent was third-placed White Lightning. They were missing several key players and struggled to respond to the Blue Dogs’ onslaught who won convincingly 15-7.
Next up for the team in blue was a semi-final elimination game against the Red Roosters who didn’t want to take any chances and put their ace pitcher, Zack Longboy, on the mound. Despite the Blue Dogs taking an early 3-0 lead, this proved to be just a hiccup for the Roosters. They moved up a gear and eased to a 15-5 win, but the Dogs should feel satisfied that they reached the semi-final against all the odds.
The stage was set. It was down to two teams – Black Widows and Red Roosters. The managers went with Lee Manning and Jamie Gregory as their starting pitchers, respectively. The expectations of a pitchers’ duel didn’t materialise. It was all about offense as both teams put together big rallies. After three innings the Black Widows took a 7-6 lead thanks to a 3-run home run by second-baseman Fraser Duggan hit over the right-centerfield wall.
Both teams brought in their relief pitchers who did very well to quieten the bats, but not before the Roosters drove in 3 runs to take a 9-7 lead. A George Blaskett single in the penultimate inning reduced the deficit to 8-9. Fraser Duggan came within a few feet of his second home run of the game which would have scored 2 runs, however left-fielder Takaya Miki showed great range with a leaping catch at the wall for the third out with Red Roosters holding onto their slender 9-8 lead.
Black Widows brought in leftie closer Cris Hiche. He was faultless recording three quick outs to take the game into the bottom of the final inning. Mike Cattermole led off with a single. Dan Whitton was hit by pitch and very quickly the Black Widows had the tying run on third and winning run on second base. The infield moved in and so did the outfield. Jimmy McCormick made solid contact but grounded straight to shortstop Carlos Casal who managed to make the play and get the out at home. Relief pitcher Simon Langton was doing very well and he managed to strikeout the next batter for the second out of the inning. With two outs and the tying and winning runs on third and second base, respectively, this was the type of situation in which Black Widows would bring on their walk-off hero Colin Whitton who has had a 1.000 batting average (2-for-2) in these do-or-die situations in the previous two weeks of the Series, but he wasn’t available on this occasion. It came down to Aspi Dimitrov to try to do a “Colin Whitton”. He swung at the first pitch taking the ball to left-centerfield where Takaya Miki was on hand again to make another running catch to end the game and secure the Hunlock Series Championship for the Reds.
These were the final baseball games of 2014. Hopefully these enjoyable Hunlock Series will help players survive the dark and cold months of winter which will be upon us soon. 2015 Spring Training seems far away. There may not be any baseball action until then, but the members of Herts Baseball Club know that the club will shortly be entering a period of frantic off-field activity which could shape the 2015 season and could prove to be the difference between success and failure both on and off the field next year. For more information about getting involved as a member of staff or as a board member, contact Herts Baseball Club.