Last month we brought you in-country moves from around the European baseball and softball leagues. Now, we’re introducing you to the transcontinental journeymen that may soon be playing at a park near you.
Baseball
Pontus Byström
Prior Team/Country: Stockholm Monarchs . Sweden
Current Team/Country: Hamburg Stealers . Germany
Position: Outfield
Citizenship: Sweden
Trevor Caughey
Prior Team/Country: Warsaw Centaury . Poland
Current Team/Country: Berlin Flamingos . Germany
Position: LHP, 1B
Citizenship: USA
Kruno Gojkovic
Prior Team/Country: BK Olimpija Karlovac . Croatia
Current Team/Country: Ulm Falcons . Germany
Position: Utility Infielder
Citizenship: Croatia
Antonio Horvatic
Prior Team/Country: BK Olimpija Karlovac . Croatia
Current Team/Country: Ulm Falcons . Germany
Position: Utility Infielder
Citizenship: Croatia
Nick Miceli
Prior Team/Country: Kaunas County . Lithuania
Current Team/Country: Bremen Dockers . Germany
Position: LHP
Citizenship: USA
Miceli is a 23-year old LHP who spent this winter as an All Star in the Southern Australian Baseball League. There he posted a 3.52 ERA and batted .328.
Callum Murphy
Prior Team/Country: Hamilton Cardinals . Canada
Current Team/Country: Hamburg Stealers
Position: Infielder
Citizenship: Great Britain
Murphy is a Canadian-born dual citizen with a British passport. He played on Great Britain’s national team in the 2016 European Championship. Currently he’s finishing the season in the Southern Australian Baseball League for the Port Adelaide Magpies. Callum is expected to play short for the Stealers this summer.
Andrew Oberthaler
Prior Team/Country: Vienna Wanderers . Austria
Current Team/Country: Berlin Flamingos . Germany
Position: Outfield
Citizenship: USA
Roldan Ochoa
Prior Team/Country: Hintergrund Hard Bulls . Austria
Current Team/Country: Viterbo Rams . Italy
Position: RHP
Citizenship: Venezuela
Shane Salley
Prior Team/Country: Sölvesborg Firehawks . Sweden
Current Team/Country: Mainz Athletics . Germany
Position: RHP
Citizenship: USA
Mateusz Szustek
Prior Team/Country: Centaury Warsaw . Poland
Current Team/Country: Dohren Wild Farmers . Germany
Position: RHP
Citizenship: Poland
Szustek is a 19-year old, right-handed pitcher whose fastball topped out at 85mph in 2016. Mateusz, who has represented Poland on their junior and senior national teams, has spent the last few seasons in the States playing high school and community college ball. He now returns to Europe where he will play his first season in the Bundesliga. His secondary position is listed as shortstop.
Jan Tomek
Prior Team/Country: Curaçao Neptunus Rotterdam . Netherlands
Current Team/Country: Munich-Haar Disciples . Germany
Position: RHP
Citizenship: Czech Republic
Last season Tomek finished the year with a .84 ERA heading into the Holland Series where his team took home the title.
Andrija Tomic
Prior Team/Country: Nada Split . Croatia
Current Team/Country: Saarlouis Hornets . Germany
Position: Catcher
Citizenship: Croatia
James Watts
Prior Team/Country: Sölvesborg Firehawks . Sweden
Current Team/Country: Mainz Athletics . Germany
Position: RHP
Citizenship: USA
Coach Clayton Carson
Prior Team/Country: Stockholm Monarchs . Sweden
Current Team/Country: Hintergrund Hard Bulls . Austria
Citizenship: USA
German Bundesliga
This past off-season the Bundesliga played a serious game of team Tetris across the leagues. Per usual, the bottom team in each division fell down to Bundesliga II. That meant saying goodbye to the Bad Homberg Hornets in the South and the Dortmund Wanderers in the North.
In their place however, are teams aplenty. On the South side the Ulm Falcons have moved in while, over north, both the Bremen Dockers and the Berlin Flamingos have been seen around the way. Throughout 2017, the North played down a team so this simply balances out the league. Growing to 16 teams, 8/division, expands the Bundesliga I.
These are not the only shifts in the league however. Both the Hamburg Stealers and Cologne Cardinals have picked up new head coaches.
The coaches, Tim Crow and Carlos Mirabal, are both American. Crow, who has coached on the high school and college levels, takes the position from Devery van der Keere who moved out of country at the end of last year. Mirabel coached in the states last season with the Rockland Boulders, an independent team in New York.
First baseman Michael Stephan has left the Munich Haar Disciples to join the Regensburg Legionäre. Stephan spent nine seasons with the Disciples where he was a player, player/coach and, most recently, managing director for the team.
In-Country Moves
There have also been some additional transactions, within leagues, since our January update. We're breaking them down, by country, for you here.
Czech Republic
Terrell Joyce
Prior Team/Country: Draci Brno
Current Team/Country: Ostrava Arrows
Position: 3B
Citizenship: USA
Germany
Riley Barr
Prior Team: Mainz Athletics
Current Team: Bonn Capitals
Position: RHP
Citizenship: USA
José Palacios
Prior Team: Munich Haar Disciples
Current Team: Regensburg Legionäre
Position: Outfield
Citizenship: Argentina
Italy
Eduard Pirvu
Prior Team/Country: Oltretorrente Parma . Italy
Current Team/Country: Parma Clima . Italy
Position: RHP
Citizenship: Romania
Netherlands
Melvin Perdue
Prior Team: Oosterhout Twins
Current Team: Curaçao Neptunus Rotterdam
Position: Utility Infielder
Citizenship: USA
Softball
Lisa Maulden
Prior Team/Country: Budapest Reds . Hungary
Current Team/Country: Sparks Haarlem . The Netherlands
Position: Utility Infielder
Citizenship: USA
Currently in her fifth season as an import player, utility player Maulden is heading back from a winter in New Zealand to suit up with the Dutch.
Across Europe
Several leagues have released both spring training and game plans for the coming season. You can find details for all these games on our Events page over the course of the season.