(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen)
 Multiple comings & goings on roster Pioniers
Nederlands
 HOOFDDORP (Neth.) -
The roster of Vaessen Pioniers has undergone several changes in the past weeks, as 11 new players have joined the Hoofddorp-team, while 12 players, who played for the team this season, will not return in 2016.
Today (Saturday, October 31), Pioniers officially comfirmed their comings and goings.
...Mervin Gario...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) | 
...Chris Pfau...
(© Photo courtesy of Chris Pfau) |
The transfer-period ends on Sunday, November 1 at 5 PM.
Grand Slam * Stats & News of course will publish a complete list again after the transfer-period has expired.
Pioniers is the second team to officially announce its transfers before the transfer-period ends.
Last week, L&D Amsterdam Pirates announced its transfers for the upcoming season.
The club announced that the following players are coming to Pioniers:
lefthander pitcher Chris Pfau (Double Stars Heiloo), righthanded pitcher Maickel Rietel (HCAW), catcher/3rd baseman Brian Raap (Mampaey The Hawks), first baseman Shurman Marlin (Curaçao Neptunus), infielder Mervin Gario (Corendon Kinheim), infielder Stephen Henson (Mampaey The Hawks), infielder Shavently Profar (Tridents), outfielder Brennan Nijhof (UVV) and outfielder Mark Smit (DSS).
Another newcomer is infielder Austin Weymouth, who was not active this season in the Netherlands, but has played in the big league in the past for UVV.
Infielder Zerzinho Croes will make his comeback next year after he initially had retired after the 2014 season.
...Dirk van 't Klooster...
...retired... | 
...Vince Rooi...
...HCAW... |
| (© Both Photos: Henk Seppen) |
Twelve players will not be back with the team next year.
They are: righthanded pitcher Reggie Bomberg (Corendon Kinheim), righthanded pitcher Dennis Buring (Hoofddorp Pioniers-2), righthanded pitcher Bayron Cornelisse (Curaçao Neptunus), righthanded pitcher Elton Koeiman (Twins), catcher Glenn Bakker (RCH-Pinguïns), infielder Djewi Appelman (Sparks Haarlem), infielder/catcher Daniel Fernandes (Curaçao Neptunus), infielder Vince Rooi (HCAW), infielder Kevin Weijgertse (HCAW) and outfielder Danny Rombley (L&D Amsterdam Pirates).
First baseman Mark-Jan Moorman and outfielder Dirk van 't Klooster have retired.
Recently, Pioniers has come to a working agreement with RCH-Pinguïns, which plays in the second highest division ('Overgangsklasse').
In this agreement, it is possible to switch players between the teams.
Eric de Vries, who was the Pitching Coach for Pioniers this season, will becoming a Roving Pitching Instructor.
He will handle the pitchers of both the Rookie League-team of Pioniers, as well as the main-squad of RCH-Pinguïns.
De Vries also will be on hand during upcoming winter practices, as will former pitcher Roger Kops, who does the team management of Pioniers.
Lefthanded pitcher Ricardo Hernandez Sanchez almost surely will return next season.
He then will bring a fellow Venezualan pitcher, who also will have an European passport.
But this will all be decided later.
Next season, the team will be led by former player Dè Flanegin, who will make his debut as Head Coach in the Dutch big league.
Robert Klaver, who was the Head Coach in the last five seasons, will be Flanegin's Bench Coach.
This already had been announced early September.
Announcement of Flanegin becoming Head Coach
...Maickel Rietel... | 
...Brian Raap... |
| (© Both Photos: Henk Seppen) |
25-year old lefthander Chris Pfau was the pitching ace this season for Double Stars Heiloo, which finished in fifth place this season in the 'Overgangsklasse'.
Before coming to Europe, the lefthander pitched for the team of Lincoln University of Missouri.
In 2011, he played Summer League for Alaska Goldpanners, a team that has a special link with the Netherlands, as it participated in the Haarlem Baseball Week in 1972.
Playing in that team back then was future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.
RHP Maickel Rietel this season had the second-best ERA in the staff of HCAW with 4.00.
He was 2-9 and started 14 games.
Rietel struckout 35 batters in 69 2/3 inning, while walking 30 batters and giving up 81 basehits.
A year ago, Rietel was 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA.
Catcher/3B Brian Raap was the leading hitter this season for Mampaey The Hawks, which relegated.
Raap batted .279 (29-for-104), scored 11 runs and batted in ten, while stealig eight bases.
Last year, Raap played for ADO Lakers and also has played for Sparta-Feijenoord in the past.
Earlier this month, Raap won the Dutch championship-title with the Men Softball Team of Hoofddorp Pioniers.
...Shurman Marlin... | 
...Stephen Henson... |
| (© Both Photos: Henk Seppen) |
First baseman Shurman Marlin started the season with an injury, but after recovering, he played in 23 games for Curaçao Neptunus.
He batted .215 (14-for-65), scored 11 runs and batted in ten.
Infielder Mervin Gario is coming back to Pioniers.
This season, he was the second-best hitter of Corendon Kinheim, hitting .395 (58-for-147).
Gario, who mainly played at third base, scored 27 runs, batted in 28 and led the team with 13 doubles.
He hit three homeruns and stole six bases.
Gario played for Kinheim since 2012 after having played for Pioniers before transfering to Haarlem.
Infielder Stephen Henson played in 34 games this season for Mampaey The Hawks and was the team's fifth best hitter with a .228 batting average.
He scored 12 runs and batted in five, while stealing six bases.
Henson led the team with two triples.
Like Raap, Henson played for ADO Lakers in the 2014 season.
Infielder Zerzinho Croes didn't play this season.
Last year, he batted .282, playing in 41 games for Pioniers and then led the squad with 42 runs scored.
...Brennan Nijhof... | 
...Austin Weymouth... | 
...Zerzinho Croes... |
| (© All Photos: Henk Seppen) |
Infielder Austin Weymouth last played in the Dutch league in 2012 when he was with UVV.
He then was the team's second-best hitter with a .344 average, scored 28 runs and batted in 30.
Infielder Shavently Profar this season played for Tridents, the Rookie League-team of Curaçao Neptunus.
Outfielder Mark Smit was the second-best hitter of DSS this season.
In his rookie-season, the centerfielder batted .250 (38-for-152).
With 22, Smit scored the most runs for DSS, which made its debut this year in the highest division.
Smit also led the team with 16 stolen bases and was second-best in the team in basehits (38) and RBI's (10).
Outfielder Brennan Nijhof batted .293 this season for UVV (27-for-92).
He scored ten runs and batted in eight.
A year ago, he batted .232 when he also played for UVV.
Not returning in Hoofddorp are six of the team's nine best hitters this season, including the op-3.
The six players collected 251 of the team's 383 basehits this season.
They also scored 141 of the squad's 206 runs and batted in 101 of the179 runs.
Daniel Fernandes was the team's best hitter with a .315 batting average (53-for-168).
Fernandes played at second base, but also was used as a catcher.
He also led the team in runs scored (34), basehits (53) and doubles (11), while batting in 13 runs.
Vince Rooi batted in the most runs this season for the team (28) and was the second-best hitter with a .307 batting average (43-for-140).
Rooi, who was used as third baseman and short stop, scored 26 runs and had three homeruns, while also registering eight doubles.
The third-best hitter of Pioniers this season was Mark-Jan Moorman, who batted .303 (43-for-142).
The first baseman scored 19 runs and batted in 17.
Veteran Dirk van 't Klooster announced his retirement when Pioniers was eliminated in the Play-Offs.
Van 't Klooster has a very impressive career and became the All-Time recordholder in Game Played and Basehits.
This season, the rightfielder batted 'only' .277 (46-for-166).
His 46 basehits were second-best in the team.
Van 't Klooster batted in 17 runs and scored 24.
With the retirement of Van 't Klooster and Moorman, the league lost two of its most powerfull lefthanded hitters.
...Kevin Weijgertse... | 
...Danny Rombley... |
| (© Both Photos: Henk Seppen) |
Infielder Kevin Weijgertse batted .181 this season (25-for-138).
He scored 13 runs and batted in eight.
This was Weijgertse's first season in Hoofddorp.
He now returns to HCAW, where played in 2014.
Before going to HCAW, Weijgerste also played for Kinheim (2011) and Amsterdam Pirates (2013).
He played professionally for three seasons (2010-2012) in the Rookie League of the New York Mets.
Outfielder Danny Rombley was the team's fifth-best hitter this season with a .287 average (41-for-143).
His transfer already was announced earlier this week by his new team L&D Amsterdam Pirates.
The team saw four pitchers leave.
Veteran righthander Elton Koeiman was one of the starters this season.
He was 5-4 with a 3.66 ERA and struckout 34 batters in 66 1/3 inning, appearing in 14 games, 11 of which he started.
Righthander Reggie Bomberg was mostly used in relief.
He started three of the 17 games he pitched.
Bomberg closed the season with a 2-2 record, a 7.00 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 27 innings.
Righthander Dennis Buring pitched in relief in 18 games, finishing with an 0-0 record and a 4.62 ERA, while striking out 12 batters in 25 1/3 inning.
Closer Bayron Cornelisse led the league with nine saves.
The righthander pitched in relief in 23 games, most of them as closer.
He struckout 21 batters in 24 2/3 inning and closed with a 1-3 record and 3.28 ERA.
Back-up catcher Glenn Bakker played in 16 games, hitting .040 (1-for-25).
Back-up infielder Djewi Appelman played in 13 games, hitting .167 (5-for-30).
...Elton Koeiman... | 
...Dennis Buring... | 
...Reggie Bomberg... | 
...Bayron Cornelisse... |
| (© All Photos: Henk Seppen) |
(October 31)
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