Sparta/Feyenoord
We're back with the previews after a short break as your webmaster was covering the Hockey Tournament of the Olympic Games in Torino (Italy), but now the preview series continues with the remaining teams.

In 2005, led by new Head Coach Wim Martinus, Sparta/Feyenoord suprised by finishing in fourth place and clinching a spot in the Play-Offs. The team was eliminated by DOOR Neptunus, which went on to win its seventh consecutive championship.
Last years ranking was a great improvement, as the team finished in eighth place in 2004. The last time, Sparta/Feyenoord reached the Play-Offs was in 1997 when it finishes in third place in the regular season. Since 1998, the team's highest ranking was sixth place in 1999. Since 1998, it finishes in seventh place four times and in eighth place twice.

...Erik de Rijcke... (Photo: Saskia Berkel)

After the season ended, six regular players decided to go to another club. RHP Edward Beerthuizen (4.70, 1-3, 0 SV) and RHP Erik de Rijcke (2.84, 1-1, 5 SV), two experienced pitchers, were unable to combine their regular job with playing on the highest level and decided to go to Euro Stars, which plays in a lower division. There, they will be joined with Head Coach Peter van den Akker, who coached at Sparta/Feyenoord until the 2004 season.
Talented 1B Jeffrey Arends (.264, 15 RBI, 0 HR) and 2B Benjamin Dille (.295, 15 RBI, 0 HR) moved back to DOOR Neptunus, from whom they came to Sparta/Feyenoord the year before. The move is part of the working agreement between the two clubs.
Veteran Infielders Marcel Buurman (.275, 1 RBI, 0 HR) and Marvin Bleij (.299, 19 RBI, 1 HR) also left. Buurman, who missed than half of the season due to a hamstring-injury, also will play for Euro Stars, while Bleij moved to ADO.
Three other players, who appeared briefly last season, are not playing withing the Sparta/Feyenoord-club in 2006. RHP Remco Gorisse (6.86, 1-2, 4 games), RHP Roeland Winckelmolen (4.50, 1-0, 1 game) and Infielder Edwin Nieuwstraten (1.000, one game, 1-for-1) will not be back this season.

Sparta/Feyenoord added ten players to its roster since November 1. Two of them will make their big league-debut, both being pitchers. Coming from First Divisionist Jeka is RHP Rudy Seebus and from Curaçao is RHP Arthur McDonald.
Infielder Sjoerd Hermans (.202, 11 RBI, 0 HR) and Outfielder Jeroen Hermans (.238, 4 RBI, 0 HR) are returning to Rotterdam after playing two seasons for Amsterdam Pirates. Before, the two brothers played in the Neptunus-organization.
Six players were added with less more big league-experience, including two who appeared with Neptunus last season, but played the majority of the year for DOOR Tridents in the First Division. These two are RHP Daan Baecke (5.59, 0-1, 0 SV, 6 games) and Infielder Dwayne Kemp (.100, 2 RBI, 4 games).
The other four players were added from Sparta/Feyenoord's own First Division-team, who all appeared with the big league team last season: RHP Guy Hermans (6.75, 0-0, 0 SV, six games), RHP Sander Klop (9.00, 0-0, one game), Catcher Marwin Kleinmoedig (.429, 1 RBI, two games) and Infielder Sil Wagenaar (.412, 3 RBI, 1 HR, five games).

The coachingstaff remained intact, as Head Coach Wim 'Fox' Martinus is returning for his second season and again will be assisted by Floyd Sprott. Sparta/Feyenoord's coaching staff is the lone one which has not been changed after last season.
Now let's take a more detailed look to the team.

Outlook 2006

Pitching
Head Coach Wim Martinus has great appreciation for his pitching staff of last season. ,,I want to take my hat off for my pitchingstaff of last season. They did a great job and worked hard. That's one of the reasons we reached the Play-Offs'', Martinus said. ,,Of course, we will miss Erik de Rijcke and Edward Beerthuizen, but they just couldn't combine playing anymore with their work. We got two, three good replacements for them.''
This years staff again will be headed by RHP Satoru Fujii (2.02, 8-7, 0 SV). The Japanese pitcher, who was nominated for both Best Pitcher and MVP last year, comes back this season and again will be the club's pitching ace. As he did last year, Fujii will be one of the starting pitchers.
Other probable starters will be RHP Elton Koeiman (2.84, 6-6, 0 SV) and newcomers RHP Daan Baecke and RHP Arthur McDonald. The latter, who is coming from Curaçao, is only 17 years old. ,,But he is a talent and will do fine'', Martinus said. Baecke and McDonald also can pitch in relief, so they probably will be used in both capacities.
In the bull-pen, Martinus has RHP Marcel Aerts (3.13, 3-2, 1 SV), RHP Guy Hermans and RHP Sander Klop. The exact role of the pitchers will be decided during the exhibition season, but Klop probably will be the team's closer. Martinus: ,,He reached the big league in only two years. Two years ago, he pitched for the Ridderkerk Rowdies in a lower division, last season, he threw for our second team in the First Division and he is in the big league.''

Catching
Earmy Isabella (.171, 12 RBI, 1 HR) again will be the first string catcher this season. ,,'Patron' will be back'', Martinus names Isabella by his nickname. ,,He is very smart, he knows the batters and pulls his pitchers through the game.''
Marwin Kleinmoedig, who appeared in two games last season, will be the back-up catcher.

Infield

Probable Line-Up 2006 Starters-RHP Daan Baecke, RHP Satoru Fujii, RHP Elton Koeiman, RHP Arthur McDonald Relievers-RHP Marcel Aerts, RHP Guy Hermans Closer-RHP Sander Klop C-Earmy Isabella, Marwin Kleinmoedig 1B-Jeffrey Sprott 2B-Dwayne Kemp 3B-Sjoerd Hermans SS-Ramphis Trinidad Back-up IFSil Wagenaar OF-Nick Eppinga / Jeroen Hermans / Orson Slaats / Rutger Veugelers / Patrick Wabbijn DH-Marwin Kleinmoedig / Orson Slaats / Patrick Wabbijn

The infield has changed a lot since last season, as three of the four starters weren't there a year ago.
Jeffrey Sprott (.230, 21 RBI, 0 HR) moves from the outfield to First Base, replacing Jeffrey Arends. At Second Base, rookie Dwayne Kemp takes over from Benjamin Dille and at Third Base Sjoerd Hermans is the starter and replaces Marvin Bleij.
The only returning player is solid fielding Short Stop Ramphis Trinidad (.277, 13 RBI, 0 HR).
Rookie Sil Wagenaar, who last season made a good debut in the few games he played in the big league, will serve as the back-up infielder, but definitely will see action.
Despite the changes, Wim Martinus has confindence. ,,We made a lot double plays last season, but we have a stable infield again this year'', he says.
As mentioned before, the infield has to do without 1B Jeffrey Arends and 2B Benjamin Dille, who both moved back to DOOR Neptunus, which has a working agreement with Sparta/Feyenoord. As both teams play in the big league, this agreement might sound strange, but Martinus has his own thoughts. ,,Of course, you can say that in this working agreement we're educating players for another team, but these players developed well and deserve to play for Neptunus'', said Martinus, who himself played his entire big league-career for Neptunus. ,,I have a good feeling of this, because it means I did my job well.''

Outfield
In the outfield nothing changed, with the excemption of Jeffrey Sprott moving to first base.
Nick Eppinga (.238, 7 RBI, 0 HR), Patrick Wabbijn (.224, 9 RBI, 0 HR), Orson Slaats (.188, 11 RBI, 0 HR) and Rutger Veugelers (.211, 15 RBI, 3 HR) are all back and will be joined by newcomer Jeroen Hermans. Combined, these five players stole 15 bases last season.
,,We have a lot of possibilities in the outfield, but everyone will play, as we also will use some as the DH'', said Martinus.

Designated Hitter
While the Designated Hitter has not yet been decided, Patrick Wabbijn, Marwin Kleinmoedig and Orson Slaats might see duty in this position.

...Wim Martinus... (Photo: Neptunus)

General
Wim Martinus: ,,I think we're doing fine at the moment. We have a younger team than last year. These are young, talented players, who are willing to go for it. We have some new guys this year and we have to make a team out of it. We will handle that well, building a team.
As we did last season, we will work hard. The practice sessions will be serious, afterwards we will joke around and laugh. There is a good feeling and a good atmosphere in the team. That's important.
Our strength is our defense and our pitching with Satoru.
Our weakness also might be our pitching, as we don't have a good, strong reliever yet. We have to see how our relievers will develop, we have to do some work in that area.''
Looking back to his debut-season as big league Head Coach, Martinus said: ,,It was fun and it went well. We worked hard as a team, so I could do my job.''
Martinus is confident his team will make the Play-Offs again.
Martinus: ,,We are going for it. Especially when our pitching is doing a good job, like it did last year. Then we had some ups and downs offensively and didn't hit at the right moment, leaving too many runners behind. But there was a fighting spirit till the end. That's what we will do this season, work until the last putout, from the first to the ninth inning. That same attitude is there also in this years team. You can see it during the indoor practices. These guys want to play. They're eager.''

Who will reach the Play-Offs?
Martinus: ,,We will reach the Play-Offs, I don't care who the others will be. I think, it will be more difficult than last season to make the Play-Offs because of the transfers. We will have to sweat to win. But the candidates probably again will be HCAW, Neptunus, Kinheim and we will have to wait how ADO will do.''

Sparta/Feyenoord opens the season at home against Konica Minolta Pioniers on Saturday, April 15.
The team will travel to Hoofddorp on Sunday, April 16 for the road game against Pioniers.

Sparta/Feyenoord-related transfer stories
Changes in players at Neptunus. (October 11)
Bleij also joins ADO. (October 26)
Three veterans leave Sparta/Feyenoord. (October 31)

COMING UP IN PART FIVE: ADO

other episodes:
Part One: DOOR Neptunus (January 16)
Part Two: Mr. Cocker HCAW (January 21)
Part Three: Konica Minolta Pioniers (February 5)
Part Five: ADO (March 11)
Part Six: Corendon Kinheim (March 19)
Part Seven: Amsterdam Pirates (March 27)
Part Eight: Instant Holland Almere '90 (April 11)

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