European Cup 2014: Final roster of team Netherlands and Italy
The final roster for the Dutch has been published. To me there are some surprises.
The last cuts have been made by manager Steve Janssen. After Roger Bernadina was called up to the Majors, one cut didn’t have to be made. Now a second one doesn’t need to be made. Juan Carlos Sulbaran has been called up to AAA, where he will play in the Pacific Coast championship series with the Omaha StormChasers. But there is something weird to this call up. On the website of the StormChasers Oduber’s name is nowhere to be seen. His name is still on the roster of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Two cuts were made by Steve Janssen: Kevin Moesquit, the former pro who joined the ranks of Mampaey The Hawks during the course of the season and former pro Quintin de Cuba the catcher/outfielder of Corendon Kinheim.
Because Sulbaran will not join the team, pitcher Kevin Kelly will stay with the team in Ostrava.
The final roster of the Dutch team is:
Pitchers:
Arshwin Asjes (Corendon Kinheim), David Bergman (Corendon Kinheim) Mike Bolsenbroek (Buchbinder Legionäre), Rob Cordemans (L&D Amsterdam Pirates), Kevin Heijstek (L&D Amsterdam Pirates), Kevin Kelly (DOOR Neptunus), Jurrian Koks ( L&D Amsterdam Pirates), Wendell Floranus (Gulf Coast League Orioles), Diegomar Markwell (DOOR Neptunus), Tom Stuifbergen (Corendon Kinheim),Orlando Yntema (DOOR Neptunus)
Catchers:
Gianison Boekhoudt (DOOR Neptunus), Dashenko Ricardo (Corendon Kinheim), Shawn Zarraga (Huntsville Stars)
Infielders:
Yurendell de Caster (Broncos de Reynosa, Mexico), Michael Duursma (L&D Amsterdam Pirates), Sharlon Schoop (Bowie BaySox), Hainley Statia (Huntsville Stars), Curt Smith (Springfield Cardinals), Nick Urbanus (Hickory Crawdads)
Outfielders:
Gilmer Lampe (UVV), Randolph Oduber (Potomac Nationals), Danny Rombley (Vaessen Pioniers), Kalian Sams (Topco Scientific Falcons, Taiwan)
The final roster of our eternal rival Italy is*:
Pitchers:
Michael Colla (AA Tampa Bay Rays), Filippo Crepaldi (Bologna), Yovani D’Amico, Nicholas Morreale en Carlos Teran (San Marino), Tiago Da Silva (Ciudad del Carmen-Mexican League), Jose Escalona (Rimini), Fraylin Florian (Nettuno 1), Carlos Richetti (Nettuno 2), Yomel Rivera (Parma) en Patrick Venditte (AA NY Yankees)**
Catchers:
Alberto Mineo (Rookie League Chicago Cubs), Mattia Reginato (San Marino) en Marco Sabbatani (Bologna);
Infielders:
Erik Epifano (Padova), Juan-Carlos Infante en Alessandro Vaglio (Bologna), Alex Liddi (AA LA Dodgers), Joe Mazzuca (San Marino) en Alex Sambucci (Parma);
Outfielders:
Lorenzo Avagnina (San Marino), Mario Chiarini (Rimini), Stefano Desimoni (Parma) en Gabriele Ermini (Grosseto).
19 of the 24 players on the roster are playing in the Italian Baseball League.
* Source: www.honkbalsite.com
** I assume that this is Pat Venditte, who pitched for the Yankees’ AAA team last season. He wasn’t on the roster of the Yankees’ AA team, the Trenton Thunder. The opponents of the Italians must be warned because Venditte is an ambidextrous pitcher; a pitcher who can throw with both arms. A few years ago, Venditte played at the Staten Island Yankees (A Short Season). In a game vs the Brooklyn Cyclones, he faced a switch hitter. Both kept changing sides. This was the reason why they came up with the Pat Venditte Rule, which limits the number of times that switch pitchers and switch hitters can change sides.
The Netherlands will play together with Croatia, host country Czech Republic, Spain, Russia and Greece in group B.
Italy will play in Regensburg (Germany) together with France, Germany, Sweden, Great Britain and Belgium.