A day after clinching the Dutch title with L&D Amsterdam Pirates, it was announced that Michael Duursma, manager of the club has decided to step down. His job as coordinator of the Rabbits Baseball Academy in Haarlem and his role as manager of the Dutch U15 team are hard to combine with managing the current Dutch champion.
According to the website of Amsterdam Pirates, Duursma’s run was a memorable one. In a Corona shortened season, he managed Pirates to a 2-0 lead before the Holland Series were cancelled due to a rigid lock down.
The European Champions Cup was a bit disappointing as the team only finished in fifth place. But despite trailing HCAW in the semi-finals of the playoffs, Duursma guided the team to the Holland Series in which they beat Neptunus yesterday in game seven.
According to the Pirates website, Duursma is also responsible for the rejuvenation of the flagship team. Players like Raydley Legito, Naut Kragt, Mick Vos and Gio de Graauw were added to the lineup and got plenty of playing time to get better and to grow. Together with players with an MLB/MiLB background, these players performed pretty well.
At the moment, the board of the club is talking with several candidates. The club is taking its time because it wants to be sure that the new coach will fit into the club and the flagship team and suits the policy of rejuvenation.
Duursma isn’t the first manager of L&D Amsterdam Pirates to step down after winning a championship. His predecessor, Brian Finnegan, stepped down after just one season and winning the 2019 Dutch championship.
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