After their championship winning manger, Michael Duursma, decided to step down due to other baseball activities, the club had to look for a new manager. They found a new one in Ronald Jaarsma, who was released in the same week by Curaçao Neptunus.
The acquisition of Jaarsma doesn’t really come as a surprise as he has a past with Amsterdam Pirates. Before he became manager of Curaçao Neptunus, Jaarsma was third base coach of the club.
During the 2016 Holland Series, Neptuns approached Jaarsma to become its manager for the 2017 season. When Pirates found out the club from Rotterdam was trying to lure their third base coach away, they suspended Jaarsma immediately. Things even got a bit ugly.
Anyhow, in the first two seasons with Curacao Neptunus (2017 and 2018), Ronald Jaarsma guided his team to the double (Dutch Champion and European Champion). But in 2019 L&D Amsterdam Pirates won the Holland Series after trailing 3-0 in games. During the 2020 Holland Series, L&D Amsterdam Pirates took a 2-0 lead before the series were cancelled due to COVID-19. This year, after trailing 2-0 in games, Curaçao Neptunus gained the lead after five games but eventually lost in seven games. For Neptunus, this was the reason to release Jaarsma. In their press statement, the club literally said that Jaarsma had not won any prizes since 2018. Sure a club like Neptunus should always play for the prizes but somehow it isn’t patient enough. You cannot win the championship every year.
With Jaarsma, Pirates will get a manager with five years of hoofdklasse experience. A manager who is good at handling young players, exactly what the doctor ordered.
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