Still reigning Dutch champion L&D Amsterdam Pirates has hired a new manager for the 2023 season, after Ronald Jaarsma called it quits. The new manager comes from Hoofddorp Pioniers, where he spent the past five years as player-coach.
The new head coach of the soon to be replaced Dutch champion will be Mervin Gario.
The Aruban-born Gario has a lot of experience as a coach. He had an education as sports coach and personal trainer, and spent the past five years as head coach of Hoofddorp Pioniers. As a player, he spent more than ten years in the Dutch hoofdklasse with Kinheim from Haarlem and Hoofddorp Pioniers. He has a lifetime batting average in the Dutch hoofdklasse of .315.
According to the website of Amsterdam Pirates, Mervin Gario performed very well as manager of Hoofddorp Pioniers. With Hoofddorp Pioniers, he gave the top teams, Curaçao Neptunus, L&D Amsterdam Pirates, HCAW, and Oosterhout Twins a hard time. Even with the limited resources he had to deal with. Also this year, Hoofddorp Pioniers was a contender for a playoff spot, but had to throw the towel only late in the regular season.
Ronald Jaarsma has decided to hang up his spikes because the distance between his home town and Amsterdam is too far. That influences his job as owner of a lunchroom chain. Because of that, he wasn’t able to give himself 110%. But not only the aforementioned reason made him decide to call it quits. According to Jaarsma, the mismanagement of the Dutch Baseball Federation is also a very important reason to throw the towel. Together with the other managers of the Dutch hoofdklasse teams, he has written a letter to the Dutch Baseball Federation with complaints. The answers he got back, do not satisfy him. Jaarsma claims he had a great time during his tenure as player and as a manager, and he doesn’t want to let the mismanagement of the Dutch Baseball Federation overshadow those years.
During his years as manager, he guided Curaçao Neptunus to two Dutch championships, two ECC wins, and a spot in the Holland Series in all of those seasons. With L&D Amsterdam Pirates, he just missed the Holland Series, as the team was beaten by HCAW in close games.
Dutch baseball will miss Ronald for sure.
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