Aucklander and current Diamondblack Daniel Lamb-Hunt will be the first official player signed for the newest professional sports team in the country after agreeing to play for his hometown in the Australian Baseball League (ABL).

Baseball New Zealand and the franchise working group will be hosting an Open Day in the coming weeks to announce its confirmed participation in the league as well as the unveiling of the team name, colours and logo design. Several members of the roster, coaching staff and staff will also be announced.

Lamb-Hunt has played the last six years in the German Bundesliga, the last five of those for the Bonn Capitals after beginning his baseball career as a Minor League player with the Atlanta Braves organization and three seasons with the Brisbane Bandits in the ABL from 2010 to 2012 after being raised in a softball family in Auckland.

From his base in Germany, the 31-year old is excited at the prospect of playing at home. “It’s going to be huge, firstly to have another chance at high-level ball, but also a chance for the family and friends to finally see what has taken me away all these years and see what I’ve been doing,” said Lamb-Hunt, who has played in two World Baseball Classic qualifiers for New Zealand, but added that it’ll be just as much a thrill to play in the ABL for his hometown. “Of course you take away the feeling of putting on the black jersey and representing your country, but at the same time were doing it again representing…with a little extra help (from import players.)

“Similar excitement is involved, just like the Warriors back in 1995 and Breakers in 2003, who were breaking into their respective leagues back then,” said Lamb-Hunt, who added that “with the schedule and amount of games we’ll be playing, it’s going to be a great opportunity for the national team players that are again involved to get more games together and experience at a high level.”

In Germany, the Bundesliga is one of a few semi-professional leagues now being played in Europe, but Lamb-Hunt believes there’ll be a lot more pressure playing in the ABL, “It will be a step up for sure, although the top sides here in Germany are comparable, the consistency of high quality week in week out and the pitching depth (in the ABL) really is going to make for a tougher time,” he said, adding, “We have had some high quality arms out here like Ryan Bollinger and Justin Erasmus last year before their triumphant Brisbane Bandits seasons, along with few others that spent time in the ABL, but it’s going to be harder when you have equal or even better quality pitchers coming out of the pen behind them. That’s something that is less common here in Germany and will be the toughest adjustment.”

While announcing the signing of the franchise’s first Kiwi player was of utmost importance, it can also be confirmed that former Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves pitcher Josh Collmenter will be the first overseas player added to the growing roster. Collmenter arrived in the country yesterday and will serve as pitching coach for the national U15 Development squad that leaves for a tournament in Taiwan on Tuesday.

Collmenter played seven years in the majors for the two organisations and pitched to a 38-35 win-loss record. He started over a third of his 214 games played and finished with an earned run average of just 3.64. He will replace another former major leaguer in DJ Carrasco (who is currently scouting with the Los Angeles Dodgers) on the staff when the team heads to Taiwan next week.

Collmenter was drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2007 and pitched for the Phoenix- based club till mid 2016 when he was traded to the Cubs, a team with which he never took the field before being traded again to the Braves. He began his career in Atlanta well, going 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA for the remainder of the season, but he got off to a slow start in early 2017 and in October of last year he became a free agent.

In confirming these important first two signings, Baseball New Zealand CEO and franchise group lead Ryan Flynn is delighted to have Lamb-Hunt and Collmenter on board, saying, “Daniel is a true professional and a young man I have a great deal of admiration for, having played consistently well since leaving Mt Albert Grammar as a teenager before linking up with the Braves and remaining a top player in Germany and for our Diamondlbacks national team,” Flynn said.

“While he has been playing in Germany, Daniel’s consistently been a top 5 hitter in the league and his five-tool ability has always been on display when he puts the Diamondblacks jersey on. He’s a rock for us and will be again,” said Flynn.

“Having a former Major Leaguer in Josh will ensure we have a quality arm leading our pitching staff on day one,” Flynn added, “and he brings so much to the table beyond his talent—he’s a leader, he’s a great marketer; he wants to help build the country in our sport, and he’s simply the right guy for the right time to take us to the next level on the field. And he’s only a year removed from pitching in the Major Leagues, it’s a huge coup for baseball in this country and for our new franchise in the ABL.”

Article added: Friday 06 July 2018