Welcome to the International Beat newsletter. I'm MLB.com's Michael Clair and I'm glad you're here. |
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As the rain lashed the field for yet another day, the players remained up on the railing, tuned in for every pitch. Sure, there were cancellations and mid-game delays, but the players’ spirits never dipped. They were in Rouen, France, for the European Cup -- the second tier below the European Champions Cup, essentially the baseball equivalent of the Europa League for soccer fans -- with teams from Belgium, Spain, Austria, and France all coming together for a week of cross-continent baseball. They had all sacrificed so much to reach this point, becoming ballplayers in countries where many don’t even know the game is played. |
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The Rouen Huskies prepare to take the field at the European Cup. Photo by Glenn Gervot / WBSC Europe |
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“We love it,” Rick Van Dijck, a pitcher for the Wiener Neustadt Diving Ducks, told MLB.com. Originally from Holland, the pitcher first fell in love with baseball when he saw Mark Prior play at Haarlem Baseball Week on TV back in 2000. Van Dijck had played for teams in Holland and the Czech Republic before arriving in Austria, where he was then called on to pitch and help develop the Diving Ducks’ promising young arms. “You may have seen in this tournament that a lot of the guys are involved in the game,” Van Dijck continued. “Even if it's raining, we’re still on the railing cheering our team on.” |
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Rick Van Dijck throws a pitch. Photo by Pablo Amiama / WBSC Europe |
I was fortunate enough to be in attendance with MLB Europe, who were shooting a documentary about the tournament host, the Rouen Huskies, who are the most successful team in France, with a legion of French Division I titles to their name. (Be on the lookout for that video and a few things I might pop up in later this summer!) Their facilities are the best in the country, even if they don't have lights to play at night. Their infield is turf and the outfield grass can soak up plenty of water, helping keep the action going for as long as possible throughout the rain-soaked week. They even have an indoor batting cage and weight room to let them work out all year long, a rarity in European baseball. The city of Rouen also shows up in force -- at least, as much as you’ll find in Europe. Groups of school kids arrived with their teachers every day to watch, learn and scream their heads off, whether it was for the home team Huskies or one of the visitors like the Montpellier Barracudas, Hoboken Pioneers or the powerful Tenerife Marlins. That wasn’t by accident. “The club is very present with all the schools around the area,” Rouen Huskies manager and new France U-23 national team pitching coach Quentin Becquey said. “We propose baseball during their [gym] classes, too, so baseball is present for all the schools.” For events like the European Cup, where many of the teams may not have anyone in the stands, “we’ll split them in half and we tell them, ‘You are with this team and you are with the other team,’” Becquey said. “We make sure that both teams are feeling loved." |
A Tenerife Marlins player signs autographs for his new fans. Photo by Pablo Amiama / WBSC Europe |
Becquey, who came to the States to play college baseball at Dominican University, is always tinkering, hoping to find a new way to grow the game or improve the product on the field. Training follows the latest science and his Rouen Huskies lineup subscribes to run expectancy charts. His leadoff hitter would probably hit cleanup on any other European team; the batter behind him is arguably the best all-around slugger on the club. He spends hours watching video on YouTube or Instagram to find the small tips and tricks that could be the difference between a win and a loss.
“Baseball evolves so quickly now that if you don't do your own research, if you don't question yourself often, you’re going to miss a lot,” Becquey said. “You have people that still think that some techniques should be the only technique, and they think that all the players should play like this, or swing like this, or pitch like this. Today, there's so many different details and techniques to approach the game. That's the beauty of our game." Sure, there may not have been many 90 mph fastballs and outfielders at times took routes more circuitous than airplanes circling the runway, but there was still plenty of great baseball on display. Young French prospect Ben Couvreur, set to pitch at Cochise College next year, threw the first six innings of a combined no-hitter, striking out 12 and walking just three. The French rivals Rouen and Montpellier faced off in a tense semifinal, with former Rouen pitcher Owen Ozanich – arguably the best pitcher in French national team history with more than 100 Division 1 victories to his name – helping the Barracudas defeat the Huskies. |
The Montpellier Barracudas unique home run celebration features a giant branch. Photo by Pablo Amiama / WBSC Europe |
And in the end, the Tenerife Marlins won the tournament, the team’s powerful lineup filled with Spanish national team players Wander Encarnacion, Edison Valerio, and Jesús Ustariz providing more than enough thump to carry the club. “We will never share the field with big leaguers. Let's be real,” Van Dijck said. “And if you do, it's maybe the one that's like, ‘OK, I want to play here in Europe to just experience it.’ But you see it here? Everybody loves it. We all know each other off the field. So it's just a great time, a great experience.” Becquey’s Huskies may not have won the Cup, but he has his sights set on even bigger accomplishments. For baseball to continue its growth around the globe, it needs people like Becquey at the helm. “I want to build a stadium,” Becquey said, the rain pattering upon his head once again. “I want to build a stadium so I can propose so many different activities like they do in the Minor Leagues. My dream is to get the lights so we can play night games. My dream is to get the best equipment for my players, and make sure that the fans can buy the same thing. My dream is to transform this park into the temple of baseball in France." |
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Joris Bert takes a hack at the European Cup. Photo by Glenn Gervot / WBSC Europe |
Q+A with French baseball legend Joris Bert
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Long before White Sox prospect Mathias LaCombe was selected in 2023, there was Joris Bert. Bert became the first French player ever drafted by a big league club when the Dodgers selected him in the 19th round of the 2007 Draft. At 37 years old, Bert is still lining up for the Rouen Huskies. With high socks and no batting gloves, Bert is a true baseball lifer.
Here is our conversation, edited for length and clarity. MLB: How did you start playing baseball? Joris Bert: I was 10 and I was playing soccer for my hometown, Louvigny, Normandy. One day I was late to a travel game so they left without me. My brother was playing baseball right next to the football field, so I went there. I tried it and never quit. MLB: Where did you go from there? How did you end up playing in the states? Bert: First I played for my hometown -- a small team, like when you’re a kid. And at 13 or 14 I played right here in Rouen. After that, I spent three years in Paris in the Olympic Center. After that, I finished and I didn’t know what to do with my life. I played in university for five months before our coach, who was good friends with another coach in Texas, sent me there. MLB: This was at Frank Phillips College in Texas. What was it like to go to JuCo in the states? Bert: I didn't speak English, so I was like, ‘OK, let's go, let's see what's gonna happen.' It was a good experience for me to learn English and play baseball differently. MLB: How did you get attention from the Dodgers? Bert: I don’t know! I know that at the end of the season, some scouts were coming to see me from different organizations – the Mariners, Dodgers, I don’t remember the other ones – because I was hitting like .400 with 40 stolen bases. They were watching the stats, so were like ‘Let’s see him.’ The day they came was a doubleheader and I went 7-for-8 with seven stolen bases. MLB: What was your reaction when you were drafted? What was the phone call like? Bert: I was in Italy with Rouen for the European Cup and I was sleeping, so I didn’t get any call. I didn’t know anything about the Draft, and in the morning I read my phone and people called me, ‘Hey, you got drafted!’ I didn’t expect that. MLB: What was your reaction once you figured out that you were part of the Dodgers? Bert: I was happy, but I didn’t realize [how big this was.] I realized it when I spoke with two people on the phone who talked about how I have to get a visa and sign my contract. MLB: How did your parents react? Bert: I won’t say they didn’t care, but they just said, ‘OK, good.’ They didn’t know anything about baseball. MLB: Was it lonely being the only player from France? Bert: No, I spoke Spanish so I was always with the Latinos. It was baseball all day: Morning practice, chilling in the pool, eating. I loved it. Because spending your day on the baseball field, in the sun? It’s good. MLB: What would it mean for someone like LaCombe to reach the Majors? Bert: I would be happy for him and for France, because he deserves it, he’s really good. I played rookie ball and didn’t sign for a lot of money, so I didn’t have many opportunities. I know he signed for more money, so he will have more chances than me. I hope he makes it. MLB: Do you have any plans on retiring? Bert: I’ll play until my body says stop or I don’t have the love to play in the first division. But for the moment, my personal life is not too busy that I have to quit. A lot of friends of mine quit baseball because they have work or family. I work, but it doesn’t take me too much time, so I’m good. I love baseball. |
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Adam Hall races from Bermuda to professional baseball. Design by Tom Forget. |
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INTERNATIONAL BASEBALL BOOK CLUB I recently enjoyed reading “A Baseball Gaijin,” by Aaron Fischman. The book follows former pitcher Tony Barnette on his globespanning baseball journey, heading to Japan to play for the NPB's Tokyo Swallows before later returning to America to make his big league debut. It’s a great read for anyone into global baseball, but it’s also an insightful look at the personal stories and sacrifice that are becoming all the more common as players move between countries and leagues. For those interested, Fischman and Barnette will actually be doing a few speaking events over the next few weeks. Here are the dates if you want to find them: 6/28, 6/30 - The two will be at SABR 53 in Dallas, Tex. Fischman will be interviewing Barnette at 10 a.m. central on Saturday morning at the Asian Baseball Committee meeting. 6/29 - The two will appear at Globe Life Field together for Barnette’s Rangers Alumni Alley autograph session and book signing. 7/31 - Fischman will be featured in the Hall of Fame’s Author Series in Cooperstown. |
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To subscribe to International Beat, visit this page and mark "International Beat" from our newsletter list. For tips, hints, or just to talk about international baseball, find me @michaelsclair on X/Twitter and IG or email me at Michael.Clair@MLB.com. |
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