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Jakarta confident of dominating minor league
As hosts of the South East Asia Youth Baseball and Softball Tournament (SEAYBST), the Jakarta minor league baseball team is confident it can improve its ranking from last year’s third place to the top of the standings
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s hosts of the South East Asia Youth Baseball and Softball Tournament (SEAYBST), the Jakarta minor league baseball team is confident it can improve its ranking from last year’s third place to the top of the standings.
“Last year was the best showing for Jakarta in 10 years. So we have a good chance of winning the minor league championship this year,” tournament director and Jakarta minor league team coach Tom Thrasher told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Last year in Manila, Thrasher led the squad to third place, behind runner-up Manila and champions Singapore.
The tournament, which runs until March 27, features seven teams from the host city, six teams from Manila and Perth, five from Singapore, and three from Bangkok. The competition is divided into boys’ minor, major and senior league baseball and girls’ major and senior leagues.
“As hosts, Jakarta teams will have more supporters and more pride in defending their home advantage,” Thrasher said, adding that Jakarta teams have become very competitive among other Southeast Asian teams.
“In the past, the gap between the teams was more significant. Now, there’s a lot of parity between the teams because we [Jakarta] have strong player-development programs. We are working from teeball kids all the way up to teenage. These programs have gotten better. The players are developing more skills, learning more about the game and are physically more capable.”
Garuda Baseball Club, one of the nine baseball clubs in Jakarta that support early development of baseball players from the age 5 to 12, contributed the most players for the host teams.
“Around 40 local players participating in this year’s SEAYBST are from our club,” Tigor Hakim, head of the Garuda Baseball Club, told the Post on Sunday.
Of the seven host teams, the Jakarta Silver and the Jakarta Blue are participating in the minor league. The players were selected from among the best up-and-coming players at the annual Jakarta Youth Baseball Association (JYBA) Tournament, which is the local league competition that ran from November last year to March this year.
Tigor, who is also coaches Jakarta Silver, said “Jakarta Silver expects at least a runner-up place. We realize that Jakarta Blue is heavily tipped to win, but we will definitely make it tough for them.”
On the first day of the SEAYBST, Jakarta Silver team lost 5-7 to Singapore, despite leading in the early innings, while Jakarta Blue crushed Bangkok 14-2. In the major league game, Jakarta Blue beat Bangkok 6-2, while in senior league action, Singapore defeated Manila 9-2.
