New Zealand Baseball have called on a new ace to contend February's World Baseball Classic Qualifying tournament in Sydney.
Cleveland Indians pitcher Nick Maronde, who has experience pitching in Major League Baseball, was named in the 28-man roster for their qualifying campaign, which starts against South Africa on February 11 (3pm NZT).
The Diamondblacks will hope the new marquee pitcher can deliver on the international stage, with Pittsburgh Pirates reliever John Holdzkom unavailable, former Blue Jay Scott Richmond running into problems with his Taiwanese team, infielder Daniel Devonshire tearing his bicep two weeks ago, and promising Oregon State pitcher Mak Fox unexpectedly quitting the sport last year.
But just who is this left-hander New Zealand have called on to help them top a talented Australian side?
Position: Pitcher
Throws: Left (southpaw)
Bats: Switch hitter (both)
Age: 26
Height: 6' 3"
MLB Appearances: 33
Born in Kentucky, Maronde spent time in New Zealand growing up playing for Howick Pakuranga Baseball Club and represented the country at a younger age.
Maronde went on to play college baseball for the Florida Gators and was part of the team that reached the College World Series in 2011, falling to South Carolina in the final.
He was drafted in the 3rd round (104th overall) by the Los Angeles Angels later in 2011 and was thrown into his first major league appearance in September 2012 on the road against the Seattle Mariners.
The then 22-year-old had been lighting it up as a starting pitcher at double A level (second division of the minors) with a deadly combination of fastballs and sliders when he was called up to the Angels to pitch out of the bullpen.
With his team trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Maronde was sent to the mound to pitch to left hander Carlos Peguero. Maronde struck him out on just three pitches before he was pulled from the game in a short, but successful start to his time in the majors.
Three days later on his 23rd birthday, Maronde got the chance to throw a few more pitches when he was called in to dig his side out of a hole against the Oakland Athletics.
The A's had runners on first and third base, but Maronde struck out Coco Crisp and Seth Smith to end the inning and help the Angels to a 7-1 win.
"He was probably the MVP of the game," starting pitcher Dan Haren told the Los Angeles Times on Maronde's pitching.
"It's a testament to his mental makeup that he can stay composed and throw strikes."
Nick Maronde high-fives Angels' star outfielder Mike Trout after a game (Getty Images)
Maronde went on to make a total of 12 appearances for the Angels in the 2012 season, followed by 10 in 2013 and 11 in 2014.
After spending time bouncing between the majors and minors, Maronde was traded in July 2014 to the Cleveland Indians.
Maronde has since been pitching in the minor leagues with the Columbus Clippers and Akron Rubberducks.
While being tipped to make it back to the majors with the Indians, Maronde couldn't find a way in the 2015 season, despite a strong finish to the year.
Scout.com's Michael Goodman explained that Maronde's control was the one thing holding back his progress back to the top level.
"Since being moved to the bullpen in Columbus, Maronde has pitched pretty well. This is particularly interesting with the Indians depletion of left handed options in the major league bullpen," said Goodman.
"The biggest issue he's had over his career has been control, but he's made some progress in that regard this season."
Maronde throws a tailing fastball that he can locate with accuracy on both sides of the plate and down at the hitter's knees, while he has made progress with his changeup (deceptively slower pitch) that keeps right-handed batters in check at the plate. However, as MLB columnist Bernie Pleskoff explained, Maronde's success with his above-average fastball has been compliment by his "high-quality" slider.
"The slider might well be his best out pitch. His fastball usually sits at 90-91 mph, while the slider has late bite at around 85 mph," said Pleskoff.
"If Maronde can command his changeup -- throwing strikes, and inducing swings and misses -- he will increase his opportunity for consistent success."
The Diamondblacks head into camp in Auckland on February 1, where they will train for the week before heading to Sydney on February 6.
The unique scheduling and double-elimination format of the qualifying tournament gives the New Zealand coaches plenty to chew over during the training camp as they plan out who their top pitchers are and starting rotation.
New Zealand open the tournament against South Africa, with the winner going on to meet the victor between Australia and the Philippines the following day for a place in the final.
While the winner of that second game goes into the final, the loser gets a second chance against the winner of the two losing countries from the opening day. Have I still got you? In simple terms, you have to win twice before you lose two games in order to make the winner-takes-all final.
The tricky part about the schedule is the whole tournament plays out in four days and starting pitchers, depending on how deep they go into games, usually require a couple of days rest between outings.
This means whoever pitches for New Zealand in the first game, may it be Maronde, is likely to be turned around in time to play in the final, but that's only if they make it there. There's every chance teams could be battling for their lives with their number two or three arm on the mound.
On paper, the home side Australia is expected to make the final. The question most people are thinking, who will join them in the face-off for a place at the 2017 World Baseball Classic tournament?
Pitchers: Andrew Marck, Ben Cone, Scott Cone, Nick Maronde, Ben Thompson, Joe Boyce, Riki Paewai, Jamie Wilson, Jimmy Boyce, Jacob Curry, Ben Hughlon, Kyle Glogoski, Randy Yard, Yong Min 'John' Lee, Blair Johnstone.
Catchers: Te Wera Bishop, Connar O'Gorman, Dewald De Klerk.
Infielders: Alan Schoenberger, Boss Moanaroa, Scott Campbell, Tyron Bartorillo, Jason Matthews.
Outfielders: Max Brown, Daniel Bradley, Daniel Lamb-Hunt, Moko Moanaroa, Tim Auty.
3 News
