During the London Series, the MLB Europe Tournament selected nearly a hundred young Europeans for a camp. Twelve French players were invited to participate in the camp held from June 19 to 25 at the British Baseball Federation’s national center, Farnham Park.
• Blanc-Jouvan Valentin (Montpellier)
• Couvreur Ben (Montpellier)
• Doat Pierre (Montpellier)
• Esposito Kenny (Toulouse)
• Hassed Firmin (Savigny-sur-Orge)
• Lacombe Mathias (Toulouse)
• Meurant Mathis (Sénart)
• Meurant Tanguy (Sénart)
• Nayral Mathis (Montpellier)
• Ouanyou Jordan (PUC)
• Pierre Mattéo (La Rochelle)
• Riep Florent (Ratisbonne)
As well as two coaches
• Jean-Michel Mayeur, manager of the France 15U Baseball Team and head of the Montpellier Baseball Hope Pole
• Nolan Soliveres, coach at the France Baseball Pole in Toulouse
Top-tier facilities, high-level coaches—everything was in place to inspire the young recruits.
Let’s hear from one of them: Mateo Pierre: « It was a very interesting camp that allowed me to see the European level of other players my age and older ones. The coaching, tests, and games helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses. I’m returning from London with stronger determination than ever to achieve my goals. »
Mathias LaCombe, a player in a US university, shares his impressions:
« The European Development Tournament is an excellent tournament, probably the best in terms of visibility for young European players. It allows 15-21 year-olds to compete against each other in a tournament where scouts are there to judge individual performances. I’m very happy to have participated in this tournament where I met coaches from different countries and levels who gave me good advice. »
Nolan Soliveres, one of the two coaches, shares his observations:
« For the resources put in place, any camp or tournament organized by MLB is exceptional. Indeed, with the arrival of the London Series, there have been many events revolving around this main event, including the European Development Tournament. The EDT is an event organized during the London Series week, bringing together the 90 best European prospects. There were therefore three teams of 30 players who faced each other for four days. There were 10 French players present and 2 coaches. During this camp, the three teams faced each other four times. They had the chance to play in front of many professional and university scouts/recruiters. Indeed, the French players were very motivated to face other European prospects their age and to show their physical, technical, and mental skills to the recruiters. »
He continues with his feelings: « I think it’s quite motivating and integrating for the 2007/2008/2009 generations. Also for us coaches, this camp is useful for scouting for international competitions. »
The president of the federation (and the former president) were able to accompany them, especially for the end of their camp.
(1) Editor’s note: « Scouting » refers to talent scouting. The placement of a player (athlete) with a club in order to conclude a player employment contract in exchange for remuneration is subject to the law on sports agents.
