Ottawa Champions sign two international free agents

The Ottawa Champions have signed infielder Leonardo Reginatto. He has played in triple-A in the Minnesota Twins organization for the past three seasons. Photo: Ottawa Champions

March 11, 2019

By Michael Nellis

Ottawa Champions

OTTAWA – Two international signings have given the Ottawa Champions an extra level of experience in the lead up to the 2019 season.

Both OF Jiandido Tromp and INF Leonardo Reginatto bring a boatload of experience at the international and affiliated baseball levels. They are expected to pack a great deal of knowledge for manager Sebastien Boucher and his club.

Tromp is expected to fill a hole in the outfield, after OF Chase Harris was dealt to the Rockland Boulders earlier this offseason. Reginatto rounds out Ottawa’s infield, combining with another veteran at second base – INF Maikol Gonzalez – to form an experienced middle infield.

Boucher says Tromp’s bat is his most appealing commodity for the Champions.

“He is going to be solid in centre field, but he will also fit in into the heart of the order,” said Boucher.

While the Champions don’t want to sacrifice on-base percentage for power, Boucher says you he is looking for players “who can hit it over heads for doubles.”

Tromp hit 13 two-baggers while splitting 2018 with triple-A Lehigh Valley and double-A Reading, both part of the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He is from Oranjestad Noord, Aruba.

Reginatto – another South American veteran with experience in affiliated baseball – will be starting in the middle infield. The native of Curitiba, Brazil has no shortage of reps in that position, occupying the middle infield for the Minnesota Twins triple-A affiliate in Rochester each of the last three years.

He has over 80 plate appearances at triple-A in every season since 2015 – including one in Durham, the Tampa Bay Rays’ top farm club.

Reginatto is a contact hitter who has never had more than 85 strikeouts in a full season. His 85 came in his first full season at triple-A, and has been going down ever since.

“We’ve been missing the experienced veterans in the infield in past years,” said Boucher. “I was kind of adamant when I saw Reginatto was available, I see a really good fit for us to have good solid middle infielders in our lineup.”

Boucher says he hopes Reginatto and Gonzalez can be the core of the same fluid infield from the Champions’ 2016 campaign, which featured INF Albert Cartwright and INF Daniel Bick.

He will make a few more signings this winter ahead of the Can-Am League open tryouts in early April.