Markus Solbach (born August 26, 1991) is a German former professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

. The right-hander is also active for the

German national baseball team The Germany national baseball team is the national baseball team for Germany. They are a contender for the European Baseball Championship, and have competed in the Baseball World Cup. Jendrick Speer is the manager, since March 2023. Results and fi ...

. He played for Team Germany in the

2019 European Baseball Championship The 2019 European Baseball Championship was an international baseball tournament organized by the Confederation of European Baseball. The 2019 Championship was held September 7–15, 2019, in Bonn and Solingen, Germany. The tournament contribut ...

, in which they came in sixth.

Career

Minnesota Twins

Solbach's baseball career started at the Pulheim Gophers, where he played until 2011 as a pitcher, before he signed a professional contract with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

organization on February 19, 2011. He made his professional debut with the rookie-level

GCL Twins The Florida Complex League Twins are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex. Prior to 2021, the ...

, where he posted a 3–3 record and 1.91 ERA in 15 games. He remained with the team for the 2012 season as well, posting a 5.82 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 17.0 innings of work. Solbach began the 2013 season with the GCL Twins, but was released in late July, after logging a 0.96 ERA in five games.

Windy City ThunderBolts

On July 19, 2013, Solbach signed with the

Windy City ThunderBolts The Windy City ThunderBolts are a professional baseball team based in the Chicago suburb of Crestwood, Illinois, in the United States. The ThunderBolts are a member of the Frontier League, which is a partner league of Major League Baseball. Sin ...

of the independent

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

. Solbach posted a 5–1 record and 3.27 ERA in 10 games with the team to finish the 2013 season. He began the 2014 season with the team, recording a 0.86 ERA in his first three games.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On June 2, 2014, Solbach's contract was purchased by the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. ...

organization. He split the remainder of the year between the rookie-level

Missoula Osprey The Missoula PaddleHeads are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Missoula, Montana, and play their home games at Ogren Par ...

, the Low-A

Hillsboro Hops The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League as an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. ...

, and the Single-A

South Bend Silver Hawks South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

, accumulating a 6–6 record and 4.03 ERA in 16 games between the three teams. Solbach split the 2015 season between the Single-A

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play their h ...

and the High-A

Visalia Rawhide The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since thei ...

, pitching to a cumulative 11–6 record and 3.40 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 150.2 innings of work. On March 28, 2016, Solbach was released by the Diamondbacks organization.

Rockland Boulders

Following his release from Arizona, Solbach signed with the

Rockland Boulders The New York Boulders are an American independent professional baseball team playing in the Frontier League based in Pomona, Rockland County, New York. The team was founded as a member of the Can-Am League, beginning play in the 2011 season ...

of the

Can-Am League The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization of ...

. In 10 games with Rockland, Solbach posted a 6–2 record and 2.43 ERA with 52 strikeouts.

Arizona Diamondbacks (second stint)

On July 8, 2016, Solbach's contract was purchased by the

organization. He returned to the High-A

, and registered a 5–2 record and 3.56 ERA in 12 appearances to finish out the year.

Rockland Boulders (second stint)

Solbach signed with the

of the

for the 2017 season. In 19 appearances, all of them starts, with Rockland, Solbach recorded an 11–4 record and 3.60 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 122.2 innings pitched.

Los Angeles Dodgers

After not playing with a team in 2018, on January 3, 2019, Solbach signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

organization. Following spring training, he was assigned to

extended spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. He began the season with the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

, and also spent time with the

AZL Dodgers The Arizona Complex League Dodgers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona. The team is compos ...

, posting a 5–3 record and 3.25 ERA in 14 games with the two teams. Solbach did not play in a game for the Dodgers organization in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. With the absence of the minor league season, Solbach played for

T & A San Marino San Marino Baseball Club is a professional domestic baseball club based in San Marino. As of August 2021, they compete in Serie A1, the top tier of Italian baseball. Their current commercial name is T & A San Marino, because the team is primarily ...

of the

Italian Baseball League The Italian Baseball League (IBL; Italian: ') is a professional baseball league that is governed by FIBS (Italian Baseball & Softball Federation), which has its headquarters in Rome. The IBL is a wood bat league in which both composite and alu ...

, with whom he posted a 3–0 record and 0.30 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 30.1 innings of work. Solbach was assigned to the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their hom ...

to begin the 2021 season and pitched in 16 games for them (9 starts) with an 0–6 record and 8.18 ERA before making one appearance with the Drillers at the end of the season. He elected free agency on November 7, 2021.

Detroit Tigers

On November 24, 2021, Solbach signed a minor league deal with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. Solbach made 15 starts for the Double–A Erie SeaWolves in 2022, and also started two games for the Triple–A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played ...

. In 74.0 innings, he registered a 4–5 record and 4.01 ERA with 71 strikeouts. He elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.

International career

Solbach has played several seasons in the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it ...

, his first being the 2011-12 season where he played for the

Melbourne Aces The Melbourne Aces are a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Their home field is the Melbourne Ballpark in Altona. History On Friday, 20 August 2010 it was announced that ...

, before moving to the

Sydney Blue Sox The Sydney Blue Sox are a professional baseball team, and one of eight foundation teams in the re-formed Australian Baseball League (ABL). The team plays their home games at Blacktown International Sportspark (BISP), one of the two venues used ...

for the 2013-14 season. In the 2018

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footbal ...

, he led his regular team, the Bonn Capitals, as the best pitcher for their first German championship. Following his Bundesliga performance, in the 2018-19 Australian Baseball League season he played for

Adelaide Bite The Adelaide Giants are a professional baseball team that plays in the Australian Baseball League. They are one of the six foundation franchises of the league, in its first incarnation from 1989 to 1999. The team adopted the name Bite or Adelaid ...

, putting up career best figures of 5–3 with a 1.10 ERA. He was subsequently named the league's joint MVP with

Tim Kennelly Tim Kennelly (6 July 1954 – 6 December 2005) was Irish Gaelic footballer. His league and championship career at senior level with the Kerry county team spanned ten years from 1974 to 1984. Born just outside Listowel, County Kerry, Kennell ...

, the first time someone other than an Australian or American had won the award.

Coaching career

On December 15, 2022, Solbach was hired by the

Bonn Capitals The Bonn Capitals (full name: "1. Baseballclub Bonn Capitals e.V.") are a German baseball and softball club from Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, founded on November 8, 1989. Its first men's team has been competing in the Baseball Bundesliga sinc ...

of the German Baseball Bundesliga to serve as a base coach for the 2023 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solbach, Markus 1991 births Living people 2019 European Baseball Championship players Adelaide Bite players Baseball pitchers German expatriate baseball players in the United States Gulf Coast Twins players Hillsboro Hops players Kane County Cougars players Missoula Osprey players People from Dormagen Sportspeople from Düsseldorf (region) Rockland Boulders players South Bend Silver Hawks players Sydney Blue Sox players Visalia Rawhide players Windy City ThunderBolts players Arizona League Dodgers players Tulsa Drillers players T & A San Marino players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Expatriate baseball players in Australia Expatriate baseball players in San Marino German expatriate sportspeople in Australia