Current League: European Championship Baseball League
Country: Turkey
ECBL Years: 38
ECBL Titles: 9 (05, 07, 14, 15, 19, 23, 28, 29, 32)
ECBL Playoffs: 29
WAR Leader Batter: Alfredo Baca – 66.4
WAR Leader Pitcher: Chrsitophe Guillaume – 32.4
Retired Numbers: 27 – Walter Radomski, 29 – Alfredo Baca
Career Win-Loss-Tie: 2768-1961-158 (.585)
General Manager: Phillipp Altman
Manager: Juan Schuerman
2000-2004: Rapid Promotion
The Ankara Coyotes are the most successful team in the history of the ECBL. When the three original European Leagues founded in 2000, the Coyotes were placed in the European Third League, which was the bottom league at the time. It took them only two seasons to finish atop the table and see themselves promoted to the European Second League. Once there, Ankara completed an even better season, and saw promotion to the ECBL immediately. The Coyotes struggled in their first season in the top league, finishing 15th while also seeing a sharp drop off in attendance at their home games. This slow start did not last long however, as they found their way into the ECBL playoffs for the first time in 2004, just their second season in the top league. Ankara failed to win a playoff series in that first postseason trip, but it was still a move in the right direction.
One key player to mention from this first era of Ankara baseball is Nanni Vercesi who, in 2004, won the first major player award in team history by taking home the Pitcher of the Year trophy, later renamed the Werner Bloom award. Vercesi quickly regressed following this award winning campaign, but he set the standard for pitchers in Ankara.
2005-2009: First Championships
The following season, 2025, Ankara finished second in the table during the regular season, giving them a second straight playoff birth. This time they were able to win a series, finishing off Moscow in a decisive game five in the opening round. The Coyotes then dispatched Athens in the semifinals and Kyiv in the finals, dropping only one game to each, en route to their first ECBL Championship. This was just the beginning of Ankara’s first playoff runs, with four more years of postseason appearances following that 2005 title, including another title in 2007 when they faced off against rival Turkish club Istanbul in the finals, again dropping only one game. The Coyotes would make the playoffs each season from 2004-09, winning their first two ECBL Championships, but they were overshadowed by a larger juggernaut during this time, the one team that threatened the Coyotes claim to the most successful European franchise, the Dublin Gnomes.
During this first stretch of ECBL success, Ankara had several key players of note. Lewis Borrego played first base for Ankara from 2002-09, won three gold gloves, and sits second on the Ankara all-time home runs leaderboard with 261. Second baseman Jude Harden was with the team since their inception, and played with Ankara through the 2008 season. Harden’s .311 batting average places him third all-time for Ankara. Filip Maca played right field for Ankara from 2005-12, but saw his best seasons in the first run of playoff appearances. The Coyote’s first true star player, Sigfrid Fleming left the team following their first title, but he still holds the team record for ERA, third in WAR, and second in FIP.
2010-2012: Adjustment Period
After a very successful half decade, the Coyotes failed to make the playoffs in 2010, finishing 12th in the table with a .513 winning percentage. They followed up that disappointment with an 81 win season, one of just a handful of 80-win seasons in ECBL history. They went into the 2011 postseason flying high, their second table-topping finish in four seasons, the team felt it was their turn to bring home the title once again. The Dublin Gnomes had won the championship in three of the past five seasons, while Ankara’s rival Istanbul was looking to repeat their title run in 2010. Dublin and Istanbul faced off in the first round, with the Sky Sox winning the decisive game five. Ankara defeated Palermo in round one, then won game seven in round two against The Hague. Waiting in the finals was Istanbul after they dismantled London in five games. The Turkish showdown ended as a mirror of their first meeting in 2007, when Ankara won in five games. Istanbul took home their second straight ECBL Championship, not only denying Ankara from tying Dublin with their third, but now Istanbul was tied with Ankara.
After that letdown in the playoffs, the 2012 Ankara Coyotes finished with a losing record for just the second time in team history. A 14th place finish following a record setting regular season the year prior was not what the team, the fans, or the front office were expecting. Luckily, disappointment was not a feeling that would stick around very long in Ankara.
2013-2026: The Alfredo Baca Era
Over the next 13 seasons, the Coyotes would win four ECBL Championships, making the playoffs each season, and finishing at the top of the table eight times. To make this even more impressive, Ankara only lost in the first round twice during this 13-year run. The first of those came in 2013, when the Coyotes lost to the London Royals. They followed up that first round exit with back-to-back Championships in 2014 & 15. In 2014, Ankara swept Dublin in round one, and swept London in the semifinals, avenging the previous year’s defeat. The finals matched the Coyotes up with the Turin Scorpions, and they finished them off in six. The 2015 run saw Ankara defesting London, Paris, then Dublin on their way to the team’s fourth Championship, tying Dublin for the most ECBL titles.
Ankara was looking to be the first team in ECBL history to win three straight titles, but the 2016 team lost in the semifinals to the Paris Orcas. The followed up that disappointment with another disappointment, losing the 2017 finals in game seven to their rivals Dublin. This gave the Gnomes the lead once again in all-time ECBL Championships. The 2018 season saw another semifinals defeat for Ankara, this time to fellow Turks Istanbul. Three seasons of playoff defeat was just the warm up for the absolutely historic 2019 Ankara Coyotes. With 87 wins, they tied the 2002 Naples Purple Warriors at the top of the single season wins leaderboard. What sets them apart from that Naples team however, is that Ankara went on to win the 2019 Championship in a 4-game sweep over rivals Istanbul. This title brought them back even with Dublin, and goes down as arguably the best single season by any ECBL team.
The Coyotes failed to reach the finals in each of the 2020, 21, and 22 seasons, losing to Istanbul, Dublin, and Hamburg respectively, but found themselves back at the summit in 2023, 24, and 25. The 2023 finals, against Athens, was an incredible series that saw Ankara come back and win the decisive game seven to bring home their sixth ECBL Championship. Neither the 2024 nor 25 seasons ended on the same note. Moscow swept Ankara in 2024, while Berlin won their second title in a six game series win over the Coyotes the following year. Then came 2026, an end of an era for the Coyotes. The team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012 when a 62-55-5 finish placed them ninth, yet only 8 1/2 games back of first. This season was also the final season for the franchises legendary superstar, Alfredo Baca.
Baca debuted for Ankara, his one and only team, in 2012 as a 22-year-old. Like you’d expect from most players, his worst seasons were his rookie campaign, and then his swan song in 2026. During his Coyotes tenure, Baca won four MVP awards, eight platinum sticks, and won four championships while playing mostly centerfield. He leads Ankara’s franchise leaderboards in just about every offensive and longevity stat you can think of, even lapping the pack in several. Baca is one of 22 current ECBL Hall of Famers, and is one of two Ankara Coyotes to have his jersey number retired. In a world in which players so frequently change teams, one can only admire and be impressed by Baca’s skill, loyalty, and championship mentality.
Of course, Alfredo Baca did not win all these games and championships alone. He had several running mates throughout his career, including fellow Hall of Famer Bob Fraire. The third baseman also spent his entire career with the Coyotes, retiring following the 2023 season and a string of injuries that limited him to just 70 games over his final two seasons. Fraire sits second behind Baca on the teams career WAR leaderboard for batters, and was a four time platinum stick winner himself. Though his number is not retired, there is no doubt the impact he had on the franchise.
Beppe Gallina played eight and a half seasons for Ankara, from 2015-2023. He was traded away during the 2023 season to Rome. Gallina was not just a solid bat (career 133 wRC+ with Ankara), but he also won three gold gloves in right field while with the team. The final piece to the outfield puzzle during this stretch was Jerry Avila. Avila played for Ankara from 2017-2026, and still hold the team record for career batting average. His 130 wRC+ and three platinum sticks during his tenure were the finishing touches to one of the greatest outfields to ever step onto the field. The final position player to force a mention during this run was first baseman Curran O’Connor. The Englishman played for Ankara from 2013-2021, and while he never took home any hardware of his own, he was known as a steady presence for the team. O’Connor rarely missed time due to injury, and left Ankara with a career 123 wRC+ and three Championship rings.
Every dynasty needs more than just a good offense, so let’s not forget about some of the most talented pitchers to step on the mound for Ankara. First, we have the most recent Hall of Fame inductee, Walter Radomski. Radomski played eight seasons for the Coyotes (2018-2025), but he sure made an impact. He became just the second Coyote to win the Werner Bloom award in 2021, and was able to help the team win two championships. Radomski sits in the top five in many of the Ankara career leaderboards, including ERA, Wins, Innings Pitched, and WAR. Radomski wasn’t the only elite pitcher on the team at this time. Lionel Fede won the Werner Bloom award in 2022, and Frank Anderson won the award in 2024, making it three Ankara pitchers in four years. Fede played for Ankara from 2020-2028, while Anderson started with the team the same year, but left one year later in 2029. Both pitchers were known for avoiding injuries and being available, as well as showing flashes of true brilliance. These were also the two stars that bridged the gap from the end of the “Baca Era” and the beginning of the following era of Coyotes baseball.
2027-2032: End of the Wuensch Era
With Alfredo Baca and Bob Fraire retired and the team’s consecutive playoff streak broken, it was time to reset and figure out who the Coyotes would be moving forward. They didn’t have a star bat, but they did have star pitching. Ankara immediately returned to the playoffs in 2027, but failed to reach the finals after a heartbreaking game seven loss to Moscow in the semifinals. The team then pulled out back-to-back championships for the second time in team history in 2028 and 2029. The 2028 playoff run is a thing of legend, with Ankara playing a winner-take-all game in every round (Lyon, Turin, & Moscow). The 2029 finals went a bit differently, with Ankara sweeping Sofia for their eighth ECBL Championship. Their second chance at a threepeat sank nearly as soon as it began with an opening round sweep by Turin.
Following the embarrassing sweep in 2030, there began to be whispers that the team’s one and only General Manager, Oliver Wuensch, was thinking about retirement. The story is, he determined he couldn’t leave with that game three loss to Turin being his final game. He returned in 2031, Ankara won 80 games, finished atop the ECBL table, and went all the way to game seven in the finals, where they lost to the London Royals. Wuensch admitted a few months later in an interview that, if the team had won that final game, he would’ve walked away right then and there, but once again, he stated that he couldn’t leave following that type of defeat. He returned to the team once again in 2032, leading Ankara back to the playoffs and back to the finals, this time matched up against an unfamiliar foe in Vilnius. The Coyotes were once again pushed to a game seven, but this time were able to come out victorious, taking home a league record ninth ECBL Championship. The following day, Wuensch announced his retirement from the team, ending the longest tenured and most successful run in ECNL history.
Outside of Fede and Anderson, who ushered in this era of Coyotes baseball, there were a few additional stand out players. Christophe Guillaume was maybe the most unique player of Wuensch’s tenure. A consistently effective starting pitcher, Guillaume was also given the opportunity to play two-ways, appearing in around 70 games a season as an outfielder or DH. His bat didn’t catch up to his pitching until the 2030 season, in which he posted a 151 wRC+ across 260 PA. Guillaume played for Ankara from 2027-2037, and can be found on many of the franchise’s career pitching leaderboards.
Serge Raffin joined the team as a rookie in 2029 and stayed with them until the 2036 season. Another standout starting pitcher, Raffin left the team with 167 starts and a 126 ERA+. The only batter to mention is Japanese outfielder Chujiro Kuramochi. He played for the Coyotes from 2029-2037, winning gold gloves in center field twice. Kuramochi’s combination of defensive prowess and offensive skill led to him leaving the team in third on the all-time WAR leaderboard.
2033 – Present: Post Wuensch Era
Following the departure of their long term GM and Manager, Ankara looked like they were primed to continue their long run of dominance in the ECBL. The 2033 season saw the team reach the finals once again, this time ending in a five game loss to the Kyiv Railsplitters. Though the Coyotes would reach the playoffs in 2034 and 2035, they would fail to win a single game each time. In both the 2036 and 37 seasons, Ankara would finish just outside of the playoff line, which was the first time the team had ever missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons. It wouldn’t get any better the following season, in which Ankara won only 47 games (the team’s fewest ever wins) and finished 16th in the ECBL. A 14th place finish in 2039 didn’t make fans any more hopeful for a quick rebound.
Current GM Phillipp Altman, former GM of the Munich Padres, was brought in before the 2036 season. For a franchise that has seen nothing but success over it’s first 35 seasons, the current era feels nothing short of a dark age. The only bright side to be found is that the team has yet to find themselves relegated back down to the ESL, something the team has never dealt with. Only time will tell if the once dominant franchise can return to the summit of professional baseball.
European Championship Baseball 