After 10 seasons as GM for the Amsterdam Lions franchise, GM Frank Esselink has been given his walking papers. Despite 5 consecutive trips to the postseason, the team has yet to win a PEC and was ousted in the Wild Card round this year by the Rio Grande Valley Ocelots. The team went 834-787 over his tenure, and from 2016 to 2021, improved in the win column every season, maxing out at 95 wins during their first year in Amsterdam. The team won their first division title this year, but that was with a worse record than either of the past two seasons and an escalating payroll. The farm system is nearly barren, as the team has spent big on FA’s and traded away draft picks for highly paid veterans.

Esselink took over the team, then the Connecticut Nutmeggers, after the 2012 season. The team was coming off a down year of 69 wins after two consecutive 78 win campaigns which were, to that point, easily the franchise’s best. He was forced to slash payroll, as the team took in around $70 million with expenses of over $90 million the prior year. The team traded away fan favorite Brooks Erickson and starting pitcher Chandler Davis. This was a far cry from what the team has since become, a financial powerhouse regularly among the top earning teams in the league. Perhaps this, then, will be Esselink’s greatest legacy: tapping into the financial potential of a franchise that had been struggling. Of course, financial prosperity and winning often go hand in hand, and the GM aggressively increased payroll in an effort to win that ultimately came up short of the final prize.

From a player standpoint, two players from the 2013 team are currently on the roster. Superstar shortstop Ronald Lowry was then in his 3rd major league season. At that point, he was 25 years old and was starting to answer the question of whether or not he would fulfill his potential. He hit .307 with 36 home runs, a total he would surpass just twice since then. The other player is closer David Chesney, who debuted in 2013 as a flame throwing middle reliever. He would become the team’s dominant setup man, striking out 134 batters in relief in 2015 before being traded to Duluth after the 2016 season. He returned in a June 2021 deal with Reno, but hasn’t been as dominant as in his younger days.

The other player that has largely defined the Esselink era is starting pitcher Carlos Rivera. Rivera finished up his minor league career in 2013 before making the rotation for 2014. Since then, he has been one of the league’s best pitchers. He’s gone 125-97 with a 3.61 ERA since his debut. That’s tied for 5th in wins. His 46.6 WAR is 4th ranks 4th during that time, his 1831 K’s ranks 3rd, and only Francisco Robles has faced more batters or thrown more pitches.

The Lions will be searching for a new GM over the coming weeks in hopes to make the necessary changes to see the team’s success continue in the right direction. At this point, owner Paul Woodward has kept his mouth shut about possible replacement candidates.