(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen & Québec Capitales)
   Kalian Sams in All Star Team & Play-Offs; named Team MVP
Nederlands
 QUÉBEC CITY, Québec (Canada) -
Dutch outfielder Kalian Sams has been named to the Postseason All Star Team of the Canadian-American Association.
The Can-Am League announced the honors on Tuesday (September 8), as voted upon by league managers and media members.
Sams was one of four players of the Capitales de Quebéc to be chosen.
Five players came from Rockland Boulders and the remaining three of New Jersey Jackals.
...Kalian Sams...
(© Capitales) |
Along with Joe Maloney and Stephen Cardullo (both Rockland), Kalian Sams was one of the three outfielders named to the All Star Team.
The Boulders, Capitales and Jackals also were the top-3 in the league this season, which ended on Monday (September 7).
Sams played in his first season with the Capitales, one of the teams in the Independent Canadian-American Association (or Can-Am League).
In the regular season, the Capitales finished in second place with a 54-42 record behind leader Rockford Boulders (63-34).
On Monday, the Capitales had their final game of the season scheduled, meeting the Garden State Grays at home in Quebec City.
However, with a 7-0 lead for the Capitales, the game was stopped after two innings by rain and cancelled.
Sams was third in the league this season with 32 stolen bases, which also was third-most in club-history.
The powerhitter hit 16 homeruns, third best in the league.
Sams hit 23 doubles (fourth place) and batted in 65 runs (sixth place).
He was named Player of the Month in July and also was named Player of the Week twice.
Sams led the Capitales with 65 RBI's (second highest total was 44) and 32 stolen bases (second highest was 11).
He was second with 51 runs scored and third with 82 basehits.
His .279 batting average was fifth best of the team.
On Monday, he was named Most Valuable Player of the team, which was one of seven team awards to be handed out on Monday-evening before the start of the final game.
Cuban Yunieski Gourriel was the team's best hitter with a .374 average.
Alexei Bell, another wellknown international Cuban player, finished in third place with a .317 batting average.
On Wednesday, Sams will open the best-of-five Play-Offs with the Capitales against the New Jersey Jackals.
League-leader and reigning champion Rockland Boulders meets fourth placed Trois-Rivieres Aigles.
The winners of these two Play-Offs series (1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3) will meet each other on a best-of-five Championship Series, starting on September 15.
The Capitales won the league championship title six times.
First in 2006, then in five consecutive years in 2009 through 2013.
Last year, Sams, who turned 29 on August 25, played with the Camden Riversharks in the Independent Atlantic League.
He also played in Taiwan, where he won the championship with the Topco Scientific Falcons.
...Kalian Sams playing for Kinheim on April 30...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Sams made his professional debut in 2007 when he played in Single-A in the organisation of the Seattle Mariners.
With the Mariners, he reached the Double-A level in 2012.
Sams then played for six different teams in 2013.
He played at the Double-level for the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers and also played in Triple-A with the Padres.
But in 2013, Sams also played briefly for Camden Riversharks after he was released by the Padres and prior to being signed by the Rangers.
Later in 2013, he played in Mexico, but then returned home to the Netherlands.
After being released by the Rangers, he played again for Camden in 2014.
In both 2013 and 2014, he played for DOOR Neptunus in the Holland Series, winning the Dutch championship in both years.
Last year, he also won the European Championship playing with the Netherlands National Team.
In April of this year, Sams signed a contract to play for the Québec Capitales.
Shortly after he had signed with Québec, Sams transfered from Neptunus to Corendon Kinheim, for whom he played in the Dutch big league before leaving for Canada.
Sams played in five games for Kinheim, hitting .429 (9-for-21) with a double and a homerun, batting in five runs and scoring once.
As Sams is now associated with Kinheim, he is eligible to play for the Haarlem-team during its postseason.
On August 30, Kinheim qualified for the best-of-seven Holland Series, which opens next Saturday, September 12.
However, when Sams reaches the Can-Am Championship Series, that opens on September 15.
When that series needs all five games, the last one will be played on September 19.
And that makes Sams available to play for Kinheim in the eventual sixth and seventh game of the Holland Series.
In case the Can-Am final needs only three games, the last one will be played on September 17.
Game 4 of the Holland Series is scheduled for September 19.
(September 8)
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