(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos: Henk Seppen)
  Seven Dutch players in Minor League Play-Offs
Nederlands
       BILLINGS, Montana / GRANVILLE, West Virginia / CHARLESTON, West Virginia / PEORIA, Illinois / LYNCHBURG, Virginia / SAN JOSE, California / NORFOLK, Virgina (USA) -
Seven players with a Dutch passport, all coming from either Curaçao or Aruba, will play in this years Play-Offs at various levels in the Minor Leagues.
They are in alphabetical order Danny Arribas, Sicnarf Loopstok, Jonathan Martijn, John Polonius, Juremi Profar, Darren Seferina and Sharlon Schoop.
An eighth player, short stop Carlton Daal, this season played for Daytona Tortugas (Cincinnati Reds), which qualfied for the Play-Offs in the Florida State League (Single-A Advanced).
Daytona opened its best-of-three vs. Cleawater Threshers (Philadelphia Phillies) on Tuesday with a 3-0 win, but Daal didn't play, as he was placed on the disabled list on August 20.
...Sharlon Schoop playing for the Netherlands Baseball Team...
...during the 2014 European Championship in the Czech Republic...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
International League (Triple-A)
Netherlands National Baseball Team-infielder Sharlon Schoop is playing professionally since 2005.
The 28-year old short stop from Curaçao and brother of Major Leaguer Jonathan Schoop started the season with Bowie Baysox in Double-A.
On June 15, he was promoted to Norfolk Tides to make his debut on the Triple-A level.
With the Tides (Baltimore Orioles), Schoop played in 53 games and finished the season with a .217 average (36-for-166) with three doubles and one homerun.
He scored 14 runs and batted in 13.
In 2011, Schoop (as was his brother) was one of the players, who captured the World Championship-title with the Netherlands Baseball Team in Panama.
Last year, he won the European Championship-title with the Dutch squad.
Schoop also participated with the Orange squad in the 2009 World Championship and the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Norfolk Tides won the title in the South Division of the International League and in the best-of-five Play-Off, it meets Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians), the champion of the West Division.
In the opener on Wednesday-evening, the Tides lost 5-2.
Schoop was 1-for-3.
In the other Play-Off, North Division-champion Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees) meets Indianapolis Indians ((Pittsburgh Pirates), the second team with the best record.
The Indians won the opener on Wednesday, 7-3.
Pioneer League (Rookie League)
21-year old Curaçao-born outfielder Jonathan Martijn won the second half championship in the North Division of the Pioneer League with Billings Mustangs (Cincinnati Reds) in the final game of the season on Tuesday (September 8).
20-year old Dutch pitcher Misja Harcksen and his team Ogden Raptors were eliminated for the Play-Offs, despite having the best overall record in the League this season.
Go here for the article on this site regarding the conclusion of their season
...Danny Arribas playing for the Netherlands Baseball Team...
...during the 2012 European Championship in Rotterdam (Neth.)...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
New York-Penn League (Single-A Short Season)
On Monday (September 7), the West Virginia Black Bears (Pittsburgh Pirates) won 8-2 vs. Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians) to win the Wild Card.
Playing for the Black Bears as third baseman is Danny Arribas (born in Miami, USA).
This season, he played in 60 games, hitting .284 (66-for-232) with nine doubles, two triples and three homeruns, while scoring 38 runs and batting in 29.
Arribas made his professional debut in 2011.
After having played in Rookie League for four years, he promoted this season to Short Season Single-A.
In 2012, Arribas played for the Netherlands National Baseball Team during the European Championship.
In the same year, he was a member of the Dutch squad during an invitational tournament in Florida in March.
The Black Bears were to open the best-of-three Play-Offs at home on Wednesday-evening (September 9) vs. Williamsport Crosscutters (Philadelphia Phillies), the champion of the Pinckney Division.
The Black Bears finished in second place behind the Crosscutters.
However, the game at Monongalia Couty Ballpark was cancelled due to rain.
In the other Play-Off, the Staten Island Yankees (New York Yankees), champion of the McNamara Division, meets the Tri-City ValleyCats (Houston Astros), the champion of the Stelder Division.
South Atlantic League (Single-A)
19-year old Juremi Profar (whose middle name by the way is Gregorius), the brother of (injured) Major Leaguer Jurickson Profar, promoted during the season from Single-A Advanced to Single-A.
At that level, the Curaçao-born Profar played in 64 games for Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers), hitting .272 (66-for-243) with 17 doubles, one triple and three homeruns, scoring 26 runs and batting in 26.
This is Profar's third professional season.
With the Crawdads, the third baseman won the first half championship in the Northern Division of the South Atlantic League to reach the Play-Offs.
Hickory opened the Play-Offs on Wednesday, September 9 at West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates), the winner of the second half.
The Crawdads lost the opener, 4-2, after leading 2-0.
Profar was 1-for-4.
The Southern Division Play-Off will be played by Savannah Sand Gnats (New York Mets) and Asheville Tourists (Colorado Rockies).
Asheville opened with a 5-1 win.
Midwest League (Single-A)
21-year old Darren Seferina from Willemstad, Curaçao, this season is the second baseman for the Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis Cardinals) in his second professional season.
Last year, he played in Single-A Short Season.
This season, Seferina played in 107 games, hitting .295 (121-for-410) with 26 doubles, 12 triples and four homeruns.
He scored 58 runs and batted in 33.
In May and July, he missed a week due to a thumb injury.
Seferina led his team in basehits, doubles, triples and was second in stolen bases (23) and runs.
His batting average was second best after Harrison Bader, who batted .301, but played in only 54 games.
With Peoria, Seferina finished in third place in the second half of the Western Division to clinch a Play-Off spot.
The team opened the best-of-three first round on Wednesday, September 9 at home vs. Kane County Cougars.
Seferina (who was 0-for-4) and the Chiefs won the opener 2-1.
With the score tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Brian O'Keefe led off with a double.
He was replaced by pinch-runner Derek Gibson, who then was awarded third base on a balk.
With one out, o set up a force play, the next two batters were walked intentionally.
But then Kenny Peoples-Walls (who had struckout three times) walked, ending the game.
There are three other series in the first round.
Carolina League (Single-A Advanced)
22-year old catcher Sicnarf Loopstok from Oranjestad, Aruba, plays for Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland Indians) since late June.
He began the season with Lake County Captains (Single-A), then was assigned to Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Single-A Short Season) in early May.
From there, he moved to Lynchburg, where he played in 28 games, hitting .218 (19-for-87) with seven doubles and four homeruns, scoring eight runs and batting in 12.
Loopstok plays professionally since 2013.
With Lynchburg, he won the won the Northern Division of the Carolina League to reach the Play-Offs.
In the best-of-three, the Hillcats meet Wilmington Blue Rocks, starting on Wednesday.
However, Loopstok is currently not on the roster, as he was placed on the disabled list on September 5.
In the other semi-final, Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox) play against Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs).
The Pelicans opened with a 4-2 win.
California League (Single-A Advanced)
24-year old second baseman John Polonius from Willemstad, Curaçao, plays professionally since 2012.
In his fourth season, he played for San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants), appearing in 49 games.
Polonius batted .204 (29-for-142) with three doubles, two triples and three homeruns.
He scored 17 runs and batted in 13.
Four times this season, Polonius was on the disabled list.
He was activated again on August 27.
With the Giants, Polonius win the wild card in the North Division of the California League.
On Wednesday, the Giants opens the best-of-three first round of the Play-Offs against Stockton Ports (Oakland A's).
In the other semi-final, the series goes between Lancaster JetHawks (Houston Astros) and High Desert Mavericks (Texas Rangers).
(September 9)
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