(Story & Photo by Marco Stoovelaar)
  Gianfranco Wawoe latest Dutch player in Spring Training
Nederlands
 PEORIA, Arizona (USA) -
Short stop Gianfranco Wawoe is the latest Dutch player to be with a Major League-club during Spring Training.
Today (Thursday, March 19), Wawoe was assigned to the Major League-team of the Seattle Mariners for its game against Cleveland Indians, which was won with a 5-2 score.
Wawoe was one of four minor league-players to be added to the big league-squad as additional players.
The others were all outfielders, being Jabari Blash, Alex Jackson and Burt Reynolds (no, not the actor...).
Wawoe didn't play, but of course, he gained experience just being with the club tonight.
...The Spring Training-site of the Mariners in Peoria...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
The 20-year old Wawoe is born in Willemstad (Curaçao).
Like many other players coming from Curaçao, Wawoe is a middle infielder, playing at short stop and 2nd base.
At the Peoria Sports Complex, the Spring Training-home of the Mariners in Arizona, the Mariners opened the score in the bottom of the second inning.
The Indians came alongside in the top of the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Mariners re-took the lead in an at bat with a lot of offensive changes.
New pitcher TJ House gave up a lead-off single to Austin Jackson, who was replaced by pinch-runner Shawn O'Malley.
Next, Seth Smith walked and he also was replaced by a pinch-runner, as Alex Jackson (the first of the four added minor league-players to play tonight) took over as runner on first base.
Hereafter, Robinson Cano doubled on a line drive into rightfield, which enabled both O'Malley and Jackson to score, giving the M's a 3-1 lead.
Next batter John Hicks (who himself had come into the game as a pinch-runner in the 4th) then was replaced by pinch-hitter D.J. Peterson and Tyler Smith entered the game as pinch-runner on second base for Cano.
The latter was eliminated at third base trying to advance on a grounder to short by Smith.
A single by Kyle Seager followed, then the fourth pinch-runner in this inning was inserted as he was replaced by Patrick Kivlehan.
The two runners advanced on a grounder by Logan Morrison and the next run was then scored on a single by Dustin Ackley, who in his turn was replaced by Jordy Lara, the fifth pinch-runner the Mariners used in this inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, with the Mariners now leading 4-1, Jabari Blash became the second of the four players to play in tonight's game, taking over at first base, while Jackson remained in the game as the new rightfielder.
Jackson singled in bottom 6th, Blash doubled in bottm 7th.
For the record, during the play-by-play, Wawoe (who wore uniform number 81) was briefly listed as the pinch-runner for Cano, but that was changed, as it happened to be Tyler Smith.
Wawoe made his professional debut in 2011 when his was only 16 years old.
He then played for the VSL Mariners, a Rookie League-team of the Seattle Mariners in the Venezuelan Summer League.
Wawoe batted .179 (14-for-78), scored 13 runs and batted in eight in 36 games.
Wawoe also played for the Mariners-team in Venezuela in 2012 and 2013.
He then respectively batted .253 (42-for-166) and .328 (80-for-244).
In 2012, he scored 28 runs and batted in 10.
In 2013, Wawoe had a strong offensive season.
Besides hitting .328, he scored 63 runs, hit 19 doubles, four triples and six homeruns, batted in 30 runs and stole 21 bases in 68 games.
Last season, Wawoe played for Pulaski Mariners, another Rookie League-team of the Mariners, but this one based in the USA.
In 56 games, he batted .275 (55-for-200), scored 30 runs and batted in 19, while hitting two homeruns.
In his four professional seasons, Wawoe mostly played as short stop, but also played in 58 games at second base.
In 2013, he also played several games in the outfield.
So far, 13 players with a Dutch passport have played in this years Spring Training.
They are Infielder Ozhaino Albies, Infielder Andrelton Simmons (both Atlanta Braves), Outfielder Roger Bernadina, Pitcher Jair Jurrjens (both Colorado Rockies), Infielder Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox), Infielder Carlton Daal (Cincinnati Reds), Infielder Didi Gregorius (New York Yankees), Catcher Spencer Kieboom, Outfielder Randolph Oduber (both Washington Nationals), Infielder Jonathan Schoop, Infielder Sharlon Schoop (both Baltimore Orioles), Infielder Hainley Statia (Milwaukee Brewers) and Catcher Shawn Zarraga (Los Angeles Dodgers).
Besides these 13, four other Dutch players also were or are with big league-teams during Spring Training, including Wawoe.
As minor league-player, Catcher Chad Tromp was assigned to a game of the Cincinnati Reds on March 9, but didn't play, just as Wawoe tonight with the Mariners.
Pitcher Kenley Jansen (Los Angeles Dodgers) and infielder Jurickson Profar (Texas Rangers) are on the 40-man roster of their respective club, but are currently sidelined with injuries.
Bogaerts, Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop and Simmons are also on 40-man rosters.
Earlier reports on this website
 Productive day for Didi Gregorius. (March 19)
Hainley Statia has also played his first Spring Training-game. (March 17)
Sharlon Schoop also plays in Spring Training-game. (March 17)
Spring Training-debut for Randolph Oduber. (March 16)
Zarraga, Daal also make Spring Training-debut. (March 9)
Didi Gregorius hits first basehit in a Yankee-uniform. (March 8)
Spencer Kieboom makes Spring Training-debut with Washington. (March 8)
Spring Training-debut for Ozhaino Albies. (March 7)
(March 19)
|
