(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen & Marco Stoovelaar)
 Jurickson Profar in Netherlands Team for Japan Series
Nederlands
 NIEUWEGEIN (Neth.) -
Dutch baseball-professional Jurickson Profar, who made his comeback this season in the Major League, is one of the 28 players who are on the roster for the Netherlands Kingdom Team, that will travel to Japan.
On Wednesday (October 26), the roster was announced for the Orange-squad that has been invited by Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) to participate in the Samurai Japan Warm-Up Games.
These series of games will be played in the Tokyo Dome in Japanese capital Tokyo.
The Netherlands-squad will play on November 12 and 13 and face Samurai Japan, the professional National Team of Japan that also participates in the World Baseball Classic and other big events, such as the Premier12.
On November 9, the Orange Team will play an exhibition game against a local semi-professional squad.
The National Team of México also has been invited and will play against Japan on November 10 and 11.
Dutch Umpire Edwin Louisa will also travel to Japan to officiate during the Samurai Japan Games in Tokyo.
Jurickson Profar made his debut in the Netherlands Kingdom Team in the Semi-Final of the World Baseball Classic in 2013.
He was then added to the team after completion of the Second Round, replacing injured Yurendell De Caster.
Profar made his Major League-debut in 2012, playing in nine games.
He then became a regular in 2013, playing in 85 games.
Profar missed the entired 2014 and 2015 seasons, due to an injury, but this year, he made his comeback in the big league.
This season, he played in 90 games at six different postions, including all infield-positions, mostly at third base (25 games) and second base (19 games).
He also was the designated hitter in six games.
Profar batted .239 (65-for-272) with six doubles, three triples and five homeruns.
The infielder scored 35 runs and batted in 20 runs.
20-year old infielder Juremi Profar, the younger brother of Jurickson, will make his debut in the National Team.
Like his brother, he also plays professionally in the organization of the Texas Rangers.
The younger Profar, who plays professionally since 2013, this season played at the Single-A Advanced level for High Desert Mavericks.
The third baseman played in 103 games and batted .300 (115-for-383) with 23 doubles and 13 homeruns, while scoring 66 runs and batting in 58.
The Profar-brothers are two of the nine active professional players on the roster.
The others are pitchers Wendell Floranus, Jair Jurrjens and Juan Carlos Sulbaran, catcher Shawn Zarraga, infielders Stijn van der Meer and Sharlon Schoop and outfielder Kalian Sams.
Schoop is the older brother of Major Leaguer Jonathan Schoop (Baltimore Orioles).
Floranus pitched four seasons in the organization of the Baltimore Orioles, but was released in September 2015.
This season, Floranus pitched for Vallejo Admirals in an Independent League.
The righthander threw in 25 games as reliever and was 0-3 with three saves, striking out 58 batters in 50 innings, but also walking 40.
...Sharlon Schoop during the 2014...
...European Championship...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Jurrjens pitched in Triple-A (Colorado Rockies) in 2015, but then was released.
The righthander plays professionally since 2003 and pitched in (part of) eight seasons (2007-2014) in the Major League for Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies.
He was selected for the All Star Game in 2011.
In his big league-career, Jurrjens is 53-38.
This year, Jurrjens played in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan for Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, but he was released there in August.
He was sidelined twice during the season with an injury.
Jurrjens started 16 games for the Lions and was 6-7 with a 5.38 ERA, striking out 67 batters in 90 1/3 inning.
Sulbaran pitched in Double-A (17 games) and Triple-A (11 games) for St. Louis Cardinals.
He was 5-10 with a 5.24 ERA, striking out 116 batters.
Zarraga played in Double-A (27 games) and Triple-A (19 games) this season for Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting .256 (34-for-133) with nine doubles.
The catcher scored 14 runs and had 16 RBI's.
Van der Meer made his professional debut this season and played in 21 games at the Rookie League-level for Houston Astros.
He batted .329 (26-for-79) with three doubles and two triples, scoring 13 runs and batting in ten runs.
Schoop played in Double-A (40 games) and Triple-A (46 games) this season in the organization of the Baltimore Orioles.
He batted .226 (69-for-305) with 12 doubles and five homeruns.
Schoop had 29 RBI's and scored 30 runs.
Sams this year again played for Capitales de Québec in Canada in an Independent League, but he was placed on the inactive list in August.
In 61 games, the outfielder batted .277 (62-for-224) with 13 doubles and 12 homeruns.
Sams batted in 41 runs and scored 40.
...Kalian Sams is one of 19 players on the...
...roster who were part of the team that won...
...the European Championship-title last month...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Except for the Profars and Van der Meer, all professional players also were on the Orange-roster in November last year during the Premier12.
Back then, there were eleven more professional players on the roster.
Four of them are also on the roster now, but this time without a professional status.
Pitcher Loek van Mil was released on April 25 (Minnesota Twins, Triple-A), then returned to Curaçao Neptunus.
On April 2,outfielder Randolph Oduber (Washington Nationals) was released and he joined Neptunus in May.
On June 27, outfielder Christopher Garia (Texas Rangers, Single-A/Double-A) was released and played for the Orange in the three international tournaments, then was added to the roster of Vaessen Pioniers after completion of the Baseball Week Haarlem.
Infielder Yurendell De Caster was without a team this year.
Another player of last years Premier12-roster will be with the team in Japan, but in another role.
Andruw Jones last year played for the Orange, but he now is the Bench Coach since August and was with the team in this position during the European Championship.
17 of the 19 non-professional players played in the Dutch big league this season.
Pitcher Mike Bolsenbroek plays in the highest German league, while infielder Yurendell De Caster, as mentioned, was without a team.
16 players on the roster participated this year in all three international tournament with the Netherlands Team.
Five others played in two of these events.
In total, 19 players celebrated the European title last month with the Orange squad.
Pitcher Bayron Cornelisse and outfielder Gilmer Lampe participated in the Baseball Week Haarlem and the Yoshida Challenge.
Infielder Stijn van der Meer played during the Baseball Week Haarlem and the European Championship.
And outfielders Randolph Oduber and Kalian Sams participated in the Yoshida Challenge and the European Championship.
Veteran righthanded pitcher Rob Cordemans, who returned to the mound for L&D Amsterdam Pirates in August after recovering from an injury and pitched for the Orange squad in France and the European Championship, is not on the roster for the trip to Japan.
Pitcher Shairon Martis and first baseman Curt Smith, who also were of the Premier12-roster and played for the Orange during the European Championship, also are not with the team this time.
...Hensley Meulens...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Hensley Meulens returns as Manager of the Netherlands Team, as he also has done in November of last year during the Premier12 in Taiwan and in 2013 during the World Baseball Classic.
Steve Janssen, who managed the Netherlands baseball-squad this season, will assist Meulens, who is the Hitting Coach of the San Francisco Giants Major League-team.
This year, Janssen led the Orange to the title in three international events, the Baseball Week Haarlem (Haarlem, Netherlands), France International Baseball Tournament Yoshida Challenge (Sénart, France) and the European Championship (Hoofddorp, Netherlands).
During these events, the team remained unbeaten, winning 21 games, including one exhibition game before the start of the European Championship.
The other members of this years coaching-staff also will be with the team again, except for (American) Pitching Coach Mike Hartley.
For this trip, there are two changes in the supporting staff.
Harumi Ueda, who was the Team Manager during the above mentioned three tournaments, has been succeeded by Greta Schouten, who will make her debut in this position.
Another newcomer is Jaap Visser, who will be the Equipment Manager, the position that was handled this year by Maarten Broersen.
Both Schouten and Visser never before had been part of a national team staff.
The complete roster looks as follows:
Pitchers (13):
Tom de Blok (L&D Amsterdam Pirates), Mike Bolsenbroek (Buchbinder Leguionäre Regensburg, Germany), Bayron Cornelisse, Berry van Driel, Kevin Kelly, Diegomar Markwell, Loek van Mil, Orlando Yntema (all Curaçao Neptunus), Wendell Floranus (Vallejo Admirals, Indep. League., USA), Lars Huijer (Vaessen Pioniers), Jair Jurrjens (ex-Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, Taiwan), Jim Ploeger (HCAW) and Juan Carlos Sulbaran (Double-A/Triple-A, St. Louis Cardinals, USA).
Catchers (3):
Gianison Boekhoudt, Dashenko Ricardo (both Curaçao Neptunus) and Shawn Zarraga (Double-A/Triple-A, Los Angeles Dodgers, USA).
Infielders (8):
Yurendell de Caster (no team), Dwayne Kemp (Curaçao Neptunus), Dudley Leonora (Kinheim), Stijn van der Meer (Rookie League, Houston Astros, USA), Juremi Profar (Single-A Advanced, Texas Rangers, USA), Jurickson Profar (Major League, Texas Rangers, USA), Sharlon Schoop (Double-A/Triple-A, Baltimore Orioles, USA) and Nick Urbanus (L&D Amsterdam Pirates).
Outfielders (4):
Christopher Garia (Vaessen Pioniers), Gilmer Lampe (L&D Amsterdam Pirates), Randolph Oduber (Curaçao Neptunus) and Kalian Sams (ex-Capitales de Québec, Indep. League, Canada).
Coaching Staff:
Hensley Meulens (Manager), Steve Janssen (Field Manager), Andruw Jones (Bench Coach), Wim Martinus (1B Coach), Ben Thijssen (3B Coach), Sidney de Jong (Hitting Coach).
Supporting Staff:
Pepijn van Ingen (Physical Therapist), Kevin Sprengers (Physical Therapist), Paul Venner (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Jaap Visser (Equipment Manager), Greta Schouten (Team Manager).
(October 26)
|
