(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Bristol Pirates)
 Sherten Apostel & Eugene Helder in Spring Training; Kieboom-brothers to Minors
Nederlands
  PEORIA / SURPRISE, Arizona (USA) -
Infielders Sherten Apostel and Eugene Helder both have played in a Major League Spring Training.
On Saturday (March 23), Apostel was an additional player in the team of Texas Rangers.
Helder was added to the main-squad of Seattle Mariners the day before.
In October last year, Apostel participated with the Netherlands U23 Team in the World Championship U23 in Colombia.
With the addition of Helder and Apostel, there now have been 19 players from the Kingdom of the Netherlands or with a Dutch background in Major League Spring Training this year.
Earlier on Friday, outfielder Ademar Rifaela and Kirvin Moesquit were assigned to the Baltimore Orioles-team.
Rifaela also played, Moesquit was not used.
Last year, a record of 25 Dutch players participated in Spring Training.
Also on Saturday, Washington Nationals announced that it has optioned catcher Spencer Kieboom to Harrisburg Senators, its Double-A team, while his brother Carter Kieboom was re-assigned to Minor League-camp.
After Saturday's game against St. Louis Cardinals, Spencer Kieboom was one of three players who were optioned to a Minor League-team.
Carter Kieboom was one of five players who were re-assigned to Minor League-camp.
He will be assigned to a Minor League-team later.
Carter played in 24 Spring Training-games, hitting 12-for-40 (.300).
Spencer played in 17 games and batted .333 (8-for-24).
Last year, Spencer Kieboom played in 52 Major League-games for Washington, hitting .232 with two homeruns.
He also played in 25 games at the Triple-A level.
In the off-season, Washington added two catchers.
It got Yan Gomes in a trade with Cleveland Indians and signed Free Agent Kurt Suzuki.
On Friday, eight Dutch players came into action, including Rifaela and Helder.
Catcher Hendrik Clementina also was used briefly again by Cincinnati Reds.
Xander Bogaerts was 2-for-3, scored a run and batted in one for Boston Red Sox.
On Saturday, seven players participated in a game, including Apostel.
Jonathan Schoop was 3-for-4 with a double for Minnesota Twins and scored twice.
At Peoria Stadium in Peoria (Arizona), Seattle Mariners played at home on Friday against Los Angeles Angels and won 8-7.
In the bottom of the fifth, Eugene Helder entered the game for Seattle as pinch-hitter, but struckout.
Helder stayed in the game as new first baseman.
He got another at bat in the bottom of the seventh, but struckout again.
The 23-year old Aruban also played in three Spring Training-games last year, hitting 1-for-3.
Helder plays professionally since 2014.
Last season, he played in Single-A and batted .240 (90-for-375) in 102 games with 17 doubles, three triples and seven homeruns.
He scored 48 runs and batted in 44.
At Surprise Stadium in Surprise (Arizona), Texas Rangers played at home against a split-squad of Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday and lost 7-3.
In the top of the fourth inning, Sherten Apostel was inserted as new first baseman for Texas, replacing Ronald Guzman.
With that, the infielder from Curaçao made his Spring Training-debut.
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...Sherten Apostel...
(© Photo:
Bristol Pirates) |
Apostel, who turned 20 earlier this month, got his first at bat in the bottom of the sixth inning and then popped out to second baseman Keston Hiura.
With one out in the eighth inning, Apostel hit a single off of new pitcher Rodrigo Benoit.
The bases got loaded when Miguel Aparicio also singled and Jonathan Ornelas was hit by a pitch.
Apostel and Aparicio scored when Yohel Pozo doubled.
Apostel got another at bat in the ninth, but then struckout with two runners on base.
Sherten Apostel plays professionally since 2016.
Last year, he played in Rookie League and Single-A.
He played in 53 games and batted .278 (49-for-176) with eight doubles and eight homeruns.
Apostel scored 35 runs and batted in 36.
His 18-year old brother Shendrik Apostel made his professional debut last season, playing in the Rookie League-team of Pittsburgh Pirates in the Dominican Republic.
In October last year, Apostel participated with the Netherlands U23 Team in the World Championship U23 in Colombia.
He then made a strong impression and led the Orange squad with a .375 batting average (12-for-32) with two doubles, two triples, two homeruns and four walks.
Apostel scored six runs and batted in nine, but he also struckout eleven times.
He also led the team with his 12 basehits, nine RBI's, two doubles and two homeruns.
(March 23)
Related Articles:
 Ademar Rifaela & Kirvin Moesquit added to Baltimore Orioles. (March 22)
Juremi Profar in action for Texas Rangers in Spring Training. (March 20)
Spencer Kieboom contributes in win; Nigerian player in Spring Training. (March 18)
Seattle wins 2nd exhibition game in Tokyo; Oakland plays tie. (March 18)
Seattle Mariners & Oakland A's win exhibition game in Tokyo. (March 17)
Carter Kieboom hits 2 HRs off Verlander; Clementina debuts. (March 12)
Curaçao OF Shean Michel in Spring Training; 3 Dutch doubles. (March 10)
Carter Kieboom hits first Spring Training-homerun. (March 9)
Didder homers and scores winning run for Atlanta. (March 8)
Profar, Bogaerts, Schoop hit basehits. (March 7)
Basehits for Ozzie Albies and Ray-Patrick Didder. (March 6)
Jurickson Profar delivers deciding basehit for Oakland. (March 5)
Czech Martin Červenka homers in Spring Training. (March 4)
Schoop homers; Jansen winner in first appearance. (March 3)
Bogaerts homers; Kieboom-brothers hit doubles. (March 2)
Productive day (homerun) for Jurickson Profar. (March 1)
Ozzie Albies & Xander Bogaerts both hit two basehits. (February 28)
Carter Kieboom hits another Spring Training-basehit. (February 27)
Didder & Profar lone two Dutch players to play on Tuesday. (February 26)
Four Dutch players in one game; Czech makes Spring Training-debut. (February 25)
Basehits for Albies, Profar & Kieboom. (February 24)
Two more Dutch players in Spring Training; Kieboom HRs. (February 23)
Jurickson Profar first Dutch MLB-player to get into action. (February 21)
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