(Story & Photo by Marco Stoovelaar)
   Andruw Jones one of the coaches in Futures Game
Nederlands
 NEW YORK, New York (USA) -
Former Major League-outfielder Andruw Jones will be one of the coaches in the upcoming 22nd edition of the annual SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, which will be played in Denver (Colorado).
The rosters as well as the coaches for this game were announced on Wednesday (June 30).
...Andruw Jones...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
The Futures Game, which will be a 7-inning game, will be played on Sunday, July 11 at Coors Field, the home-site of Colorado Rockies and will be followed on the same day by the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game.
The next day, the Major League Home Run Derby will be held here, followed by the Major League All Star Game the day after.
Last year, all these events were cancelled due to measures against the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The last game, played in 2019 at the home-site of Cleveland Indians, ended in a 2-2 tie.
During the upcoming Futures Game in Denver, Andruw Jones will be the Hitting Coach of the National League Team in the staff of Manager Vinny Castilla.
Jones is one of three former Major Leaguers who will be part of the coaching-staff.
The others are Jerry Royster (1B Coach) and Marvin Freeman (Bullpen Coach).
Curaçao-born Andruw Jones played 17 seasons (1996-2012) in the Major League, including twelve with Atlanta Braves.
He also played for Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.
Hereafter, the outfielder played two seasons (2013-2014) for Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan.
In his career, Jones played in five All Star Games.
In 2006 and 2013, Jones played for the Netherlands Team during the World Baseball Classic.
He also played for the Orange Team during the 2015 Premier12.
In 2016, he was one of the coaches of the Netherlands during the European Championship.
Manager of the American League Team will be LaTroy Hawkins.
History will be made by Rachel Balkovec, who will be the Hitting Coach, as she will become the first female coach to be part of this game.
Balkovec is the Minor League Hitting Coach of the New York Yankees-organization since November 2019.
The All-Star Futures Game was first organized in 1999 and then preceeded the All Star Game in Fenway Park in Boston.
From 1999 through 2018, the teams for this game were compiled from Minor League-prospects from the USA on one side and Minor League-prospects from other countries in the World Team.
Since 2019, the teams are formed by players representing organizations of the American League against the National League.
In the very-first game in 1999, current Netherlands Team-Manager Evert-Jan 't Hoen was one of the players in the World Team.
Since then nine more players representing the Netherlands, Aruba or Curaçao played in the Futures Game, being Ozzie Albies (2015), Wladimir Balentien (2006, 2007), Xander Bogaerts (2012, 2013), Rick van den Hurk (2007), Carter Kieboom ((2018), Shairon Martis (2008), Jurickson Profar (2011, 2012), Jonathan Schoop (2011) and Juan Carlos Sulbaran (2009).
American-born Kieboom played in the US Team, the others in the World Team.
In 2019, Kieboom played for the National League Team in the Futures Game.
In 2014, Dutch-born former Major League-pitcher Bert Blyleven was the Manager of the World Team.
(June 30)
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