In this week’s edition of Dutchies around the world, we pay attention to Jonathan Schoop, Juremi Profar, Sicnarf Loopstok, Ademar Rifaela, and Wladimir Balentien.
Jonathan Schoop
Jonathan had a rusty start of the season as he only went 2 for 19 in his first six starts. 
Since then he is slowly recovering. From that low point of .105 his average rose to .281 after last night’s game between the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay (a 2-0 loss) in which he went 1 for 3 with a double. Jonathan’s best outing so far was vs the Red Sox on April 22 in a 4-2 win. Jonathan went 2 for 3 with a solo home run to left center field, his fourth home run of the season.
As second baseman, Jonathan has committed one error in nineteen games so far, resulting in a .990 fielding percentage.
Juremi Profar
After a swift start of the season, in which he hit well above .300, Juremi’s batting average is on the decline now. Last night, his club, the Frisco RoughRiders beat the San Antonio Missions 5-2. Juremi went 2 for 5 with a strikeout, lifting his average slightly from .227 to .239. The decline of his average can be explained as he is hitting only .200 in his last ten games.
The RoughRiders used him at second base and at third base and so far he has not committed any error.
Sicnarf Loopstok
After a good start in which he even hit .400, Sicnarf’s average has slowly gone down to .283. The 24-year old catcher from Oranjestad in Aruba is hitting .256 over his last ten games. His best outing so far was against the Carolina Mudcats on April 18, when Sicnarf hit 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
Here is a video of the first homer of the season he hit vs the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
So far Sicnarf has played only twelve games, three as a catcher (threw out 29% of the potential base stealers), seven at first base and one in left field.
Ademar Rifaela
Ademar doesn’t get very much playing time. So far he played just ten games in which he batted .242. His best game was on April 21 as he hit two base hits in three at-bats. In that game vs the Salem Red Sox, Ademar contributed very well as he drove in two runs. But that did not keep the Frederick Keys from losing to the Red Sox 6-7.
In his ten games, Ademar played in right field and did not commit an error.
Wladimir Balentien
Wladimir is struggling at the plate so far. Of course, he plays good games, but in too
many games, he does not collect a hit. At the start of today’s game vs the Chunichi Dragons, his average stood at .221 with three home runs.
In today’s game, Wladimir went 4 for 5, raising his average to .256. He drove in a run with a single to left field.
The Yakult Swallows trailed most of the game but rallied in the eighth inning for three runs (thanks to a three-run homer by Daido Koji) to tie the game at six. After both teams did not score in the ninth, extra innings were needed. In the eleventh inning, the Swallows scored two runs for the 8-7 victory.
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