Jair Jurrjens will join the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. The league is considered as strong as AAA baseball. Jurrjens joined the Licey Tigers in the Dominican Republic this winter in an attempt to get into the picture of MLB clubs. As this didn’t work out, the Ducks picked him up.
With Los Tigres del Licey, Jurrjens had a good winter. He had a good start but eventually finished with a losing record (3-4). His ERA was a decent 3.60 though.
After a superb 2009 season with the Braves in which he went 14-10 with a 2.60 ERA, things started to deteriorate for Jair. He split the following four seasons between MLB and AAA.
Last season he tested positive on using PEDs which earned him an 80-game suspension.
He earned a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization after a very good performance during the World Baseball Classic with Team Kingdom of the Netherlands. In three games (two starts), he posted a 1-0 record with a 2.38 ERA, helping lead the nation to a semifinal appearance.
The Long Island Ducks were founded in 1998 and started to play in the Atlantic League in 2000. The club won championships in 2004, 2012 and 2013. The club won their division (Liberty Division) in 2017 but eventually were beaten by the York Revolution in the championship series.
The Long Island Ducks are located in Central Islip, New York. Their home field is Bethpage Ballpark as the naming rights were bought by Bethpage Federal Credit Union in 2010. The contract runs through 2019.
Dutch Baseball Hangout 