Juan Carlos Sulbaran back in pro ball
After an absence of more than a year, Juan Carlos Sulbaran has made a return to professional baseball. The last game as a pro was at AA level with the Springfield Cardinals RedBirds. Yesterday he returned to pro ball with the independent Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association.
Last Thursday in the hoofdklasse report of that day, the departure of Juan Carlos Sulbaran was mentioned already.
After his last game with the Springfield Cardinals, Sulbaran became a free agent but after a successful 2017 World Baseball Classic, he got involved in a car accident that dislocated his collarbone. The rehab lasted quite some time. Only in March 2018, Juan Carlos could throw his first bullpen session. Four weeks ago, Dutch hoofdklasse club Silicon Storks, in need for an extra arm, acquired Sulbaran. In the short amount of time he played with the club from The Hague, Sulbaran appeared in three games, nine innings with an ERA of 4.00. Next, to those appearances, he also played two games as DH and outfielder.
A few days ago, Juan Carlos placed a (kind of) hidden message at his Instagram Account that said he was leaving the Netherlands and that he was heading to Canada. But it didn’t say for which club he would play.
Last night it became clear which club he had signed with. The Winnipeg Goldeyes of the indy American Association had signed the 28-year old from Curaçao. In his American Association debut, Sulbaran started the game vs the Sioux City Explorers. In four innings, he allowed four runs on five hits and three walks as he struck out three as well. Even though the Goldeyes fought their way back, they just fell short and lost the game 5-4.
Even though last night’s game wasn’t something to write home about, Sulbaran may be an important piece to the Goldeyes as he has a ton of experience under his belt. Next to experience with the Dutch national team (2008 Olympics, 2009 and 2017 WBC and the 2011 World Championship), he has played eight years in the minors varying from A Full Season to AAA.
Nexxt to Sulbaran, the Goldeyes added veteran infielder Tommy Mendonca and catcher Tyler Baker to their roster.