The Dohren Wild Farmers, of the German first Bundesliga, have landed a player from the Dutch Kingdom, the team announced on Instagram today.
Even though the Wild Farmers still hasn’t played any games because it didn’t get any permission by the state of Lower Saxony yet, the team is training in small groups. Their addition from Curaçao is already part of the team since four weeks.
The player we are talking about is Zaino Henriquez. Only fans from Curaçao and the real diehard fans may have heard of him. On August 28, 2014, the Minnesota Twins signed the then sixteen-year old to a minor league contract during the international signing period.
Back then, Henriquez has been playing baseball for quite some time and has even played in two tournaments in the United States. In fact, while participating in the Senior League World Series in Bangor, Maine, Henriquez had a walk-off hit over an American team only two weeks before he signed the contract with the Twins. The Latin America team that Henriquez played for lost to the very same American team, from Texas, just two days later, as it rebounded in the double elimination game. As a result, Henriquez and his team finished second in the tournament.
In 2015, Zaino made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League but unfortunately never got any further as his batting average hovered around .275. His fielding was pretty decent though.
After he was released, Zaino headed to Europe in 2018, where he joined Serie B (back then third tier league) Piacenza that finished in sixth place with a 17-19 record. Unfortunately, no stats can be found from his time in Italy.
Henriquez can play both middle infield positions but will be hired as a shortstop by the Wild Farmers.
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