Dutchies in the US, part 7
The baseball season in the US is really over now. Last weekend, the Arizona Fall League final was played. None of the teams of Spencer Kieboom and Shawn Zarraga was represented.
This time I would like to pay attention to the Dutch and Antillian players that I ignored all season. I didn’t ignore them because they aren’t good enough, but simply because the articles would be way too long. This time I will pay attention to the players that have spent the season in the Gulf Coast League or Arizona League.
Shawn Duinkerk
The twenty year old Aruban played for the AZL Athletics (indeed the tea m names in the AZL and GCL are far from original. He played in this league for the fourth season. At bat he had a hard time when you look to his BA of .167. His defense was very good. He can play all outfield positions and he can play first base. His fielding percentages varied from 1.000 at first base to .923 in left field.
Wendel Floranus
This righthanded pitcher from Curacao plays for the Baltimore Orioles organization. He played a part of the 2014 season in the Dominican Summer League and a part in the Gulf Coast League. In the GCL he pitched in twelve games (none as a starter) and won two of them. In 28.2 innings he posted an ERA of 3.45. He kept his opponents at a batting average of .243. Wendel allowed eight walks and fanned seventeen.
Misja Harcksen
Misja made the step to the AZL only halfway this season. First he had to finish his education in the Netherlands. He pitched for the AZL Dodgers. In his first season he pitched in seven games, two of them as a starter. He only recorded no-decisions. In eleven innings he posted an ERA of 4.91 and allowed six earned runs on fourteen hits. He struck out five batters and walked four. His opponents had a .292 batting average with him on the mound.
Jonatan Isenia
Jonatan is twenty-one years old and is playing for the O’s organization since 2012. The past season he also played in the GCL. He pitched ten games, eight as a starter, and posted a 2.30 ERA. His W-L record was 2-3. In 43 innings he struck out fourty-six batters and he kept his opponents at a .178 batting average.
Ross Ismael
Ross debuted in the AZL Reds last season. He appeared in four games as a reliever and lost one of those appearances. He ended the season with a 12.00 ERA. He threw three innings in which he allowed four earned runs on six hits.
Sherman Lacrus
This twenty year old catcher played fourty-five games as a catcher for the AZL Rangers last season. Except catcher he also played at all three outfield positions and he did this without committing an error. As a catcher he had a .984 fielding percentage and he threw out fourteen of the fourty-five potential base stealers. At bat he had a decent season with a BA of .263 and a OBP of .366. He collected fourty hits: nine doubles, two triples and three homeruns.
Jonathan Martijn
The left fielder from the Reds organization played in the AZL for the second year in a row. In thirty-two games he had eighty-seven at bats in which he posted a .230 batting average. He played all outfield positions and got a fielding percentage of .857 with a total of three errors.
Milan Post
This twenty year old kid from Diemen (next to Amsterdam) in the Netherlands played for the AZL Brewers. In his twenty-two games he only played as a backstop. His fielding percentage was a decent .974. Six of the twenty-eight potential base stealers were eliminated. His .106 batting average shows that he struggled at bat.
Ademar Rifaela
In his second season in American pro ball, this nineteen year old kid from Curacao played for the GCL Orioles. In thirty-four games he posted a .242 batting average and an on-base-average of .336. Ademar also played all outfield positions. He only committed two errors and sported a .979 fielding percentage.
Ruar Verkerk
At the age of only eighteen, Ruar debuted for the GCL Twins. In twenty-one games he only played at third base and posted a fieldingpercentage of .891. At bat he struggled a bit. In sixty-eight at bats he got a batting average of .147