Mister Baseball

by Pim van Nes

Opening Day in Holland was celebrated by each of last season’s four playoff clubs with one or two homeruns. Numbers one and two went for one and numbers three and four even reached two homeruns each. For national champion CORENDON KINHEIM it was catcher Tjerk Smeets and for KONICA MINOLTA PIONIERS first baseman Jourick Blanco. Two homeruns came from Fausto Alvares Rizo and Wesley Connor for the AMSTERDAM PIRATES (this year L&D AMSTERDAM) and from Andy Leer (top picture) and Raily Legito for good old DOOR NEPTUNUS, last year’s number four of the final standing. Apparently these early homeruns symbolized their renewed aspirations for Hoofdklasse version 2008, the name of the Netherlands major league competition.

KNBSB president Ruud van Zetten and national team manager Robert Eenhoorn attended game one in Rotterdam, where SPARTA/FEYENOORD hosted the KONICA MINOLTA PIONIERS from Hoofddorp last Saturday. All eyes focused on Rob Cordemans, one of the starting pitchers in Eenhoorn’s selection, as he appeared on the local mound for the first time as home team pitcher. SPARTA/FEYENOORD, widely known by international scouts as play ground for young talents, had to take leave of three players last year because of Major League contracts: Dwayne Kemp (CUBS), Rien Vernooij (METS) and Jan Baldee (ASTROS). Instead of refuelling again from younger club classes, management has chosen to reinforce the first team by international players with their immediate value adding to the remaining home grown players. Besides Orange players like Cordemans, Isenia and Monte, also former Belgian national team manager Steve Janssen was hired for a club season in Rotterdam.

Thirty-three years old pitcher Cordemans debuted in his new club’s red and white uniform with only four innings, as he followed medical advise to restrict his work on the mound because he is still recovering from an injury occurred at home early this year. When he left the mound with four strikeouts, one walk and five singles, SPARTA/FEYENOORD was leading 3-1 but reliever Elton Koeiman turned to be not ready yet allowing six runs to PIONIERS in the fifth inning. The gap in the score even widened in the last four innings to the final 5-16.

Also game two between the two clubs (Sunday in Hoofddorp) went lost for SPARTA/FEYENOORD after its starting pitcher Herman Gaarman had left a lead for his reliever. The bullpen was missing strongly last year’s pitcher Eddy Oropesa, who is unable to come back this year for family reasons in USA. This late bad news meanwhile was followed by good news, thanks to former Major League pitcher Oropesa, who took the initiative to look for a substitute. Tomorrow 24-year-old Venezuelan pitcher Aristide Almenar will arrive in Rotterdam to replace Oropesa in the SPARTA/FEYENOORD roster. In 2001 Almenar signed a pro contract with NEW YORK METS, for which organization he pitched 165 innings in the Minors with a career ERA of 3.29.

During this very first weekend of 2008 the PIONIERS announced that 17-year-old pitcher Swen Huijer has accepted a seven-year contract offered by the BOSTON RED SOX. Huijer is the second Dutch pitcher signed by the RED SOX since Win Remmerswaal left Holland in the seventies. Remmerswaal played 22 Major League games for the RED SOX in 1979 and 1980. Huijer was scouted by this club when he as Netherlands starting pitcher kept an older Italy selection scoreless during three innings in the Academies Tournament in Tirrenia. He was registered on video there and contacted again by RED SOX staff after one week. In June Huijer will leave for Florida in order to play in the Gulf Coast League. After above three SPARTA/FEYENOORD players and Tjerk Hoogervorst (METS) and Jeroen de Haas (MARINERS), Huijer is the sixth Dutch player in eight months to get a professional contract from MLB organizations.

Pim van Nes
Baseball writer for
www.honkbalsite.com
www.sporttribune.nl
www.baseball.it

Photos © Ron Wickert, www.eott.nl