by DZ
All current major or minor league players developed in European baseball are listed here. Highlights include Markus Solbach’s continuing success in the Diamondbacks system, while Max Kepler keeps knocking on the door of the big leagues with the Minnesota Twins. Belgium’s Sam Buelens stole 4 bases in a game last week, and Rotterdam’s Misja Harcksen has 15 strikeouts in his first 9 innings in Arizona.
German outfielder Pascal Amon signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers before this past week’s u18 European Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and we’ll begin following his progress in the Dodgers system at the next writing. Recently signed Minnesota Twin and Netherlands LHP Taylor Clemensia took the loss versus Italy in yesterday’s final – he’ll travel to Florida later this summer to begin his professional career.
MLB –
Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees. Netherlands.
Current team: New York Yankees (MLB)
Gregorius has a pair of singles over the last 10 games, dropping his season average to .236 with an on-base avg of .289. He has 4 home runs and 4 stolen bases while playing shortstop for the New York Yankees.
Triple A –
Roger Bernadina, Colorado Rockies. Netherlands.
Current team: Albuquerque Isotopes (AAA)
Bernadina has a base hit in 7 of his last 8 games, and hit a home run Sunday to raise his season total to 8. He has 9 stolen bases and his hitting .263 with a .379 on-base percentage for the season in Albuquerque.
Double A –
Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins. Germany.
Current team: Chattanooga Lookouts (AA)
Kepler sat out the Futures Games over the MLB All-Star break with an apparent arm injury, but it hasn’t slowed him down at all in official competition. He has seven hits during a current 5-game hit streak, stealing two bases while striking out 6 times and walking 6 times over the last 10 games. He is hitting .328/.404/.513 (batting average/on base percentage/slugging percentage) for the year, and he has 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts.
Alex Liddi, Kansas City Royals. Italy.
Current team: Northwest Arkansas Naturals (AA)
Liddi had a three hit game (including a home run) last week, but has only three additional hits over his last 10 games. In 300+ Double-A at bats this season, he’s hitting .278/.330/.484 with 10 home runs and is 7-for-8 in stolen bases.
Single-A –
Federico Celli, Los Angeles Dodgers. Italy.
Current team: Great Lakes Loons (A)
The Italian Academy alum is an everyday outfielder in A-ball, one year after signing. With 107 at-bats in 2015, he is hitting .215 with 8 extra base hits.
Martin Cervenka, Cleveland Indians. Czech Republic.
Current team: Lake County Captains (A)
Cervenka has hits in 4 of his last 5 games. He’s played 34 games on the year, with seven extra base hits 10 walks, and 28 strikeouts while putting up a line of .220/.275/.297.
Dovydas Neverauskas, Pittsburgh Pirates. Lithuania.
Current team: West Virginia Power (A)
The 22-year old Vilnius product hasn’t allowed a run in the last two weeks while working in 2-inning stints out of the bullpen. He’s had 5 strikeouts and nary a walk in the past 8 innings. Neverauskas has 16 appearances this season, throwing 44.2 innings while walking 20 and striking out 32. His ERA is 4.23.
Andy Paz, Oakland Athletics. France.
Current team: Beloit Snappers (A)
Paz remains on the minor league disabled list, and hasn’t played since late June. The 22-year-old is in his fifth season in the Oakland Athletics system.
Markus Solbach, Arizona Diamondbacks. Germany.
Current team: Kane County Cougars (A)
Solbach has had two more strong outings since our last update, twice pitching 7 innings and allowing a total of one run with no walks and 7 strikeouts. He’s 9-2 on the year with a 2.30 ERA in 105.2 innings.
Rookie –
Daniel Arribas, Pittsburgh Pirates. Netherlands.
Current team: West Virginia Black Bears (rookie)
Arribas has 10 hits over his last 10 games. Through 22 games, he’s hitting an even .300 with 8 walks and 16 strikeouts.
Paul Brands, Pittsburgh Pirates. Netherlands.
Current team: GCL Pirates (rookie)
The Haarlem native has 8 professional games to his name. He has 4 singles, 5 walks, and 10 strikeouts for a .160 batting average and an on-base percentage of .300.
Sam Buelens, Toronto Blue Jays. Belgium.
Current team: DSL Blue Jays (rookie)
Buelens has stolen 7 bases in his last 3 games, including a 4-bag game vs the DSL Padres. He’s also had four hits in his last three games, raising his season numbers to .306/.444/.327 in 24 games with 15-of-16 stolen bases.
Nicolo Clemente, Boston Red Sox. Italy.
Current team: DSL Red Sox 2 (rookie)
Clemente has had 3 one-inning appearances in the past two weeks, allowing four hits and getting four strikeouts in that time. Through 19 innings, he’s allowed 17 runs (10 earned), struck out 11 and walked seven, while working to a 2-2 record and recording one save.
Maik Ehmcke, Arizona Diamondbacks. Germany.
Current team: AZL D’backs (rookie)
Ehmcke has played 7 games since our last report, having a pair of multi-hit games in that time. He’s hitting .204/.264/.245 through 14 games in Arizona.
Rachid Engelhardt, Baltimore Orioles. Netherlands.
Current team: DSL Orioles 1 (rookie)
Engelhardt has an active seven game hit streak in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .282 with a pair of stolen bases in his last 10 games. He’s at .250/.330/.363 through 24 games, including one home run and 7 stolen bases in 10 attempts.
Marten Gasparini, Kansas City Royals. Italy.
Current team: Idaho Falls Chukars (rookie)
Gasparini has 9 hits over his last 10 games while stealing 5 bases and striking out 17 times. Through 25 games in Idaho Falls, the 18-year-old has 8 extra base hits and 13-of-14 stolen bases.
Federico Giordani, Los Angeles Dodgers. Italy.
Current team: AZL Dodgers (rookie)
The seventeen year old has played four games in the last two weeks, and gotten one more hit and a walk. In 34 at bats over 13 games, he has 5 walks and 22 strikeouts while stealing one base and accumulating four hits.
Misja Harcksen, Los Angeles Dodgers. Netherlands.
Current team: AZL Dodgers (rookie)
Harcksen has thrown four innings in the past two weeks, striking out eight while allowing 3 hits and a walk with no runs. In 8 games and 9.1 innings on the season, he’s 1-0 with a 0.96 ERA with 2 walks, 15 strikeouts, and 2 saves.
Julsan Kamara, Philadelphia Phillies. Germany.
Current team: DSL Phillies (rookie)
Kamara hasn’t played over the past two weeks. In his 20 games thus far in the DSL, he has 8 hits and 3 stolen bases.
Nadir Ljatifi, Cincinnati Reds. Germany.
Current team: AZL Reds (rookie)
The 17-year-old hasn’t played in the past two weeks. He remains 1-for-5 in his two games in Arizona.
Marek Minarik, Pittsburgh Pirates. Czech Republic.
Current team: Bristol Pirates (rookie)
Minarik threw five scoreless innings Sunday for Bristol, striking out three without a walk. In five games and 21.2 innings, he’s 1-2 with a 3.74 ERA. He’s struck out 14 and walked seven, while hitting another 6 batters.
Alberto Mineo, Chicago Cubs. Italy.
Current team: Eugene Emeralds (rookie)
Mineo returned from a 3-week break to appear in the Emeralds last four games, walking twice and striking out twice. In 38 at bats this season, the 20-year-old catcher has 5 hits, 8 walks, and 14 strikeouts.
Jan Novak, Baltimore Orioles. Czech Republic.
Current team: GCL Orioles (rookie)
Novak has 8.2 innings in 7 appearances, walking 4, striking out 7, and allowing 6 runs on 8 hits. He’s 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA.
Milan Post, Milwaukee Brewers. Netherlands.
Current team: Helena Brewers (rookie)
Post is hitting .273 over his last 10 games. In 18 games and 61 at-bats, he’s hitting .213/.314/.295 with four walks and 17 strikeouts.
Sven Schuller, Los Angeles Dodgers. Germany.
Current team: AZL Dodgers (rookie)
Schuller has a pair of shutout four inning appearances in the past two weeks, getting one win. In 19 innings, the 19 year old has walked 15 and struck out 13.
Matz Schutte, Minnesota Twins. Netherlands.
Current team: GCL Twins (rookie)
The 17-year-old has made five appearances and pitched 9 innings in Florida. He has one walk, 6 strikeouts, and has allowed one earned run.
Artur Strzalka, New York Yankees. Poland.
Current team: GCL Yankees 2 (rookie)
Two years after signing, the Poland native has made his official debut. He threw 1.1 innings over two appearances, with one hit allowed, one hit batter and one walk.
Ruar Verkerk, Minnesota Twins. Netherlands.
Current team: GCL Twins (rookie)
Verkerk played two games over the past two weeks, getting a hit in each. In six games and 22 at-bats, he has four hits, six strikeouts, and a walk.
Yet to appear in 2015:
Pascal Amon, Los Angeles Dodgers. Germany
Vadim Balan, Minnesota Twins. Moldova.
Assigned to: GCL Twins (rookie)
Taylor Clemensia, Minnesota Twins. Netherlands.
Assigned to: GCL Twins (rookie)