The Italian Champion T&A SAN MARINO acquired two members of the Netherlands Antilles National Team to reinforce the roster for the 2009 season. Ardley Jansen and Johannes Gregorius Jr. are coming from the SANTA MARIA PIRATES in Curacao, which was ranked first with a 21-3 record after the regular season in 2008. Both played for Netherlands Antilles in the 2008 Copa America de Beisbol and helped to clinch a spot in the 2009 Baseball World Cup.
Jansen is a former minor leaguer in the ATLANTA BRAVES organization. Between 2000 and 2006 the outfielder batted .256 (OBP .315/SLG .381) with 43 homeruns and 205 RBI in 488 games. He played mainly at the Rookie and the Single A level, but reached Double A in 2004 for a short stint of five games. The 25-year-old right-handed batter hit .280 (.413/.451) with two homeruns, two triples, four doubles, 16 runs scored and 14 RBIs in 23 games for the PIRATES this year. At the Copa America he was named to the all-star team after hitting .444 (.467/.963) with four homeruns, eight runs scored and eight RBI in the tournament.
Gregorius Jr. is a 26-year-old right-handed pitcher. He is the son of Johannes ‘Didi’ Gregorius, who pitched for AMSTERDAM, HAARLEM, SPARTA and ALMERE in the Dutch Hoofdklasse. He still is an active player and was also on the Antillean team at the Copa America. Gregorius Jr. has some experience in Europe, pitching three games for ADO in 2007 (0-2, ERA 9.90). In four appearances on the mound for SANTA MARIA this year he has a 1-1 record with a save and an ERA of 4.05, striking out twelve (eight walks) in 13 1/3 innings. He has a better season with his bat, having a batting average of .338 (.378/.481) with two homeruns, a triple, three doubles, 23 runs scored and ten RBI in 18 games. He impressed in the Copa America with a two-hit complete game shutout against Panama and allowed just five hits in 15 innings during the event. Like Jansen he also was named to the all-star squad, as the best right-handed hurler in the tournament.
