The Dutch infielder Yurendell DE CASTER signed a Minor League contract with the Washington Nationals organization and received an invitation for the Major League spring training camp. He played for the Triple A team of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007. He batted .280 (OBP .380) with nine homeruns and 54 RBI. He made his Major League debut as a pinch runner in 2006. At the European championship in Barcelona he hit .483 with eleven runs scored and 15 RBI for the winning Dutch team. He did not play at the recent Baseball World Cup in Taipei.