Outfielder Gregory Halman, who is from Haarlem, Netherlands, was added to the 40-man roster of the SEATTLE MARINERS on Thursday, to protect him in the upcoming Rule-5 draft in December. The 21-year-old also was named the MARINERS most valuable minor league player this year after hitting .272 (OBP .326/SLG .528) with 95 runs scored, 29 doubles, five triples, 29 homeruns, 83 RBIs and 31 stolen bases in 128 games for the single and double A affiliates in the organization. He led all MARINERS minor leaguer with 29 homeruns, ranked second with 31 stolen bases and third with 83 RBIs. Baseball America ranked him recently as 13th best prospect of the California League (Single A).
On Thursday Halman completed his stint in the Arizona Fall League, where he batted .217 (.244/.410) with three homeruns, two triples, three doubles (18 hits overall), 15 runs scored and ten RBIs in 21 games. He also stole five bases. On a negative note he struck out 37 times in 83 at bats, bringing his 2008 total to 179 in 149 games. His team in Arizona, PEORIA JAVELINAS, finished with a 16-22 record in second place in the AFL National standings, missing the championship game by three games. Halman was the only European player in the Fall League. According to MLB.com beat writer Jim Street, who talked to him, Halman believes that the experience in the AFL has been a big boost to his confidence and his career.
With his addition to the 40-man roster Halman receives automatically an invitation to the Major League spring training next February, although the chances to make the big league roster are pretty slim, as he only played 61 games above single A so far. However he will most likely get another opportunity to improve his prospect status at the 2009 World Baseball Classic for the Dutch National Team next March.