| Yurendell DeCaster | |
|---|---|
| Broncos de Reynosa – No. 22 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born: September 26, 1979 Brievengat, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles |
|
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| May 21, 2006 for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Career statistics (through 2010 season) |
|
| Batting average | .000 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 0 |
| Teams | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Baseball | ||
| Competitor for Netherlands | ||
| European Baseball Championship | ||
| Gold | 2003 Netherlands | National team |
| Gold | 2007 Spain | National team |
Yurendell Eithel DeCaster (born September 26, 1979) is a professional baseball third baseman, currently playing for the Broncos de Reynosa in the Mexican League. He played part of one season in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Originally signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as a free agent in 1996, DeCaster was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates from Tampa Bay in the 2000 minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft.
DeCaster was one of just three players to hit three home runs in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, while playing for the Netherlands team.
DeCaster spent entire 2005 season with Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, where he made 28 appearances at third base, 25 at first base, 13 at second base and 58 in the outfield. He posted a .280 batting average with 11 home runs and 61 RBI, and also led his club in games played (122) and doubles (31). He also had a productive 2005-06 season playing for the Caribes de Anzoátegui of the Venezuelan Winter League, after hitting .325 (68-for-209) with 17 home runs and 47 RBI in just 60 games. His 17 home runs tied him with Tom Evans for the league-leading.
In 2006, DeCaster again began the season with Indianapolis, with whom he spent most of the season. In 119 games with the Indians, he batted .273 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI. He was called up to the Pirates twice, from May 21–24 and June 5–13, and appeared in 3 games. He struck out in both of his at-bats in the majors.
He was released on December 9, 2006, but came back to Pittsburgh in 2007 and spent the whole season in the minor leagues with them.
On November 27, 2007, DeCaster signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals that included an invitation to spring training. He was assigned to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators of the Eastern League to begin the 2008 season. He became a free agent at the end of the season.
In February 2009, DeCaster signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers, but was released in April.
DeCaster played for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He lined a ball hard off of first-baseman Willy Aybar (credited an error) to score the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning in his teams' second game against the Dominican Republic, securing the Netherlands a second-round berth in Pool 2.
DeCaster began the 2009 season with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the Northern League, but on June 29, 2009, DeCaster's contract was purchased by the New York Yankees, who assigned him to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.[1] He was released on September 2.[2]
DeCaster is on the preliminary roster for the 2009 Baseball World Cup.[3]
In 2010, DeCaster signed with the Broncos, where he batted .339 in 101 games. He returned to Reynosa in 2011.
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