Matt den Dekker
| Matt den Dekker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| New York Mets – No. 6 | |
| Outfielder | |
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Born: August 10, 1987 Fort Lauderdale, Florida | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| August 29, 2013 for the New York Mets | |
| Career statistics (through 2013 season) | |
| Batting average | .207 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs batted in | 6 |
| Teams | |
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Matthew G. den Dekker (born August 10, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.
Amateur career
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Baseball | ||
Competitor for  United States
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| World University Championship | ||
| Gold | 2008 Brno | National team |
Den Dekker attended Westminster Academy Christian School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was a second-team All-State selection in 2006 after hitting .455 with 7 home runs. He enrolled at the University of Florida, where he played college baseball for the Florida Gators baseball team. As a freshman, he batted .234/~.324/.418. As a sophomore, den Dekker hit .333/~.413/.507 with 20 steals in 20 tries and 55 runs in 55 games. The center fielder was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection as an outfielder. Den Dekker was then chosen for Team USA's college edition. He batted .176/.375/.176 in the 2008 Haarlem Baseball Week; noted for his defense, he made one error and noted for his speed, he was thrown out in his lone attempt (gunned down by Cuban defensive legend Ariel Pestano in the Gold Medal game). Den Dekker batted .227/.292/.409 in the 2008 World University Baseball Championship and did not attempt a steal. In the Gold Medal game, he almost drove in the winner, singling in the 12th, but Tommy Mendonca was gunned down at home by Keijiro Matsumoto.
Den Dekker hit .296/.409/.412 as a junior with 17 steals in 18 tries. He was still rated 92nd overall by Baseball America among prospects entering the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft - then was not selected until the 475th overall pick, when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 16th round. He returned to Florida for his senior year, hitting .358 with a team-leading 64 runs scored and a career-best 49 runs batted in as the Gators reached the 2010 College World Series.
Professional career
After college, den Dekker was selected by the New York Mets in the fifth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his pro debut that summer with the Gulf Coast League Mets, hitting .278 with 5 RBI in 5 games before being promoted to the Savannah Sand Gnats. In 2011, den Dekker played for the St. Lucie Mets and Binghamton Mets. He was invited to spring training in 2012.
In 2013 den Dekker received his third invitation to the Mets Spring Training camp. He played in a career high 19 games and posted a .205 batting average as he went 9 for 44 with one Home Run and seven runs batted in while striking out 16 times. On Sunday, March 24th, den Dekker broke his right wrist attempting to make a play on a fly ball hit by the Detroit Tiger’s Austin Jackson. Den Dekker was scheduled to return to action around the middle of May.[citation needed]
On August 27, 2013, the Mets promoted den Dekker to the major leagues.[1] He made his major league debut on August 29.[2]
He hit his first MLB home run on September 1, 2013, off Ross Ohlendorf of the Nationals.
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Florida Gators bio
- Harry Wedemeijer's international tourney stats
- 2008 World University Championship
- Matt den Dekker on Twitter
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It uses material from the BR Bullpen article "Matt den Dekker".