Netherlands national baseball team

Netherlands national baseball team
Information
Country Kingdom of the Netherlands
Federation KNBSB
Confederation CEB
Manager Hensley Meulens
Uniforms
World Baseball Classic
Appearances 4 (First in 2006)
Best result 4th (2 times, in 2013 and 2017)
Olympic Games
Appearances 4 (First in 1996)
Best result 5th (2 times, most recent in 2000)
World Cup
Appearances 17 (First in 1970)
Best result 1st (1 time, in 2011)
Intercontinental Cup
Appearances 5 (First in 1983)
Best result 2nd (2 times, most recent in 2010)
European Championship
Appearances 31 (First in 1956)
Best result 1st (22 times, most recent in 2016)

The Netherlands national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, representing the country in international men's baseball. They are currently ranked as the best team in the Confederation of European Baseball, and the team is also ranked ninth in the IBAF World Rankings.

The Netherlands participated in the Summer Olympic Games in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. The team has also participated in both of the other major international baseball tournaments recognised by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF): the World Baseball Classic (WBC) and the Baseball World Cup. In 2011, the team won the World Cup after beating 25-time champion Cuba in the finals. The team is controlled by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond, which is represented in the Confederation of European Baseball.

The team is made up primarily of players from the Netherlands in Europe, and from Dutch territories and islands in the Caribbean that are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, such as Aruba and Curaçao (which is part of the former Netherland Antilles, which have since been dissolved), where baseball is extremely popular. Some foreigners of Dutch descent have also been members of the team. While baseball only maintains a niche following throughout Europe, the Netherlands, along with Italy, are the two European countries where the sport's popularity is strongest.

The team played in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and finished in 4th place.

Current roster

2017 World Baseball Classic roster
Players Coaching staff
Pitchers
 Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

 Manager

Coaches

Tournament record

World Baseball Classic

 Netherlands
World Baseball Classic
Tournament Results
Puerto Rico 2006 11th
Puerto Rico / United States 2009 7th
Taiwan / Japan / United States 2013 4th
South Korea / Japan / United States 2017 4th
Medal Tally
Gold		 -
Silver		 -
Bronze		 -

The Netherlands has competed in all three of the World Baseball Classic tournaments held. All sixteen teams that played in the 2006 edition were invited to compete in the second in 2009. The team was an automatic qualifier for the 2013 tournament.

The Netherlands has progressed to the second round of competition in 2009, and achieved its highest finish, 4th, in the 2013 tournament. Unusual for international competition in baseball, the squads selected in the World Baseball Classic tournaments featured players active in Major League Baseball in addition to Minor League, Nippon Professional Baseball and local players. Generally players in the Major Leagues are unavailable due to their contracts with the respective clubs.

The Netherlands team in the World Baseball Classic has featured Major Leaguers Andruw Jones (2006, 2013), Sidney Ponson (2009 only), and Randall Simon (both), as well as then-future Major Leaguers Jair Jurrjens (2006 only) and Kenley Jansen (2009, 2013), all born in the Caribbean in either Aruba or Curaçao.

World Baseball Classic record Qualification record
Year Round Position W L RS RA W L RS RA
2006 Round 1 11th 1 2 15 19 No qualifiers held
2009 Round 2 7th 2 4 10 23 No qualifiers held
2013 Semifinals 4th 4 4 36 47 Automatically qualified
2017 Semifinals 4th 4 3 48 24 Automatically qualified
Total 4/4 11 13 109 113 - - - -
Classic Record by Opponent
Opponent Tournaments
met		 W-L
record		 Largest victory Largest defeat Current
streak
Score Tournament Score Tournament
 Australia 1 1–0 4–1 Taiwan 2013 – W1
 Chinese Taipei 2 1–1 6–5 South Korea 2017 3–8 Taiwan 2013 W1
 Cuba 3 3–1 14–1 (F/7) Japan 2017 2–11 Puerto Rico 2006 W3
 Dominican Republic 2 2–1 3–2 Puerto Rico 2009 1–4 United States 2013 L1
 Israel 1 1–1 12–2 (F/8) Japan 2017 2–4 South Korea 2017 W1
 Japan 2 0–3 – 4–16 (F/7) Japan 2013 L3
 Panama 1 1–0 10–0 (F/7) Puerto Rico 2006 – W1
 Puerto Rico 3 0–4 – 3–8 Puerto Rico 2006 L4
 South Korea 2 2–0 5–0 Taiwan 2013
South Korea 2017		 – W2
 United States 1 0–1 – 3–9 United States 2009 L1
 Venezuela 1 0–1 – 1–3 United States 2009 L1
Overall 4 11–13 Against  CUB Against  JPN L1
14–1 (F/7) Japan 2017 4–16 (F/7) Japan 2013

2006

Prior to the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands played four exhibition games. They lost two games, against a college team from the University of Tampa and an Atlanta Braves squad at Cracker Jack Stadium in Kissimmee.

The Netherlands competed in Pool C—along with world champion Cuba, Panama and Puerto Rico—in the first round at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Having failed to win against Cuba and Puerto Rico in their round-robin pool games, they finished third in their pool, and were eliminated along with Panama.

2009

Prior to the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands played seven exhibition games, including three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins. The Netherlands team lost all three games against these MLB opponents.

The Netherlands competed in Pool D, along with 2006 WBC semi-finalist Dominican Republic, Panama, and Puerto Rico, in the first round at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The team impressed many, winning both games against the strong Dominican Republic team. As result, the team made it through the first double-elimination round along with Puerto Rico.

In the second round the Dutch lost both their games against Venezuela and the United States. Therefore, the team was eliminated and finished 7th in the final standings.

2013

The Netherlands competed in Pool B against Chinese Taipei, South Korea and Australia at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan. The Dutch team won their first game against South Korea 5-0, but lost to the Chinese Taipei 8-3. However, the Netherlands win against Australia 4-1, thus securing their position for Round 1 in Tokyo Dome to face off Japan and Cuba.

The Dutch team single-handedly win against the Cuban team 6-2 before facing off against two-time defending champions Japan and earned a humiliating loss 16-4 at the end of 7th inning due to mercy rule as they face off against Cuba once again. They narrowly clinched their win against the Cuban team 7-6 to secure their position to the semi-finals when they lose against the Japanese team again 10-6 for the Dutch team to face off against the Dominican Republic where they lose 4-1. The Netherlands, having significant improvement from two previous World Baseball Classic games, finished 4th overall, despite missing out its ever first WBC medal.

2017

Team Netherlands, ranked 9th in the world, includes current major league stars, many of whom were raised in islands in the Caribbean that are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The players include All Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox; from Aruba), 20-home-run-hitter shortstop Didi Gregorius (New York Yankees; raised in Curaçao, which is part of the former Netherland Antilles which have since been dissolved), 20-home-run-hitter second baseman Jonathan Schoop (Baltimore Orioles; born in Curaçao), Gold-Glover shortstop Andrelton Simmons (Los Angeles Angels; born in Curaçao), and infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar (Texas Rangers; born in Curaçao).[1][2][3] Sports Illustrated opined that the Dutch team "boasts arguably the most talented infield in the entire tournament."[3]

The Netherlands was defeated by Team Israel (4-2), but beat South Korea (5-0) and Taiwan (6-5), in the first round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic.[4][5] Along with Israel, which came in ahead of it in the pool, it qualified for the next round, in Japan.[6]

In what NBC reported was thought to be the tallest batter-pitcher matchup in baseball history, the Dutch team’s 7-foot-1-inch (2.16 m) pitcher Loek Van Mil walked Israel's 6-foot-8-inch (2.03 m) first baseman Nate Freiman.[7]

Olympics

 Netherlands
Baseball at the Olympics
Demonstration
South Korea Seoul, 1988 5th
Medal Event
Spain Barcelona, 1992 DNQ
United States Atlanta, 1996 5th
Australia Sydney, 2000 5th
Greece Athens, 2004 6th
China Beijing, 2008 7th
Summer Olympics record Qualification
Year Host Round Position W L RS RA
1988 South Korea Preliminary 5th (tied) [lower-alpha 1] 1 2 11 14 1987 European Baseball Championship
1992 Spain Did not qualify 1991 European Baseball Championship
1996 United States Preliminary 5th 2 5 32 76 1995 European Baseball Championship
2000 Australia Preliminary 5th 3 4 18 30 1999 European Baseball Championship
2004 Greece Preliminary 6th 2 5 29 55 2003 European Baseball Championship
2008 People's Republic of China Preliminary 7th 1 6 9 50 2007 European Baseball Championship
Total [lower-alpha 2] 4/5 11 20 88 211
  1. ↑ No medals awarded; baseball was a demonstration sport in 1988
  2. ↑ Totals only include years 1992 to 2008, during which baseball was an official medal sport.

The Dutch best finish in an Olympics is fifth place, which they did in both 1996 & 2000. The first time the Netherlands participated in the baseball tournament at the Summer Olympics was in 1988. Netherlands finished with a 1-2 record, with its only victory coming against Chinese Taipei. There was no official placing as Baseball at the 1988 Summer Olympics was a demonstration sport.

Olympics Record by Opponent
Opponent Tournaments
met		 W-L
record		 Largest victory Largest defeat Current
streak
Score Tournament Score Tournament
 Australia 3 2–1 16–6 (F/8) United States 1996 22–2 (F/7) Greece 2004 L1
 Canada 2 0–2 – 7–0 Greece 2004 L2
 China 1 1–0 6–4 People's Republic of China 2008 – W1
 Chinese Taipei 3 1–2 6–1 Korea 1988 16–0 People's Republic of China 2008 L2
 Cuba 4 1–3 4–2 Australia 2000 18–2 (F/7) United States 1996 L2
 Greece 1 1–0 11–0 Greece 2004 – W1
 Italy 3 3–0 10–4 Greece 2004 – W3
 Japan 5 0–5 – 12–2 (F/7) United States 1996 L5
 Nicaragua 1 0–1 – 5–0 United States 1996 L1
 Puerto Rico 1 0–1 – 7–4 Korea 1988 L1
 South Africa 1 0–1 – 3–2 Australia 2000 L1
 South Korea 3 0–3 – 10–0 People's Republic of China 2008 L3
 United States 3 0–3 – 17–1 (F/7) United States 1996 L3
Overall 5 9–22 Against  AUS Against  AUS L3
16–6 (F/8) United States 1996 22–2 (F/7) Greece 2004

Baseball World Cup

The Dutch best finish in the International Baseball Federation's (IBAF) World Cup has been the first place, which they did in 2011. Netherlands also hosted the games twice, in 1986 and in 2005. In 2009, the Netherlands was one of the 8 European nations to host the 2009 Baseball World Cup. It marked the first time in history the World Cup was not be hosted by a certain country, but rather a whole continent.

 Netherlands
Baseball World Cup
Amateur World Series
Colombia Colombia, 1970 12th
Cuba Cuba, 1973 7th
Colombia Colombia, 1976 11th
Italy Italy, 1978 7th
Japan Japan, 1980 12th
South Korea South Korea, 1982 6th
Cuba Cuba, 1984 13th
Netherlands Netherlands, 1986 9th
World Cup
Italy Italy, 1988 10th
Canada Canada, 1990 9th
Nicaragua Nicaragua, 1994 10th
Italy Italy, 1998 6th
Taiwan Taiwan, 2001 7th
Cuba Cuba, 2003 9th
Netherlands Netherlands, 2005 4th
Taiwan Taiwan, 2007 4th
European Union Europe, 2009 6th
Panama Panama, 2011 1st
World Cup record by opponent (since 1998)[8]
Opponent Tournaments
met		 W-L
record		 Largest victory Largest defeat Current
streak
Score Tournament Score Tournament
 Australia 5 2–4 6–0 Taiwan 2001 4–1 Italy 2009 W1
 Brazil 2 1–1 7–0 Netherlands 2005 2–1 Cuba 2003 W1
 Canada 6 3–3 7–3 Netherlands 2005 11–5 Italy 2009 L3
 China 2 2–0 13–3 (F/8) Netherlands 2005 – W2
 Chinese Taipei 5 3–2 11–2 Italy 2009 12–6 Italy 1998 W3
 Cuba 6 3–4 4–1 (F/7) Panama 2011 12–1 (F/7) Italy 1998 W2
 Dominican Republic 2 2–0 7–3 Taiwan 2001 – W2
 Germany 1 1–0 15–5 (F/8) Taiwan 2007 – W1
 Great Britain 1 1–0 6–0 Netherlands 2009 – W1
 Greece 1 1–0 19–0 (F/5) Panama 2011 – W1
 France 1 1–0 12–0 (F/7) Cuba 2003 – W1
 Japan 5 1–4 5–2 Panama 2011 12–2 (F/7) Cuba 2003 W1
 Mexico 1 1–0 6–3 Cuba 2003 – W1
 Nicaragua 2 1–1 8–4 Netherlands 2009 13–2 Italy 1998 W1
 Panama 4 2–4 9–5 Netherlands 2005 5–0 Taiwan 2001 W1
 Philippines 1 1–0 6–0 Taiwan 2001 – W1
 Puerto Rico 3 3–0 10–0 (F/8) Netherlands 2005 – W3
 Russia 2 2–0 18–0 (F/7) Taiwan 2001 – W2
 South Africa 1 1–0 20–2 (F/7) Netherlands 2005 – W1
 South Korea 5 4–2 6–2 Netherlands 2005 7–0 Netherlands 2005 W3
 Spain 1 1–0 10–5 Netherlands 2009 – W1
 Sweden 1 1–0 18–0 (F/8) Netherlands 2005 – W1
 Thailand 1 1–0 16–0 (F/7) Taiwan 2007 – W1
 United States 4 2–2 7–5 Panama 2011 8–2 Italy 2009 W1
 Venezuela 3 3–0 12–2 (F/7) Panama 2011 – W3
Overall 7 44 – 27 Against  GRE Against  CUB W6
19 – 0 (F/5) Panama 2011 12 – 1 (F/7) Italy 1998

Other tournament results

Intercontinental Cup

Haarlemse Honkbalweek

   

World Port Tournament

   

European Baseball Championship

     

World Junior Baseball Championship

European Junior Baseball Championship

World Youth Baseball Championship

European Youth Baseball Championship

Players

The Dutch Caribbean has very strong baseball traditions. A team from Willemstad, Curaçao "Liga Pabou" won the 2004 Little League World Series and was runner-up in 2005. Each territory has its own baseball federation and in the past, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba have fielded its own team in international competitions. In recent years, however, players from the Dutch Caribbean have played on the national team of the Netherlands itself, alongside players from continental Europe and a handful of Americans of Dutch descent, resulting in a team with a stronger concentration of talent. Since the 2013 World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands participates as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the formal name of the sovereign state that includes both the Dutch Caribbean and the Netherlands proper.

The following is the Netherlands 2013 World Baseball Classic squad.

2013 World Baseball Classic

Manager
Hensley Meulens
Coaches
Bert Blyleven, Brian Farley, Steve Janssen, Wim Martinus, Tjerk Smeets, Ben Thijssen
Pos. 0#0 Player Date of birth (age) Club
P 29 Johnny Balentina (1971-08-08) 8 August 1971 Free agent
P 47 David Bergman (1981-08-16) 16 August 1981 Netherlands Kinheim
P 55 Leon Boyd (1983-08-30) 30 August 1983 Netherlands Kinheim
P 19 Rob Cordemans (1974-10-31) 31 October 1974 Free agent
P 3 Berry van Driel (1984-12-26) 26 December 1984 Netherlands DOOR Neptunus
P 13 Kevin Heijstek (1988-04-19) 19 April 1988 Netherlands Amsterdam Pirates
P 7 Jonatan Isenia (1993-03-31) 31 March 1993 United States Gulf Coast League Orioles
P 36 Diegomar Markwell (1980-08-08) 8 August 1980 Free agent
P 39 Shairon Martis (1987-03-30) 30 March 1987 United States Lincoln Saltdogs
P 51 Loek van Mil (1984-09-15) 15 September 1984 United States Louisville Bats
P 96 Mark Pawelek (1986-08-18) 18 August 1986 Free agent
P 26 Tom Stuifbergen (1988-09-26) 26 September 1988 Free agent
P 40 Orlando Yntema (1986-02-21) 21 February 1986 Netherlands UVV Utrecht
C 5 Bas Nooij (1987-11-26) 26 November 1987 Netherlands Amsterdam Pirates
C 21 Dashenko Ricardo (1990-03-01) 1 March 1990 Free agent
IF 1 Xander Bogaerts (1992-10-01) 1 October 1992 United States Boston Red Sox
IF 22 Yurendell DeCaster (1979-09-26) 26 September 1979 Mexico Piratas de Campeche
IF 23 Quintin de Cuba (1987-09-09) 9 September 1987 Netherlands Kinheim
IF 46 Jonathan Schoop (1991-10-16) 16 October 1991 United States Baltimore Orioles
IF 9 Andrelton Simmons (1989-09-04) 4 September 1989 United States Anaheim Angels
IF 18 Curt Smith (1986-09-09) 9 September 1986 United States Lincoln Saltdogs
IF 16 Hainley Statia (1986-01-19) 19 January 1986 Free agent
OF 4 Wladimir Balentien (1984-07-02) 2 July 1984 Japan Tokyo Yakult Swallows
OF 2 Roger Bernadina (1984-06-12) 12 June 1984 Free agent
OF 8 Michael Duursma (1978-02-26) 26 February 1978 Netherlands Amsterdam Pirates
OF 25 Andruw Jones (1977-04-23) 23 April 1977 Free agent
OF 14 Randolph Oduber (1989-03-16) 16 March 1989 United States Harrisburg Senators
OF 12 Kalian Sams (1986-08-25) 25 August 1986 Canada Québec Capitales

The following players made up the Dutch team for the 2011 Baseball World Cup, held in October 2011.[9]

Team members are mostly from the Netherlands or overseas territories with a few non-Dutch players:

  • Boyd is from Canada and has Dutch ancestry
  • Yntema is from the Dominican Republic and has Dutch citizenship

Coaches Farley (USA) and Janssen (Belgium) have some involvement with baseball teams in the Netherlands.

2011 Baseball World Cup

Netherlands roster - 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup
Official roster Coaching staff
Pitchers
 Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

 Manager
  •    Brian Farley

Coaches

  •  9 Steve Janssen (Pitching coach)
  • 34 Wim Martinus (Hitting/Fielding coach)
  • 38 Tjerk Smeets (Bullpen coach)
  • 32 Ben Thijssen (Bench coach)
Updated September 19, 2011

World ranking

See also: IBAF World Rankings

In January 2009 the International Baseball Federation created a ranking system so that the nations involved in international competition could be compared independently. Teams receive points based on the position they finish at the end of tournaments. The system takes into account results not only of the senior men's teams but also of junior teams. Weightings that emphasise the importance of certain tournaments are based on the number of teams competing, the number of continents represented (or eligible to be represented), and in the case of continental tournaments such as the European Baseball Championship the relative strength of teams eligible. Only results within the previous four years are used, so points are added and removed over time. Since the system began, the rankings have been adjusted after the completion of tournaments qualifying for the ranking process; the most recent was the 2009 Baseball World Cup.

Since September 18, 2012 the Netherlands are listed at 6th position.

Date
Released		 Tournament Tournament
Result		 Ranking Points Position Above Position Below
Rank Team Points Difference Rank Team Points Difference
13 January 2009[10] 2008 Summer Olympics* 7th 6th 336.57 5th  Chinese Taipei +121.93 7th  Canada -74.38
24 March 2009[11] 2009 World Baseball Classic 7th 6th 382.57 5th  Chinese Taipei +89.25 7th  Mexico -102.32
12 August 2009**[12] 2009 World Port Tournament 2nd 6th 412.57 5th  Chinese Taipei +179.25 7th  Mexico -109.82
19 October 2009**[13] 2009 World Youth Baseball Championship 8th 6th 405.33 5th  Chinese Taipei +156.30 7th  Canada -45.14
2009 Baseball World Cup 6th
6 December 2010**[14] 2010 Haarlem Baseball Week 1st 6th 374.51 5th  Chinese Taipei +149.85 7th  Venezuela -22.20
2010 European Baseball Championship 2nd
2010 World Junior Baseball Championship 6th
2010 Intercontinental Cup 2nd
31 October 2011** 2011 World Port Tournament 3rd 5th 483.51 4th  Japan +172.91 6th  Canada -24.68
2011 Baseball World Cup 1st
18 September 2012** 2012 Haarlem Baseball Week 4th 6th 476.76 5th  Canada +8.24 7th  Venezuela -17.13
2012 18U Baseball World Championship 11th
2012 European Baseball Championship 2nd
20 March 2013** 2013 World Port Tournament 2nd 5th 497.76 4th  Chinese Taipei +44.03 6th  Canada -5.74
2013 World Baseball Classic 4th
* When the rankings were first released, the 2008 Summer Olympics was the most recent tournament completed by the Netherlands that had any bearing on the rankings themselves.
** Multiple tournaments were held since the previous release of the rankings.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Third straight win in World Baseball Classic, as Israel heads to 2nd round," J.
  2. ↑ "Blue-and-white takes on Cuba in Tokyo," The Jerusalem Post.
  3. 1 2 "World Baseball Classic: It’s a 'Moneyball’ battle as Israel and the Netherlands face off in quarterfinals,", Haaretz.
  4. ↑ "Davis, Feldman, Decker play for Israel in WBC," mlb.com.
  5. ↑ "Israel beats Netherlands to win WBC '17 Pool A," mlb.com.
  6. ↑ "World Baseball Classic: Israel officially advances to quarterfinals after Netherlands beats Taiwan,", Haaretz.
  7. ↑ "Video: 7’1″ vs. 6’8″ — the tallest pitcher-batter matchup ever,", NBC Sports.
  8. ↑ 23rd World Championship Baseball Results
  9. ↑ International Baseball Federation: Roster The Netherlands, Accessed October 16, 2011
  10. ↑ "2009 IBAF World Rankings". International Baseball Federation. 13 January 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  11. ↑ "Japan moves to No. 3 in the World Rankings". International Baseball Federation. 24 March 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  12. ↑ "IBAF World Rankings". International Baseball Federation. 12 August 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  13. ↑ "IBAF Announces New World Rankings For Men's Baseball". International Baseball Federation. 19 October 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  14. ↑ "IBAF World Rankings" (PDF). International Baseball Federation. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
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