Braves Dip Into New International Market
by gondeee on Apr 14, 2009 8:44 AM EDT
in Braves Minor League News
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PrintThe Atlanta Braves saw the fruits of their scouting in the Japanese market take shape last Saturday as Kenshin Kawakami won his major league debut. The Braves have long used their scouting in Central America and the Carribean to fill their minor league and major league ranks, and now the team has signed its first player from... wait for it... Europe. Say what? Europeans don't play baseball!
From the IBAF via Mister-Baseball:
The Atlanta Braves signed outfielder Ruben Rijkhof in Tenerife and the 17 year old Dutch will be reporting to rookie league in the next week.
He is 6’2”, weighs 185 pounds and combines speed, a strong throwing arm and powerful hitting. Atlanta Braves international scout Nestor Perez Sr. was the responsible of bringing the talented player to Tenerife so he could hone his skills under his and his son’s, Nestor Perez Jr., guidance.
The result was a tryout under supervision of Jose Martinez, Johnny Almaraz and Jose Tartabull from the Atlanta Braves and finally the contract was signed in presence of Nestor Perez Sr., Nestor Perez Jr., Ruben Rijkhof and his mother Wanda Rijkhof, who also had worked as a coach with her son.
Ruben Rijkhof is the first player signed in Europe by the Atlanta Braves and Nestor Perez, and it is not a coincidence that this took place in, as the Club has invested in its presence trusting the baseball potential on the island.
I had to look it up too, but Tenerife is an island in the Canary chain, which is territory of Spain off the West coast of Africa right on the border between Morocco and Western Sahara.
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Netherlands
Is he from Europe or the Canary Islands? Andruw Jones was technically a Netherlands citizen too, as Curacao is a province of the Netherlands.
Man…the Canary Islands aren’t even in the same ocean as Curacao.
SWAGGA LIKE...whoever the fuck is not walking people
President, CEO, and chairman of the Brandon Jones fan club
Hahaha...
I think the Canary Islands are considered a part of Spain. So he might be of Dutch descent and just playing in the Canarys. Is that right? Or do you say Canaries? Eh, doesn’t matter.
Here’s a fun story about their league. The European baseball league could be decided by Barcelona’s inability to buy plane tickets.
http://www.tenerifenews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11218:tenerife-marlins-left-in-the-lurch&catid=42:tenerife&Itemid=117
Gary Sheffield thinks Latin players are Slavish.
But now, the Slavic market…just think of all the hot European wives.
by Euruproktos on Apr 14, 2009 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions
From reading it, it sounds like the Braves and Perez brought him down to the Canary’s to work him out. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Tenerife has better baseball weather year-round than the Netherlands do.
I have no personal experience in regards to the weather in either location, nor am I a meteorologist, however in a my forays into the fantastic world of meteorology, I have found that locations nearer the equator are often times warmer than those much further from the equator.
Tommy Hanson 4 ROY
Apparently, this kid has pitched some...
Found this link.
http://www.mister-baseball.com/marlins-win-spanish-junior-championship/
And this picture…
Tommy Hanson 4 ROY
yeah but
most players who make it are either a catcher or pitcher at one point. Sometimes both. At least that is what my experience has shown me. Might not hold true across the board. Anyone have insight on this?
Let’s keep the catching/pitching jokes to a maximum, please.
by TheSportsIdiot on Apr 14, 2009 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Found this link. www.marbellasundevils.es
Ruben Rijkhof when he was 14 years old
by marsundevils on Apr 15, 2009 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Good stuff. How much did he sign for? Anyone know?
"for my little nephew: in my second drawer where i keep my weed, under the handgun is a stack of pornos that will put callouses on your hands"
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"You wanna know about relationships, I know all there is to know – just ask my second wife Tina – yea she was a stripper and if Montel Williams wants to talk some shit some more then he can go f**k himself cause those charges were dropped."
-Kenny Powers
There was a big article in Chop Talk magazine about the Braves opening a year round baseball academy in Spain in and effort to make inroads into Europe, so I guess this is the first step in that direction.
Aside from that, every Dutch player I’ve ever met is cool as hell, so I’m looking forward to meeting this kid.
"At least he didn’t nail the bitchy fat girl from Hell's Kitchen."
www.dropoutproductions.com
Spain apparently is making a big push to become competitive in European baseball, and has the year-round good weather to help reach that goal. I think the Braves located their European operation in the Canaries because of the weather and the recent Spanish interest, but Holland and Italy are the traditional powers of European baseball, such as they are.
And Tenerife is the site of the worst airliner disaster of all time, when a couple of 747s collided on a runway and burned.
I have contacts in the Netherlands
in regards to their pro leagues and whatnot. I’ll find out what I can about this kid.
Hey Guys,
Let me explain some things. It is cool to read about this signing on talkingchop. As one of the writers already stated Curacao is a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. At the WBC we have a lot of guys from Curacao and Aruba (it has a different status) on the team. Curacao is a part of the Dutch Antilles (as well as Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba).
Ruben Rijkhof lives and plays in Spain. His mother got into baseball by visiting the States. Tenerife is part of the Canarian Islands which is a part of Spain and is a popular holliday destination for many Europeans. It is a group of islands close to Africa.
The climate in Spain is indeed way more appropriate for baseball then the Dutch climate.
Besides Andruw Jones the Braves also once signed Raymond Hofer, a long time infielder for the Dutch National Team. He played rookie league for two years with the Braves.
I hope I answered most questions this way, feel free to ask. Tenerife had a terrible airline diseaster. I had to study it for my study governance. All kinds of circumstances came together in a very bad way.
by Dutch Braves Fan on Apr 14, 2009 5:14 PM EDT reply actions
Was that the disaster where there was a dense fog and one plane started to take off, there was some kind of communication failure, and plowed right into a separate plane that was taxing on the runway?
You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all.
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 14, 2009 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Welcome to Talking Chop!
Thanks for the info! I used to be good at geography…when I was in 7th grade.
As much as we love it, baseball is just a game. Rest In Peace Nick Adenhart.
That is the one. The planes were directed earlier to Tenerife because one bigger airport was closed. The pilote wished to take off because of his hours schedule he had to make it back. He wanted to hear clearance for take off but in fact the tower asked him to approach to some place in order to wait for clearance for take off.
by Dutch Braves Fan on Apr 14, 2009 5:25 PM EDT reply actions
Yup…I read about that one as well.
You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all.
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 14, 2009 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_disaster
If anyone is interested. Pretty morbid, but I’m fascinated by this kind of stuff.
You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all.
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 14, 2009 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions
How in the heck did you know about this? Are you Mr. Glass from Unbreakable?
As much as we love it, baseball is just a game. Rest In Peace Nick Adenhart.
You know how most of us joke about “mom’s basement”? Well SB is never joking. He’s one of those creepy basement dwellers that really gets off on this morbid stuff. Believe me, i know where he lives.
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
so is his “roommate” he sometimes talks about actually his mom?
As much as we love it, baseball is just a game. Rest In Peace Nick Adenhart.
Leave her out of this, she makes great meatloaf!
You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all.
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 14, 2009 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
He quick question for you: Is there any reasonably priced hotels in DC? I looked last night and the cheapest I could find with in reasonable distance to Nationals Park and the Amtrak station was $150 per night. Any ideas? Is there a lot of public transportation in DC?
As much as we love it, baseball is just a game. Rest In Peace Nick Adenhart.
Don’t stay in DC. The Metro stops directly at Nationals Park, so you can stay elsewhere, like Vienna, Alexandria, or Springfield in Virginia which will likely be cheaper.
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
Oh ok, good info, that was one of the things I was wondering. I was contemplating just ponying up the extra dough to stay in DC since I have never been east of Minnesota and I want to do some sightseeing.
As much as we love it, baseball is just a game. Rest In Peace Nick Adenhart.
Yeah, Hobbs has the right idea…the Metro couldn’t drop you off any closer to the stadium, and likewise can get you to anywhere you might want to go in DC.
You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all.
by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 14, 2009 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Sorry, I have another question, could I catch the Metro in Silver Spring, MD?
As much as we love it, baseball is just a game. Rest In Peace Nick Adenhart.
Technically you can (red line), but then you’re still in Maryland. Silver Spring isn’t exactly a decent area, either.
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
My suggestion
For simplicity and convenience: fly into Reagan National Airport, and utilize the Yellow Line. There are a TON of lodging options off of the Crystal City and Pentagon City stop, and one way or the other you’re going to have to make use of transfers or stay in the ghetto. The Yellow Line will allow you just one transfer.
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
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