Baseball fans know that 2013 has been a pretty great year for Curaçao baseball. Let’s take a quick look at the accomplishments for the small island with a population of just 140,000 off the coast of Venezuela which is a constituent country of the Kingdom of Netherlands.
The Dutch “Honkbal” team — filled with players from Curaçao — reached the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic behind manager Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens. Meulens, the first Curaçao native in Major League Baseball, has served as the San Francisco Giants hitting coach since 2010, helping them win two World Series in his first three years with the team. Former Mariners prospect Wladimir “Coco” Balentien, 29, set the single-season home run mark in Japan, belting 60 home runs and breaking the record held by legendary slugger Sadaharu Oh since 1964. Andruw Jones, 36, a five-time MLB All-Star and ten-time Gold Glove winner and arguably the most famous of the Curaçao baseball stars, helped lead the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles to the franchise’s first Japan Series win earlier this month.
The young Curaçaoan talent already has amassed some impressive accomplishments. Andrelton Simmons, the Braves’ remarkable 24-year old shortstop, won a Gold Glove and the Platinum Glove, arguably establishing himself as the greatest defensive shortstop in the history of the game in only his second season. Dodgers’ closer Kenley Jansen, 26, proved lights-out for the NL West champions. Didi Gregorius, 23, played strong defense for the Diamondbacks in his first year at shortstop in Phoenix. Jonathan Schoop, 22, made his major league debut with the Orioles and won an Arizona Fall League championship with the Surprise Saguaros. And there’s Jurickson Profar, the Rangers’ 20-year old rookie utility man, widely regarded as the top prospect in all of baseball.
With so much excitement about “honkbal” in a country historically dominated by soccer, what if there was a way to harness all the enthusiasm, bring the players together in their home country, inspire kids, benefit the community and have some fun at the same time? Welcome to Curaçao Baseball Week 2013, the first of what the organizers hope to be an annual event hosted by the Blue Bay Curaçao Golf & Beach Resort. Former Braves’ pitcher Jair Jurrjens serves as the resort’s ambassador and helped get things started when the idea first arose a few years ago,
Curaçao Baseball Week 2013 was organized with the goal of bringing the kids of Curaçao closer to the baseball legends. During the week that kicked off on Sunday with a parade for Balentien to recognize his home run record, over 1,200 local kids who play organized baseball in Curaçao will get a chance to meet and greet their heroes, get autographs, watch a softball game and home run derby, and participate in clinics with the players. There will also be several coaching seminars held for the local baseball coaches. The organizers also plan to raise money during a charity auction to upgrade the Jan Doret Ballpark.
At an informal meet and greet on Monday night to welcome the players and media from around the world (especially Japan) — players in attendance included Jones, Balentien, Simmons, Schoop and Twins reliever Shairon Martis — Hensley Meulens reminded the group of the remarkable accomplishments of Curaçao baseball this year and exhorted them to be great examples for the next generation. It was clear that the young players really look up to Meulens as well as Jones.
This intrepid Outside Corner correspondent will be in Curaçao all week for the festivities, clinics and events (yes, it’s a tough job and someone’s got to do it). I’ll be tracking down interviews with several of the players and hopefully some behind the scenes content. Stay tuned. Follow the hashtag #cbw2013 on Twitter for updates as well.
Photo via Amanda Rykoff
