Jeroen Sluijter
Encyclopedia
Jeroen Sluijter is a Dutch
baseball
player who currently plays for Neptunus
and the Dutch national team
.
Sluijter debuted in the Hoofdklasse
in 1993 with the Twins Sport Club. In 1996, he moved to SV ADO
and then Neptunus
in 1997. With Neptunus, he became Hoofdklasse champion each year from 1998–2005, one of the greatest dynasties in Netherlands baseball history. He went 2 for 5 in the 1997 World Port Tournament
, his lone Dutch national team appearance of the 20th Century.
Sluijter returned to the national team in 2002, appearing in the Haarlem Baseball Week
. He went 1 for 4 as a backup infielder; in the Gold Medal game, he was a late substitute for Evert-Jan 't Hoen
and did not bat in a 5-4 loss to the United States
. In the 2002 Intercontinental Cup
, he was 1 for 3, backing up former AAA player 't Hoen at second and former major leaguer
Ralph Milliard
at shortstop. Sluijter played for the Dutch in three events in 2003. In the 2003 World Port Tournament, he was a starter and hit .292/.452/.292 and led the event with 7 walks. He led the Netherlands with 2 hits (in 3 tries) in a 3-2 loss to Cuba
in the Gold Medal game, though he did make one error at third base. He was 0 for 2 with 2 walks and a run in the 2003 European Championship and did not play in the Gold Medal game, which the Netherlands won. In the 2003 Baseball World Cup, he only played one inning in the field as the backup 2B to 't Hoen and went 0 for 1 at the plate.
In the 2004 Hoofdklasse season, Sluijter tied for 6th with 9 doubles. He was 0 for 3 in the 2004 Haarlem Baseball Week and did not play in the Gold Medal game, which the Orange won against Cuba. It was his last time on the national team for four years. In 2005, Sluijter tied for 8th in the Hoofdklasse with 26 runs, albeit only tied for 5th on Neptunus. He hit only .213/.323/.272 that year and fielded .940 at the hot corner. The next year, he had his best season yet, batting .324/.380/.394. He tied Sidney de Jong
and Reily Legito
for 7th in the loop with 10 doubles and was 12th in average. His .947 fielding percentage led the Hoofdklasse third baseman. 2007 was a down year as he hit .220/.348/.295 and fielded .899 at third.
In the 2008 European Cup in Regensburg
, Sluijter hit .444/.500/.833 with 7 runs and 7 RBI in 5 games. Against the Templiers de Sénart
, he was 3 for 3 with 2 homers and a walk to lead the Neptunus charge. He was 8th in the Cup in average, tied Legito and Giuseppe Mazzanti for second in RBI (one behind Eugene Kingsale
) and tied four others (including Luis Ugueto
and Pavel Budsky) for the home run lead (2). He tied for 4th in runs, two behind leader Simon Kudernatsch. He went 1 for 2 with a walk and a run in the 2008 Haarlem Baseball Week, his first appearance with the national team in four years. Thanks in part to an injury to Hainley Statia
, Sluijter remained with the Orange for the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who currently plays for Neptunus
Neptunus
Neptunus is the baseball team of the Neptunus Sporting Club in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently DOOR Training so that the official name of the team is DOOR Neptunus....
and the Dutch national team
Netherlands national baseball team
The Netherlands national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Netherlands. They are currently the top team in Europe and currently the sixth ranked men's baseball team in the IBAF World Rankings....
.
Sluijter debuted in the Hoofdklasse
Hoofdklasse
The Hoofdklasse is the 2nd highest league of amateur football in the Netherlands, and the fourth tier in general.-Background:The league is divided into two sections: Saturday and Sunday. This is a result of the traditional pillarisation , the segregation of Dutch society. The Saturday-clubs are by...
in 1993 with the Twins Sport Club. In 1996, he moved to SV ADO
SV ADO
SV ADO are a baseball team in Honkbal Hoofdklasse, the Netherlands's professional baseball league.-External links:*...
and then Neptunus
Neptunus
Neptunus is the baseball team of the Neptunus Sporting Club in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently DOOR Training so that the official name of the team is DOOR Neptunus....
in 1997. With Neptunus, he became Hoofdklasse champion each year from 1998–2005, one of the greatest dynasties in Netherlands baseball history. He went 2 for 5 in the 1997 World Port Tournament
World Port Tournament
The World Port Tournament is an international baseball tournament held at the Neptunus Familiestadion in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The tournament has been held every other year in uneven-numbered years since , alternating with the Haarlem Baseball Week....
, his lone Dutch national team appearance of the 20th Century.
Sluijter returned to the national team in 2002, appearing in the Haarlem Baseball Week
Haarlem Baseball Week
The Haarlemse Honkbalweek is an international invitation baseball tournament at the Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, Netherlands...
. He went 1 for 4 as a backup infielder; in the Gold Medal game, he was a late substitute for Evert-Jan 't Hoen
Evert-Jan 't Hoen
Evert-Jan Axel Charles 't Hoen is a Dutch baseball player.'t Hoen represented the Netherlands at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, in which the Dutch finished sixth...
and did not bat in a 5-4 loss to the United States
United States national baseball team
The United States National Baseball team represents the United States in international baseball competition. The United States has won the previous two Baseball World Cups, having lost this title to the Netherlands in 2011, and is currently second in the IBAF World Rankings, behind Cuba.The team...
. In the 2002 Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (baseball)
The Intercontinental Cup is a baseball tournament between the members of the International Baseball Federation . It was first held in 1973 in Italy, and was held every other year following until 1999....
, he was 1 for 3, backing up former AAA player 't Hoen at second and former major leaguer
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Ralph Milliard
Ralph Milliard
Ralph Gregory Milliard is a Dutch baseball player.Milliard represented the Netherlands at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney where he and his team became fifth...
at shortstop. Sluijter played for the Dutch in three events in 2003. In the 2003 World Port Tournament, he was a starter and hit .292/.452/.292 and led the event with 7 walks. He led the Netherlands with 2 hits (in 3 tries) in a 3-2 loss to Cuba
Cuba national baseball team
The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...
in the Gold Medal game, though he did make one error at third base. He was 0 for 2 with 2 walks and a run in the 2003 European Championship and did not play in the Gold Medal game, which the Netherlands won. In the 2003 Baseball World Cup, he only played one inning in the field as the backup 2B to 't Hoen and went 0 for 1 at the plate.
In the 2004 Hoofdklasse season, Sluijter tied for 6th with 9 doubles. He was 0 for 3 in the 2004 Haarlem Baseball Week and did not play in the Gold Medal game, which the Orange won against Cuba. It was his last time on the national team for four years. In 2005, Sluijter tied for 8th in the Hoofdklasse with 26 runs, albeit only tied for 5th on Neptunus. He hit only .213/.323/.272 that year and fielded .940 at the hot corner. The next year, he had his best season yet, batting .324/.380/.394. He tied Sidney de Jong
Sidney de Jong
Sidney de Jong is a Dutch baseball player.De Jong represented the Netherlands at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens where he and his team finished sixth. He also represented the Dutch at the 2009 World Baseball Classic in San Juan, Puerto Rico and in Miami, Florida.-External links:*...
and Reily Legito
Reily Legito
Raylinos Joaquin 'Reily' Legito is a Dutch baseball player.Legito, a right-handed infielder, represented the Netherlands at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney where he and his team became fifth. Four years later at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens they were sixth.-External links:*...
for 7th in the loop with 10 doubles and was 12th in average. His .947 fielding percentage led the Hoofdklasse third baseman. 2007 was a down year as he hit .220/.348/.295 and fielded .899 at third.
In the 2008 European Cup in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, Sluijter hit .444/.500/.833 with 7 runs and 7 RBI in 5 games. Against the Templiers de Sénart
Templiers de Sénart
The Templiers de Sénart are a team in Division Élite. They were founded in 1987 as the Baseball Club of Melun-Sénart, moved up to Division Élite in 1998, were relegated back down, but returned in 2003. In 2007, they finished second in Division Élite behind the Rouen Huskies....
, he was 3 for 3 with 2 homers and a walk to lead the Neptunus charge. He was 8th in the Cup in average, tied Legito and Giuseppe Mazzanti for second in RBI (one behind Eugene Kingsale
Eugene Kingsale
Eugene Humphrey "Gene" Kingsale is a former Major League Baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Detroit Tigers from until...
) and tied four others (including Luis Ugueto
Luis Ugueto
Luis Enrique Ugueto [oo-ge-to] is a Major League Baseball second baseman and switch-hitter who is currently a free agent...
and Pavel Budsky) for the home run lead (2). He tied for 4th in runs, two behind leader Simon Kudernatsch. He went 1 for 2 with a walk and a run in the 2008 Haarlem Baseball Week, his first appearance with the national team in four years. Thanks in part to an injury to Hainley Statia
Hainley Statia
Hainley Statia is a Dutch minor league baseball player in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He previously played for the independent Lancaster Barnstormers, with whom he signed on January 11, 2011. He is also a member of the Netherlands national baseball team.-External links:...
, Sluijter remained with the Orange for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.