Yurendell Eithel DeCaster (born September 26, 1979) is a Dutch
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
. He played part of one season in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
with the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
. He played for Team Netherlands in the
2019 European Baseball Championship
The 2019 European Baseball Championship was an international baseball tournament organized by the Confederation of European Baseball. The 2019 Championship was held September 7–15, 2019, in Bonn and Solingen, Germany.
The tournament contributed ...
, and at the
Africa/Europe 2020 Olympic Qualification tournament, in Italy in September 2019.
Career
Originally signed by the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venu ...
as a free agent in 1996, DeCaster was selected by the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
from Tampa Bay in the 2000
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
phase of the
Rule 5 draft.
DeCaster was one of just three players to hit three home runs in the
2004 Summer Olympic Games
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
in
Athens, Greece
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, while playing for the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
team.
He spent the entire 2005 season with Triple-A
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...
, where he made 28 appearances at third base, 25 at
first base
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
, 13 at
second base and 58 in the
outfield
The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area.
In cricket, baseball and ...
. He posted a .280
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
with 11
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s and 61
RBI, and also led his club in
games played
Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.
Basebal ...
(122) and
doubles (31).
Besides, he had a productive 2005–2006 season while playing for the
Caribes de Anzoátegui
The Caribes de Anzoátegui ( en, Anzoátegui Caribs) is a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League based in Puerto la Cruz, Anzoátegui.
Franchise history
In January 1987, a local businessmen group based in Puerto la Cruz, ...
of the
Venezuelan Winter League
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year.
History Early years
Baseball exp ...
, when he batted .325 (68-for-209) with 17 home runs and 47 RBI in just 60 games. His 17 home runs tied him with
Tom Evans for the league lead.
In 2006, DeCaster returned to Indianapolis, with whom he spent most of the season. In 119 games with the Indians, he batted .273 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI. He was called up to the Pirates twice, from May 21–24 and June 5–13, and appeared in three games. He struck out in both of his at-bats in the majors.
He was released on December 9, 2006, but came back to Pittsburgh in 2007 and spent the whole season in the minor leagues with them.
On November 27, 2007, DeCaster signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
that included an invitation to the 2008
spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
. He then was assigned to the Double-A
Harrisburg Senators
The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...
of the
Eastern League to begin the regular season, becoming a free agent at the end of the season.
In February 2009, DeCaster signed a minor league contract with the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
, but was released in April.
He began the 2009 season with the
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Fargo, North Dakota, in the United States. The RedHawks are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major Leagu ...
of the
Northern League, but on June 29, 2009, DeCaster's contract was purchased by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
, who assigned him to the
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...
. He was released on September 2.
He later played with the
Reynosa Broncos
The Reynosa Broncos (''los Broncos de Reynosa'') were a Mexican team that played in the Adolfo Lopez Mateos stadium in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas.
The Broncos de Reynosa played in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and it was part of the Zona Nor ...
of the
Mexican League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
in 2010 and 2011, collecting a .339 average in 101 games for them in his season debut. He entered 2012 with the
Olmecas de Tabasco
The Olmecas de Tabasco (English: Tabasco Olmecs) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Their home ballpark is the Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero.
The Olmecas won their only Mexican Leag ...
, before joining the independent
Winnipeg Goldeyes
The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of the Northern ...
of the
American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
during the midseason. He won the league championship, as the Goldeyes swept the
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Fargo, North Dakota, in the United States. The RedHawks are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major Leagu ...
in the first round, 3 games to 0, and did the same with the
Wichita Wingnuts
The Wichita Wingnuts were an independent baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas, in the United States. The Wingnuts were members of the South Division of the American Association of Professional Baseball.
An expansion franchise in the 2008 seas ...
in the championship finals 3 games to 0. DeCaster played with the Goldeyes for the 2013 season as well.
International career
DeCaster was on the preliminary roster for the
2009 Baseball World Cup
The 2009 Baseball World Cup (BWC) was the 38th international Men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, which titled it the Amateur World Series from the 1938 tournament through ...
.
DeCaster has played for the Netherlands national team in the
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...
during the
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
,
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, and
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
tournaments. And also he was named to the Dutch roster for the ,
2014 European Baseball Championship
The 2014 European Baseball Championship was an international baseball tournament held in the Czech Republic and Germany.
The defending champion Italy lost in the final to the Netherlands, who became champion for the 21st time.
Qualification
Th ...
,
2015 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 ( excluded) in odd-numbered years since , alternating with the Ha ...
,
2015 WBSC Premier12
The 2015 WBSC Premier12 was an international baseball championship sponsored by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the inaugural event of the WBSC Premier12. It was held from November 8 to 21 in Taiwan and Japan. The South Korean ...
,
2016 Haarlem Baseball Week
The 2016 Haarlem Baseball Week was an international baseball competition held at the Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, the Netherlands from 15–24 July 2016. It was the 28th edition of the tournament.
In the final the Netherlands won over Japan, ...
, , and the
2016 European Baseball Championship.
In the 2009 WBC edition, he lined a ball hard off of first-baseman
Willy Aybar (credited an error) to score the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning in his team's second game against the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
team, securing the Netherlands a second-round berth in Pool 2.
For the 2012/13 season of the
Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League
Liga de Beisbol Profesional Nacional (LBPN) is the professional baseball league of Nicaragua. The league consists of five teams with a 30 game regular season schedule that runs from November to December. Followed by a four team round robin, with ...
, he played with
Tigres del Chinandega The Tigres del Chinandega are a baseball team competing in the Nicaragua Professional Baseball League, Nicaragua's professional baseball league.
References
Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League
{{Baseball-team-stub ...
and won the
Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Trip ...
when he hit .417 and had 13 home runs and 56
RBI.
DeCaster returned to Winnipeg in 2013 and ended the year with the
Acereros de Monclova
The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. Their home ballpark is Estadio de Béisbol Monclova, which has a capacity of 11,000 people. The Acere ...
. He combined for a .315 average in 94 games for both teams, including 13 homers, 64 RBI, and 171
total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, while ...
for a .461
slugging average
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, a ...
.
He played for Team Netherlands in the
2019 European Baseball Championship
The 2019 European Baseball Championship was an international baseball tournament organized by the Confederation of European Baseball. The 2019 Championship was held September 7–15, 2019, in Bonn and Solingen, Germany.
The tournament contributed ...
, at the
Africa/Europe 2020 Olympic Qualification tournament in Italy in September 2019, and at the
2019 WBSC Premier12
The 2019 WBSC Premier12 was an international baseball championship featuring the 12 highest-ranked national teams in the world, held by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). It was the second WBSC Premier12 event. The championship ...
.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Decaster, Yurendell
1979 births
Living people
Acereros de Monclova players
Águilas del Zulia players
Curaçao expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Algodoneros de Guasave players
Altoona Curve players
Baseball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Bravos de Margarita players
Broncos de Reynosa players
Caribes de Oriente players
Charleston RiverDogs players
Columbus Clippers players
Curaçao expatriate baseball players in Canada
Curaçao expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Curaçao expatriate baseball players in the United States
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks players
Gulf Coast Devil Rays players
Harrisburg Senators players
Hickory Crawdads players
Indianapolis Indians players
Lynchburg Hillcats players
Major League Baseball players from Curaçao
Mayos de Navojoa players
Mexican League baseball first basemen
Mexican League baseball left fielders
Mexican League baseball right fielders
Mexican League baseball second basemen
Mexican League baseball third basemen
Olmecas de Tabasco players
Olympic baseball players of the Netherlands
Piratas de Campeche players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Princeton Devil Rays players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players
Winnipeg Goldeyes players
2006 World Baseball Classic players
2009 World Baseball Classic players
2013 World Baseball Classic players
2016 European Baseball Championship players
2017 World Baseball Classic players
2019 European Baseball Championship players
Curaçao expatriate baseball players in Nicaragua