Robert Franciscus Eenhoorn (born February 9, 1968) is a retired Dutch professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

. He played four seasons of

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), ...

as a

utility infielder In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various s ...

for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

and California/Anaheim Angels. On September 27, 1997, Eenhoorn became the first Dutch-born player to hit a

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 ...

in the Major Leagues since

Jack Lelivelt John Frank Lelivelt (November 14, 1885 – January 20, 1941) was an American outfielder who played for the Washington Senators, New York Highlanders / Yankees and Cleveland Naps. While playing for the Rochester Hustlers, he set the Internation ...

in 1912. The feat was later repeated by Greg Halman and

Didi Gregorius Mariekson Julius "Didi" Gregorius (born February 18, 1990) is a Dutch professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Philadel ...

. (All other Dutch MLB players to have hit home runs were born elsewhere, mainly in the country's Caribbean territories, most notably the Curaçao natives

Andruw Jones Andruw Rudolf Jones (; born April 23, 1977) is a Curaçaoan former baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Atlanta Braves. Jones also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers ...

and

Hensley Meulens Hensley Filemon Acasio Meulens (; born June 23, 1967), nicknamed "Bam Bam", is a Curaçaoan professional baseball coach and retired player. He is the hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). A native of Curaçao ...

.) Eenhoorn played for the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

of the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

organization in 1998. From 2009 to 2014 Eenhoorn served as the technical director for the

Netherlands national baseball team 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 WBSC Europe, and the team is also ...

. Since 2014, Eenhoorn has been the general director of the Dutch football club

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and host ...

. In March 2015, he hired another former Major Leaguer, Billy Beane, as an advisor.

Early life

Eenhoorn was born in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

, Netherlands. His father played baseball during World War II as an act of Dutch rebellion against the German occupation. Eenhoorn played

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and baseball growing up and credited his football play with helping his footwork on the baseball diamond.

Dutch baseball career

Eenhoorn played for

Neptunus Neptunus is a baseball and softball club in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Following its 2014 championship season, the club signed a sponsorship contract for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons with Curaçao and competes under the name Curaçao Neptun ...

and Haarlem Nicols in the Dutch

Honkbal Hoofdklasse The Honkbal Hoofdklasse ( Dutch for ''Major League Baseball'') is the highest level of professional baseball in the Netherlands. It is an eight-team league that plays a 42-game schedule and is overseen by the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softba ...

, the highest level of professional baseball in the Netherlands, from 1984 through 1990. He won the Ron Fraser Award as the top Dutch prospect in 1984. He was on the Netherlands’ Gold Medal team in the

1987 European Baseball Championship The 1987 European Baseball Championship was held in Spain and was won by the Netherlands. Italy finished as runner-up. Standings References *(NL)''European Championship Archive at honkbalsite European Baseball Championship European Baseball Ch ...

. He also played for his homeland in the

1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

and in the 1988 Baseball World Cup, hitting .256 with a .283 on-base percentage, .395 slugging percentage, .887– fielding percentage, and committing 8 errors in 11 games at

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

American baseball career

Eenhoorn was named the third-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n shortstop by '' Baseball America'' in 1990 while attending Davidson College in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. The

drafted Eenhoorn in the second round (45th overall) of the

1990 Major League Baseball draft The 1990 Major League Baseball ( MLB) Draft was held in June 1990. The draft placed amateur baseball players onto major league teams. 1,487 players were distributed to 26 teams. The draft consisted of first round selections, supplemental first ...

, with a compensation pick obtained for the loss of free agent

Walt Terrell Charles Walter Terrell (born May 11, 1958) is a retired Major League Baseball player. A starting pitcher, Terrell pitched from 1982 to 1992 for the New York Mets (1982–1984), Detroit Tigers (1985–1988), San Diego Padres (1989), New York Yank ...

to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Eenhoorn began his professional career with the pennant-winning Class-A

Oneonta Yankees Oneonta may refer to several places: Communities *Oneonta, New York, A small city and inspiration for some of the other "Oneontas" *Oneonta (town), New York, a town that surrounds the City of Oneonta *Oneonta, Alabama, Blount County * Oneonta, Ke ...

in the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

and hit .268/.324/.355. He stole 11 bases in 15 tries. He was voted to the League All-Star team as a utility infielder and was labeled a "defensive genius" by ''Baseball America''. He led the league's shortstops in fielding percentage (.960). According to ''Baseball America'', he was the top prospect in the league. In 1991, Eenhoorn hit .350/.395/.575 for the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

and .241/.320/.343 for the Class-A Advanced Prince William Cannons. The next season, he batted .305/.370/.409 with the Class-A Advanced

Fort Lauderdale Yankees The Fort Lauderdale Yankees, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were an American Minor League Baseball franchise that existed from 1962 through 1992. The team was a member of the Florida State League (FSL) as an affiliate of the New York Yankees ...

and .235/.271/.327 for the Double-A

Albany-Colonie Yankees The Albany-Colonie Yankees were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Double-A Eastern League from 1983 to 1994. They were located in Colonie, New York, and played their home games at Heritage Park. The team was known as the Albany A ...

after entering the season as the #6 prospect in the Yankees system according to ''Baseball America''. He was downgraded to #7 after the year, behind Derek Jeter and ahead of

Dave Silvestri David Joseph Silvestri (born September 29, 1967) is a former infielder in Major League Baseball from 1992 to 1999. He also played for the United States baseball team at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Playing career Silvestri attended the University o ...

among Yankees shortstops. Eenhoorn batted .280/.324/.433 in 1993 with Albany-Colonie. He was the All-Star shortstop in the Eastern League. He was removed from the top Yankee prospect list after that year. Eenhoorn batted .239/.270/.324 for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers in 1994. He went 2 for 4 in his first three MLB games with the 1994 New York Yankees. On May 28, 1995, Eenhoorn was the last player to start at shortstop for the New York Yankees before Derek Jeter's debut. Due to Jeter's promotion to Columbus, the Yankees shifted Eenhoorn to second base. He batted .252/.300/.352 that year, and batted 2 for 14 in the majors. In 1996, he hit .337/.406/.448 for the International League champion Clippers, but batted only 1 for 14 in the major leagues. The Yankees placed Eenhoorn on waivers in September 1996, and he was claimed by the

Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

. In 1997, he hit .308/.350/.473 for the Triple-A

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadiu ...

. He was 7 for 20 with the 1997 Anaheim Angels, with his only MLB

Managing career

Back in

, Eenhoorn became

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the s ...

of the Hoofdklasse team of

, during the seasons 1999–2001. All three seasons, Neptunus was most successful on a national level, since it both won in the Hoofdklasse (Dutch Major League) and the

Holland Series The Holland Series has been the annual championship series of the highest level of professional baseball in the Netherlands since 1987, concluding the postseason of Honkbal Hoofdklasse. It is played between the two winners of the playoffs. The Ho ...

.Robert Eenhoorn
Sport1. Retrieved on 2007-11-17. He was named Hoofdklasse Most Valuable Player as well as Coach of the Year in 2000, the first person to take both honors in the same year.Best Players 2000 honored: Eenhoorn, Gouverneur, Anasagasti MVP; Eenhoorn, Berk Best Coach
/ref> The team also had international success when it won the

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 H ...

in 1999 and the European Cup in 2000 and 2001. In the 1999 World Port Tournament, Eenhoorn was named co-MVP with Ken Brauckmiller. Eenhoorn also played for the Netherlands national baseball team at the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

. He was not productive in those Olympics, going 3 for 26 with one walk, no runs and no RBI. He was caught stealing in both of his attempts. Eenhoorn managed the Netherlands national baseball team between 2001 and 2008, winning four consecutive

European Baseball Championship The European Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Europe, governed by the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB). History Italy won the inaugural European Baseball Championship in , and ...

s and qualifying for the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. When he retired to take up the position of technical director for the Dutch baseball union KNBSB, similar to the position of

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

, succeeded by

Rod Delmonico Rodney James Delmonico (born May 14, 1958) is an American baseball coach. He served as head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers of the University of Tennessee from 1990 through 2007, and for the Netherlands national baseball team in the 2009 World ...

as Dutch coach. Eenhoorn left the national team in sixth place of the

IBAF The International Baseball Federation (IBAF; Spanish: ''Federación Internacional de Béisbol'', French: ''Fédération internationale de baseball'') is the former worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee as over ...

World Rankings. Eenhoorn then set up the first baseball academy in Europe, the Unicorns academy (Eenhoorn is Dutch for unicorn). The baseball academy model has been duplicated in other European countries and has led to a significant increase in the number of European players signing with MLB clubs.

Personal life

Eenhoorn's son Ryan died at age 6 of a

Wilms tumor Wilms' tumor or Wilms tumor, also known as nephroblastoma, is a cancer of the kidneys that typically occurs in children, rarely in adults.; and occurs most commonly as a renal tumor in child patients. It is named after Max Wilms, the German ...

in 2003; Eenhoorn and his wife Maureen have one surviving son, Ralph. On November 11, 2011, Eenhoorn was knighted on the order of Queen

Beatrix Beatrix is a Latin feminine given name, most likely derived from ''Viatrix'', a feminine form of the Late Latin name ''Viator'' which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word ''beatus'' or "bles ...

, after he led the Dutch team to the

2011 Baseball World Cup The 2011 Baseball World Cup (BWC) was the 39th 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 the ...

title in his role as technical director. It was the first global baseball tournament won by the Netherlands. Also knighted were manager Brian Farley and catcher

Sidney de Jong Sidney de Jong (born 14 April 1979) is a Dutch former 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 Cla ...

.Baseball America column by John Manuel
/ref>

References

External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Eenhoorn, Robert 1968 births Albany-Colonie Yankees players Anaheim Angels players Baseball player-managers Baseball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Baseball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics California Angels players Columbus Clippers players Davidson Wildcats baseball players Dutch expatriate baseball players in the United States Dutch expatriate baseball players in Canada Directors of football clubs in the Netherlands Fort Lauderdale Yankees players Gulf Coast Yankees players Living people Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from the Netherlands New York Yankees players Norfolk Tides players Olympic baseball players of the Netherlands Olympic baseball managers Oneonta Yankees players Prince William Cannons players Sportspeople from Rotterdam Vancouver Canadians players