AMSTERDAM – Europe’s highest-ranked baseball country, world No. 8 Netherlands, today unveiled its roster for November’s major international baseball competition, the 2019 WBSC Premier12.

Team Kingdom of the Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens presented the 28 players on his roster, highlighted by former Major League Baseball (MLB) players Jair Jurrjens, Shairon Martis and Roger Bernadina.

Meulens’ roster will carry a 13-man pitching staff led by the winning pitcher of the Final of the 2011 Baseball World Cup, veteran Rob Cordemans. Among the 15 position players are top level prospects in Minor League Baseball (MiLB), such as Juremi Profar (Double-A, Texas Rangers), Ray-Patrick Didder (Triple-A, Atlanta Braves) and Chadwick Tromp (Triple A, Cincinnati Reds).

Op 2 november begint voor #TeamKingdomNL de #Premier12 met de wedstrijd tegen Team USA. Vandaag presenteert bondscoach Hensley Meulens zijn 28-koppige selectie op de Honkbalsite: https://t.co/MRNPp2AYV6 pic.twitter.com/myFCMa1aWi — HonkbalSoftbalNL (@HonkbalSoftbal) October 14, 2019

Along with 15 players who play professionally in either affiliated leagues or independent leagues, the roster for the Orange consists of 11 players from the top baseball league in the Netherlands, the “Hoofdklasse” league, 1 player from the German Baseball Bundesliga and 1 player from the Curaçaoan Liga Aqualectra.

Meulens will be supported in his staff by five-time MLB All-Star Andruw Jones, who played in the inaugural 2015 Premier12, and Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven.

“Meulens and his team will strive to do better than eight-place finish in 2015 and will fight hard to reach the Super Round,” said the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB).

Drawn into Group A, the Netherlands opens the opening round against world No. 2 USA at Charros Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, on 2 November.

Roster – The National Baseball Team of Netherlands