Tijn Fredrikze has made his previously reported pact with the New York Yankees official, while KNBSB reports that Celwin Hurkmans has signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Like Fredrikze a year prior, Hurkmans will remain in the Netherlands this season and continue training for a year.
A surprise ace for Kinheim at only 18 this season, Fredrikze led the Honkbal Hoofdklasse in strikeouts per nine innings (12.27, 110 in 80.2 innings). The young left-hander finished with a 3.79 ERA and 1.56 WHIP, permitting a .259 average with only two home runs surrendered. He struck out a whopping 34.2 percent of batters, walking 13.1 percent. Fredrikze tied for third in games started (16) and was eighth in innings, impressive for a teenager in the tough Hoofdklasse. The lefty also earned a win against Austria in this past summer’s Under-23 European Baseball Championship, striking out seven in five shutout frames.
In 2024, Fredrikze made his debut at the top level of Dutch baseball with Curaçao Neptunus, for whom he pitched in 16 games, all in relief. Over 18.1 frames, he punched out 22 and walked 19, permitting a .268 average by his opponents.
“There were certainly other clubs that showed interest,” Fredrikze told KNBSB’s Emma Dijkstra [link]. “But what was truly decisive for me was the plan they had for me. They had been following me for a long time and really saw the progress I’ve made. They saw that I can still get better.”
“You often see clubs immediately approaching the player,” continued the New York signee. “But the Yankees first politely approached my parents. That felt very professional. It really gave me the feeling that they are investing in me, not only as a player but also as a person. [Additionally, former Yankee] Robert Eenhoorn is a great example for me. I attended his academy, so it feels like the circle has come full circle.”
Over the past few years, Fredrikze trained at the national development program at the Talent TeamNL Center in Amsterdam alongside Hurkmans. The latter lefty graduated from youth baseball in 2025, suiting up for DSS, with whom he won the Erste Klasse (First Division) title. What makes the leap—and his professional contract—more impressive is that Hurkmans only switched from playing first base to pitching before the 2024 season. The difference-maker was Hurkmans’ two years at the national training center, working with pitching coach Robin van Doornspeek.
This year with DSS, the team was 17-1-6 in the regular season, finishing second on run differential, then placed third in the ‘Continuation League’ for the top six teams. However, after a winning the pivotal game in a three-game playoff series with Neptunus Tridents, DSS won the Erste Klass championship with a two-game sweep of Sparks Haarlem. Overall, the team was 26-1-12. No statistics are available for the First Division.
The success of DSS and Hurkmans’ role at only 17 led to interest from scouts. “The first time a club showed interest in me, I realized that turning pro was truly possible,” recalled the southpaw in an interview with Dijkstra [link]. “Van Doornspeek also told me then that I could really make it if I kept making progress like this. [In the end,] two clubs were very interested, so I had a lot of conversations and had to process a lot with my parents.”
“They [the Blue Jays] were very interested in me, both personally and professionally,” explained Hurkmans. “[They] said that in 2027, instead of going directly to the Dominican Republic, I’ll go straight to Florida. So, I can play for the Kingdom U18 team next year and finish school.”
Hurkmans joins Kiegan Pieternella in the Blue Jays’ organisation. Only a year older than Hurkmans, Pieternella played in the Dominican Summer League last year, setting up a potential pairing of the two Dutch players in Dunedin in 2027. Looking elsewhere around the continent, Slovakian-born Adam Macko, who also played in Ireland and Canada, is in Triple-A for Toronto, with Italy’s Giacomo Taschin just beginning his professional career. Diegomar Markwell is the only former Kingdom of the Netherlands player to pitch in the bigs for Toronto, while Jiorgeny Casimiri and Sem Robberse have previously played on the Blue Jays’ farm.
At the major league level, Eenhoorn, Hensley Meulens, Sidney Ponson, and Didi Gregorius have all worn both the Yankee pinstripes and the orange and black Dutch jersey. Fredrikze will become the only active European in the New York Americans’ system.
Photos ©KNBSB. All quotes were translated from Dutch by Google Translate.