Juan Carlos Sulbaran
Encyclopedia
Juan Carlos Sulbaran (born November 9, 1989 in Willemstad
, Curaçao
) is a Dutch
baseball
player who currently plays in the Cincinnati Reds
organization and the Dutch national team
. He throws a changeup, curveball and fastball (which peaks at around 90 mph).
Sulbaran was voted the best pitcher in the 2004 Latin American Youth Baseball Tournament while playing for the Netherlands Antilles
. He came to the United States
in 2006 to play high school baseball. He missed most of 2007 because of an injury, though he struck out 24 in 12 innings. In 2008, he went 11-0 with a 1.40 ERA, striking out 88 in 67 innings and allowing 31 hits to help his team to a state championship. The Cincinnati Reds
chose Sulbaran in the 30th round of the 2008 amateur draft (he was drafted late due to his commitment to the University of Florida
) and was signed to a deal with the Reds on August 14, 2008, with a $500,000 signing bonus which was a record for the 30th round. The deal was exclusively negotiated between the Reds and Sulbarans advisors Joshua and Howard Kusnick of Double Diamond Sports Management.
Sulbaran joined the Netherlands Antilles national baseball team for the 2008 Haarlem Baseball Week
and got a no-decision against the Cuban national team
. He allowed one hit and one run in 7 innings and struck out 6 but walked 7. The only run was a steal of home by Giorvis Duvergel
. The performance earned him a spot on the Dutch squad for the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
. He was the only player on the team who had never appeared for the "Orange" before.
Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles
Willemstad is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Formerly the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution in 2010, it has an estimated population of 140,000. The historic centre of...
, Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
) is a Dutch
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 in the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
organization 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....
. He throws a changeup, curveball and fastball (which peaks at around 90 mph).
Sulbaran was voted the best pitcher in the 2004 Latin American Youth Baseball Tournament while playing for the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
. He came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2006 to play high school baseball. He missed most of 2007 because of an injury, though he struck out 24 in 12 innings. In 2008, he went 11-0 with a 1.40 ERA, striking out 88 in 67 innings and allowing 31 hits to help his team to a state championship. The Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
chose Sulbaran in the 30th round of the 2008 amateur draft (he was drafted late due to his commitment to the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
) and was signed to a deal with the Reds on August 14, 2008, with a $500,000 signing bonus which was a record for the 30th round. The deal was exclusively negotiated between the Reds and Sulbarans advisors Joshua and Howard Kusnick of Double Diamond Sports Management.
Sulbaran joined the Netherlands Antilles national baseball team for the 2008 Haarlem Baseball Week
Haarlem Baseball Week
The Haarlemse Honkbalweek is an international invitation baseball tournament at the Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, Netherlands...
and got a no-decision against the Cuban national team
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...
. He allowed one hit and one run in 7 innings and struck out 6 but walked 7. The only run was a steal of home by Giorvis Duvergel
Giorvis Duvergel
Giorvis Duvergel, born September 8, 1979, is an olympic baseball player for Cuba. He was part of the Cuban team which won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.-References:...
. The performance earned him a spot on the Dutch squad 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...
. He was the only player on the team who had never appeared for the "Orange" before.