Tjerk Smeets
Encyclopedia
Tjerk Smeets is a Dutch
baseball
player who currently plays for Kinheim
and the Dutch national team
. He is the son of Dutch radio and television personality, writer, and columnist Mart Smeets
.
Smeets played his college baseball in the United States
. In 1999, he homered in his only at-bat and drew two walks. In 2000, he was one for two with a RBI. In 2001, he hit .159/.256/.304 in 30 games. He did homer in a game in which Middle Tennessee State set a school record with 8 circuit clouts. Smeets played for the Dutch team in the 2003 World Port Tournament, going 1 for 2 with a 2-run homer. As it was one of just two home runs in the event, Smeets won the World Port Tournament Home Run King award. In 2005, he hit .326/.433/.439 for the Amsterdam Pirates
to finish 6th in the Hoofdklasse
in average, 7th in OBP and 8th in slugging. He was 8th in walks (23) and tied for third with 3 homers, trailing Ivanon Coffie
and Dirk van 't Klooster
. He played for the Netherlands in the 2005 European Championship.
Smeets moved to Corendon Kinheim
in 2006 and batted .349/.446/.454 with 36 RBI in 41 games and fielded .996 at catcher. He was 7th in average, 6th in slugging, third in OBP (behind Eugene Kingsale
and Sidney de Jong
), tied Reily Legito
for the RBI lead, was third with 13 doubles (behind Yuji Nerei and Fausto Álvarez), tied Kingsale, Roel Koolen
and Evert-Jan 't Hoen
for 5th with 27 walks and tied Nerei for 5th with 53 hits. He hit .482 with runners in scoring position. Smeets won the Hoofdklasse MVP award, the 4th catcher so honored. He was 2 for 12 in the playoffs but 9 for 21 with 3 walks and five runs in five games in the Holland Series
as Kinheim won the title.
Smeets was 0 for 2 in the 2006 Haarlem Baseball Week
. In the 2006 Intercontinental Cup, he was 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs for the silver medalists, backing up de Jong at catcher. In the 2007 Hoofdklasse campaign, Smeets hit .294/.379/.531 with 36 runs and 43 RBI in 36 games and threw out 14 of 30 attempted base-stealers. He hit .300 with a .391 OBP in the playoffs then batted .333/.333/.400 in the 2007 Holland Series
. He scored their first run in their successful championship defense and had three hits in game one; in game two, he was thrown out trying to score in a key play but Kinheim rallied to win. Smeets was 4th in slugging percentage in 2007, second to Alvarez in home runs (with 7), tied with Benjamin Dille for fifth in runs (36), first in RBI (six ahead of Martijn Meeuwis
) and tied for 4th in doubles (13).
Smeets batted .263/.391/.316 for Kinheim in the 2007 European Cup, their first European Cup title ever. In the 2007 European Championship, Smeets was 1 for 5 with two walks and a time hit by pitch. Backing up de Jong, he only played against Sweden
and Croatia
. Smeets was 2 for 8 in the 2007 World Port Tournament
but struck out four times. In the 2007 Baseball World Cup
, Smeets was 3 for 6 with a homer. De Jong remained the starter in important games as Smeets only saw action at catcher against Germany
. Smeets batted .421/.476/.526 to help Kinheim win the 2008 European Cup in Grosseto
. His 7 RBI tied for the lead. He had the big hit of the competition; down 2-1 in the bottom of the 10th of the Gold medal games, Smeets doubled in René Cremer and Dirk van 't Klooster
with a shot off of Linc Mikkelsen; Smeets had fouled off five pitches in a row before the double.
Smeets was selected by coach Robert Eenhoorn
in the team that represents the Netherlands at the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
.
, who accepted.
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 for Kinheim
Kinheim
Kinheim is a baseball and softball team based in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently Corendon so that the official name of the team is Corendon Kinheim. They are current Dutch champions....
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 is the son of Dutch radio and television personality, writer, and columnist Mart Smeets
Mart Smeets
Martinus Jan Smeets is a Dutch radio and television personality, writer, and columnist.-Television:Mart Smeets is a long-time sports presenter and commentator with the Dutch public broadcaster NOS...
.
Smeets played his college baseball in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1999, he homered in his only at-bat and drew two walks. In 2000, he was one for two with a RBI. In 2001, he hit .159/.256/.304 in 30 games. He did homer in a game in which Middle Tennessee State set a school record with 8 circuit clouts. Smeets played for the Dutch team in the 2003 World Port Tournament, going 1 for 2 with a 2-run homer. As it was one of just two home runs in the event, Smeets won the World Port Tournament Home Run King award. In 2005, he hit .326/.433/.439 for the Amsterdam Pirates
Amsterdam Pirates
Amsterdam Pirates is a baseball and softball team in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was founded as an expansion of the soccer club S.V. RAP. In the first years it was known as the RAP Pirates, but after a few years the club changed its name according to American tradition and became the Amsterdam...
to finish 6th in the Hoofdklasse
Hoofdklasse
The Hoofdklasse is the 2nd highest league of amateur football in the Netherlands, and the fourth tier in general.-Background:The league is divided into two sections: Saturday and Sunday. This is a result of the traditional pillarisation , the segregation of Dutch society. The Saturday-clubs are by...
in average, 7th in OBP and 8th in slugging. He was 8th in walks (23) and tied for third with 3 homers, trailing Ivanon Coffie
Ivanon Coffie
Ivanon Angelino Coffie is a Dutch baseball player.He made his major league debut in 2000 with the Baltimore Orioles...
and Dirk van 't Klooster
Dirk van 't Klooster
Dirk Gijsbertus van 't Klooster is a Dutch baseball player.Van 't Klooster represented the Netherlands at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney where he and his team became fifth. Four years later at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens they were sixth.-External links:*...
. He played for the Netherlands in the 2005 European Championship.
Smeets moved to Corendon Kinheim
Kinheim
Kinheim is a baseball and softball team based in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently Corendon so that the official name of the team is Corendon Kinheim. They are current Dutch champions....
in 2006 and batted .349/.446/.454 with 36 RBI in 41 games and fielded .996 at catcher. He was 7th in average, 6th in slugging, third in OBP (behind Eugene Kingsale
Eugene Kingsale
Eugene Humphrey "Gene" Kingsale is a former Major League Baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Detroit Tigers from until...
and Sidney de Jong
Sidney de Jong
Sidney de Jong is a Dutch 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 Classic in San Juan, Puerto Rico and in Miami, Florida.-External links:*...
), tied Reily Legito
Reily Legito
Raylinos Joaquin 'Reily' Legito is a Dutch baseball player.Legito, a right-handed infielder, represented the Netherlands at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney where he and his team became fifth. Four years later at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens they were sixth.-External links:*...
for the RBI lead, was third with 13 doubles (behind Yuji Nerei and Fausto Álvarez), tied Kingsale, Roel Koolen
Roel Koolen
Roel Koolen is a Dutch baseball player who currently plays for Kinheim and the Dutch national team.Koolen made his Hoofdklasse debut at the Twins Sporting Club in 1998. He played for the Dutch junior team in the 1999 World Junior Championship and 2000 World Junior Championship...
and Evert-Jan 't Hoen
Evert-Jan 't Hoen
Evert-Jan Axel Charles 't Hoen is a Dutch baseball player.'t Hoen represented the Netherlands at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, in which the Dutch finished sixth...
for 5th with 27 walks and tied Nerei for 5th with 53 hits. He hit .482 with runners in scoring position. Smeets won the Hoofdklasse MVP award, the 4th catcher so honored. He was 2 for 12 in the playoffs but 9 for 21 with 3 walks and five runs in five games in the Holland Series
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...
as Kinheim won the title.
Smeets was 0 for 2 in the 2006 Haarlem Baseball Week
Haarlem Baseball Week
The Haarlemse Honkbalweek is an international invitation baseball tournament at the Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, Netherlands...
. In the 2006 Intercontinental Cup, he was 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs for the silver medalists, backing up de Jong at catcher. In the 2007 Hoofdklasse campaign, Smeets hit .294/.379/.531 with 36 runs and 43 RBI in 36 games and threw out 14 of 30 attempted base-stealers. He hit .300 with a .391 OBP in the playoffs then batted .333/.333/.400 in the 2007 Holland Series
2007 Holland Series
The 2007 Holland Series involved the Corendon Kinheim, defeating the Konica Minolta Pioniers in 3 straight games....
. He scored their first run in their successful championship defense and had three hits in game one; in game two, he was thrown out trying to score in a key play but Kinheim rallied to win. Smeets was 4th in slugging percentage in 2007, second to Alvarez in home runs (with 7), tied with Benjamin Dille for fifth in runs (36), first in RBI (six ahead of Martijn Meeuwis
Martijn Meeuwis
Martijn Meeuwis is a Dutch baseball player who currently plays for Neptunus and the Dutch national team.Meeuwis debuted with the Twins Sport Club in 1999 as a teenager but did not return to the Hoofdklasse again until 2004, when he became a full-time player. When the Twins were relegated, Meeuwis...
) and tied for 4th in doubles (13).
Smeets batted .263/.391/.316 for Kinheim in the 2007 European Cup, their first European Cup title ever. In the 2007 European Championship, Smeets was 1 for 5 with two walks and a time hit by pitch. Backing up de Jong, he only played against Sweden
Sweden national baseball team
The Sweden national baseball team is the national baseball team of Sweden. The team competes in the bi-annual European Baseball Championship.- Placings :Baseball World Cup* 1994: 15th* 2005: 16th* 2009 : 19thEuropean Baseball Championship...
and Croatia
Croatia national baseball team
The Croatia national baseball team is the national baseball team of Croatia. They are currently the 10th best team in Europe and the 40th ranked men's baseball team in the IBAF World Rankings...
. Smeets was 2 for 8 in the 2007 World Port Tournament
2007 World Port Tournament
The 2007 World Port Tournament was an international baseball competition held at the DOOR Neptunus Familiestadion in Rotterdam, The Netherlands from August 2–12, 2007...
but struck out four times. In the 2007 Baseball World Cup
2007 Baseball World Cup
The XXXVII International Baseball Federation Baseball World Cup was held in the Republic of China from November 6 through November 18, 2007. Four stadiums hosted...
, Smeets was 3 for 6 with a homer. De Jong remained the starter in important games as Smeets only saw action at catcher against Germany
Germany national baseball team
The Germany national baseball team is the national baseball team for Germany. They are a contender for the European Baseball Championship and have competed in the Baseball World Cup.-Placings:Baseball World Cup* 1972 : 16th* 1973 : 11th* 2007 : 14th...
. Smeets batted .421/.476/.526 to help Kinheim win the 2008 European Cup in Grosseto
Grosseto
Grosseto is a city and comune in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies 14 km from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain, on the Ombrone river....
. His 7 RBI tied for the lead. He had the big hit of the competition; down 2-1 in the bottom of the 10th of the Gold medal games, Smeets doubled in René Cremer and Dirk van 't Klooster
Dirk van 't Klooster
Dirk Gijsbertus van 't Klooster is a Dutch baseball player.Van 't Klooster represented the Netherlands at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney where he and his team became fifth. Four years later at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens they were sixth.-External links:*...
with a shot off of Linc Mikkelsen; Smeets had fouled off five pitches in a row before the double.
Smeets was selected by coach Robert Eenhoorn
Robert Eenhoorn
Robert Franciscus Eenhoorn is a retired Dutch professional baseball player and manager. He played four seasons of Major League Baseball as a utility infielder for the New York Yankees and California/Anaheim Angels.-Major League career:Robert Eenhoorn played four seasons in Major League Baseball as...
in the team that represents the Netherlands at 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...
.
Personal
During the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing he proposed to his girlfriend, Dutch field hockey gold medalist, Minke SmabersMinke Smabers
Minke Smeets is a field hockey midfielder from the Netherlands. Her current team is Laren.She was part of the team that won the 2007 Champions Trophy...
, who accepted.