Jeffrey Arends

Jeffrey Arends

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 220 lb.

• Born September 10, 1986 in Rotterdam Netherlands

Jeffrey Arends debuted in the Hoofdklasse at age 16 with the 2003 Neptunus club, filling in for an injured Percy Isenia on a regular basis at first base. He represented the Netherlands in the 2004 World Junior Championship, going 2 for 14 with two walks.

In 2005, Arends was the starting first baseman for Sparta/Feyenoord. He hit .264/.318/.264 with only 9 runs in 38 games. His .994 fielding percentage led the league's first basemen. In 2006, Jeffrey returned to Neptunus and batted .291/.355/.362; he hit .396 with runners in scoring position, second in the league after Tjerk Smeets. He tied Bryan Engelhardt and Mark Duursma for 10th in RBI (26) and tied for 10th in doubles (9). That year, he attended the MLB European Academy.

For Neptunus in the 2007 Hoofdklasse, the 20-year-old batsmen produced at a .309/.385/.434 rate. He tied Raily Legito for 10th with 27 RBI, tied Smeets and Vince Rooi for 4th with 13 doubles and tied Petr Baroch for 10th with 47 hits. In 2008, the right-handed hitter batted .267/.363/.378. His .990 fielding percentage was the best at first base. He hit .333/.455/.444 with five runs and six RBI in five games in the 2008 European Cup's Regensburg phase.

After a strong start in '09, Arends joined the Netherlands for the 2009 World Port Tournament but going just 2 for 19 with a double and two walks. He struck out 7 times. His double came in the finale and was Cuba's only hit in four innings against Maikel Folch.

Sources

• Honkbalsite
• Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation
• Defunct IBAF site