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Greg Halman

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Greg Halman
Halman with the Seattle Mariners in 2010
Outfielder
Born: (1987-08-26)August 26, 1987
Haarlem, Netherlands
Died: November 21, 2011(2011-11-21) (aged 24)
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 23, 2010, for the Seattle Mariners
Last MLB appearance
August 3, 2011, for the Seattle Mariners
MLB statistics
Batting average.207
Home runs2
Runs batted in9
Teams
Medals
Men's Baseball
Representing  Netherlands
European Baseball Championship
Gold medal – first place 2007 Spain National team

Gregory Anthony Halman (August 26, 1987 – November 21, 2011) was a Dutch professional baseball outfielder. He played with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2010 and 2011. He also played internationally with the Netherlands national team in the 2007 European Baseball Championship and 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC).[1][2] He died in Rotterdam in November 2011 after being stabbed at his brother's house. His brother, Jason Halman [nl], was arrested in connection with the stabbing but was acquitted on the grounds of temporary insanity.

Career

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Netherlands

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Halman debuted when he was 16 years old with the Dutch Honkbal Hoofdklasse team Kinheim in Haarlem in 2003. His first season in the Dutch league, he led the league with six triples.[3] The next year, Halman was one of the best players in the Hoofdklasse, batting .358 with a league-leading 4 home runs, 4 triples, and 41 runs batted in (RBI).[4] He won the league's MVP Award and was named the most promising young Dutch player.[5][6] He primarily played first base in 2004.[7]

Like his father, Eddy [nl], and his younger brother, Jason, Greg played professional baseball in the Netherlands and on the Netherlands national team. He played six games, starting three, for the Netherlands in the 2007 European Baseball Championship. He hit .357 with one stolen base.[8] He helped the Netherlands go undefeated and win the European title and qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2009 WBC.

In the 2009 WBC, Halman hit .091 with one double and nine strikeouts in 11 at bats in four games.[9] The Dutch team made a surprising run to the second round of the tournament but finished with two wins and four losses.

Minor League Baseball

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Halman signed with the Minnesota Twins on November 21, 2003, but his contract was voided on April 1, 2004.[10][5]

Halman was signed with the Seattle Mariners on June 26, 2004.[10] He participated in the 2004 Arizona Instructional League. In 2005, he made his American debut, playing 26 games with the rookie league Arizona League Mariners. He played all three outfield positions. He recorded a season-high three RBI on July 9 against the Arizona League Royals. He went 4 for 5 with a run and first career home run on July 10 against the Arizona League Giants. Halman hit .438 against lefties, compared to .219 against right-handed pitchers. He again participated in the Arizona Instructional League in 2005.[11]

In 2006, he hit .259 with 5 home runs and 15 RBI in 28 games for the Low-A Everett AquaSox. He was third on the team with 10 stolen bases. He recorded a 12-game hitting streak, batting .309 from June 21 to July 4. He had eight multi-hit games, including a season-high three hits on July 19. However, he suffered a season-ending injury, fracturing his right hand and being placed on the disabled list on July 22.

In 2007, Halman increased his power production, hitting 20 home runs combined for Everett and the Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He was named to the Short-Season A and Northwest League All-Star teams and was also named the Short-Season A Player of the Year.[12] He was promoted to High-A High Desert to start the 2008 season. After batting .269 with 19 home runs and 53 RBI in 67 games, he was promoted to the Double-A West Tenn Diamond Jaxx,[13] where he hit another 10 home runs. He ended the season with 29 total home runs and 31 stolen bases, which led him to be named the Mariners' Minor League Player of the Year.[14] He returned to Double-A in 2009, but his performance dipped. He hit .210 with 25 home runs and a team-high 183 strikeouts in 121 games. He was named to the Southern League All-Star team.[12]

Halman was promoted to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers at the start of the 2010 season. He hit .243 and led the team with 33 home runs, 80 RBI, 15 stolen bases, and 169 strikeouts.[15] With Halman, the Rainiers won the 2010 Pacific Coast League championship.[16]

Major League Baseball

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Halman with the Mariners in 2011

On September 22, 2010, Halman and three other players were called up to the Seattle Mariners after Tacoma's title run.[17] He played in his first MLB game on September 23, starting in center field against the Toronto Blue Jays. After making outs in his first nine at bats, he notched his first hit, a double off C.J. Wilson of the Texas Rangers, on September 27. He played in nine of the Mariners' final 11 games, batting .138 with 11 strikeouts and one walk in 30 plate appearances.[18]

Halman started the 2011 season back in Tacoma. On June 3, Halman rejoined the Mariners, replacing struggling outfielder Michael Saunders, who was sent down to Tacoma.[19] He had three hits in his first two games with the Mariners. Halman hit his first MLB home run on June 15 in a 3–1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.[20][21] His last major league hit was his second career home run, off Brett Cecil of the Toronto Blue Jays on July 19.[22] He made his final appearance with the Mariners on August 3 against the Oakland Athletics, striking out a career-high three times. The next day, the team optioned him back to Tacoma, after he had gone hitless in 19 consecutive plate appearances. His second MLB season ended with a .230 batting average and strikeouts in one third of his plate appearances.[23] He hit better in Tacoma, batting .299 with a .358 on-base percentage, both career highs in American baseball, with 3 home runs in 40 games. In his final Minor League Baseball game, Halman had three singles and scored two runs against the Fresno Grizzlies on September 5.[24]

Personal life

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Halman spoke Dutch, English, Spanish, and Papiamento. He grew up speaking Dutch and English and learned Spanish in 2005, his first year in the United States.[25] He graduated from high school at Mendel College [nl] in Haarlem in June 2004.[11]

Halman's family had many athletes. In addition to his brother and father playing baseball for the Netherlands, his sister, Naomi Halman, played on the Dutch national basketball team and in European leagues. His other sister, Eva Halman, played several seasons in the top Dutch softball league.[26][27]

Death

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On November 21, 2011, Halman died of blood loss in Rotterdam from a laceration to his carotid artery.[28] He was 24 years old. His brother, Jason Halman, was arrested for Greg's death. Reportedly, Greg approached Jason about loud music, which resulted in an argument and then a stabbing.[29]

Greg, wearing his Mariners uniform, was buried in Westerveld Cemetary [nl] in Dreihuis on November 29.[30] Thousands of people, including several former Mariners teammates, attended his funeral and burial.[31][32] His burial plot, a small grove near the North Sea, was chosen because it reminded his family of a baseball diamond.[28] He was the first former MLB player known to have died in the Netherlands.[33]

On August 16, 2012, Dutch authorities released Jason Halman from custody, after prosecutors agreed with his attorneys that Jason had been suffering from a psychosis at the time of the stabbing, which had been induced in part by his marijuana use.[34] Jason agreed to supervision by a probation officer and to undergo mental health treatment.[35] On August 30, 2012, a Dutch court formally acquitted Jason due to temporary insanity.[36] The court allowed Jason to go free, stating that his psychiatric and psychological assessments had found that there was only a small chance of reoccurrence.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (January 21, 2009). "Classic set to showcase future stars". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  2. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (February 27, 2009). "Halman ready for Classic challenge". MLB.com. Retrieved February 28, 2009.
  3. ^ "Official Final Statistics Leaders 2003 Championship Pool". Grand Slam Stats & News. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  4. ^ "Baseball Leaders 2004". Grand Slam Stats & News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Honkballer Gregory Halman doodgestoken" [Baseball player Gregory Halman stabbed to death]. nos.nl (in Dutch). November 21, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  6. ^ "Onderscheidingen". KNBSB (in Dutch). Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "Gregory Halman gekozen tot MVP | de Nederlandse honkbalsite" [Gregory Halman named MVP]. de Nederlandse honkbalsite (in Dutch). Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  8. ^ "Eurobaseball '07 Final Report" (PDF). Baseball Europe. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  9. ^ "The Official Site of Major League Baseball". MLB.com. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Greg Halman". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Greg Halman Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Greg Halman - Awards - The Baseball Cube". TheBaseballCube.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  13. ^ Jason Churchill (January 5, 2009). "M's sow seeds of promise". seattlepi.com. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  14. ^ "Mariners name Greg Halman Minor League Player of the Year". MLB.com. November 14, 2008. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  15. ^ "2010 Tacoma Rainiers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  16. ^ "2010 Pacific Coast League". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  17. ^ "Mariners add four to Major League roster". Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  18. ^ "Greg Halman 2010 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  19. ^ Baker, Geoff (June 2, 2011). "Michael Saunders to Class AAA, Greg Halman called up to big club". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  20. ^ Halman's first career home run. Major League Baseball. June 16, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2024 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs Seattle Mariners Box Score: June 15, 2011". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  22. ^ "Seattle Mariners vs Toronto Blue Jays Box Score: July 19, 2011". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  23. ^ "Greg Halman 2011 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  24. ^ "Greg Halman - 2011 Batting Game Logs". FanGraphs Baseball. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  25. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (January 21, 2009). "Prospect Halman on the fast track". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  26. ^ "Softball 2010 - DSS (Grand Slam - Stats & News)". catcher.home.xs4all.nl. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  27. ^ "Softball 2015 - Rosters Golden League (Grand Slam - Stats & News)". catcher.home.xs4all.nl. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  28. ^ a b Thompson, Wright (August 20, 2012). "17 days in November". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  29. ^ "Mariners OF Greg Halman stabbed to death; brother arrested". MSNBC. November 21, 2011. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  30. ^ Johns, Greg (November 29, 2011). "Family, friends say goodbye to Halman". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011.
  31. ^ Baker, Geoff (November 29, 2011). "Thousands see Greg Halman laid to rest as his family now copes with second part of tragedy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  32. ^ "Baseball-world unites at Halman's farewell and funeral - Grand Slam * Stats & News Netherlands". Grand Slam Stats and News. November 29, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  33. ^ "Players by place of death: Netherlands Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  34. ^ Petchesky, Barry (August 16, 2012). "Deadspin | Brother Of Former Mariner Greg Halman Will Not Face Jail Time For Greg's Murder Because Of Marijuana-Induced Psychosis". deadspin.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  35. ^ van Nes, Pim (August 17, 2012). "Jason Halman has been released from Detention in Rotterdam". mister-baseball.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  36. ^ a b "Brother acquitted in death of Mariners' Halman". ESPN.com. August 30, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
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