Haarlem to Harlem: Dutch teenage pitcher signs for the Yankees
Dutch teenager Tijn Fredrikze has become the first European baseball player for 12 years to sign a contract with the world-famous New York Yankees.
The 18-year-old was plucked from Kinheim, a club based in the Noord-Holland town of Haarlem, by the 27-time World Series champions at the end of last year.
The left-handed pitcher caught the scouts’ eye after throwing 110 strikeouts, the best figures in the Dutch Hoofdklasse, last season.
Fredrikze said it had been his dream since the age of nine to become a professional baseball player. “The fact that I can turn my hobby into my work is very special,” he told NOS sports show Langs de Lijn en Omstreken.
“It’s the most famous club in the world. Even people who know nothing about baseball know the Yankees.”
The Dutch left-handed pitcher Tijn Fredrikze 🇳🇱 officially signed with the New York Yankees on the final day of the current international signing period.
Bonus: $90,000.
At 18, several scouts believe he has a chance to develop his velocity (88–91 MPH) and secondary pitches. pic.twitter.com/Ouy5NpKOKu
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) December 15, 2025
Born in Vlaardingen, Fredrikze developed his skills with the Rotterdam Unicorns, an academy founded by Robert Eenhoorn, who was the first Dutch player to join the Yankees in 1990.
The Yankees’ scouting operation is concentrated on the United States and South America, but also tracks players in European leagues. Polish-born Artur Strzalka, also a left-handed pitcher, was the last European to sign for them in 2013.
Ball control
“They’ve been following me for a few years, but they phoned my parents first to ask if they could talk to me,” he said.
“They value my physical control on the mound and my ball control, but they think I can make much more progress and want to give me the time and space to do it.”
Fredrikze, who received a $90,000 (€77,000) signing bonus, expects to spend four or five years plying his trade in the minor leagues before he is ready to step up.
If he breaks through to the first team he will be the first Dutch-born pitcher to turn out in the Major League since Rick van den Hurk in 2007.
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