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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) during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. 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 of stab wounds in Rotterdam after the 2011 MLB season. His brother 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 major league team Corendon Kinheim in Haarlem in 2003. Like his father, Eddy, and his younger brother, Jason, Greg played on the Netherlands national baseball team.

He played six games, starting three, for the Netherlands in the 2007 European Baseball Championship. He hit .357 with one stolen base.[3] He helped the Netherlands go undefeated and win the European championship to 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.[4] The Dutch team made a surprising run to the second round of the tournament but finished with two wins and four losses.

Seattle Mariners

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Halman with the Mariners

Halman was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Seattle Mariners on June 26, 2004. He participated in the 2004 Mariners Arizona Instructional League, playing for the Peoria Javelinas. In 2005, he played 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.

In 2006, he hit .259 with 5 home runs and 15 RBI in 28 games for the Low-A Everett AquaSox. He finished third on the team with 10 stolen bases. He hit safely in 21 of 28 games. He recorded a season-high 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 on July 22.

In 2007, Halman showed his power potential by hitting 20 home runs combined for Everett and Single-A Wisconsin. 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.[5] For 2008, he was promoted to High-A High Desert to start the season. After batting .269 with 19 home runs and 53 RBI in 67 games, he was promoted to Double-A West Tenn[6] where he hit 10 more 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.[7] He returned to Double-A for the 2009 season, but his performance dipped. He hit .210 with 25 home runs and a team-high 183 strikeouts in 121 games.

Halman was promoted to Triple-A Tacoma for the 2010 season. He hit .243 and led the team with 33 home runs, 80 RBI, 15 stolen bases, and 169 strikeouts. On September 22, 2010, Halman and four other players were called up to the Seattle Mariners after the Tacoma Rainiers season ended.[8] He played in his first MLB game on September 23 and recorded his first hit, a double, on September 27.[9]

Halman started the 2011 season back in Tacoma. On June 3, 2011, Halman was called up to replace struggling outfielder Michael Saunders, who was sent down to Tacoma.[10] Halman hit his first MLB home run on June 15 in a 3–1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. His last major league hit was also a home run, against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 19.[11] He made his final appearance with the Mariners on August 3, striking out three times in four at bats against the Oakland Athletics. The team optioned him back to Tacoma on August 4, after he had gone hitless in 19 consecutive plate appearances.[12]

Personal life

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Halman spoke four languages: Dutch, English, Spanish, and Papiamento. He grew up speaking Dutch and English and learned Spanish in 2005, his first year in the United States.[13] He graduated from high school at Mendel College in North Holland in June 2004.

His sister, Naomi Halman, is a professional basketball player in Europe.

Death

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On November 21, 2011, Halman died of blood loss in Rotterdam from a laceration to his carotid artery.[14] He was 24 years old. His brother, Jason Halman, was arrested for the killing. Reportedly, Greg approached Jason about loud music, which resulted in an argument and then a stabbing.[15]

Greg was buried in Westerveld Cemetery in Dreihuis on November 29. Thousands of people, including several former Mariners teammates, attended his funeral and burial.[16][17] His burial plot, a small grove near the North Sea, was chosen because it reminded his family of a baseball diamond.[14] He was the first former Major League Baseball player known to have died in the Netherlands.[18]

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.[19] Jason agreed to supervision by a probation officer and to undergo mental health treatment.[20] On August 30, 2012, a Dutch court formally acquitted Jason due to temporary insanity.[21] The court allowed Jason to go free, stating that psychiatric and psychological assessments of him had found that there was only a small chance of reoccurrence.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jonathan Mayo (2009-01-21). "Classic set to showcase future stars". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  2. ^ Jonathan Mayo (2009-02-27). "Halman ready for Classic challenge". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  3. ^ "Eurobaseball '07 Final Report" (PDF). Baseball Europe. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  4. ^ "The Official Site of Major League Baseball". MLB.com. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  5. ^ "Greg Halman Awards". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  6. ^ Jason Churchill (2009-01-05). "M's sow seeds of promise". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  7. ^ "Mariners name Greg Halman Minor League Player of the Year". MLB.com. 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  8. ^ "Mariners add four to Major League roster". Archived from the original on 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  9. ^ "Greg Halman 2010 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  10. ^ Baker, Geoff (2011-06-02). "Michael Saunders to Class AAA, Greg Halman called up to big club". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
  11. ^ "Seattle Mariners vs Toronto Blue Jays Box Score: July 19, 2011". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  12. ^ "Greg Halman 2011 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  13. ^ Jonathan Mayo (2009-01-21). "Prospect Halman on the fast track". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  14. ^ a b Wright Thompson, 17 days in November; Brothers Gregory and Jason Halman -- and the descent into death, ESPN (August 20, 2012). Retrieved on August 20, 2012.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "Thousands see Greg Halman laid to rest as his family now copes with second part of tragedy". The Seattle Times. 2011-11-29. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  17. ^ "Baseball-world unites at Halman's farewell and funeral - Grand Slam * Stats & News Netherlands". catcher.home.xs4all.nl. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  18. ^ "Players by place of death: Netherlands Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  19. ^ Barry Petchesky, Brother of Former Mariner Greg Halman Will Not Face Jail for Greg's Murder Because of Marijuana-Induced Psychosis, Deadspin (August 16, 2012). Retrieved on January 19, 2013.
  20. ^ Pim van Nes, Jason Halman has been released from detention in Rotterdam, Mister-Baseball.com (August 17, 2012). Retrieved on January 19, 2013.
  21. ^ a b "Brother acquitted in death of Mariners' Halman". ESPN.com. 2012-08-30. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
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