Wladimir Balentien – Winner
Wladimir Balentien took the spotlight in many of the Netherlands’ key moments during the World Baseball Classic, but he dreams of the spotlight across the Pacific Ocean. With his success in the Japan Central League and a phenomenal WBC, Balentien sets his eyes on returning to the majors as soon as 2018.
"“I am going to show everybody that I still can be that player that I am when I was younger,” Balentien said (per mlb.com). “I think playing this tournament, having success, probably hope it opens a couple more doors for me, maybe, coming back to the States.”"
Balentien led the tournament with 16 hits and four home runs. He earned the Pool E MVP by going 8-13 with four homers. Although the Netherlands lost the semifinals to
, Balentien finished the tournament batting .615 with 10 runs scored and 12 RBI.
His second WBC appearance came on the coattails of his sixth season with the Yakult Swallows. After playing in the minor leagues in 2010, Balentien joined the Swallows, where he found his stride.
Within his five 30-plus home run seasons, Balentien set a Japanese baseball record with 60 home runs in 2013. During that same year, he batted .330 with 131 RBI and 94 runs scored. Although his average dipped to .269 last season, he maintained his power by hitting 31 homers.
His transition to Japan resulted from a disappointing entrance into the major leagues. Despite being one of the Seattle Mariners’ top prospects, he played no more than 100 games per season from 2007-2009. As a member of the Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, Balentien batted .220 with only 15 home runs.
Balentien hopes to earn another shot at a major league career after his final season with the Swallows in 2017.