FORT MYERS, Fla. – The country of Aruba certainly doesn’t stick out on the map. With a population of just over 100,000 people, the Caribbean land only measures 20 miles from its northern most point down south and six miles across.
Baseball has become almost by default the most popular sport at the moment because of a young shortstop who does his preparation for the Boston Red Sox. And he does so on the same grounds that the 14 and 15 year olds that make up the Aruba roster taking part in a Perfect Game event for the first time in the country’s history at the Freshman PG Series Classic.
Xander Bogaerts was discovered in Aruba by the Red Sox as a 16-year old, and was signed in 2009 and began to climb through the minor league system. Called up to the major leagues as a 20-year old and playing a large part in the 2013 World Series victory for the Red Sox, Bogaerts has solidified his place as the starting shortstop now and much further into the future.
Rachelle De Cuba, who orchestrated the trip for the players and their families, said that the goal of the trip is for the players to be challenged by the competition that they will see from across the world compared to the teams they play in and around their homeland.
“A lot of these kids aren’t used to losing, coming up through the ranks in Little League that you would see on TV along with Curacao,” De Cuba said. “Playing here is almost a perfect moment for the kids being at JetBlue Park, they got to walk around and see the locker rooms. It’s like they’re in heaven.”
Almost all of the Aruba roster hails from Bogearts’ hometown of Oranjestad, outside of two players from the neighboring country of Curacao.
A special moment happened just this past Tuesday, as Brandon Rincones, a product of the Aruba Baseball Academy where the kids are from, signed a professional contract with the Red Sox, adding to the excitement of the week for everyone involved.
“Brandon was actually slated to play in the Sophomore Series event this week down here, but everything developed and he ending up signing down here,” Aruba coach and Brandon’s father, Elwin Rincones said.
Almost all of the players from Aruba are much younger than the class of 2020 participants taking part this week by design to get exposed to the talent they’ve seen so far this week.
“This has been a great experience for the kids to learn and develop,” De Cuba said. “We are planning on bringing the same group back to this event next year along with getting a 12-year old group to compete in events to get more kids a chance to experience all of what Perfect Game offers.”
Through four games, Aruba sits with a record of 0-4, but two of the contests were one-run defeats to go along with a 3-0 loss. For many of the players, this is the first time they have ever had to use wood bats in their lives and the adjustments have not been easy to make.
Jamal Zalm (2020, Willemstad, CU) is the lone Aruba player with more than two hits through four games. Zalm is batting .556 (5-for-9) and has the lone extra-base hit for the team with a double.
“Seeing the velocity we have had combined with the wood bats, it been a challenge for the kids,” Rincones said. “Hopefully as the week goes on, we can improve at the plate. We’ve played well and been right there in most of the games.”
Pitching has been a strength as Aruba has allowed 19 runs in the four games. Ericson Irausquin (2021, Oranjestad, AA) has struck out six batters in five innings of work and Antwone Tromp (2021, Oranjestad, AA) has five strikeouts in five innings to lead the way on the mound.
For two players, the week will spill into the PG 14u National Showcase starting Saturday, August 5. Ethan De Cuba (2021, Oranjestad, AA) and Jean Marc Van Der Linden (2021, Oranjestad, AA) will take part in the festivities to test their abilities against the top 14-year olds across the country.