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PERSONAL:
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- His first name, Jair, has two syllables. It is pronounced JIE (like "eye" with a "j" in front of it), then AIR . . . JIE-AIR.
Jurrjens is pronounced JUR-jens. - On Jair's native Curacao, the small island nation of just over 140,000 people in the Caribbean Ocean, only 35 miles north of Venezuela, he is known as a hero and a spokesman for the island.
- Jair's father, Carl, is a longtime Braves fan, dating back to the days of Hank Aaron in Milwaukee.
"Back in the days when he listened to baseball on the radio, he would listen to the Braves," Jair said of his dad. So the deal with the Tigers that brought Jurrjens to Atlanta was a dream come true for both of them.
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When Jurrjens was 6 years old, he was a batboy on the youth league team that Andruw Jones, and Jair's brother, Carl, played on.Jair says that former big league infielder Ralph Milliard (Marlins and the Mets for just a few games in the 1990s) was "a cousin of my cousin."Jurrjens still lives in the same house he grew up in, only a few miles from downtown Willemstad, the capital city of Curacao. It is an ordinary neighborhood with brightly painted houses close together, fenced yards, tiny streets and a slower pace of life than is found in the U.S.Before the 2005 season, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook ranked Jair as #22 in the Detroit farm system.
Before 2006 spring training, Baseball America rated Jair as 16th-best prospect in the Tiger organization.
In the winter of 2007, they moved Jurrjens all the way up to #4.
He was #3 in the Braves organization in the spring of 2008.
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In 2005, he was 6th in the Midwest League in ERA.Jurrjens is the first player from Curacao to ever pitch in the big leagues.Jair grew up in a middle-class home and was never more than 20 minutes from the beach, though he says he never spent a lot of time there. He said soccer is the most popular sport in Curacao, though the rise of Jones in the big leagues has helped make baseball a close second.
Jurrjens speaks, in order of best to worst, Papiamento—a creole language of Curacao and a few other Caribbean islands—English, Spanish and Dutch. His Spanish is good enough that he has served as a translator for some of his Latin teammates during his minor league career.
(David Driver-freelance writer from Cheverly, Maryland-August 15, 2007)
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- Jair always seems to be smiling; he is very personable. He is mature for his age. He has never been bashful in the clubhouse, but always shows respect to the older players.
He is very even-keeled, an impressive trait for a pitcher. - He has a necklace made of seashells from the beaches of the island nation where he grew up.
"It's a gift from my sister Charlotte, as a good luck charm," Jurrjens said. He said he wears the necklace, or others from his collection, in all of his starts. - July 8, 2008: Jair was named NL Rookie of the Month.
- Jurrjens says that, after the baseball season is over, "When you're home, you want to see your boys. You want to go to the clubs. We have fun, but we're safe, too. Sometimes we just go to a club and sit around, make jokes and talk."
When asked if he dances, Jair said: "I definitely dance, and I am a good dancer. We do the salsa-type dancing."
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Jair's cousin, Juni Juliet, is a professional entertainer, a keyboardist and singer, who has worked in Europe and throughout the Caribbean.
TRANSACTION REPORT2003: He signed with the Tigers and scout Greg Smith as a free agent out of Curacao.October 29, 2007: The Braves sent SS Edgar Renteria to the Tigers, acquiring Jurrjens and OF Gorkys Hernandez.
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PITCHING:
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- Jurrjens has a 92-96 mph 4-seam FASTBALL with good movement, a 90-95 mph 2-seam sinker, and a CHANGEUP that he has good command of. His slurvy-CURVEBALL has good downer movement.
His sinker and slider are his best weapons.
- Jair has a good feel for the pitching craft. He is able to keep his fastball low in the strike zone with great command, placing it on both sides of the plate. And he can add or subtract velocity to fool a hitter's timing.
He is aggressive in the strike zone. - Jurrjens exhibits poise. Though he is not able to be overpowering, his mound savvy enables him to retire hitters. He makes adjustments. And he is fearless on the mound; nothing really bothers him. He has excellent composure.
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Jair has a smooth, clean, simple delivery. He starts out with a real slow delivery, then kind of speeds it up, making him tough to hit.
Jurrjens has to keep reminding himself not to throw across his body when he delivers a pitch. His command disappears when he does that. Jurrjens pitches to all four corners of the strike zone, showing great command. He has exceptionally good control to both sides of the plate with his fastball.
BREAKDOWN RIGHTIES VS. LEFTIESIn 2008, this righty pitcher allowed lefthanded batters a .261 average with 5 home runs in 376 at-bats. He held righthanded hitters to a .260 average with 6 home runs in 346 at-bats.
In 2009, Jair allowed lefthanded hitters a .264 average with 8 home runs in 371 at-bats. He held righthanded batters to a .212 average and 7 homers in 415 at-bats.
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As of the start of the 2010 season, Jurrjens had a career record of 30-21 and a 3.21 ERA, allowing only 30 home runs and 398 hits in 434 innings.
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