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PERSONAL:
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Vanden Hurk's father, Wim, was a baseball player in the Netherlands and also runs a baseball academy there. So Rick grew up playing baseball, too.
Henricus' room in Holland resembles a baseball shrine, filled with jerseys, bats, and balls. Growing up, the righthander often slept with his cleats on one side of the pillow and his glove on the other side.
- He would rather be called Henricus than his nickname, Rick.
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Henrcus had been a catcher during his amateur career, then moved to the mound when former Marlins' head of international scouting, Randy Kierce, suggested Vanden Hurk pitch.
"Randy really helped me," said Vanden Hurk, who signed as a 17-year-old. "He's a really good guy, and he was the one who tried me out on the mound. He liked it and we went from there and now I'm here." (Mike Berardino-Florida Sun Sentinel-April, 2007)
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Before 2005 spring training, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Vanden Hurk as the 15th-best prospect in the Marlins organization.
While Rick wasn't ranked in 2006, they had him at #13 in the Florida farm system during the winter before 2007 spring training.
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After the 2006 season, Vanden Hurk was among the most impressive arms in the Hawaiian Winter Baseball League, where he went 2-2, 3.60 ERA, with 63 strikeouts in 40 innings.
"Hawaii was great," he said. "It was a good experience, good hitters and it allowed me to get more experience because I was rehabbing most of the year. It really boosted my confidence big-time, especially after a long year of rehab."
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Henricus works very hard at the game and at keeping his body in top shape. He works hard at conditioning and at the pitching craft. He is one of the hardest workers you will ever see in the game.
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When Vanden Hurk was called up to the Marlins the second week of April, 2007, his father, Wim, mother Rita, and sister, Anneke, traveled 16 hours to get to South Florida from Holland.
Rick is the fifth player born in the Netherlands to play in an MLB game in the modern era, or since 1900.
The most famous is Bert Blyleven (1970-92), who many say should be in the Hall of Fame. Win Remmerswaal (1979-80), Rikkert Faneyte (1993-96), and Robert Eenhoorn (1994-97) are the others.
Rick talks to Blyleven on a weekly basis. Bert was his pitching coach while pitching for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
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Henricus missed time with the Marlins during 2009 spring training because he was pitching for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic.
He started the 2009 season on the DL because of discomfort in his right elbow.
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During the winter before 2010 spring training, Vanden Hurk started four games for Carolina in the Puerto Rican League and went 1-0, 1.80 ERA, with a walk and 18 strikeouts in 25 innings.
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VandenHurk and his father organized the "European Big League Tour," which included a group of Major Leaguers, including John Baker (Florida Marlins), Jeremy Guthrie and Adam Jones (Orioles), and Greg Halman (Seattle Mariners). Former Major Leaguer Brady Anderson also joined the group as an instructor. They toured during the offseason before 2011 spring training.
The tour consisted of four free baseball clinics, set for the cities of Eindhoven, Haarlem, and Rotterdam in the Netherlands; and Antwerp, Belgium.
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May 2020: Now 35 years old, Van Den Hurk hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2012. That’s due largely to his emergence as a high-end starter in the KBO from 2012-13, and the success he enjoyed there led him to his current starring role with the Hawks. Over the past four years, the Dutch righty has a 3.50 ERA and nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings through 483 frames.
TRANSACTIONS
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November 14, 2002: The Marlins signed VandenHurk as a free agent, out of the Netherlands, at age 17. Fred Ferreira is the scout who signed him.
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July 31, 2010: The Orioles sent LHP Will Ohman to the Marlins, acquiring Vanden Hurk.
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February 22, 2012: The Blue Jays sgined Rick.
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March 21, 2012: The Indians claimed VandenHurk off waivers from the Blue Jays.
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May 7, 2012: Rick signed with the Pirates organization.
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January 5, 2013: The Pirates released Van den Hurk.
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2013 season: Van den Hurk signed with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organizati.
- December 26, 2014, van den Hurk signed a contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball.
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PITCHING:
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- Vandenhurk has an 91-95 mph FASTBALL with good late life. He is working to tighten up his 12-to-6 slow, sweeping CURVEBALL and is improving his CHANGEUP, also. And he has a decent CUTTER.
- Vandenhurk is a very tall and thin, so his delivery tends toward being a bit awkward, but also has good deception. He has a lot of moving parts, but overall has a smooth, effortless delivery. And he throws on a steep downhill plane. But he has to eliminate throwing across his body.
His mechanics can get out of whack at times, being such a big guy, costing him his command. So in 2011 spring training, the Orioles' pitching coach, Mark Connor, worked on Rick's delivery, getting him balanced, etc.
"He's had a lot of hamsters running in different directions than the wheels," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of VandenHurk's mechanics and different arm angles. "So we are trying to get those squirrels [to] come (together and work in unison)."
- Henricus is polished, with impressive composure. And he has great makeup. He is coachable and applies instruction well.
- He is an intimidating righthander who is comfortable pitching inside on hitters.
- VandenHurk was moved to the bullpen for 2012.
- Entering the 2013 season, Henricus had a career record of 8-11 and 6.08 ERA, allowing 204 hits and a whopping 33 home runs in 184 innings pitched.
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