Jul/070
Matter All About: Rick Vanden Hurk
Our next player to focus on in Matter All About is the Holland Hammer Rick Vanden Hurk. Rick was on the fast-track all season, Vanden Hurk actually was called up for an April 10 start against Milwaukee, and he pitched in the big leagues before throwing one pitcher higher than Class A ball. The right-hander had most recently been with Triple-A Albuquerque, where he was 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts. Now he is up with the big club with the chance to stick around for a while with the plethora of injuries that have hit the Fish this season. So let’s take a look at this Holland stud in today’s Matter All About.
Quick Stats
REC 3-2 | SV 0 | ERA 7.15 | WHIP 1.71
Short Bio
Rick Vanden Hurk (born Henricus van den Hurk on May 22, 1985 in Eindhoven, Netherlands), nicknamed “The Holland Hammer”, is a starting pitcher who plays for the Florida Marlins organization. Vanden Hurk graduated from Fort Lauderdale Prepatory School in 2003. Prior to his major league debut in 2007, he had never pitched above Class-A. He underwent ligament replacement surgery on his right arm in 2005. In 2006, Vanden Hurk started five games for the Gulf Coast League Marlins in rookie ball and three more games for the Jupiter Hammerheads of High-A. In the rookie league, Vanden Hurk allowed just two runs on four hits in 15 innings of work, while striking out 26 batters. With the Hammerheads, he allowed three earned runs on five hits through ten innings and striking out 15.
On April 9, 2007, Vanden Hurk was promoted to the Marlins from the Double-A Carolina Mudcats when pitcher Ricky Nolasco was placed on the disabled list. At the time of his debut, he was the youngest player in the National League. He made his first major league appearance on April 10, starting against the Milwaukee Brewers. A rain delay cut his debut short after 4 2/3 innings, in which he allowed one earned run on five hits, with five strikeouts and three walks. Vanden Hurk was sent back to Double-A after the team’s April 24 loss to the Atlanta Braves. In his his fourth appearance, he pitched just one inning while giving up six earned runs on four hits and four walks. Pitcher Nate Field was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque to take his roster spot.
On June 5, the Marlins called up Vanden Hurk to throw the second game of a double header. He went six innings without giving up a hit until Yunel Escobar hit a double to lead off the 7th inning. He did not give up a run and earned his first win. He was sent again to Double-A on June 16.
During the 2007 midseason Vanden Hurk was selected to the All-Star Futures Game.
Noteworthy Articles
More than Holland’s favorite son
Vanden Hurk leads Marlins to victory
Stuck in skid, Marlins turn to rookie
Multimedia
Quotable
“To get this experience and to represent the Marlins for Holland in the Futures Game was awesome,” said the right-hander, who speaks five languages. “It was just an awesome experience to be around those guys.
“I feel comfortable. I know what I have to do out there. I just have to keep pitching like I am, and making sure I’m throwing down in the zone, so I can go longer into the games.”
This kid is alot of fun to watch. He seems to be a generally good kid and I hope he sticks around for a while. If he can get his pitches per inning down he will be very successful for the rest of the season.
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