Greg Halman

Gregory Anthony Halman (August 26, 1987 – November 21, 2011) was a Dutch professional baseball outfielder. He played with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He also played internationally with the Dutch national team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He died of stab wounds in Rotterdam after the 2011 MLB season. His brother was arrested in connection with the stabbing but was acquitted on the grounds of temporary insanity.

Greg Halman
Halman with the Seattle Mariners in 2010
Outfielder
Born: (1987-08-26)August 26, 1987
Haarlem, Netherlands
Died: November 21, 2011(2011-11-21) (aged 24)
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 23, 2010, for the Seattle Mariners
Last MLB appearance
August 3, 2011, for the Seattle Mariners
MLB statistics
Batting average.207
Home runs2
Runs batted in9
Teams
Medals
Men’s Baseball
Representing  Netherlands
European Baseball Championship
Gold medal – first place 2007 Spain National team

Career

Netherlands

Halman made his debut at sixteen years of age at the Dutch major league team of Corendon Kinheim in Haarlem in 2003. Like his father, Eddy, and his younger brother, Jason, Greg played on the Dutch national baseball team. His sister, Naomi, is a professional basketball player in Europe.

Halman played for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.[1][2]

Seattle Mariners
Halman with the Mariners

Halman was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Seattle Mariners on June 26, 2004. He participated in the 2004 Mariners Arizona Instructional League playing for the Peoria Javelinas. He began his professional career in 2005 by playing 26 games with the rookie-level Arizona League Mariners. He played all three outfield positions. He recorded a season-high three RBIs on July 9 against the Arizona League Royals. He went 4 for 5 with a run and first career home run on July 10 against the Arizona League Giants. Halman hit .438 against lefties, compared to .219 against right-handed pitchers. He participated in the 2005 Arizona Instructional League.

In 2006, he hit .259 with 5 home runs and 15 RBI in 28 games for the Low-A Everett AquaSox. He finished 3rd on the team with 10 stolen bases. He hit safely in 21 of 28 games. He recorded a season-high 12-game hit streak, batting .309 from June 21 to July 4. He had eight multi-hit games, including a season-high three hits on July 19. He was placed on the disabled list on July 22 through the remainder of the season with a fractured right hand.

In 2007, Halman showed his power potential by hitting 20 home runs combined for Everett and Single-A Wisconsin. He was named to the Short-Season A and Northwest League All-Star teams and was also named the Short-Season A Player of the Year.[3] For 2008, he was promoted to High-A High Desert to start the season. After batting .268 with 19 home runs and 53 RBI in 67 games, he was promoted in 2009 to Double-A West Tenn[4] where he hit 10 more home runs. He ended the season with 29 total home runs and 31 stolen bases, which led him to be named the Mariners' Minor League Player of the Year.[5]

On September 22, 2010, Halman was called up by the Seattle Mariners along with four other players following the conclusion of the Tacoma Rainiers season.[6]

On June 3, 2011, Halman was called up to replace struggling outfielder Michael Saunders, who was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.[7] Halman hit his first home run in the big leagues on June 15 in a 3–1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Personal life

Halman spoke four languages: Dutch, English, Spanish, and Papiamento. He grew up speaking Dutch and English and learned Spanish in 2005, his first year in the United States.[8] He graduated from Mendel College in North Holland in June 2004.

Death

On November 21, 2011, Halman died of blood loss in Rotterdam from a laceration to his carotid artery.[9] He was 24 years old. His brother, Jason Halman, was arrested for the killing. Reportedly, Greg approached Jason about loud music, which resulted in an argument and then a stabbing.[10]

On August 16, 2012, Dutch authorities released Jason Halman from custody, after prosecutors agreed with defense counsel that Jason, at the time of the stabbing, had been suffering from a psychosis that had been induced in part by his use of marijuana.[11] Jason agreed to be under the supervision of a probation officer and that he would undergo mental health treatment.[12] A Dutch court then formally acquitted Jason on August 30, 2012, on the ground of temporary insanity.[13] The court also allowed Jason to go free, stating that psychiatric and psychological assessments of him had found that there was "only a remote chance of any reoccurrence" and that it was "well possible that the psychosis [had] been a singular event."[14]

Greg was buried in a small grove near the sea. The spot was chosen because the plot reminded his family of a baseball diamond.[15]

He was the first former Major League Baseball player known to have died in the Netherlands.[16]

See also

References
  1. Jonathan Mayo (2009-01-21). "Classic set to showcase future stars". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  2. Jonathan Mayo (2009-02-27). "Halman ready for Classic challenge". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  3. "Greg Halman Awards". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  4. Jason Churchill (2009-01-05). "M's sow seeds of promise". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  5. "Mariners name Greg Halman Minor League Player of the Year". MLB.com. 2008-11-14. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  6. "Mariners add four to Major League roster". Archived from the original on 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  7. Baker, Geoff (2011-06-02). "Michael Saunders to Class AAA, Greg Halman called up to big club". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
  8. Jonathan Mayo (2009-01-21). "Prospect Halman on the fast track". MLB.com. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  9. Wright Thompson
  10. "Mariners OF Greg Halman stabbed to death; brother arrested". MSNBC. November 21, 2011. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  11. Barry Petchesky, Brother of Former Mariner Greg Halman Will Not Face Jail for Greg's Murder Because of Marijuana-Induced Psychosis, Deadspin (August 16, 2012). Retrieved on January 19, 2013.
  12. Pim van Nes, Jason Halman has been released from detention in Rotterdam, Mister-Baseball.com (August 17, 2012). Retrieved on January 19, 2013.
  13. Associated Press, Greg Halman's brother acquitted (August 30, 2012), reprinted on the website of ESPN. Retrieved on January 19, 2013.
  14. Id.
  15. Wright Thompson, 17 days in November; Brothers Gregory and Jason Halman -- and the descent into death, ESPN (August 20, 2012). Retrieved on August 20, 2012.
  16. "Players by place of death: Netherlands Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
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