New York Yankees sign 18-year-old Dutch pitcher Tijn Fredrikze to seven-year deal
Dutch pitching prospect Tijn Fredrikze has signed a seven-year contract with the New York Yankees and will move to the United States next month, becoming the first Europe-born baseball player in 12 years to join the famed MLB organization, the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation reports.
The club traditionally recruits talent from the United States and Latin America. The Yankees, winners of a record 27 World Series titles, last signed a Europe-born amateur player in 2013, when they contracted Polish prospect Artur Strzalka.
Fredrikze, an 18-year-old left-handed pitcher from Vlaardingen, signed the deal at the end of 2025. According to international baseball reporter Francys Romero, the Yankees finalized the signing on the final day of the current international signing period, awarding Fredrikze a 90,000-dollar bonus.
Fredrikze played last season for Kinheim in Haarlem in the Dutch top division. He led the league in strikeouts with 110, drawing significant attention from international scouts. He previously debuted in the top division in 2024 with Neptunus in Rotterdam.
“Since I was nine years old, I’ve dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player,” Fredrikze said on the radio program Langs De Lijn En Omstreken. “That I can now make my hobby my job is very special.”
Fredrikze was born in Vlaardingen and developed through the baseball academy of the Rotterdam Unicorns, founded by former MLB player Robert Eenhoorn after his return to the Netherlands.
Eenhoorn was the first Dutch-born player to sign with the Yankees, joining the club via the MLB draft in 1990. He played shortstop for the Yankees until 1995, before Derek Jeter took over the position.
Baseball runs in the family for Fredrikze. His father was also a player and played a central role in his development. “He taught me that if you really want something, you have to go for it,” Fredrikze said. “If it works, that’s great. If it doesn’t, that’s also fine, as long as you’ve given everything you had.”
Multiple Major League organizations expressed interest in Fredrikze following his performances with Dutch youth national teams this year in Puerto Rico and Spain. Still, his preference was clear. “It’s the most famous club in the world,” Fredrikze said. “Even if you know nothing about baseball, you know the Yankees.”
He said the organization approached him carefully. “They've been following me for several years, but they first politely called my parents to ask if they could speak with me."
Fredrikze will begin his Yankees career in Florida with one of the club’s minor league development teams. He estimates it could take four to five years to reach the Major Leagues.
If successful, he would become the first Dutch-born pitcher to reach MLB since Rick van den Hurk, who debuted in 2007.
