Rob Cordemans

From BR Bullpen

Rob Cordemans

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 3", Weight 190 lb.

School Indian River Community College

Born October 31, 1974 in Schiedam The Netherlands

Rob Cordemans has been a fixture on Dutch teams in international competitions for a decade and has been the top pitcher in Hoofdklasse several times. He pitched for the Netherlands in the 1995 European Championship and had a 6.14 ERA in four games for the champions. He allowed one run in three innings in the 1995 World Port Tournament. He was with the Dutch team in the 1996 Olympics as a 21-year-old and had both of the club's wins, losing none despite a 6.94 ERA. He also struggled in the 1997 World Port Tournament, surrendering 14 hits and 10 runs in 6 1/3 IP, somehow escaping without a loss.

Pitching in the US in '98, Robbie had a 1.47 ERA for Indian River Community College, the 4th-lowest mark for a junior college pitcher in the US. He was with the Dutch team in the 1998 Baseball World Cup, going 1-1 with one save and a 5.28 ERA; he was plagued by 11 walks in 15 1/3 IP.

In 1999, Cordemans was 14-2 with a 2.20 ERA for the Honkbal Club Kinheim, leading Hoofdklasse in ERA (by 1.36) and wins. He won his first Pitcher of the Year Award. In the 1999 European Championship, he shut out the Russian national team in the semifinals. In the 1999 World Port Tournament, his 8.10 ERA was the worst on the winning Netherlands team. He was 0-2 with a 3.52 ERA in the 1999 Intercontinental Cup. The next season, the young right-hander went 8-4 with 94 strikeouts (4th-best) but was not among the win leaders. He helped his new Neptunus team to the European Cup title by fanning 11 Italian players in a complete game win. He was 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA in the 2000 Olympics, taking a loss against the USA but getting solid reviews for his performance. He allowed 4 runs in 6 1/3 IP in the US game (striking out five). Against Italy, he allowed two unearned runs in 8 innings. In the 2001 Baseball World Cup, Rob was 1-1 with a 0.75 ERA. He shut out Australia for 6 2/3 IP and lost a key quarterfinal match against Taiwan, 2-0, due to no offensive support. In the 2001 World Port Tournament, Cordemans was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA. In the 2001 European Championship, Cordemans was 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA, allowing 9 hits and striking out 16 in 15 innings of work. He teamed with Patrick De Lange on a 2-hit shutout of Russia in the Gold Medal game.

He was 10-2, 0.47 in 2002 and the top pitcher in the Netherlands. It was a Neptunus club record for ERA. He allowed 6 runs in 6 1/3 IP in the 2002 Intercontinental Cup. In '03, Robbie was 12-1, 0.93 and won pitcher of the year honors. He led Hoofdklasse in ERA, wins and strikeouts (106 in 106 innings) to win the pitching Triple Crown for the champion Neptunus club. In the 2003 European Championship, he struck out 15 in 12 innings and allowed no runs. He was 1-0, getting the win in the Gold Medal game against the Greek national team. In the 2003 Baseball World Cup, Cordemans was 2-0 with a 3.65 ERA; the rest of the Dutch staff went 1-3. Cordemans allowed one run and 6 hits in the 2003 World Port Tournament, going 2-0.

Cordemans was the Holland Series MVP in 2004 after winning games one and four. He played in the Olympics for the third time, appearing for the Netherlands in the 2004 Summer Games. In '05, the 30-year-old veteran had another huge year (13-1, 0.77), winning yet another ERA title and tying for the lead in wins in being named Pitcher of the Year once again. His 2.12 ERA during his time with Neptunus was the lowest in club history for a career. Cordemans had a 0.00 ERA in the 2005 European Championship, tied for second with two wins and was 5th with 12 strikeouts for the Gold Medal winners. During the 2005 Baseball World Cup, Rob went 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA and 17 K in 13 2/3 IP.

Pitching for the Netherlands in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, he fanned four but allowed four hits and two runs (one earned) in 2 2/3 IP. He joined ADO for the '06 campaign and went 9-3 with a 1.72 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 131 IP. He finished fourth in the league in ERA and led in strikeouts and innings in a drop-off from his recent performances.

In the 2006 Intercontinental Cup, Cordemans had no decisions and a 2.08 ERA in three starts. He tied for fourth in the tournament with 15 strikeouts.

Cordemans' play earned him a 6-week trial in the Chinese Professional Baseball League for 2007. Ivanon Coffie beat him out in being the first Dutch national to play in the CPBL. Cordemans went 3-4 with a 4.50 ERA for the Uni-President Lions before being released in late May and returning to Holland. The Lions signed Wayne Franklin to take his spot. Cordemans struggled after returning to the Netherlands, going 1-3 with a save and a 3.88 ERA for ADO. He did strike out 56 in 48 2/3 IP.

Cordemans threw 7 shutout innings, striking out 10, to win one game in the 2007 European Championship and help the Netherlands qualify for the 2008 Olympics. He was 0-2 with a 6.48 ERA in the 2007 World Port Tournament, allowing 15 hits and striking out none in 8 1/3 innings. In the 2007 Baseball World Cup, Robbie was 0-1 with a 3.48 ERA. He pitched five scoreless innings against Team Canada before allowing a Mike Saunders homer and a walk and leaving the game; he would take the defeat. He turned in a decent start against the host Taiwan national team in the quarterfinals as the Dutch won in extra innings on their way to fourth place.

Cordemans became the first 4-time Olympian in baseball (beating Pedro Luis Lazo by hours) by appearing in the 2008 Olympics. He allowed 13 hits in 8 innings and had a 5.63 ERA in three relief stints.

Cordemans had another big season in 2008. He went 9-0 with a 0.86 ERA, allowing only 53 hits (1 homer) and 16 walks in 94 1/3 innings while striking out 112. He led Hoofdklasse in ERA by .56 over David Bergman. He allowed the lowest average (.162, .037 better than Mihai Burlea), led in lowest opponent OBP (.205, .71 ahead of Bergman), tied Diegomar Markwell for 4th in wins, was second in innings (behind Alex Smith), led in strikeouts (26 ahead of Leon Boyd) and tied for the lead in shutouts (1). That earned him his fifth Pitcher of the Year award, beating out finalists Boyd and Patrick Beljaards. He tied Han Urbanus for the second-most Pitcher of the Year awards in Hoofdklasse history, trailing only Herman Beidschat's 10. No one since 1970 had won more than four awards.

Cordemans was the pitching star of a pitching-dominated Dutch national team that twice beat the Dominican Republic and made it to the quarterfinals of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He allowed two hits in 6 2/3 innings, allowing no runs; he did walk four while striking out three. In his first outing, he relieved Alexander Smit with a 3-2 lead over the Dominicans, one out and the bases loaded with former MVP Miguel Tejada at the plate. He promptly induced a double play grounder by Tejada to Yurendell de Caster. He allowed a Willy Aybar double in the 6th and a single to Hanley Ramirez and a walk to David Ortiz in the 7th but gave up no runs as the Orange remained in control en route to victory. In his second game, he relieved Smit with a 0-0 tie in the 6th against the Dominicans and tossed two shutout innings despite walks to Tejada and Willy Taveras. In those innings, he retired Jose Guillen, Robinson Cano, Miguel Olivo, Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez and David Ortiz. Dennis Neuman relieved Cordemans as the Dutch went on to win in extra innings. He tossed shutout ball in the 6th and 7th innings against Venezuela in a 3-1 loss to open the second round.