St. Maarten born Franklin Van Gurp is the latest ballplayer from the Friendly Island to be signed to a professional baseball contract. The Florida International University (FIU) relief pitcher was drafted by the by the San Francisco Giants in the 25th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, on June 14.
Van Gurp, a junior, had been pitching for just one year before coming to FIU last year. The right-hander made 19 appearances, all out of the bullpen, for the Panthers last season. Van Gurp was 0-1 with a 2.91 ERA and two saves. Van Gurp struck out 32 batters in 21 2/3 innings pitched.
After being drafted Van Gurp reported to the Giants spring training facility in Arizona. “I just did my physical,” he told The Daily Herald in an email. During the wait for the results Van Gurp and the other draftees we’re just practicing, getting back into top baseball shape. “All the draftees will start off most likely in low A and probably end up in short A by the end of the summer,” said Van Gurp.
Van Gurp started playing youth baseball on St. Maarten, first with the Pony League and then later he switched over to Little League. In 2006 he was playing for the Little League’s Sunset Theatre team with another rising star, Denzel Richardson, who would also later turn pro with the Colorado Rockies. Van Gurp was catcher to Richardson’s pitching. That year Richardson worked 19.1 innings, faced 87 batters walked nine, struck out 39 and had an earned run average of 1.24.
The two were neck and neck in the standings, according to records filed by the coaches. At the plate Richardson was the team’s best batter with an average of .593 from 35 plate appearances. He had five singles and 10 doubles. Van Gurp was a close second with a .583 average with 10 singles and four doubles.
Van Gurp moved to the Dominican Republic after that, but he continued playing ball. He would go on to play in college for Chipola College in Florida.
“My freshman year I was still catching and doing some pitching. My sophomore year I got hurt. I had Tommy John surgery and was out for a year.” Tommy John surgery is a common repair made to the overworked elbow of a pitcher.
When Van Gurp returned, he was throwing harder. He completed another year at Chipola and then transferred to FIU.
His fastballs got him notices and eventually drafted. He can regularly pitch at speeds above ninety miles per hour. Van Gurp is currently throwing bull pens in Arizona waiting for his first team assignment.
Last Christmas during his winter break from University, Van Gurp visited the field where he made his start, and gave words of encouragement to the young players that hope to follow in his footsteps, challenging them to work hard in school first and work hard in sports second.
Keep reading The Daily Herald’s sports pages to follow this young man’s promising career with the San Francisco Giants!
By Tom Burnett,
Sports Writer
