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Gene Kingsale
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Eugene Humphrey Kingsale (born August 20, 1976) is a Dutch-Aruban former Major League Baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Detroit Tigers from 1996 until 2003. He is currently a baseball coach in the Texas Rangers organization.
Key Information
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In 2003, he was decorated as a Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau, along with fellow Aruban former Orioles players Sidney Ponson and Calvin Maduro.[1][2]
Following his time in professional baseball in the United States, Kingsale played extensively for the Netherlands national team in international competitions, including the Baseball World Cup, the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, and World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournaments in 2006 and 2009. He played for perennial champions Neptunus in the top Dutch league, the Honkbal Hoofdklasse, from 2008 to 2011.[3]
Major League Baseball
[edit]Kingsale was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent on June 19, 1993.[4] He made his MLB debut with the Orioles on September 3, 1996 as a defensive replacement, becoming the first Aruban to play in the major leagues.[5][6] In the first inning of his 1997 minor league season, he injured his right knee sliding into third base. He returned to the majors briefly in 1998 as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. He got his first major league hit in 1999, a double off C. J. Nitkowski on August 29. He hit a single and stole a base off Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez on September 27.[6][7]
On July 10, 2001, he was selected off waivers by the Seattle Mariners. On June 14, 2002, he was selected off waivers by the San Diego Padres.[8]
On November 15, 2002, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Mike Rivera[8] and became the Tigers' opening day center fielder. He started regularly for the first month of the 2003 season, batting .241 with no extra base hits through April 25. He played his final MLB game on June 8, batting 0-for-3 but driving in two runs.[9] On September 29, he was granted free agency. He signed with San Diego on November 9 but was released on May 10, 2004.[8]
He returned to the Orioles organization on June 1, 2004[8] and played in their minor league system in 2004 and 2005.[3]
After his American career, Kingsale played in the Dutch Honkbal Hoofdklasse for Almere '90 in 2006 and 2007, then Neptunus from 2008 to 2011.[3]
Career statistics
[edit]In seven major league seasons, Kingsale played in 211 games with 533 career at bats. He scored 65 runs, had 134 hits with three home runs and 53 RBI. He had a career .251 batting average and had 15 stolen bases.[6][8]
International career
[edit]In the qualifying round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC), Kingsale drove in the tying run and scored the winning run in the 11th inning to lead the Netherlands to a 2–1 win over the Dominican Republic.[10]
Kingsale was the first base coach for the Netherlands in the 2023 WBC, as the team went 2–2 and did not advance out of Pool A.[11] The team's performance did earn it automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament.
Coaching career
[edit]Kingsale has coached in the Texas Rangers organization since 2023, serving as hitting coach for Dominican Summer League Rangers team in 2024.[6][12]
Internationally, he has coached youth in Aruba and had various roles on Netherlands national teams. He was first base coach for the Netherlands' 2023 WBC team.[13] He was named the most talented coach in 2018 by the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation after coaching the national under-23 team.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ Bechtel, Mark (May 12, 2003). "Knight Games". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ "Former Bears and other baseball luminaries congregate on Aruba for charity softball". Newark Bears Fan. November 21, 2003. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Gene Kingsale Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Baltimore Orioles 2000 Media Guide. Baltimore Orioles. 2000. pp. 104, 105.
- ^ "Gene Kingsale 1996 Batting Game Logs". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Texas Rangers 2025 Media Guide. Texas Rangers. 2025. p. 335.
- ^ "Baltimore Orioles vs Boston Red Sox Box Score: September 27, 1999". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Gene Kingsale Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ^ "Gene Kingsale 2003 Batting Game Logs". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ^ "Dominicans fall to Netherlands at WBC". New York Daily News. March 11, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ^ Visser, Seb (February 10, 2023). "Meulens gaat met uitgebalanceerd team vol sterren en talent naar World Baseball Classic". HonkbalSoftbal.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Criswell, Heath (January 23, 2024). "Texas Rangers Announce 2024 Minor League Coaching Staff". The Prospect Times. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Tallarini, Matt (January 12, 2023). "WBC: Netherlands Announces Staff, 14 Players For World Baseball Classic". World Baseball Network. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ "KNBSB Awards 2018: Bill Arce Award". HonkbalSoftbal.nl (in Dutch). November 26, 2018. Archived from the original on August 10, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from MLB · ESPN · Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet
- Neptunus Honkbal