Chairon Isenia

Chairon Isenia
Catcher
Born: (1979-01-23) 23 January 1979
Sint Joris, Curaçao
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Netherlands
European Baseball Championship
Gold medal – first place2003 NetherlandsNational team

Chairon Ramon Isenia (born 23 January 1979) is a Curaçaoan former baseball player who is a scout for the Tampa Bay Rays. He played for the Netherlands national team in two Summer Olympics and the 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) and for Tampa Bay in the minor leagues as a catcher.

Playing career

Isenia played for the Netherlands at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where the team finished fifth.[1] He batted 0-for-3 as the backup catcher to Johnny Balentina.[2] Four years later at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the Dutch were sixth.[1] Isenia had a .353 batting average in Athens, leading the Dutch and ninth best in the tournament.[3][4] He also played for the Netherlands in the 2006 WBC, batting 1-for-3.[5] In other international tournaments, he was named to the All-Star team of the 2003 European Baseball Championship after batting .350, then hit .308 at the 2003 Baseball World Cup.[6]

Isenia signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in April 1996 for a $22,500 signing bonus.[7] He played in the minor leagues from 1996 to 2006, playing in Double-A his final four seasons. He was a New York–Penn League All-Star in 1999.[5][4] In 2004, he batted .304 for the Montgomery Biscuits, missing part of the minor league season to compete in the Olympics.[5] Isenia suffered a concussion after a home plate collision with Cory Aldridge in August 2006, ending his final professional season on the disabled list. Isenia retired the following April.[8]

Personal life

After his playing career, Isenia has been a scout in Curaçao, working for the New York Yankees in 2010[9] and later the Tampa Bay Rays.[10] He has also organized youth baseball programs in Curaçao.[11][12]

Isenia was nicknamed "Shaggy" while playing with the Rays. He was a barber for his teammates and speaks five languages.[7]

Isenia's older brother, Percy Isenia, played for the Dutch baseball team in the 2006 WBC[13] and 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics.[14] Percy was a first baseman in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse[15] and later managed the Netherlands women's national baseball team in two Women's Baseball World Cup tournaments.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 "Chairon Isenia". Olympedia. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  2. ↑ "Official Results 2000 page 35". LA84 Foundation. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  3. ↑ "Milliard en Coffie beste binnenvelders". Honkbalsite archief (in Dutch). 2004-08-26. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  4. 1 2 Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2005 Media Guide. April 2005. p. 418.
  5. 1 2 3 "Chairon Isenia Minor & WBC Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  6. ↑ "Chairon Isenia". Honkbalsite archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-02-11.
  7. 1 2 Hull, Anna (October 25, 1999). "The Roughnecks of summer: a baseball story". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000.
  8. ↑ "Isenia zet punt achter profloopbaan". Honkbalsite archief (in Dutch). 2007-04-06. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  9. ↑ 2010 New York Yankees Media Information & Record Guide. New York Yankees. 2010-11-08. p. 358. ISBN 978-0-9826552-0-7.
  10. ↑ Tampa Bay Rays 2025 Media Guide. 2025. pp. 418, 420.
  11. ↑ "Youth baseball players back in action". Sport.cw (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  12. ↑ "U.S. Donates Baseball Equipment to RBI Curacao". St. Martin News Network. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  13. ↑ "Percy Isenia WBC Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  14. ↑ "Percy Isenia". Olympedia. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  15. ↑ "Percy Isenia". Honkbalsite archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  16. ↑ van Zon, Rogier (2012-02-07). "Nederlandse vrouwenhonkballers naar WK". Honkbalsite archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-08-17.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.