Wladimir Balentien is retiring from Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, the outfielder announced via Twitter. The 37-year-old is best known for setting the NPB’s single-season home run record in 2013 when he slugged 60 home runs for Tokyo’s Yakult Swallows. Balentien played for 11 seasons in the NPB, suiting up for the Swallows for nine seasons from 2011-2019 and the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks for the past two seasons.
Balentien, who is of Curacaoan and Dutch descent, originally signed with the Mariners as a 16-year-old amateur free agent out of Venezuela in July of 2000. He debuted as an 18-year-old in 2003 with the Mariners’ rookie ball team. As he climbed the ranks of the Mariners’ system, Balentien’s star was on the rise.
He was invited to play in the Futures Game in both 2006 and 2007, then made Baseball Prospectus’ top-100 prospects list prior to the 2008 season at number 93. He debuted in the bigs in 2007, going 2-for-4 in a cup-of-coffee four plate appearances over three games.
Balentien would see real playing time in Seattle the next season, appearing in 71 games for 260 plate appearances. And while he continued to slug in the upper levels on the minors – slashing .266/.354/.584 that same season in Triple-A – he hit just .202/.250/.342 with the M’s.
After struggling again through 170 plate appearances the next season, the Mariners traded Balentien to the Reds for 25-year-old right-hander Robert Manuel. Balentien seemed to hit his stride the rest of that campaign, hitting .264/.352/.427 in Cincinnati. He was just 24-years-old at the time.
And yet, that would be the last time Balentien appeared in MLB. He hit well for the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in 2010, but an outfield of Jonny Gomes, Drew Stubbs, and Jay Bruce played well enough to lead the Reds to a division title. Without an opportunity at the Major League level, “Coco” took his talents overseas, signing with the Yakult Swallows, where he would become a mainstay over the next nine seasons.
In his first season with the Swallows, Balentien led the Central League with 31 home runs. The Swallows would make the Finals, but fall to the Chunichi Dragons in six games.
Two seasons later, Balentien broke Sadaharu Oh’s record of 55 home runs in a single season, setting a new record with 60. Though a later revelation proved that a livelier baseball had been used for the 2013 season, Balentien’s record nevertheless stands today. He finished his career in Japan with a triple-slash line of .266/.370/.546 with 1,001 hits and 301 home runs.
From a fringe player in MLB to the equivalent of a rock star in Japan. Must have been fun.
Hard to Swallow if I didn’t know better
Mr. Balentien’s accomplishments are very impressive! I am curious how much he made during his career in NPB, but the accomplishments are awesome whether it was less money or a lot.
I think he did pretty good money wise over there. .. I know in 2019 he earned almost 4 million for season.
That’s extremely good
Not to mention a stalwart of two very good Such teams in the World Baseball Classic.
Side note: I’d love for Baseball Reference to add a WBC stats section for players who have participated in the event.
Dutch*
Heck yeah, that 2017 team was so much fun to watch. Simmons, Bogaerts, Schoop… what an infield.
Good player. He would have probably been good in the mlb if he was an everyday player
300 HR’s including a 60 HR season is pretty remarkable regardless of which league he did it in
Even in the Mexican League. 60 dongs is quite impressive.
I was going to make a foreskin joke, but it would probably go over your head.
But this was 60 dongs with Swallows!
funny that it came out the ball was liviler, considering that year, only 3 guys hit 30+ hr’s, only 5 managed to hit 25, and exactly 1 team managed a homer per game (and they just barely did it).
his team also managed to finish dead last that season, almost 30 games out of first (and he did the 60 homers in just 130 games, pretty impressive considering he missed 14 team games and they don’t play 162 like the majors).
Would’ve been cool to see him give the MLB one final shot this year. Nevertheless, a legend in Japan.
One of my all-time favs. There’s an interview out there of him saying he tried to swing as hard as he could in the early days, and learned not to do that. Who knows how he would have done in MLB after some NPB experience, but I would have given him a chance. Also thought he was an underrated defender.
I remember that he had quite the arm. He profiled as a plus arm RF
This is why there should be an NL DH as it would give lots of solid batters or 4A guys a chance to play full time in the MLB rather than having pitchers hit abysmally.
Wladimir became a legend over in Japan. I dont think you trade that for toiling for a little while as a 16-30 range DH.
Balentien likely would have made more money in MLB in that scenario. In 2010 had there been a DH he likely would have been playing left field instead of Jonny Gomes who was atrocious defensively in 2010. He likely would have saved 20 runs defensively alone while giving up some offense from left field (gaining considerably over having pitchers hit though.) Same with Matt Murton in 2007 with the Cubs.
maybe, maybe not. pretty sure he raked in decent dough in the end and might even be famous enough to get endorsements over there.
Just what baseball needs more specialized players. Now add 15 guys that can’t field whatsoever. By the way most teams don’t even use a full time DH because teams use the spot to rest players.
If we just want more players in MLB, let’s grow to 32 teams within ten years, so we can have NL East, NL West, AL East and AL West with eight teams each.
Then we can have twelve teams in playoffs. Four division winners gets bye. Wilds cards play each other three games all at higher seeds park. (E.g. NL WC1 hosts NL WC4, NL WC2 hosts NL WC3.)
A 4A hitter refers to a guy who can hit in AAA but not in the majors. That’s the last guy you want as your DH. You’d be at a significant competitive disadvantage. The average DH position produces a 115 OPS+. AL teams use the DH to rotate their better-hitting position players through to give them a day off from the field, or to slot a good hitting but defensively challenged player.
Anytime we get stories like this it makes me want to watch “Mr. Baseball”
70-grade name
For those of us from the northeast of a very page, a Three Ring name.
*certain age (not very page)
Thanks, spellcheck.
Who?
Oh man. One of my favorite Tacoma Rainers ever. I have 2 of his autographs, was really sweet to us kids when we pestered him. Was wondering what the hell happened to him, good for him, made himself a nice career
That’s what males me sick of baseball at times. People in the front office having too much say in who plays . They have held players back too much
Who else do should decide who plays and don’t say the fans because that’s quite possibly the worst suggestion ever.
This guy had an incredible rookie season and honestly an incredible career. The babe!
Does anyone know what was the result of the domestic violence charge against him? He pled not guilty and it sounds like he locked his wife in a room but did not hit her. But in keeping with Japenese custom, he bowed to apologize to his then-team.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/wladimir-balentien-apologizes-to-fans-teammates-in-japan-for-domestic-violence-charges
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/wladimir-balentien-arrested-on-domestic-violence-charges/
Needed only four more HRs for an even 500 across all professional levels.
His hitting really took a big downturn the last two seasons. Either age caught up to him or injuries.
TRADERUMORS is really digging for stories w/this lockout continuing.
I remember seeing him in the Future Game at AT&T Park. Also remember the rumor mill about Seattle seeking trading him with Tim Lincecum. His bat in the first few years in Swallows were sensational, admittedly though Swallows’ Jingu Stadium is a very tiny field. Having earned enough at Swallows, he was forgettable in Hawks. But I’m glad that he had had a successful career after all.
How are you gonna trade him with Tim Lincecum when you only have one of those players on the team? If it was FOR, then you’re out of your mind because it would’ve never happened. And if it was rumor then it must be the only time in my life where I was completely oblivious to the rumor mill involving the Mariners. Lincecum came up almost instantly without any time in the minors and won a Cy Young as a rookie. They wouldve never trade him for Wlad.
(Correction) Sorry, not Wlads debut but that was when he was called up that for the last time.
I had such high hopes for him in Seattle. I remember that he and Jeff Clement got called up on the same day and both hit a homer in their debut against Cleveland. Too bad Wlad never panned out here. Still had a great career in Japan.
japanese hof inductee 5 yrs from now?
Same thing as the other day. Who? And why would anyone care if a guy who is playing in Japan retires? It’s not a story.
Good for him he was successful in the foreign minors. Enjoy retirement.
You do know you can scroll by article..not read it. During the lockout, not easy to find stories. Also on a local level..local team history with player can be interesting.
Just because it’s not easy to find stories doesn’t mean stories about nothing should be published.
Seems like few people on here do…by the way how much are you paying for this information again??
Didn’t Randy Bass have a crack at the single season record and they kept throwing crap in the dirt, at the backstop and at his head to keep him from breaking it?
No. I’m not googling it.