Gregory Halman, baseball player at Seattle Mariners, has been stabbed to death in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Gregory Halman, 24, the Seattle Mariners outfielder, died in the early hours of this morning, police and the player’s family have confirmed.
Gregory Halman’s brother has been arrested in connection with the incident.
A spokesman for Rotterdam police said: “A 24-year-old died this morning in a stabbing and we have arrested the 22-year-old brother of the victim.”
Gregory Halman was a Dutch national, born in Haarlem, Netherlands.
The outfield player made his debut aged 16 in 2003 with the Dutch major league team of Corendon Kinheim in his home town of Haarlem.
When he was 17 and right of out high school, Gregory Halman moved to the U.S. after signing with the Seattle Mariners in June 2004.
Gregory Halman was one of the country’s most successful baseball exports and rose steadily through the Major League ranks before hitting the big time in 2010.
He appeared in 44 MLB games for Seattle and helped the Netherlands win the European Baseball Championship in 2007.
In 2009, Gregory Halman earned the “best power hitter” tag and “best athlete” in the Mariners.
When not playing for the team, Gregory Halman had helped boost baseball in Europe by holding coaching sessions with youngsters.
He was a graduate of Mendel College, Holland, and spoke four languages.
Gregory Halman’s father, Eddy, and brother, Jason, had also played on the Dutch national baseball team.
His sister, Naomi Halman, is a professional basketball player in Europe.
Gregory Halman had previously admitted it was a struggle leaving his “supportive” family behind to live in the United States.
“It was hard coming from a big family with love around you,” Gregory Halman said in an interview with Tacoma Weekly last year.
“But playing baseball was always my goal, so when I was feeling homesick I would tell myself this is what I always wanted to do. It was tough.”
Gregory Halman was seen as a power-hitting prospect, especially after hitting 33 home runs in 2010 at the team’s Triple A team in Tacoma.
Last season, he hit .230 with two home runs and six RBIs in 35 games with the Mariners last season.
