The first player from the Netherlands to suit up for the Winnipeg Goldeyes, Arij Fransen joined the club after representing the Netherlands in both the 2023 and 2026 World Baseball Classics. His international teammates have included former Winnipeg player Dayson Croes and current Goldeyes infielder Ray-Patrick Didder.

Arij began his professional career at just 18 years old, first pitching in the Dutch Major League with Honkbalclub Allen Weerbaar in 2019 and 2020 before returning to the club again in 2021. The Cincinnati Reds organization signed him prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, though his first season in the United States did not come until 2021.

From there, Arij steadily climbed through the Reds system, spending significant time with High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga before reaching Triple-A Louisville in 2024.

His international career has also taken him onto some of baseball’s biggest stages. During the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Arij pitched against Chinese Taipei in Taiwan before a crowd of more than 22,000. Three years later, he started for the Netherlands against the Dominican Republic in Miami, pitching in front of more than 32,000 fans in an atmosphere dominated by Dominican supporters.

Those experiences, combined with his years in affiliated baseball and the Dutch professional ranks, have given Arij a broad baseball background that stretches from Europe to North America and the international stage.