| Martijn Meeuwis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:14 July 1982 Moergestel, Netherlands | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Martijn Meeuwis (born July 14,1982) is a Dutch former professional baseball player who played for Neptunus and the Dutch national team.[ citation needed ]
Meeuwis debuted with the Twins Sport Club in 1999 as a teenager but did not return to the Hoofdklasse again until 2004,when he became a full-time player.[ citation needed ] When the Twins were relegated,Meeuwis moved to HCAW. In 2005,he hit .184/.266/.233 as a regular outfielder. In 2006,he was the club's regular center fielder,though he also filled in at second base. He hit .304/.377/.402 and led the league in triples (5).[ citation needed ] In 2007,Meeuwis really blossomed after joining DOOR Neptunus. He hit .301/.394/.500 with 37 RBI in 39 games while returning to catcher,his original position.[ citation needed ] He threw out 19 of 35 would-be base-stealers. He was 7th in 2007 Hoofdklasse in batting average,third in home runs (6) and second in RBI (six behind leader Tjerk Smeets).[ citation needed ] He was named as one of the three finalists for the league MVP award alongside Fausto Álvarez and Danny Rombley;Álvarez won.[ citation needed ]
Meeuwis joined the Dutch national team when Johnny Balentina,another C-OF,was injured.[ citation needed ] He was part of the team's historic first visit to the United States,which included a win over the college edition of Team USA.[ citation needed ] He played also in the 2007 World Port Tournament,going 1 for 6. Balentina was back with the team for the 2007 European Championship but Meeuwis replaced him once more for the 2007 Baseball World Cup.[ citation needed ] He was 3 for 10 with 2 walks and a double in the World Cup that year,helping fill in for CF Roger Bernadina.[ citation needed ] He had a key role in the Dutch win over host Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals. En-Yu Lin had retired 13 batters in a row and held a 2-0 lead when Meeuwis walked and came around to score on a hit by Reily Legito.[ citation needed ] Gregory Halman later replaced Meeuwis in center in that game. Meeuwis hit .231/.375/.231 in the 2008 European Cup in Regensburg.[ citation needed ]
Meeuwis was selected by coach Robert Eenhoorn for the team that represented the Netherlands at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. [1]