The Dutch Baseball Softball Federation announced they would part ways with Kingdom of the Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens.
"We are grateful to Hensley for his efforts and dedication over a very long period," says Peter Kwakernaak, KNBSB Technical Director. "His ability to create a strong team spirit and take our players to the next level has given our sport unforgettable moments and successes."
Born in Willemstad, Curaçao, in 1967, Meulens played at the Major League Baseball (MLB), Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) levels. He was nicknamed Bam-Bam for his power.
He represented the Netherlands at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and served on manager Robert Eenhoorn's coaching staff at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics.
While serving as the hitting coach of MLB's San Francisco Giants, Meulens became the Kingdom of the Netherlands manager before the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He led them to back-to-back semifinals in 2013 and 2017.
He remained at the helm for 40 international matches, managing the Dutch National Teams in seven tournaments, including the WBSC Premier12 2015 and 2019 and the Tokyo 2020 Final Qualifier.
His last tournament as Kingdom of the Netherlands skipper was the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Meulens will serve as MLB's Colorado Rockies hitting coach during the 2024 season.
