Martin Jole

Martin Arjen Jole

• Bats Left

• Born November 4, 1930 in Den Helder, Noord-Holland Netherlands
• Died February 18, 2004 in Haarlem, Noord-Holland Netherlands

Biographical Information

Martin Jole was a shortstop and third baseman in the Netherlands in the 1940s and 1950s. He grew up in Haarlem and joined the local team, SC Haarlem in 1948. Known as a power hitter, his dream was to play in North America, something no countryman had done at the time, and he managed to secure a tryout with the Cincinnati Reds in the spring of 1953 after writing directly to manager Rogers Hornsby. On January 17th, the Reds announced that they had agreed to have him try out for one of their farm teams, the Columbia Reds of the South Atlantic League. He failed to make the team and returned home after that. It would not be until Win Remmerswaal in the 1970s that a Dutch player would make it to US pro ball.

He later played for a number of other teams in the Netherlands, including HHC Haarlem and EHS Haarlem. In 1957, he was named the top hitter in Hoofdklasse Honkbal. He did some pitching as well in his later years. His playing career ended in 1961 and in 1962 he became a coach for ADO.

He was a regular member of the Dutch national team, and took part in the European Championships in 1956, 1957 and 1958, being on the winning side all three times. He was the team's manager in 1959, when no European Championships were held.