Wim Crouwel

Wim Crouwel was a longtime Dutch baseball star, playing for OVVO. He was with the Dutch national team from 1961-1974, helping them to six European Championships (including the 1962 European Championship and 1965 European Championship). The catcher represented the Netherlands in 84 games on the international stage. Crouwel won Hoofdklasse batting titles three times. He led in 1967 when his .490 broke Boudewijn Maat's mark by .039 - the record would stand for six years. He then led in 1971 (.416) and 1972 (.395). In 1967, he also led with 7 home runs. He lost MVP honors in '67 to Ade Fijth.

Crouwel later became a physical therapist, working with Dutch soccer, tennis and hockey clubs. His son Mike Crouwel also won a Hoofdklasse batting title and a home run title; unlike Wim, Mike also took home MVP honors.

Sources

• Dutch Wikipedia entry
• Honkbalgids 2000 by Marco Stoovelaar