Talk about:

• How he got nickname Bam Bam


• Sr Hensley Meulens, how did you get the SR?


• As  a kid what sports he played.


• Was baseball his favorite sport.


• Played in Japan, what he learned to make himself better.


• Favorite Japanese food.


• How many languages does he speaks, helps in coaching?


• Greatest accomplishment in the game.


• Curacao, why more MLB players per capita then any country in the world?


• What do you do to develop these special players.


• What sports kids play in Curacao.


• # games and practice Curacao kids have.


• As the New York Yankees Assistant Hitting Coach, what are your responsibilities?


• Bruce Bochy, you coached under him, things you learned.


• Boone, Yankees manager, what is he like as a manager.


• And much more to learn.

Hensley Filemon Acasio Meulens RON (Papiamento pronunciation: [ˈhɛnsli ˈmʏiləns]; born June 23, 1967), nicknamed “Bam Bam“, is a Curaçaoan professional baseball coach and retired player. He is the assistant hitting coach for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB).

A native of Curaçao, he played from 1989 to 2000 in MLB, Nippon Professional Baseball, and the Korea Baseball Organization. He was the first Curaçaoan to play in both MLB and the Dominican Professional Baseball League.^[1]

Hitting home runs left-handed while playing softball as a teenager earned Meulens the nickname “Bam Bam” when his friends compared his power to the Flintstones cartoon character.^[2]

Playing career

Early career (1985–1993)

Hensley Meulens was signed by the Yankees as an undrafted free agent in 1985. After struggling in his first professional season in 1986 with the Gulf Coast Yankees, Meulens made a splash in 1987 with Single-A Prince William, hitting .300 with 28 HR and 103 RBI, also being named to the Carolina League All-Star team. His hitting cooled somewhat in 1988 and 1989 as he split time between the Double-A Albany-Colonie Yankees of the Eastern League and the Triple-A Columbus Clippers of the International League.

His bat rebounded in 1990 for Columbus as he helped lead the team to the 1990 International League championships (where they ultimately lost to Rochester), hitting .285 with 26 HR and 96 RBI, and was named the 1990 International League MVP. Meulens’ impressive 1990 season earned him a spot on the Yankees roster in 1991,^[3] but he was back in Columbus in 1992 to help lead the Clippers to the Governors’ Cup Championship.

New York Yankees (1989–1993)

Meulens made his major league debut with the New York Yankees on August 23, 1989. Meulens never attained a permanent spot on the New York lineup, despite spending the entire 1991 season on the Yankees roster. Averaging a strike-out every three at bats, Meulens platooned in left field with Mel Hall. He saw limited action with the Yankees in late-season call-ups in 1992 and 1993.

Japan (1994–1996)

In November 1993, the Yankees sold Meulens’ contract to the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball,^[4] where he spent the 1994 season, hitting 23 home runs and driving in 69 runs while accumulating 135 strikeouts. The following season, Meulens signed with the Yakult Swallows, helping lead the Swallows to the 1995 Japan Series championship.

Back to America (1997–2002)

He returned to North America in 1997, and after an unsuccessful tryout with the Atlanta Braves,^[5][6] he reached the Majors again briefly playing with the Montreal Expos (while having a good season for the Expos’ AAA affiliate Ottawa Lynx) and Arizona Diamondbacks. Unable to secure a contract with a major league team in 1999, Meulens signed with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League.^[7] He made one last stop in Asia, playing 14 games with the SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization and batting only .196, before heading his professional playing career to the Mexican League with the Saraperos de Saltillo in 2001 and finally retiring, in 2002, after a mid-season injury while playing with the Pericos de Puebla.

International competition

Meulens represented the Netherlands at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. His 4th-inning double gave the Cuban team their first Olympic loss in 21 games.^[8] Ultimately, the Netherlands took fifth place in the final standings. He returned to the team as a coach for the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Meulens was named to serve as manager for the team during the 2013 World Baseball Classic.^[9]

Meulens also played for the Dutch team in the 2001 Baseball World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan and 2002 Intercontinental Cup in Havana, Cuba.

Coaching career

Meulens began his coaching career with the Bluefield Orioles for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. From 2005–2008, he was the hitting coach of the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates,^{<a href="https://en.wik}