Also HCAW Snags Away a Lot of Players From Competitors

In the annual merry-go-round called the transfer period, also HCAW has roamed the Dutch hoofdklasse in an attempt to close the gap between the top two (L&D Amsterdam Pirates and Curaçao Neptunus).

In total, the club from Bussum, hired nine (!) new players which it mainly got from other hoofdklasse clubs.

Pitching:
Gio de Graauw comes from L&D Amsterdam Pirates, where he was the tormentor of Curaçao Neptunus. With Pirates, De Graauw posted a 5-2 record with a 3.32 ERA.
The other two new pitchers on the hoofdklasse roster are from the farm team of HCAW: Arjen Nijkamp and Stijn van der Schaaf.

Catching:
With Rodney Daal leaving for Quick Amersfoort and Leandro Anasagasti going to RCH-Pinguins, there is a big void that may be filled with Jair van Borkulo, who is a utility player that can play as a catcher but also in the infield and outfield.

Infield:
With the aforementioned Van Borkulo, we have mentioned one infielder already. The other two infielders that have been acquired are Thomas Maathuis (farm team of L&D Amsterdam Pirates) and Brently Martina, who batted .261 with a .312 OBP for Silicon Storks in 2021.

Outfield:
The biggest fish HCAW “caught” was Gilmer Lampe, who is coming from L&D Amsterdam Pirates as well. But for the biggest part of the season, Lampe will play for Fortitudo Bologna in Italy. Also, Quentin de Cuba is joining HCAW. Last season, he didn’t get much playing time with Neptunus, so he wanted to move to Oosterhout Twins, which Neptunus did not allow. A third outfielder that joins the club is Nathan Berkel, who is coming from Hoofddorp Pioniers. With Pioniers, he batted a modest .239 with an OBP of .295.

Coaching:
Danny Rombley has joined HCAW to become the team’s manager. He is joined by Jair Bogaerts who played for Hoofddorp Pioniers last season. Bogaerts will become the assistant coach.

Quite some players have moved elsewhere or hung up their spikes:

RHP Steven van Groningen (retired)
RHP Jack Wagner (to Quick Amersfoort)
C Leandro Anasagasti (to RCH-Pinguïns)
C/3B Rodney Daal (to Quick Amersfoort)
C/OF Dion Frank (to HCAW farm team)
2B/SS Christopher Gé (to PSV)
1B Berend Ruben (unknown)
OF Arthur Bonevacia (to Twins Oosterhout)
OF Victor Draijer (to Nettuno, Italië, but he will still be a member of HCAW)