Lars Huijer
Dutch baseball player (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lars Huijer (born 22 September 1993) is a Dutch professional baseball pitcher for the Amsterdam Pirates of the Honkbal Hoofdklasse and the Netherlands national team.
| Lars Huijer | |
|---|---|
| Amsterdam Pirates | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: 22 September 1993 Haarlem, Netherlands | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
Professional career
Huijer debuted as a professional with the Hoofdoorp Pioniers in 2010, also pitching for the club in 2011.[1]
Huijer signed with the Seattle Mariners in June 2011 for $170,000.[2][3] He was named the Northwest League All-Star and Pitcher of the Month for August 2013 while playing for the Everett AquaSox.[4][5] He advanced in the Mariners' farm system to the High-A High Desert Mavericks before he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Mike Kickham in January 2015.[6] He retired from American baseball that March.[7]
Huijer then returned to pitch for the Pioniers, staying with that club until 2020.[1] In September 2020, he joined German baseball club Heidenheim Heideköpfe.[8] He returned to the Hoofdklasse in 2021, joining HCAW in Bussum.[1] Huijer said he almost retired after the 2024 season, citing a heavy workload and the loss of funding for baseball from the Dutch government, but returned to HCAW in June 2025.[9] He only pitched in 6 games that season, his fewest except for the COVID-19 pandemic shortened 2020 season.[1] After the season, he and many of his teammates transferred to Amsterdam Pirates, citing issues with HCAW's board.[10][11]
Huijer was named the best pitcher in the Hoofdklasse in 2019,[12] 2021, 2022, and 2023.[13]
International career
Huijer has played for the Netherlands national baseball team in several international tournaments. He played in the 2016 European Baseball Championship, held at his then-home field in Hoofdoorp,[14] 2019 European championship,[15] Africa/Europe 2020 Olympic Qualification tournament and Final Qualifying Tournament,[16][17] 2021 European championship,[18] 2023 European championship,[19] and 2025 European championship.[20]
He has also played for the Netherlands at the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC),[21] 2023 WBC,[22] and 2024 WBSC Premier12.[23]