Erwin Maes

• Throws Right

• Born October 8, 1982

Biographical Information

Erwin Maes played in the First Division and for the Belgian national team.

Maes debuted with the Antwerp Royal Greys in 1998, going 3-0 despite a 9.62 ERA and 33 BB in 29 IP. He hit .200/.261/.300 and fielded .905. In 1999, he was 0-2 with a 15.43 ERA for the Namur Angels but improved his hitting to .327/.439/.509. He made Belgium's team for the 1999 European Championship and was used as a pitcher exclusively despite his rough season on the hill. He allowed six walks and four runs in 3 1/3 IP; only Tom Daniels had a higher ERA for Belgium.

Still only 17, he was 7-3 with a 5.61 ERA for the 2000 Royal Antwerp Eagles and batted .397/.451/.699. He tied for third in wins, was third in K (59) and was 4th in ERA (between Norman Caes and Alwin Van Maanen) in the high-offense aluminum bat league. In 2001, he improved to 8-3, 4.59 for Antwerp, handling 50 chances error-free and producing at a .473/.529/.857 with a career-high nine homers. He was 4th in ERA, 3rd in IP (80 1/3), tied for second in wins (one behind Joeri Loykens), 3rd in K (82, behind Matt Nanninga and Terrence Antonacci), 10th in hits (43), 3rd in RBI (38, behind Tonny Verhaert and Kim Wybo), tied for 4th in homers, 7th in total bases (between Wybo and Loykens), 7th in average and 6th in slugging as a fine two-way threat. He got one start in the 2001 European Championship, beating Andreas Karlsson and Sweden with four runs (one earned) in 5 1/3 IP; [{Dave Eyckholt]] closed it out.

He won his first pennant in 2002. Now playing for the Brasschaat Braves, he was 5-0 with a 3.71 ERA and hit .392/.456/.569. When the Braves repeated in '03, he batted .306/.367/.500 and had a 2-2, 5.16 record. In the 2003 European Championship, he allowed one run in three innings; only Dennis van Hoof had a better ERA for the Belgian squad. In 2004, his batting line for the champion Braves was .313/.377/.552 and he tied for fifth in homers (4) but he no longer pitched. In 2005, he was 2-1 with a 2.19 ERA and batted .337/.409/.695. He tied for 5th in RBI (26), tied for 6th in doubles (7), was second with nine homers and ranked third in slugging. While he did not make the ERA qualifiers, he was third among hurlers with 20+ IP in that department.

The right-hander was at .340/.422/.450 for the Braves in 2006 and was pitching less (2.35 ERA in 7 2/3 IP). He was 5th in RBI (25). In '07, he had a 0-2, 3.86 record. During 2008, he allowed two runs (one earned) in 1 1/3 IP and was 5 for 17 with a double, homer and 5 walks. The next year, he only played the field, batting .304/.333/.478. In 2010, he hit .298/.365/.660. He did not play enough to qualify, but only three players with 50+ plate appearances had higher slugging percentages. That appears to have been his final season.

Sources

• Belgian Baseball and Softball Federation
• International baseball statistician Harry Wedemeijer