Sven Timmermans

Sven Timmermans

Sven Timmermans has had a long career in Belgian baseball. He debuted in 1994 with the Hoboken Pioneers and went 3 for 17 with a walk and a double. In '95, Sven hit .317/.406/.450 followed by seasons of .314/.382/.465 in 1996 and .359/.439/.500 in 1997. Switching to the Mortsel Stars for one season in 1998, he hit .333/.420/.427. Back with Hoboken for 1999, he produced at a .255/.339/.491 rate.

Timmermans had his best season in 2000 when he batted .463/.545/.866 with 40 RBI in 82 AB. Sven hit .304/.445/.627 with a career-high 9 home runs in 102 AB in 2001 and .330/.432/.460 in '02. He batted .302/.492/.419 in 2003 then was 0 for 2 for Belgium in the 2003 European Championship.

Sven's batting line for the 2004 Pioneers was .262/.453/.400, followed by campaigns of .229/.372/.257 in 2005, .195/.333/.230 in 2006 (what a dropoff from 2000!), .222/.406/.247 in 2007 and .286/.391/.389 in 2008.

Leaving Hoboken after a total of 14 seasons for the defending champion Antwerp Greys in 2009, Timmermans hit .263/.442/.305 with 32 walks (tied for second in the First Division). Antwerp's 4-year title run ended the first year Hoboken won a Belgian Series in 39 years; ironically, the year Sven switched from the Pioneers to the powerhouse Greys.