Tim Van Egmond

Tim Van Egmond was a very good pitcher in high school but wasn’t highly scouted by colleges or the pros. In fact, no one showed interest. “Not one college had talked to me about playing for them, and I really thought that after the summer league of my senior year I would never play baseball again,” Van Egmond said.1

But Joe (Jabo) Jordan, the head coach at Southern Union State Community College in Wadley, Alabama, asked Van Egmond to try out for his team. He made the squad, played for SUSCC for two years, and then transferred to Jacksonville State University, leading the Gamecocks to two straight NCAA Division II championships. He was the tournament MVP both years. After college, Van Egmond played professional ball for nine years, including parts of three seasons in the majors (1994-96).

Timothy Layne Van Egmond was born on May 31, 1969, in Shreveport, Louisiana, to Betty Bryant. When Tim was about 10 or 11, Betty married Bill Cosens. Bill worked for AT&T, while Betty worked for Bank of America. Tim had one brother, a stepsister, and a stepbrother. “[Bill] treated me as if I was his own,” Van Egmond said.2

Van Egmond played football and baseball in high school for the East Coweta (Sharpsburg, Georgia) Indians. On the gridiron, he played several positions, including wingback and kicker. On the diamond, he was a right-handed pitcher. In his senior year, the Indians fell short of the playoffs, Van Egmond winning eight of 11 decisions.

During the summer of 1987, Coach Jordan auditioned Van Egmond for the junior college team; the lanky (6-foot-2, 185-pound) pitcher passed. He threw 15-20 pitches in a bullpen session and two days later received a call from the coach.

“Coach Jabo started it for me,” Van Egmond said. “That was exciting for me.”3

Years later, Van Egmond said, “Jabo changed the direction of my life at SUSCC. Baseball, and more importantly, myself personally. I cannot emphasize how influential his presence in my life changed my life.”4

Van Egmond compiled at SUSCC a 5-3 record in his first season and a 6-2 mark in his second year, including two saves, an ERA of 2.24, and 66 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings.5

That fall, Van Egmond moved an hour north to Jacksonville, Alabama, and became a member of coaching legend Rudy Abbott’s JSU Gamecocks.

In his first season at JSU, Van Egmond—known as “Iggy” to his teammates—went 8-2 with five saves. In the Division II College World Series, he pitched a complete-game shutout and notched a pair of saves as the Gamecocks won all four games and earned their first national championship. Van Egmond pitched 13 1/3 innings in the Series, allowing no runs while striking out nine for his team, which finished 43-9 for the year. “[Being named MVP] doesn’t mean as much to me as the championship does,” he said. “It’s nice and it’s an added bonus, but the team winning the title is what it is all about.”6

The Gamecocks returned to the DII World Series in 1991, the fourth consecutive trip for the Abbott-led team. In the previous two years, JSU had been knocked out in the second round in 1988 by New Haven and made it to the semifinals in 1989 before falling to the same team as the previous year.

In 1991, it took JSU five games, but they crushed Missouri Southern 20-4 in the final game for their second straight CWS crown, finishing the season with a record of 41-12. The day before the championship game, Van Egmond celebrated his 22nd birthday with a 5-2 complete game win over the University of California-Riverside, striking out 10. Once again, he was named the Most Valuable Player on the strength of his two wins, one save, and 24 strikeouts in the eight-day tournament. “This one was just as sweet,” he said of the national championship. “It was a little more relaxed than last year, but it was just as fun and just as sweet.”7

Van Egmond ended his JSU career with a record of 18-4 and six saves. He struck out 228 batters in 195 1/3 innings and compiled an ERA of 2.16. Van Egmond had multiple double-digit strikeout games, including outings with 18, 16, and 14 K’s.

Days later, the Boston Red Sox drafted Van Egmond in the 17th round, and scout Milt Bolling signed him. Van Egmond made his professional debut in the rookie Gulf Coast League with the GCL Red Sox, based in Winter Haven. There, he made two starts and a relief appearance in which he allowed only six hits and one walk in 15 innings while striking out 20. Thus, in late August, he moved up to Advanced-A Winter Haven in the Florida State League.

In his first start in the FSL, he had a no-hitter for 6 1/3 innings and finished with a complete-game one-hitter. Van Egmond pitched in 13 games (10 starts) for Winter Haven and tallied four compete games, two shutouts, and two saves. His numbers for both teams included an ERA of 2.59 and 67 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings.

In September, Van Egmond was added to the playoff roster of Advanced-A Lynchburg of the Carolina League. He pitched six innings, allowing three hits and two runs, as Lynchburg defeated Prince William 6-4 to capture the league’s Northern Division title. Unfortunately, Lynchburg was swept in three games by the Southern Division’s Kinston in the Carolina League championship the following week.

For his accomplishments at JSU the previous season, in April 1992, the Alabama Sportswriters Association name Van Egmond the Small College Player of the Year award winner.8

Van Egmond spent the 1992 season at Lynchburg. On June 1, he no-hit Prince William, striking out 10 batters in the process. “I wasn’t thinking much about it through the sixth and seventh innings,” Van Egmond said. “I figured surely they are going to get a hit somewhere.”9

Lynchburg won the Northern Division title but fell to Peninsula, three games to two, in the league championship series. Van Egmond won 12 games in the regular season, tied for fourth best in the league, and his 140 strikeouts tied for second in the league.

Van Egmond started off 1993 by marrying his high school sweetheart, Branndan Hale, on Valentine’s Day. That season, he played for New Britain (Connecticut) in the Double-A Eastern League, but his struggles paralleled those of the team, which started the year with 12 straight losses and finished the year with a record of 52-88.

Van Egmond lost his first six decisions before getting a victory on May 25. He finished the year with a record of 6-12, 3.97 ERA, and 163 strikeouts, which led the league. His 190 1/3 innings also led the Eastern League, as did his WHIP of 1.187

The Hartford Courant named him the “Unsung Pitcher” for New Britain.10 For his solid numbers, in 1994, the Red Sox added him to their 40-man roster and invited him to the big league training camp.

As spring training moved into mid-March, four pitchers were being considered for the fifth spot in the Boston rotation: Van Egmond, Nate Minchey, Gar Finnvold, and Joe Hesketh. Van Egmond impressed in his first major-league camp, allowing six hits, three earned runs and two walks in eight innings, while winning a pair of games to go with his 3.38 ERA.

In his first spring game, he struck out 1993 AL MVP Frank Thomas with a pitch on the outside corner after his previous offering backed Thomas off the plate. “Putting Frank Thomas in the book pretty quickly caught everybody’s eye in the Red Sox organization who hadn’t seen Tim before,” Pawtucket manager Buddy Bailey said after the March 6th game.11

Eventually, Hesketh won the spot and the Red Sox sent the other three to Triple-A Pawtucket in the International League, where they started the season.

In early May, Boston southpaw Frank Viola injured his elbow, and called up Finnvold to replace him. Five weeks later, the Red Sox placed Finnvold on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left rib cage muscle. They promoted Van Egmond on June 24 and scheduled him to make his major-league debut two days later against the Milwaukee Brewers. At the time of his call-up, Iggy had a record of 7-3 and an ERA of 3.92 for Pawtucket.

On a pleasant, sunny Sunday afternoon, before a crowd of 29,414, the Boston Red Sox took on the Milwaukee Brewers at Milwaukee County Stadium. The Red Sox failed to score in the top of the first inning despite a double, walk, and single.

At about 1:30 PM Central Time on June 26, Tim Van Egmond took the pitcher’s mound, threw his eight warm-up pitches, and began his big-league career. After two quick outs, BJ Surhoff drew a free pass and Kevin Seitzer singled him to second. Dave Nilsson tripled, driving in a pair, and then Greg Vaughn doubled, making it 3-0. Matt Mieske struck out swinging for the final out.

Van Egmond settled down in the bottom of the second and retired the side. Mo Vaughn singled to score Otis Nixon—who had doubled and stolen third—to cut the lead to 3-1.

After another three-up, three-down in the bottom of the third, Boston struck again in the top of the fourth. Tom Brunansky singled and Rich Rowland smacked a double to left field that scored Brunansky. Rowland advanced to third on the throw to the plate and scored on Carlos Rodriguez’s slow grounder to short to tie the game at three.

Greg Vaughn hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth to give Milwaukee a 4-3 lead.

Van Egmond kept the Brewers off the board the next three innings, allowing only a single and a walk.

An RBI single by Scott Cooper in the top of the eighth knotted the contest at four. Van Egmond got two outs and had a runner on second in the bottom of the eighth when Chris Howard relieved him. A passed ball and Nilsson’s RBI single scored Surhoff to make it 5-4, and the Brewers held on for the narrow victory.

Iggy pitched 7 2/3 innings, striking out seven while allowing five hits, five runs, and four walks, taking the loss.

Van Egmond didn’t get out of the first inning in his next start on July 1 against Oakland, and after a six inning no-decision against California on July 6, the Red Sox sent him back to Pawtucket when Boston reinstated reliever Scott Bankhead on their roster.

On July 18, he was called back up and got shelled, allowing seven runs on four hits and three walks in two-thirds of an inning in a 13-4 loss to California.

Van Egmond won two games in his next three starts, including a complete game five-hitter in a 7-2 rematch over Milwaukee at Fenway Park on July 29 for his first major-league win. He made one more start and earned his second victory at home in a 7-2 win over Toronto.

On August 4, Van Egmond and Minchey were sent down to Triple-A again, this time in anticipation of a major-league work stoppage, which occurred on August 12.

In seven starts for Boston, Van Egmond went 2-3 with an ERA of 6.34. He finished his Triple-A season with a record of 9-5 in 20 starts, posting an ERA of 3.77.

In the offseason, Van Egmond was mentioned as a possible part of a trade involving José Canseco,12 but instead Otis Nixon and Luis Ortiz were sent to Texas in early December for the slugging outfielder/designated hitter.

As the player strike continued into spring training 1995, Van Egmond worked as a bricklayer for a friend’s father in Senoia, Georgia. “I can’t afford to strike, and I can’t afford not to strike,” Van Egmond said. “I’m in a terrible position. I’m so close to the major leagues right now, but this has definitely set me back.”13 On April 2, the strike officially came to an end, with games starting in late April, and the season curtailed to a 144-game slate. (The umpires were also on strike, and the season began with replacement umps.)

Van Egmond began the season on the 15-day disabled list; he was activated on May 11 and sent to Pawtucket. He stayed there for a week and Boston recalled him a week later; he appeared in four games (one start), struggling to a record of 0-1 and ERA of 9.45. He was sent back to Triple-A and spent the remainder of the season with the PawSox, finishing the year with a 5-3 record and ERA of 3.92 in a dozen starts. In December, Boston and the right-hander agreed to terms on a minor-league contract with Pawtucket.

Van Egmond made 11 starts for Pawtucket in 1996 and was released in early June by Boston. Three days later, Milwaukee signed him as a free agent. They assigned him to New Orleans in the Triple-A American Association, where he started off with a bang. He beat Oklahoma City 3-1, hurling one-hit ball over seven innings. In his next start, he threw another seven innings of shutout ball against Indianapolis. Van Egmond had a 4-1 record for New Orleans when Milwaukee called him up in mid-July.

On July 16, he pitched a perfect inning in a 20-7 shellacking of Detroit. Van Egmond had the White Sox’s number, beating them twice in a 12-day span in late August. After his second win against Chicago, his ERA dropped to 3.64.

In the final month of the season, in three appearances, he gave up 13 earned runs in 7 2/3 innings, torching his ERA. His last big-league appearance was a start at Yankee Stadium. He lasted only 1 1/3 innings, giving up eight runs (seven earned) and taking the loss. As the curtain came down on the season, Van Egmond’s final numbers showed nine starts and three relief appearances, giving him a 3-5 record, along with an ERA of 5.27.

Van Egmond began 1997 at the Milwaukee spring training camp but they sent him down to the minor-league facility in early March. He pitched one inning in the season opener in early April for Triple-A Tucson, earning the win but injuring his elbow. Van Egmond had elbow surgery in late April and sat out the rest of the season. His record for the year was 1-0 with an ERA of 9.00.

Van Egmond pitched in the winter in the Mexican Pacific League.

Iggy was invited to Milwaukee’s spring training camp in 1998, one of 14 non-roster players among the 51-man training squad. In late February, Van Egmond made his first appearance in a game in nearly a year but got roughed up by the Padres, allowing six hits and five runs in one inning of work. He was sent down to the minor-league camp and pitched the entire season at Triple-A Louisville in the International League. There, he posted a record of 6-11 with an ERA of 4.44.

Van Egmond was a non-roster invitee to spring training in 1999 but in March he was again reassigned to the minor-league camp. He experienced back issues during the spring, and it showed, as he struggled with Louisville. After only five games for the RiverBats, he went on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain. When he returned, he was bumped down to Double-A Huntsville in the Southern League. Van Egmond made only three starts there and was sent back up to Louisville. In mid-July, the Brewers released him. For the season, his stat line showed zero wins, six losses, and an ERA of 4.54 in 10 starts and one relief stint.

After being let go by Milwaukee, Van Egmond had some Triple-A contract offers. “But I knew I wouldn’t pitch again in the big leagues,” he said. “My elbow felt great after surgery, but I had nothing on the ball but my hand. It was time to figure out what I was going to do to support my family.”14

Van Egmond began working as an outside sales representative for a company located southwest of Atlanta that sells underground water, sewer, and storm materials. “I’ve been blessed after baseball for sure,” he noted. “I happened into a job I love, and I make a good living.”15

His major-league career totals show five wins against nine losses, with a 5.96 ERA in 23 appearances, including 17 starts

He and wife Branndan have two grown sons, Tate and Tucker. They live in Gay, Georgia.

Last revised: November 13, 2024

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Tim Van Egmond for sharing comments via email and text conversations, July-August 2024.

This story was reviewed by Rory Costello and Howard Rosenberg and fact-checked by Mark Sternman.

Sources

In addition to sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com, Ancestry.com, the Jax State 2024 baseball media guide, BaseballCube.com, and the SABR BioProject.

Notes

1 Ken Patterson, “Jacksonville State Still in Limbo,” Anniston Star (Anniston, Alabama), May 21, 1991: 1B.

2 Tim Van Egmond email to author, July 22, 2024.

3 Johnny Brown, “Watch for Tim Van Egmond in the Big Leagues,” Times-Herald (Newnan, Georgia), December 24, 1993: 10A.

4 Tim Van Egmond email to author, July 24, 2024.

5 “Ohatchee’s Roberts Signs with Gamecocks,” Anniston Star, April 21, 1989: 3B.

6 Ken Patterson, “Pitching Staff Does its Job,” Anniston Star, June 3, 1990: 7B.

7 Brian Bourke, “Gamecocks’ VanEgmond Named MVP,” Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Alabama), June 2, 1991: 1B.

8 Ken Patterson, “JSU’s Van Egmond Still Receives Honors from Repeat Season,” Anniston Star, April 1, 1992: 11B.

9 Dan Sousa, “Lynchburg No-Hits Prince William, 2-0,” Potomac News (Woodbridge, Virginia), June 2, 1992: B1.

10 Desmond Conner, “Britsox Lose 5-4 in 14th,” Hartford Courant (Hartford, Connecticut), September 2, 1993: B11.

11 John McKeon, “Tim Van Egmond: Former ECHS Star Now Professional Red Sox Pitcher,” Newnan Times-Herald (Newnan, Georgia), April 30, 1994: 1D.

12 Phil Rogers, “Proposed Canseco Trade May Include Van Egmond,” Anniston Star, November 18, 1994: 7B.

13 Nick Cafardo, “Sox Players Still Toeing the Line,” Boston Globe, March 27, 1995: 26.

14 Tim Van Egmond email to author, August 3, 2024.

15 Tim Van Egmond email to author, August 3, 2024.