Brasschaat Braves Hires Former MLB Player as Head Coach

The new Belgian champions, Brasschaat Braves, has acquired a new head coach for the 2026 season. The new coach is not a stranger to the club as he played for the club in the 1990s.

Joel McKeon, as written above, pitched for the Braves in the 1990s. The former MLB players played for the Chicago White Sox in 1986 and 1987. In those two years he posted a combined 5.17 ERA.

With McKeon, the Brasschaat Braves may have access to American players that would normally not come to Belgium. McKeon is coming back to Brasschaat with a ship load of experience and ambition. It is a big opportunity for the Braves that he will become their head coach, as he can teach the players a lot. He will have the freedom to build his coaching staff.

With the arrival of McKeon, it means that head coach Kevin Peeters, who guided the club to their first Belgian title since 2013, will step down. He will get a different role within the club. According to chairman Dominick Rediers, Peeters will still be a key figure for the Braves. He will play a crucial role as tactical advisor and will be the mainstay of Rediers.

The arrival of McKeon is a part of a long-term perspective of the club, named Route 2035. In this long-term perspective, development of young players and international cooperation are the main pillars. The club has moved their U12 and U15 teams to Dutch competitions and will move its U21 team to the Dutch leagues as well.

Belgian Newspaper “Het Laatste Nieuws” stated: “With a solid foundation, a new head coach and a clear vision toward the future, the Braves seem to be ready to consolidate and even improve their position in Belgian Baseball, and most of all to look beyond Belgium’s borders.”

This blog post is brought to you by