Anthony Piquet

Anthony Piquet

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 183 lb.

• Born August 3, 1980 in La Guerche de Bretagne France

Biographical Information

Piquet has been a pitcher for the French national team for almost two decades; at age 27, he was the coach of the Hawks de La Guerche de Bretagne.

In the 1999 European Championship, Piquet allowed 3 runs in 4 innings but the teenager struck out 6. He tossed one shutout inning in the 2001 European Championship. He led Team France with 5 appearances in the 2001 Baseball World Cup, but totaled only 2 2/3 innings. He did not allow a run. During the 2003 European Championship, he allowed one run in one inning on 2 hits, 2 walks and a wild pitch. During the 2003 Baseball World Cup, Anthony gave up 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings on 6 hits and 5 walks. He did have the lowest ERA on the team, as his 5.79 was well ahead of the next-best, Patrice Briones at 7.11.

He has played baseball since age 7, and has played for twenty seasons with the Hawks. "I have never expressed a desire to go elsewhere because I am happy in this friendly club" he said in an interview in 2007.

He was 1-1 with a 5.91 ERA in the 2005 European Championship; while his ERA was higher than the team total (4.32), he had their lone complete game, going the distance to beat Ukraine and Oleksandr Trofimenko. During the 2007 European Championship, Piquet lost both of his decisions but his 4.76 ERA was second among French starting pitchers. He led the team with 10 strikeouts.

In Division Elite in 2008, Anthony was 7-7 but struck out 152 while walking 33 in 125 innings, allowing a .197 average and a 1.94 ERA. He was the ace of a 17-23 team and was named the best pitcher in France by voting on the ‘Baseball à la Française’ website following the campaign.

He was acquired by the Rouen Huskies in January 2010. In the 2010 European Cup, he struggled mightily (14 H, 3 BB, 13 R in 6 1/3 IP). He was much better in the 2010 European Championship. He went the distance against Ukraine, allowing two hits, four walks and two unearned runs in a complete game. He worked two other games out of the bullpen, with 2 2/3 shutout frames.

In the 2011 European Cup, he allowed only one unearned run in five innings in a loss to Dutch powerhouse DOOR Neptunus. He was 0 for 11 on offense for Rouen. He allowed 3 runs in 9 innings in the 2012 European Cup in a complete game win over CB Barcelona; he was 2 for 4 on offense in that event.

Piquet started against Germany in the 2012 European Championship and allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs (2 earned) in 5 2/3 IP, fanning four in a no-decision; Thomas Meley relieved and France wound up falling. In the 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, he relieved Meley in the 6th with a 7-0 deficit against Spain and tossed two shutout frames, scattering four hits. Thomas Langloys closed out the loss.

He returned to La Guerche for 2013-2015, a period for which they were out of French Division I at least the last couple of years, before returning to Rouen in 2016. He also returned to the national team for the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in March 2016 but did not get into a game. Grégory Cros was their only other unused hurler.

He has a daughter named Klervi, born in 2008. When not playing baseball, he works as a plumber.

Sources

• 2007 French national team roster
• Mister Baseball
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