Veteran outfielder Juan Pierre has decided that it’s time for him to hang up his cleats. The 37-year-old Pierre, spent 14 seasons in the MLB and played with six organizations. He finished his career with 1,994 games played, 2,217 hits, 614 stolen bases, and had a career batting average of .295, not to mention one championship with the Florida Marlins. But what Pierre will be remembered for the most, is the class and work ethic he brought to each organization he was with.
From 2003-2007, Pierre didn’t miss a single game, and no matter which team he went to, he showed that he was willing to put in the effort. With the exception of Miguel Cabrera, there aren’t any players from that magical 2003 Marlins team that are still producing at a high level. Pierre’s last four seasons in the MLB were very solid and he was used significantly.
Players like Pierre are a rare breed nowadays, he was everything a team needed in a lead-off hitter. He didn’t have power or size, but he had a fantastic eye, and excellent speed, his ability to put the bat on the ball was magnificent. But watching him on the base-paths was really something special and it also helped that he was always able to get on base. Many forget how instrumental he was in the World Series against the New York Yankees in 2003. During the entire 2003 playoffs, Pierre hit .301, with 22 hits, seven RBIs, and three stolen bases.
Pierre’s best regular season was also in 2003, when he had 204 hits, 65 stolen bases, and struck-out just 35 times in 668 at-bats, all while hitting .305. As baseball fans tip their caps to a great player and great person, they’ll realize they aren’t going to be able to use anymore of the great Juan Pierre jokes everyone loved to have fun with, okay, maybe we’re all entitled to just Juan more.
Leave a Reply