Historically, Mets fans don't impress easily, but their latest acquisition deserves a big “Quel bonheur!” (A French phrase used to express happiness, joy, delight.) Traded with Aidan Smith (NYM No. 14) and Gary Gill Hill (No. 19) for Freddy Peralta last weekend, French-Canadian Émilien Pitre is already putting his stamp on Double-A Binghamton after an unlikely journey.
Pitre, the club's No. 17 prospect, grew up in Quebec with French as his first language. In a country whose national pastime takes place on the ice and not the diamond, he was initially drawn to ... soccer? Ultimately, the challenge of putting bat to ball won him over, making him a bit different than his peers.
“I was really the outlier not playing hockey, but my focus was solely on baseball and I’m glad I did,” Pitre said to Double-A Binghamton play-by-play broadcaster Matt Levine earlier this week.
The possibility of playing for an American college didn’t occur to him until he was 16 and participating in travel ball for the first time. Bedecked in matching polos, his team traveled south to Massachusetts, Florida and Georgia, where he caught the eye of University of Kentucky coaches. The additional exposure also led to a summer with the Elmira Pioneers of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, a mere 50 or so miles away from Binghamton.
“It was my first time living on my own with people who don’t speak my first language,” Pitre said of the experience. “It was definitely a fun opportunity right before going into college.”
COMPLETE METS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Pitre became a mainstay of the Wildcats lineup during his sophomore and junior seasons and an even greater asset in the infield. He was drafted by the Rays in the second round and has been impressive across his first three pro seasons.
The 23-year-old reached Double-A on June 11 and batted .323 with a .943 OPS with Montgomery. Since joining Binghamton earlier this week, he hasn’t missed a beat. Just four games into his time as a Rumble Pony, he already has three multihit performances. Overall, he's been a .312 hitter with a .437 on-base percentage, drawing 70 walks while striking out just 41 times.
Should Pitre make his way to Queens, he wouldn’t be the first Québécois to don the blue pinstripes. Ray Daviault was an original Met, appearing in 36 games during the club’s inaugural season. It’s safe to assume that Pitre could have more staying power. In the meantime, he’s still honing his skills to maximize his potential:
“There’s no perfection, but I’m trying to get as close as possible to it every single day.”