With the expansion of the roster on September 1, Detroit Tigers catcher Max St. Pierre finally got the promotion he has been waiting for since he started playing baseball. St. Pierre, a native of Quebec, grew up speaking French and did not begin playing baseball until he was 10 years old. In 1997, St. Pierre was drafted in the 26th round of the MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. Since then, St. Pierre has traveled around the minor leagues. He has spent every year of his career in the Tigers organization except for 2007, when he played in the Brewers farm system.
St. Pierre has had many ups and downs in his minor league career, especially with his hitting. St. Pierre had struggled as a hitter for his first 13 years in the minors, but something clicked in the 2010 season. Before his promotion, St. Pierre was hitting .300 with five home runs and 22 RBI in Tripe-A. St. Pierre’s defense was what has kept him around for so long in the minor leagues, but with upgraded hitting, the 30-year-old catcher finally got called up to the MLB.
St. Pierre said that when he heard of his promotion, he got the chills and his goosebumps lasted for about an hour. “It’s never been about the money,” he told MLB.com. “It’s always been about a dream. I want to get there, and I want everybody back home to see.”
St. Pierre is yet to get into a game and is not in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Royals, but Tigers manager Jim Leyland promised that St. Pierre would play before the end of the season.
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