Juan Pierre might have been born to play baseball.
The former MLB center fielder was raised in Louisiana but has roots in the Dominican Republic, and was named for Juan Marichal, the first man from that country elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Pierre did his namesake proud, playing 14 seasons in the major leagues and totaling 2,217 hits, 1,075 runs scored, 614 stolen bases and a career .295 batting average.
Pierre played college baseball at South Alabama, then was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 13th round of the 1998 MLB draft. The speedy Pierre reached the big leagues in August of 2000, and went on to play with the Rockies, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, winning a World Series ring as a member of the Marlins in 2003.
Now retired from baseball and living in south Florida, Pierre spoke with AL.com and WNSP Radio in early March, on the occasion of his election to the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame. This Q&A is part of a weekly series running each Thursday in which AL.com talks to relevant current and former athletes and coaches with ties to the state of Alabama.
Q: You were born in Mobile, but grew up in Louisiana, but then came back to Mobile to play at South Alabama. Take us through that process of leaving and then coming back for college.
A: "My dad was transferred (to Mobile) for work. My whole family is from Louisiana. We were there just that time when he was transferred, and then he got transferred back. I grew up in Louisiana, but coming out of Galveston Junior College, we were playing in a Pensacola Junior College tournament. And South Alabama came and looked at me and started recruiting me. I knew South was in Mobile, but didn't really follow them. I started looking things up on them and saw Lance Johnson and Luis Gonzalez, Jon Lieber, Marlon Anderson and I was like 'this is a school that can get guys to the big leagues.' That's how I came back to South Alabama. They wanted somebody who could get on base and steal bases, and that was my game. It was a match made in heaven."
Q: You played just one year at South Alabama. What are your best memories of playing for the Jaguars?
A: "There's so many. Like you said, I was only there one year, but it's a place with great tradition, from Eddie Stanky to coach (Steve) Kittrell carrying on that legacy. I learned a lot. When I got to pro ball, I was able to use a lot of things I learned at South Alabama. I had a leg up on the lot of guys. We fell one win short of getting to the College World Series, which was always a dream of mine. We were in the Clemson Regional that year and got knocked out by USC in the championship game."
Q: You had a great career as a base-stealer in the major leagues, but in that period you were playing, it was all about the home run. Do you feel like maybe you were born in the wrong era?
A: "If I had been in the 1980s with the (St. Louis) Cardinals and all those guys running on that turf, it would have been something. Coming up with the Colorado Rockies just added to it. I'm probably the only guy where playing at Coors Field hurt me more than helped me, because my (batted) balls would carry right to the outfield and be caught. It was a good era to play in, with Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa hitting home runs and bringing baseball back, but it definitely made it tougher for smaller guys like me to survive. But I just knew my game and I stuck with it, and I was able to have enough success to play 13-14 years in the big leagues."
Q: You won a World Series with the Marlins in 2003. What was that like, and what were your other great memories of playing in the big leagues?
A: "By far, the World Series was the biggest highlight as far as on the field. It's something you always dream about playing in the back yard -- No. 1, just making it to the big leagues and No. 2, playing in the World Series against the mighty Yankees. It was just good times. I remember running from center field after the last out, my whole career flashed in front of me -- from Little League, to junior college to South Alabama to all those times in the minors, playing in front of 10 people sometimes. Getting a chance to play in the World Series and actually win it was pretty cool. Getting called up to the big leagues was a big deal as well, and being noted for base-stealing, getting my 600th stolen base was pretty cool."
Q: You were involved in one of the most-famous games in baseball history, Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series vs. the Cubs, AKA the "Steve Bartman game." What was your perspective on that play, and what do you remember about it?
A: "I was on second base. When I see the (highlight) shows about 'top postseason games,' and I hear the commentary and what's going on in the dugout -- I didn't know any of that. I was trying to steal third base. Even on a foul ball like that, I was so locked in being on base I didn't even see Bartman messing with the ball. I knew Moises Alou felt like he could have caught it, and the highlights look like he could have caught it. But I was on base. It's kind of cool looking back at that game, knowing what everybody else was saying and thinking at the time."
Q: You finished your career with more than 2,200 hits, 600-plus steals, played on a World Series champion. Do you feel like you're going to get some consideration when you come up for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in a couple of years?
A: "No, no. I was a decent player, but the Hall of Fame is hallowed ground. I was just a decent player who made the most of my ability, walked away from the game with no regrets, left it all on the field. A guy I looked up to, Kenny Lofton, his numbers dwarf mine, and he didn't get any consideration. That still amazes me. I don't know why he didn't get more votes than he did. As far as me, I'll be on the ballot, so that's a good thing, a real honor just to be listed."
Q: Since you retired, you've done some TV work. What all are you doing to stay busy these days?
"No. 1, I'm a full-time husband and dad. I have three kids, with another one on the way. And I'm working down here with the Marlins as a spring training instructor. Nothing permanent or anything, but I go in and help guys out when I can. That's basically it, being Mr. Mom and helping out doing a little baseball."