From Quebec to Kentucky: ‘Self-made’ Rays pick’s road to Draft

Revue de Web

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter, le 16 juillet 2024

ST. PETERSBURG — Growing up in Repentigny, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, Émilien Pitre admitted he was “kind of the outlier.”He never played hockey.

Pitre’s first word was “ball,” his parents tell him. He preferred soccer and baseball to hockey. Nobody in his family played baseball, but he relished the challenge. He loved hitting. He wanted to follow his dream of playing professionally.

That dream became a reality on Sunday night, when the Rays selected the Canadian second baseman with the 58th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Pitre’s unusual path has already taken him from Quebec to the University of Kentucky, and he hopes it will one day lead him to the Rays.

“The Rays are an awesome organization,” he said Monday afternoon, “so I’m super happy to be part of it.”

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The Rays were similarly thrilled to land Pitre (whose name is pronounced AH-meel-ee-in PEE-tree), who was ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 173 Draft prospect. Amateur scouting director Chuck Ricci praised the 21-year-old for his contact skills at the plate, emerging power, baserunning and infield defense, believing he “fits the mold of the complete player” the Rays desire.

“Very self-made player,” Ricci said.

An unlikely one, too.

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Revue de Web publié par Jacques Lanciault.