Juan Pierre

JUAN PIERRE - COLORADO ROCKIES
Center Field
Age: 24 (August 14, 1977)
Height: 6-0 Weight: 180
Throws: Left Bats: Left



History

Juan Pierre was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 13th round of the 1998 amateur draft out of South Alabama. Pierre was a star for South Alabama, posting an impressive .373 average while swiping 54 bases in his senior season. Pierre has been impressive throughout his professional career, and has posted above-average statistics at every level he has played at.

Pierre started his minor league career at Class-A Asheville, where he spent the entire 1999 campaign. It was there that it became apparent to the Rockies that Pierre was a steal in the 13th round. At Asheville, Pierre hit .320 with 66 steals in 87 attempts. He hit 28 doubles and 5 triples in 585 at-bats. While he failed to show over-the-fence power, his gap power was significant and Pierre struck out less than he walked.

From there, Pierre advanced to Class AA in 2000, where he hit .326 and stole 46 bases, while maintaining his low strikeout rate. Pierre advanced to Class AAA, where he hit .471 in 4 games. The Rockies decided to promote Pierre to the big leagues, where he impressed coaches with his .310 average. However, Pierre stole only 7 bases in 13 attempts, and showed even less extra-base power than he had in the minors. In all, Pierre accumulated 656 at-bats during the 2000 campaign, an extremely high workload for the 21-year old.

More impressive was Pierre’s 2001 season with the Rockies, when he hit .327 and stole 46 bases in 63 attempts. Over 617 at-bats, Pierre accumulated 202 hits, 41 walks, and 29 strikeouts. He also hit 2 home runs and drove in 55 runs while scoring 108 times.

His Game

Pierre has drawn comparisons to Tom Goodwin, due to his ability to hit for average and steal tons of bases. Pierre’s game does have its flaws, however, as he has poor stealing technique, very little power, and he draws very few walks.

Nonetheless, Pierre is one of the top outfielders in the National League. His work ethic is amongst the best in the league, and he’s constantly spending time in the weight room and on the field. He is ideal for the leadoff spot – he rarely strikes out, has top speed, hits for average, and plays in Coors Field. Despite his lack of home runs and RBIs, Pierre is a great fantasy option for those in need of steals, average, and runs.

2002 Expectations

Going into the 2002 season, Pierre was expected to come close to, or match his 2001 statistics. His high stolen base totals and solid average had many owners salivating over a chance to acquire Pierre. Most fantasy owners were expecting a .310-.320 average, with 100 runs and 40-50 stolen bases. Has Pierre met his projected numbers?

A step back

After signing a four-year, $7.5 million contract extension in mid-March, Pierre has dropped off from the numbers he put up during the 2001 season. His numbers to date are disappointing: Pierre has a .270 average with 24 stolen bases in 32 attempts. He has drawn only 15 walks and struck out 32 times in 330 at-bats, which represents a decline in plate discipline in previous seasons.

Pierre has shown even less power from previous seasons, accumulating 9 doubles, 2 triples, and no home runs in 80 games. His 15 RBIs are amongst the lowest in the league for players with 50+ games played, and his slugging percentage is a meager .309.

June has caused the most problems for Pierre so far. His average has gone from .266 in April, to .285 in May, and back down to .230 in June. More troublesome is Pierre’s declining plate discipline, which has gotten worse as the season wears on. Expect Pierre to spend a great deal of time working to correct this problem, and don’t be surprised to see a sudden spike in his overall production.

There are two explanations for Pierre’s anemic play. The first is the humidor, which the Rockies are using to limit offensive production in Coors Field. Total runs scored have been reduced by two-thirds from previous seasons, and it could be hurting Pierre’s production. The psychological effect of the humidor could be more responsible for Pierre’s decline in his offensive production than the actual physical effect of the humidor.

The second possibility offered by baseball observers towards Pierre’s slump is the “sophomore slump”. Each year, players in their second year in the big leagues are unable to adjust to the changes opposing players have made to them, resulting in weaker overall production. If this is the reason for Pierre’s decreased production, don’t expect his slump to last. Pierre is hard working and intelligent, and will surely make adjustments to opposing pitchers soon.

Fantasy Spin

While Pierre proved the majority of his critics wrong with a solid 2001 campaign, a few of his doubters still believe Pierre should be no more than a fourth outfielder. This speculation is not only premature, but also unnecessary. Pierre has shown he can be a successful major leaguer and had produced outstanding statistics throughout his professional career. His work ethic is rare, and he will undoubtedly recover from his recent slump. Look for Pierre to soon prove his critics wrong by answering with even better numbers than those he posted during the 2001 campaign.

Whether the humidor, sophomore slump, or another unknown force is behind Pierre’s decline in 2002, expect it to soon be corrected. Pierre simply has too much talent to continue to play poorly, and his work ethic is undeniable. Expect Pierre to begin to recover by later this season, and by 2003 expect Pierre to begin producing numbers of .325 with 60+ steals for years to come.

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- Richie Madden (Indians Local Reporter)