Joris Bert
Encyclopedia
Joris Bert is a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

 baseball player who plays center field. He bats left and throws left. He is nicknamed "Frenchie" by his teammates.

Biography

He started playing baseball as a child when he arrived late to a soccer practice one day. He noticed some children playing baseball in the next field, and went to join them; he enjoyed the game and has been interested in the sport ever since then.

Educated in Louviers, and then at the Institut national du sport et de l'éducation physique (INSEP), Joris played on the field as both a pitcher and an outfielder. Arriving in Rouen after having improved his game with the Woodchucks of Bois-Guillaume of the Division Élite, he won the 2006 French baseball championship while playing for the Rouen Huskies. In July 2006, he was the second runner up for the Europe Espoir prize while playing with the French national team.

A quick runner with a strong arm, he moved to Texas in January 2007 to play ball for Frank Phillips College of the NJCAA. He led his team with in RBIs and stolen bases (42 in 49 games). Major League Baseball recruiters became interested in him during the 2007 draft, and on June 8, 2007, he became the first French baseball player in history to be drafted by a Major League Baseball franchise. He was selected during the 19th round (596th overall) of the 2007 player draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

.

From June 12–16, 2007, the played in the European Baseball Cup in Saint Marin with the Huskies, winning the second place European Championship.

His Minor League debut was on July 27, 2007 with the Gulf Coast League
Gulf Coast League
The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...

. During this first game as a GCL Dodger, he scored one run against the GCL Marlins.

As a member of the French national baseball team
France national baseball team
The French National Baseball team represents the French Federation of Baseball and Softball in international competitions, such as the European Baseball Championship or the World Cup of Baseball.-History:...

, he was selected to play in the Beijing tournament from August 15–24, 2007 and he also played in the European Championship from September 5–16, 2007.

He was recruited with a starting bonus of 25 000 Euros, and now makes a monthly salary of 800 Euros.

Joris had visa problems upon arrival in the US, but has able to play in the Gulf Coast League. He has quickly adapted to the new culture; he speaks fluent Spanish, and has integrated well with his international teammates. The Dodgers expect action from him, and he is rapidly learning the finer points of hitting. According to a New York Times report, his parents have not come to see him play in the US, "They don't understand", he says.

He was released during the 2009 season.

Sources

This article draws heavily on the :fr:Joris Bert article in the French-language Wikipedia, which was accessed in the version of September 5, 2008.

sources quoted here are also quoted in the French Wikipedia article of the same name

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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