The 100 Greatest Colorado Rockies: 49 Juan Pierre

We continue our look at the top 100 Colorado Rockies of all time in this article. Here, we look at No. 49 on our list, Juan Pierre.

Juan Pierre is a Colorado Rockies original. You may remember him for his incredible speed or that he always looked like he was swimming in his uniform. But the next time you think of Juan Pierre remember he has over 2,200 hits and a career batting average of .295.

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While he only had four more home runs than years he played in the major leagues (14) you can’t knock the man. He did his job. He got on base.

Pierre was selected in the 13th round of the 1998 MLB draft out of the University of South Alabama located in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama. He made it to the majors in August of 2000 getting his first hit in his first at-bat which he said was the most embarrassing moment of his career.

Pierre truly played for the Rockies only two seasons. In his first full season in the majors he he played 156 games with nearly 700 plate appearances. He batted .327 with 46 stolen bases. The next year he hit .287 in 152 with 47 stolen bases.

The next five seasons, Pierre didn’t miss a game. Unfortunately none of them were played with the Rockies. He was traded to the Marlins with Mike Hampton for Preston Wilson, Charles Johnson,  and others. He finished his Rockies career with 4.0 Wins Above Replacement. He won the World Series his first year in Florida in 2003.

In total, Pierre played for six teams with 614 stolen bases which is good for 18th all-time. For a more complete report, SB Nation did a fantastic homage to his career through numbers that is a must read. While Pierre might not of been the greatest outfielder and hitter of all time, his numbers reflect that he deserves to be recognized as one of the top lead-off hitters in major league history. His stamina throughout his career may have produced his most impressive numbers.

Next: Colorado Rockies: What Other Baseball Writers Think About Nolan Arenado

Simply put, if Juan Pierre would have played for the Rockies more, he would be much higher on this list.

Check out the previous player in this list, number 50 Walt Weiss here.