C Raphael Pelletier, 25th round (745th overall) - Texas Rangers

Photo: Jacques Lanciault

With their 25th round (745th overall) pick, the Texas Rangers have selected C Raphael Pelletier.

Hometown: Mascouche, Que.

Bats/Throws: Left/Right

Height/Weight: 5’ 11” 150 lbs.

College Commitment: TCU

Teams: Academy Baseball Canada, Canadian Junior National Team

Coach: Rob Fatal.

Hometown roots: Comes from the same town as former Cy Young award winner Eric Gagne. Said Pelletier: “When I was real young our house was near his.”

Previous Teams: Titans de Tétraultville, Dragon de Laplaine, Elite de Lanaudiere, Bouledogues Édouard Montpetit

Previous Coaches: Guy Roy, Xavier Trépanier, Danny Plante, Luis Argumedes, Patrick Daoust.

Most influential person in his baseball life: Patrick Daoust.

Scout: Takeshi Sakurayama

2018 season: Part of the Quebec team at the Canada Cup in Moncton ... Competed at Tournament 12 ... ABC won three Perfect Game tourneys south of the border in North Carolina in June and two more in Texas at the end of July ... Pelletier’s best game was in a final when he went 3-for-4 with a double, two singles and threw out two runners attempting to steal. ABC beat Canes Nation 2020, ranked No. 5 in North America.

2016 season as a bantam: Made the nationals and earned a silver at Summerside, PEI ... He hit .231 (3-for-13) with an RBI. Also made the nationals as a peewee.

Recruiting tour: Impressed assistant coach Kirk Saarloos to earn a scholarship offer from the TCU Horned Frogs. Saarloos played seven seasons with the Oakland A’s, Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds and he saw Pelletier twice: at the TCU tournament in Fort Worth at Lupton Stadium and again later at Indianapolis. Since 1999 the only player we recall going to TCU was Vauxhall grad Jeremie Fagnan (Calgary, Alta.) as a JUCO transfer.

Favourite player: C “Yan Gomes “I cheer for players mostly, not teams.” Yadier Molina and Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.) would be next best

Special place in history: Before Kip Fagg, senior director of amateur scouting, a hire from the Sandy Johnson days many years ago, announced the Rangers 25th pick he dedicated it to the late Dallas Morning News ball scribe Gerry Fraley. A class move by the the Rangers, GM Jon Daniels and Fagg. Few respected scouts or loved draft day more than Fraley.