LHP Antoine Jean, 7th round (197th) – Colorado Rockies -- Signed $200,000
Hometown: Montreal, Que.
Born: Montreal, Que.
Height/Weight: 6’ 2” 190 lbs.
Bats/Throws: R/L.
Slot Value: $311,900
School: University of Houston Cougars.
Coach: Todd Whitting.
Drafted: Minnesota Twins, 17th round of 2019 from Academie Baseball Quebec.
Rankings: Listed 458th on Baseball America’s top 500 list … 196th on MLB Pipeline’s top 250 … 191st on MLB Pipeline’s top 200 ... 311th on Perfect Game’s top 400 ... 448th on Baseball America’s top 500 ... 458th on Baseball America’s top 500.
Signing scout: Garrick Chaffee.
Previous Teams: Alabama Crimson Tide, ABC, Falmouth Commodores, Junior National Team, Bouledogue d’Édouard Montpetit, Oriole de Montreal, Rosemont A’s.
Previous Coaches: Woody Williams, Matt Reida, Ross Kivett and Sean Kenny, Brad Bohannon, Jason Jackson and Matt Reida, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Greg Hamilton, Robbie Fatal, Maxime Hockoussen and Marc-Antoine Berube, Dany Plante, Guillaume Champagne.
Most influential person in my baseball life: “Houston pitching coach Woody Williams, because he lived pretty much all the goals that I have set for my life. He is somebody that I look up to both on and off the field just because of the way he is as a person. Woody and I developed a strong level of trust from the beginning because I think we get each other. By trusting him and going to work with him every day, I was able to change the trajectory of my career on the field and also become a better person off for it. I truly love him and I know that he will be a part of my team for the rest of my career and beyond.”
Good genes: “My parents -- Pascal Jean and Aicha Malenfant -- didn’t play any sports.”
Words from Williams, the ex-Jay, who won 132 games in his 15-year career with the San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and Toronto: “The only thing I changed were the grip on his fastball and his stride. He’s been up to 96 MPH with his lengthened stride. Usually he sits at 92-94 and last year he was 92 MPH. He has four pitches: a fastball, two breaking balls and a change.”
Best day on the ball field: “Representing my country with the Junior National Team and most of my outings this year.”
Interested teams: Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels.
2025 spring with Houston _ 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 21 appearances in relief, picking up five saves ... Walked 20 and struck out 110 in 67 innings ... He finished his final collegiate season, becoming the first Cougar pitcher since 2021 to win the triple crown (strikeouts, wins and ERA) ... One of three Canuck NCAA Division-I pitchers to do so along with Blake Gillespie (Arva, Ont.) Charlotte and Santa Barbara’s Tyler Bremner, whose parents are from Mississauga ... Held opponents to a .167 batting average ... Along with fellow Cougar reliever Ryan Wagner are the only UH RP to strike out 100 or more in a single season ... Struck out five or more hitters in 12 games this season and striking out seven or more in six different games ... Ranked 17th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.50), 18th nationally in ERA and 19th nationally in strikeouts ... Was scored upon by TCU in a four-inning outing giving up three runs -- two earned -- allowing four hits, as he fanned six in the Phillips 66 Big 12 championship quarterfinal at Globe Life Field. ... Gained his fifth win of the season in a triumph over Arizona as he worked three scoreless, hitless innings as he fanned two ... Picked up the save in a win against Arizona State pitching four innings giving up a run on four hits, while striking out six ... Gained the save against Utah -- a big boy save -- pitching four scoreless giving up five hits, fanning six ... Pitched a scoreless inning in a win over Utah with two strikeouts ... Was on the mound for 6 2/3 innings against McNeese State as he allowed two runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out eight ... Bumped his record to 4-1 with five-inning outing, allowing one run against Oklahoma State as he permitted one hit and walked one, striking out eight ... Pitched two scoreless in a loss to West Virginia allowing one hit while striking out six ... Took the loss in extra innings against McNeese, he allowed one run on one walk and two strikeouts ... Gained the save in a win against Baylor with two scoreless and hitless innings, striking out five ... Moved to 3-0 pitching 4 1/3 scoreless against TCU allowing two hits and two walks, while striking out four ... Picked up his first save pitching five scoreless in a win over Central Florida as he allowed three hits and whiffed 11 ... Worked four innings in a loss to Texas Tech allowing one run on four hits and one walk, as he fanned six ... Pitched one inning in loss to Sam Houston allowing five runs -- four earned -- on four hits and a walk, while striking out three ... Retired four hitters in a scoreless appearance in a win over Grambling with three Ks ... Pitched 4 2/3 scoreless allowing one hit and a walk, striking out seven facing University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ... Worked four innings in a loss to Texas-Arlington allowing one run on two hits and two walks, while fanning seven ... Pitched 3 1/3 innings allowing two runs fanning five in a win over California ... Worked a scoreless 2/3 of an inning striking out two Minnesota Golden Gophers for his first win.
Honours: 2025 at Houston _ Made five All-American teams ... Perfect Game All-American, First Team ... Baseball America’s All-American, Second Team ... College Baseball Foundation All-America team, Pitcher of the Year semifinalist ... National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-American, Second Team, Stopper of the Year finalist and National Pitcher of the Year finalist ... American Baseball Coaches Association All-American ... Second nationally in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (14.78) and hits allowed per nine innings pitched (5.37) ... 2023 season at Alabama _ Named Second Team All-Canadian by the Canadian Baseball Network ... 2022 season at Alabama _ SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll ... Earned Freshman All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball News ... Named Third Team All-Canadian by the Canadian Baseball Network ... 2021 season at Alabama _ Canadian Baseball Network Honourable Mention ... 2020 season at Alabama _ SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll ... Freshman All-American Collegiate Baseball News ... Voted to the All-Canadian Second Team by the Canadian Baseball Network.
2024 spring with Houston _ 3-3 with 5.97 ERA in 14 starts, walked 29 and struck out 67 in 63 1/3 innings ... Only Cougar to start all 14 weeks of the season ... Led all pitchers in innings and strikeouts ... Had nine starts with at least five strikeouts, a team-high ... Fanned career-high 11 hitters in a start against Baylor ... Had three starts without allowing an earned run ... Did not allow more than two earned runs in his first six starts with a 1.33 ERA.
2023 summer with Falmouth Commodores, Cape Cod league _ 1-0, 2.79 ERA in four starts ... Had two walks and nine strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings.
2022 summer with Falmouth Commodores _ 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA walking one and striking out one in 3 1/3 innings.
2022 spring with Alabama _ 5-1 in 11 games (with six starts) and a 3.48 ERA ... Walked 16 and fanned 20 in 33 2/3 innings.
2021 summer with Falmouth Commodores _ 0-1 with a 4.19 ERA in five starts ... Had nine walks and 15 whiffs in 19 1/3 innings.
2021 spring at Alabama _ 2-1 with a 3.76 ERA in seven games (six starts) walking 16 and striking out 24 in 26 1/3 innings.
2020 spring at Alabama _ 3-0 with 3.18 ERA in four starts walking three and striking out 17 in 17 innings.
2019 season with Junior National Team, Extended Spring _ Pitched eight innings allowing four runs while walking four on nine hits and four walks, while striking out 10 ... Spring trip _ Worked six innings giving up one run on four hits, fanning three ... Dominican tour _ Worked eight innings giving up one unearned run on four hits with one walk and 15 strikeouts ... Represented home province of Québec at national championships.
2018 season with Junior National Team at COPABE U18 Pan Am Championships _ Worked 7 2/3 scoreless allowing one hit, walking three and striking out seven. Recorded final outs on the mound as Canada defeated Nicaragua to win bronze. Made debut with the Junior National Team program at the Fall Instructional League Camp ... Attended Tournament 12.
Scouting Report
Baseball America
School: Houston Drafted/Committed: Twins ’19 (17)
Age At Draft: 24.0
Jean turns 24 in August making him the second-oldest player in the class, and he’s certainly traveled an extensive road. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound lefthander out of Canada pitched parts of five college seasons—three at Alabama, then two more at Houston—along with three separate summer stints with Falmouth in the Cape Cod League sandwiched around Tommy John surgery that knocked him out for the 2023 college season. He has pitched as both a starter and reliever and settled into a multi-inning relief role as a grad student for Houston in 2025, where he earned second team All-America honors after pitching to a 2.55 ERA over 67 innings along with a 41.4% strikeout rate that ranked second among qualified pitchers. Jean has a deep array of pitch shapes and added power in 2025. His 90-94 mph four-seamer can touch 96, and he’ll mix in two-seam and cutter variants. All three of his secondaries—a mid-80s slider, upper-70s curveball and a mid-80s changeup used mostly against righties—achieved swinging strike rates of around 20% or better. Jean’s quite an appealing money-saving senior sign, who threw enough strikes in 2025 with a deep bag of tricks to earn a chance to start in pro ball with a fallback as a multi-inning relief role.