Bergeron a welcome addition to Pioneers
by Melissa Chodan
August 19, 2005 - Canadian American League (Can-Am)
Elmira Pioneers
The Elmira Pioneers' bats have been struggling all season. Despite the constant turnover within the team, the offense has yet to come together.
The Pioneers are last in most offensive categories including team batting average, walks and homeruns. Their 9-21 record in the second half of the season has put them in last place in their division.
But for the last few weeks a power threat has slowly been developing in the middle of the Pioneers' lineup.
Designated hitter Jabe Bergeron is responsible for the offensive spark. Bergeron, 23, joined the Pioneers after being released by the New York Mets organization in July.
In 27 games with the Pioneers, he leads the team in batting (.330) on-base percentage (.376) and slugging percentage (.410).
"There are a bunch of great guys," Bergeron said of Elmira. "We're so close to putting everything together. We have a lot of individual talent but we're still trying to mesh almost. ...We're right on the cusp, I'd say."
The solid 6 foot 3 inch power hitter was originally signed by the Mets as a free agent out of Williams College in 2004, a Division III school in Williamstown Massachusetts.
During his career at the school, Bergeron, a history major, excelled in both of his passions - baseball and ice hockey. But Bergeron raised the bar in his conference dominating senior baseball campaign.
In 2004, Bergeron was named the New England Small College Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Year and a four-time first team selection.
He led the conference in most of the major offensive and power categories including: runs batted in (46), runs scores (54), homeruns (12) and total bases (121) while hitting a hefty .419.
Bergeron led his team to the conference tournament where he continued to dominate opposing pitching. He hit .400 and drove in seven.
After graduation, Bergeron eagerly anticipated the draft but was ultimately overlooked. But a short time later he received a call from the Mets offering him a contract.
He spent the majority of his time between the Kingsport Mets, a rookie-ball affiliate in the Appalachian League, and the Capital City Bombers, a single-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League.
In the minors he continued to hit for power while keeping a respectable average. He finished his first professional season with a .283 batting average, 10 homeruns and 34 RBIs.
He returned this season with the Mets and found himself in extended spring training because of a few minor nagging injuries. Towards the end, Bergeron's bat started to heat up and his average hovered near .400 before joining the class-A Brooklyn Cyclones.
But when the 2005 draft picks were signed, Bergeron said he was the odd man out and was released from the organization with out too much certainty of exactly why he was released.
"I'm still wondering myself a little bit," he said. "I guess it's just personnel. It's a money game and with the draft. I thought my numbers were pretty decent last year and they warranted a little more than I got this year."
Bergeron then turned to the Pioneers and the Can-Am League as a way to showcase his talent and ultimately resurface in affiliated ball.
And the one thing Bergeron said he has learned through all of his experiences is to stick to what you know.
"Once you start getting down then you start wondering, you start tweaking things, you go into a slump," he said "The more positive you stay, the better you're going to play. As soon as you start getting into your own head and start analyzing and thinking too much, you start changing things that didn't need to be changed in the first place."
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Canadian American League Stories from August 19, 2005
- Record Crowd of 6,223 Watch Rox Lose in 10 Innings - Brockton Rox
- Bergeron a welcome addition to Pioneers - OSC Original by Melissa Chodan
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