Christopher Adam Leroux (born April 14, 1984) is a Canadian former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

and television personality. He played for the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

, Pittsburgh Pirates, and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) and for the

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB). Leroux also competed for the Canadian national baseball team in international competitions.

Career

Amateur career

Leroux attended St. Joseph Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario. The

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

selected Leroux in the ninth round in the 2002 MLB draft, but he did not sign. He attended

Winthrop University Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina, schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

Winthrop Eagles baseball The Winthrop Eagles baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States. The team is a member of the Big South Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic As ...

team. He also played collegiate summer baseball for the

Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie Alle ...

of the Cape Cod League in 2004.

Professional career

Minor leagues

The

selected Leroux in the seventh round of the

2005 MLB draft The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the bes ...

, and he signed. In 2006, Leroux was assigned to the

Greensboro Grasshoppers The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National B ...

of the Class A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

, where he made three starts before being injured. After a rehab assignment with the

Gulf Coast Marlins The Florida Complex League Marlins are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Miami Marlins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Marlins. The team plays ...

of the Rookie-level

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

, he was assigned to the Jamestown Jammers of the

Class A-Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

New York-Penn League. In 11 total starts, he went 0-4 with a 6.06

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA),

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...

22 in innings pitched. Leroux played 2007 with Greensboro, where in 46 appearances, he went 2-3 with a 4.14 ERA, striking out 76 in innings. Leroux played 2008 with the Jupiter Hammerheads of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Florida State League, where in 57 games, he went 6-7 with a 3.65 ERA and one save, striking out 78 in 74 innings. Leroux began 2009 with the

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Southern League, where he played until he was promoted to the major leagues by the Marlins. He had a few stints with Florida, but spent most of his time in Jacksonville, where in 46 games, he went 5-3 with a 2.70 ERA and two saves, striking out 55 in 60 innings.

Florida Marlins

On May 23, 2009, Leroux was recalled by the Marlins. He made his MLB debut three days later against the Philadelphia Phillies. He was optioned the next day when Brett Carroll was recalled. He rejoined the Marlins when

Matt Lindstrom Matthew Raymond Lindstrom (born February 11, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks ...

went on the disabled list. In his third appearance, he recorded his first MLB strikeout, which was of Cristian Guzmán. In 5 games with the Marlins, he had a 10.80 ERA with two strikeouts in innings Leroux opened 2010 with the New Orleans Zephyrs of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

Pacific Coast League (PCL), but was recalled on April 14. Leroux was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 19 with a right elbow strain. He missed 26 games, and was subsequently assigned to New Orleans. He was recalled on September 3 when the rosters expanded. Chris Leroux on August 27, 2011

Pittsburgh Pirates

Leroux was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 13, 2010. In 23 games with both teams, he went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA with 22 strikeouts in innings. Leroux began 2011 with the Indianapolis Indians of the Class AAA International League, but after a poor start, he was demoted to the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...

of the Class AA Eastern League. After a 5-game stint with Altoona, he returned to Indianapolis. On July 3, Leroux was recalled to Pittsburgh, replacing

Brad Lincoln Brad Eric Lincoln (born May 25, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, and Philadelphia Phillies. Prior to playing professionally, he atten ...

. He was optioned to Indianapolis on July 22, but was recalled 5 days later, only to be placed on the disabled list with a left calf strain 2 days after that. He was activated from the disabled list on August 22, and remained on the roster for the rest of the season. In 23 games with the Pirates, he went 1–1 with a 2.88 ERA. Prior to the 2012 season, Leroux was placed on the 60-day DL with a right

pectoral Pectoral may refer to: * The chest region and anything relating to it. * Pectoral cross, a cross worn on the chest * a decorative, usually jeweled version of a gorget * Pectoral (Ancient Egypt), a type of jewelry worn in ancient Egypt * Pectorali ...

strain. He rejoined the club as a September call-up after rehab and an assignment to the AAA Indianapolis Indians. In 10 games with the Pirates, he had a 5.56 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. Leroux made the 2013 Opening Day roster with the Pirates, but was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on April 12 after pitching in 2 games. He elected free agency on April 17, 2013.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows

On April 23, 2013, Leroux signed with the

of the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

New York Yankees

On January 27, 2014, Leroux signed a minor league contract with the

. The deal included an invitation to major league spring training. Leroux began the season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the International League. He made his Yankee debut on April 29, 2014. He was designated for assignment on May 3, 2014. He was called back up by the Yankees on July 23, 2014, but was designated for assignment two days later. He was called back up a third time on August 11, 2014 and again designated for assignment two days later. After the 2014 season, he became a free agent. After pitching two innings, he earned a 22.50 ERA, a loss, and didn't earn a win.

Later career

Leroux signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on January 26, 2015. He began the season with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the PCL. On May 18, 2015, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations. He spent the rest of the season with the

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

of the Eastern League and the

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

of the International League. On April 3, 2016, Leroux was traded to the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

for cash considerations, and assigned to the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

of the International League. He was released on August 28. After playing for the Canadian national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Leroux retired from baseball.

International career

He was selected to the

Canada national baseball team The Canada national baseball team represents Canada in international baseball. They are overseen by Baseball Canada, the governing body of baseball in Canada. Their manager is Ernie Whitt, a former Major League Baseball catcher for the Toront ...

at the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international baseball competition. It began on 5 9 and finished 5 26. Unlike in 2006, when the round-robin format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by run-difference tie ...

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike t ...

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak al ...

2015 WBSC Premier12 The 2015 WBSC Premier12 was an international baseball championship sponsored by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the inaugural event of the WBSC Premier12. It was held from November 8 to 21 in Taiwan and Japan. The South Korean ...

, 2017 World Baseball Classic, 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier,

2019 Pan American Games ; ay, Taqinipuniw anatt’apxtanxa'' , nations participating = 41 , athletes participating = 6,680 , events = 419 in 38 sports , opening ceremony = July 26 , closing ceremony = August 11 , officially opened by = Martín Vizcarra , to ...

and

2019 WBSC Premier12 The 2019 WBSC Premier12 was an international baseball championship featuring the 12 highest-ranked national teams in the world, held by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). It was the second WBSC Premier12 event. The championship ...

Pitching style

Leroux throws three pitches: a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is c ...

and two-seam fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, and a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

in the low-to-mid 80s. He also used to throw a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

to left-handed hitters, but he dropped it after the 2011 season to simplify his pitching approach.

Personal life

In 2017, Leroux was cast as the Bachelor on '' The Bachelor Canada''.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leroux, Chris 1984 births Living people Altoona Curve players Bachelor Nation contestants Baseball people from Quebec Baseball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Baseball players at the 2019 Pan American Games Bradenton Marauders players Canadian expatriate baseball players in Japan Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States Canadian people of French descent Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Falmouth Commodores players Florida Marlins players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Gulf Coast Marlins players Gulf Coast Yankees players Indianapolis Indians players Jacksonville Suns players Jamestown Jammers players Jupiter Hammerheads players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Canada Navegantes del Magallanes players Canadian expatriate baseball players in Venezuela New York Yankees players New Orleans Zephyrs players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pittsburgh Pirates players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Baseball players from Montreal Tokyo Yakult Swallows players Toros del Este players Canadian expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Winthrop Eagles baseball players World Baseball Classic players of Canada 2009 World Baseball Classic players 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2015 WBSC Premier12 players 2017 World Baseball Classic players 2019 WBSC Premier12 players Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games