Eric Joseph Langill (born April 9, 1979) is a Canadian former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player who is a

bullpen catcher The bullpen catcher is a member of a baseball team's staff, often a former professional player, who catches the ball for relief pitchers warming up before entering a game and starting pitchers before games. A bullpen catcher differentiates from a ...

for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). Previously, he had played as a catcher in the minor league organizations of the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Early life

Langill was born on April 9, 1979, in Kirkland, Quebec. He attended St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, where he graduated in 1997. As a child, he played hockey, where he was a second-line Center who was used as a face-off specialist. He grew up idolizing hockey players such as

Patrick Roy Patrick Jacques Roy (; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, executive and former player who is the head coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Roy previously served as head coach for ...

. In an interview, he attributed his passion for baseball to the

Amateur career

Langill, who was always a catcher, played baseball in his youth, ending up on the same junior team as Russell Martin, who was at the time the third baseman. Langill and Martin would later be minor league teammates. Langill did not have the opportunity to play high school baseball, but played during the summer, although his focus on it was secondary to his on hockey. After beginning school at Des Moines Area Community College, Langill now found more opportunities to play baseball instead of hockey.

Professional career

Langill was chosen by the Expos in the 34th round of the

1999 Major League Baseball draft The 1999 Major League Baseball draft, was the annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 2 and 3, 1999. A total of 1,474 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections Supplemental fir ...

with the 1020th overall pick. Langill began his professional career in the Expos system, making his debut with the Vermont Expos in 2000. He was promoted to Single-A

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...

in 2001, before being traded in the offseason to the

. Langill would play from 2002 to 2006 in the Dodgers system, mostly in AA and AAA. In 2002, Langill pitched the last third of an inning of a game for the South Georgia Waves, getting an out against the one batter he faced. At the request of Grady Little, Langill was invited to major-league Spring Training with the Dodgers in 2006, mainly to act as an extra catcher. He was sent to minor-league camp on March 8. Considered by scouts a career minor-leaguer, Langill, aside from acting as the backup catcher for the Las Vegas 51s, served largely as a mentor to Edwin Bellorín. Langill became known as somewhat of a fan favorite due to his perceived lack of athletic ability combined with his strong passion for the game. In June 2011, Langill joined the New York Mets as a bullpen catcher. On March 30, 2017, Langill started for the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas 51s, in a game against the major-league team; he led off as

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

but went hitless in the game.

Personal life

Langill has been a hockey fan since his youth. His favorite team is the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

. During 2012 Spring Training, Langill was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after failing tests conducted after a car crash he was involved in near the Mets Spring Training camp in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Langill had been out after a team bowling night and had told officers he had consumed two or three drinks. Langill had attempted to escape the scene of the collision on foot but was unable to get out of the car, a white Honda Accord, which had flipped upside-down. Langill was eventually helped out of the car through the passenger door. Langill initially told police that the incident had happened when he was cut off by another car while on the way back home from the team bowling event, which according to Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson occurred approximately three hours previously. Langill was held in prison for the night by local authorities. Afterward, Langill was suspended by the team for a week and was required to seek help from the Mets Employee Assistance Program.

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Langill, Eric 1979 births Living people People from Kirkland, Quebec Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball bullpen catchers New York Mets coaches Clinton LumberKings players Great Falls Dodgers players Jacksonville Suns players South Georgia Waves players Vermont Expos players Vero Beach Dodgers players Canadian baseball coaches 2005 Baseball World Cup players