Louis Keith Collier (born August 21, 1973) is an American former professional baseball

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from through . He was selected by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

in the 31st round of the

1992 Major League Baseball draft The 1992 Major League Baseball draft took place on June 1, 1992, through a conference call involving all 28 MLB teams of the time. Phil Nevin of Cal State Fullerton was the first overall selection, chosen by the Houston Astros. Derek Jeter, select ...

. Collier batted and threw right-handed.

Professional career

In , Collier was selected as the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the South Atlantic League's all-star game after leading the National League affiliate teams to a 9–5 victory with three

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

, including a home run. He reached the Majors in 1997 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, spending two years with them before moving to the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

(-), Montreal Expos (), Boston Red Sox () and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

(2004). In with Pittsburgh, he posted career-highs in

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

(110), hits (82), runs (30),

RBI RBI most often refers to: *Reserve Bank of India *Run batted in RBI may also refer to: Organisations *Radio Berlin International *Raiffeisen Bank International *Reed Business Information *Restaurant Brands International *Ruđer Bošković In ...

(34), doubles (13) and

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

(6). In 315 major league games, Collier was a .241 hitter with eight home runs and 78 RBI. In , he was invited by the Philadelphia Phillies to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

after spending two seasons with the LG Twins and Hanwha Eagles in

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ko, 한국야구위원회) is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League ( ko, KBO 리그) and KBO ...

. On June 1, 2007, as a member of the Ottawa Lynx, Collier announced his retirement from professional baseball. In , he was listed as a Chicago-based scout for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

Personal life

Collier's son, Cam, is a baseball player. He was drafted in the first round, 18th overall, by the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in the

2022 Major League Baseball draft The 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft took place on July 17–19, 2022, in Los Angeles. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. The draft order was based on the reverse order of the 2021 ...

References

External links

Lou Collier
at Baseball Almanac
Lou Collier
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)
Lou Collier
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collier, Lou 1973 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Augusta GreenJackets players Baseball players from Chicago Boston Red Sox players Calgary Cannons players Carolina Mudcats players Hanwha Eagles players Huntsville Stars players Indianapolis Indians players Kansas City Royals scouts KBO League infielders KBO League outfielders Kishwaukee College alumni Kishwaukee Kougars baseball players LG Twins players Louisville RiverBats players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Milwaukee Brewers players Montreal Expos players Ottawa Lynx players Pawtucket Red Sox players Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Salem Buccaneers players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Triton College alumni Triton Trojans baseball players Welland Pirates players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople