Louis William Pote (born August 21, 1971) is an American 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 professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

. He played in

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) for the

Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

Early career

Pote was originally drafted by the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

in 1990. He began his professional career the following season with the

Arizona League Giants Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Four ...

, and continued to pitch in the Giants farm system until 1995, when he was traded to the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They p ...

. He was released by Montreal near the end of

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 roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

in 1997, eventually signing with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...

in August. He became a free agent at the end of the season, signing with the Angels.

Anaheim Angels

After pitching for the

Midland Angels Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, N ...

in 1998, he was promoted to the Triple-A

Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. The ...

in 1999. He was called up to the major leagues in August, making his debut on August 11. It was in 2001, while pitching for the Angels, that Pote caused mild-mannered Seattle Mariners DH

Edgar Martínez Edgar Martínez (born January 2, 1963), nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a designated hitter and third baseman for the Seattle Mariners from 19 ...

to charge the mound for the first and only time in his career.

Japan

Pote was released by the Angels in January 2003, signing with the

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...

in Japan. He spent one season in NPB before returning to North America.

Later career

Pote returned to the Cardinals prior to the 2004 season, but his contract was sold to the Indians in May. He returned to the major leagues in June, pitching in two games for Cleveland, before being released from his contract. He signed with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

organization, finishing the season with their top farm club, the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

. After spending 2005–06 in the Texas Rangers organization, Pote signed a contract with the

Edmonton Cracker-Cats The Edmonton Capitals, originally the Edmonton Cracker-Cats, were a Canadian professional independent minor league baseball team that played between 2005 and 2011 in several leagues. The Capitals are based in Edmonton, Alberta, and are currently ...

for the 2007

Northern League Northern League may refer to: Sport Baseball * Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971 * Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...

season and finished in the top 10 in pitching; he also played for the Atlantic League's

Camden Riversharks The Camden Riversharks were an American professional baseball team based in Camden, New Jersey, from 2001 to 2015. They were a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not at that time affiliated ...

. In 2008, he played for Chinese Professional Baseball League's

Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...

. In 2009, Pote returned to Edmonton with the Capitals, who at the time played in the

Golden Baseball League The Golden Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in San Ramon, California, with teams located in the western United States, western Canada and northwest Mexico. The GBL was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the organ ...

. He started the 2010 season with the

Dorados de Chihuahua Dorados de Chihuahua (English: Chihuahua Goldens) are a refounded baseball team from the city of Chihuahua. Recently, the Tuneros de San Luis moved to Chihuahua and took the Dorados namesake, which also brought the LMB (AAA) Mexican Baseball Le ...

in the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

, but pitched in just eight games before returning to the Capitals. He retired with the Capitals in 2011 after winning the NABL championship and getting the honors of MVP.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pote, Lou 1971 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Anaheim Angels players Arizona League Giants players Arizona League Rangers players Arkansas Travelers players Bakersfield Blaze players Baseball players from Illinois Camden Riversharks players Cleveland Indians players De La Salle Institute alumni Dorados de Chihuahua players Edmonton Capitals players Edmonton Cracker-Cats players Edmonton Trappers players Everett Giants players Frisco RoughRiders players Hanshin Tigers players Harrisburg Senators players Kishwaukee Kougars baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Midland Angels players Oklahoma RedHawks players People from Evergreen Park, Illinois Portland Beavers players Sacramento River Cats players Salt Lake Stingers players San Jose Giants players Shreveport Captains players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tomateros de Culiacán players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions players