Outfielder Frédéric Hanvi has already had a remarkable career in French baseball. Baseball TV France met up with him.
BTVF: Who are you, Frédéric Hanvi?
I started playing baseball at 10 years old with the Cougars de Montigny. I’m the second French player to sign a professional contract with an MLB organization, the Minnesota Twins. During my career, I’ve played in the USA, Japan, Canada, Australia, and France. Now I play for the Templiers de Sénart and hope to be selected for the European Championship in September.
BTVF: Japan has become a big part of your life. Tell us about your story with this country.
I started getting interested in Japanese baseball when I was still at the Pôle France in Toulouse. I played in D1 with the Stade and our manager was Japanese. It was through training with him and learning how they play there that I wanted to go. A few years later, I spent my first stay in Japan with him and had the chance to train with semi-pro teams like the Nomo Baseball Club and corporate teams. This made me want to join a team there. Later, I joined the Gunma Diamond Pegasus and the Kochi Fighting Dogs.
BTVF: You play for the French national team. What do you think are the areas for improvement for this team?
I don’t know yet if I have a spot on the French national team. There are many young players at my position who have talent, so I’ll have to work hard to be selected for the European Championship. As I said, there is a lot of talent on the team, but there is especially a lack of international experience. Playing international matches is at a different level than playing in D1 or in college, so I would like to see more young players try their luck in foreign championships, play many more matches in a season, and learn international baseball. I would like to see a boost in confidence and a bit of selfishness within the group.
BTVF: Your vision of baseball is international. Do you think France could one day fall in love with this sport?
There is talent in France. More and more young players are going to universities, even in the NCAA. For a sport like baseball, you need visual appeal and you need to make the population want to get into it. A bit like basketball, the more players who compete at a high level, the more we talk about it. If we prove that there is a possibility of a career in baseball, there will be a better chance that this sport will spread in France.
BTVF: Your name has just been revealed by Salesforce for the ‘Athlete in Tech’ operation. Can you explain what it’s about?
It’s a career transition program for athletes who want to change their professional career or who are thinking about their post-sports retirement. Salesforce is a company specializing in CRM and they help us in our approach to gain new skills in a path of our choice. For my part, I’m diving into digital marketing.
BTVF: What can we wish you?
Very simple. A French championship title and a podium at the European Championship.
Photo credit: Glenn Gervot
