France has a few professional baseball players. Meet one of them for Baseball TV France. Discover our discussion with pitcher Marc-André Habeck
BTVF: Who are you, Marc-André Habeck?
I am a Franco-Canadian professional pitcher. Born in Winnipeg with a French father. I am 29 years old and entering my 5th professional season (Italy/American Association). I also pitch for the senior French national team since 2016.
BTVF: Long career in the USA, Italy, France, now back to your roots in the USA. How would you qualify your career so far?
I would say it’s a pretty unique career. It’s thanks to my French passport that gave me the chance to keep playing after my college career. I played with the European team in Taiwan in 2016, which gave me the confidence to continue in Italy, and I did well, so now I’m back in professional leagues in the USA at the right time with a lot of confidence.
BTVF: You’ve played multiple positions. How did you succeed in these challenges?
For me, being a pitcher is simple to execute. Of course, there are differences between starting pitcher and reliever, but you always have to throw strikes and attack hitters. The big difference is the adrenaline; it’s much easier to enter the game with adrenaline as a reliever, so you have to find the motivation as a starting pitcher.
BTVF: You’ve seen the level of baseball in France evolve. What are, for you, the areas for improvement and the standout successes that have impressed you?
I am really excited about the future of the French national team. We had poor results in our last tournament, but we never had our best possible team together. There are many talented young players in college in the United States, so if we can get everyone together for the Euro 2023, I believe we should have better results.
BTVF: You participated in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers with Bruce Bochy as coach. How did you experience these moments?
It was a top moment in my career. It’s a bit unfortunate that I didn’t spend as much time with Bruce in 2022 due to my season in Italy. In 2020 in Arizona, I really felt his presence, and we were really motivated with a lot of confidence after our matches against the Giants before the tournament. He is a man who is not selfish and calm. Something cool to see how someone who will be in the Hall of Fame behaves.
BTVF: It’s a return to your roots in your birthplace. Was this a necessity for you?
I had the goal during my off-season to return to playing in a pro league here in North America. I wanted to test myself in terms of raising the level of the league. For me, the American Association is one of the best independent leagues with a pro schedule, 100 games from May to September.
It’s really a win-win for me to sign here in Winnipeg; I can stay at home and have my family and friends at the games. I am really excited!
Photo credit: oldmanagency
