Joris Bert

His name stands as a pioneer in the baseball community for his American journey as a player. He is currently in his final years of high-level baseball. Baseball TV France met up with him to understand his feelings about his current situation and the state of baseball in France.

BTVF: Who are you, Joris Bert?

Hello, I’m Joris Bert, a player for the Rouen Huskies since 2006, a baseball enthusiast, and a father to a 12-year-old boy. I live and work in the Rouen area.

BTVF: At 36, you’ve rubbed shoulders with the elite in France, Europe, and the USA for nearly 20 years. How would you describe your career so far?

I was lucky and privileged to join the Rouen hope academy at a young age, where I spent 3 years under Sylvain Virey’s guidance. He helped me channel my energy back then and gave me all the right human and sporting values to become a good person and a solid baseball player. I then spent 3 years at INSEP, and after graduating, I flew to Texas in early 2007 for junior college.

After a spring training, I was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, where I spent 2 seasons and 3 spring trainings before being released in 2009, the year I returned to France. I took a 6-year break from 2014 to 2020, and since then, I’ve been having just as much fun on the field with my teammates.

Like many French baseball players, I’ve had some incredible years at the top level, which allowed me to grow a lot and travel extensively.

BTVF: 2022 was a crowning year for your beloved team, the Rouen Huskies. How did you experience it?

2022 was indeed a special year for us, with the championship, challenge, and European Cup B triple. But it wasn’t a crowning achievement, as without being pretentious, we’ve been performing well on French fields and the European stage for many years. It’s certain that 2022 will remain memorable, and I wish every baseball player could experience that in their career one day.

BTVF: More and more young players are heading to the USA, two different eras with yours where fewer players made the trip. How do you see the evolution of the level in France?

It’s certain that the level among young players has improved significantly. There are many more structures and competitions affiliated with the development of our young talents, which is a very good thing for us. Networks and contacts abroad are also more numerous, greatly facilitating the departure of our young talents to the other side of the Atlantic, and very often they perform well and make French baseball credible. I know that now many colleges absolutely want one or more French players on their team.

I think that a lot of work has been done on development, but nothing has changed otherwise. Upon their return from the USA, many young players find themselves abandoned or poorly supported and are forced to slow down or even stop their young careers to build a life project outside of baseball. The fact that our sport is amateur also hinders many possibilities for development in all areas.

BTVF: This year, the Huskies are going through some turbulence. How do you explain it, and how do you plan to resolve your difficulties together?

It’s true that 2023 is a complicated year for us. There are certainly many diverse and varied reasons why we are no longer as sharp or feared as in previous years, and of course, our performances don’t resemble us. We are the first affected by our level of play.

But we are not less good, on the contrary, each player has trained hard this winter to be better than in 2022. We have more trouble being performant at the same time and at the right moments, which costs us many games. Confidence and morale are still there, we are capable of being better, it’s up to us to stay strong and united to turn the tide.