Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 12th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He becomes the second French player trained in mainland France to be drafted by an MLB franchise after Joris Bert (2007, LA Dodgers).
Find his portrait made last December. We will come back later on his impressions!
Meeting with a French hope, a pitcher who is starting to make people talk. French training that is now completed by the American one, Mathias Lacombe tells us for Baseball TV France the last two years that have seen him enter the light of French baseball.
BTVF: Who are you, Mathias Lacombe?
M.L.: I am 20 years old, I am a French pitcher who started playing baseball at the Pitcher’s de Pineuilh club in 2010. I am currently playing at Cochise College, Arizona, for my second year. I went through the Bordeaux Hope Pole and then the France Pole in Toulouse. I also play with the senior French national team.
BTVF: What memories do you have of your time in the baseball poles?
M.L.: I have very good memories of the two structures I was able to go through. The Bordeaux pole gave me the basics of baseball and high-level sports, and it was at the France pole that I was able to really progress and reveal my potential. Being able to live 24/7 with your teammates is an experience I wish for all young players.
BTVF: A year in Division 1 with PUC then Stade Toulousain, how did these years go in terms of sports results?
M.L.: My year at PUC was cut short due to COVID. My two years in Toulouse allowed me to keep a good rhythm and to be able to evolve at the highest level in France. The team results were not as good as expected, but the experience I was able to accumulate and the people I was able to meet make me have no regrets.
BTVF: Selected for the French national team, how did you experience the drop and then the rise back to Group A, as well as the title of best pitcher in the tournament?
M.L.: Unfortunately, I was not able to participate in the European Championships in September 2021 as I had already left for the USA. The tournament in Bulgaria for the return to Group A was important, and we did what was necessary to achieve it. The fact that I was elected best pitcher of the tournament is just an extra that makes me happy, but the essential thing was to return to Group A and to build a solid group to go and win it.
BTVF: More recently, it was qualifying for the World Baseball Classic, an American coach, a short stint on the mound, tell us about this experience?
M.L.: This tournament was by far the best I have been able to participate in. It was a very enriching experience for me, giving me a glimpse of what it’s like to be a professional player. I pitched an inning in relief against Great Britain. Facing Minor League players was a challenge for me. It was quite short but very intense performance. I just can’t wait to experience that again now that I’ve tasted this level.
BTVF: Recently, an experience with a pitch evaluated at almost 96 miles, what is this story?
M.L.: On October 1st, 2022, I participated in the Arizona Sophomore All-star Game. It’s a showcase to allow second-year junior college players like me to gain visibility with NCAA D1 scouts and MLB scouts. Each pitcher faces three batters regardless of the result, the goal being to show our qualities to the 120 scouts present. I indeed hit 96 mph with an average between 93 and 95 mph.
BTVF: What can we wish you?
M.L.: My goals are to play as much as possible this season with Cochise, to sign with an NCAA D1, and who knows, to be drafted at the end of the year.
Interview by Didier CANNIOUX
