We keep it in the National Capital Region for this Canada Day edition. This time, we hop across the river to Gatineau, Quebec and visit our latest Hoser who has provided the MLB with some Canadian content. Grab a back bacon sammich with a side poutine, some butter tarts for dessert, a bevy of your choice and let’s get going…
If you happen to be a Mariners fan of a particular vintage, you may have some recollections of this first-round pick from the 2007 MLB Draft. Drafted with the 11th overall selection out of École de Versant (Gatineau, QC), Philippe Aumont was the first player born in the province of Quebec to be a first-round selection. Philippe signed for $1.9 million and made his professional debut with the Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 2008.
Aumont was on the move in 2009, being traded to the Phillies with Tyson Gillies and JC Ramirez for Cliff Lee. The 6 ft 7 in, 265 lb right-hander made his MLB debut for the Phillies on August 23, 2012, against the Cincinnati Reds (1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB), becoming the 20,286th player in MLB history.
After spending parts of 4 seasons with the Phillies, Philippe made their last MLB appearance June 19th, 2015, against the Cardinals (4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 K, 7 BB).
MLB NUMBERS:
After getting DFA by the Phillies (declined the outright assignment and became a free agent), Aumont signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, but was released a month later. He then signed with the Chicago White Sox, making 10 appearances in Charlotte (Triple-A) before retiring in June 2016.
The retirement didn’t take on the first go, and he made his return to professional baseball here in Ottawa, signing with the Ottawa Champions of the CanAm League. That season, Aumont pitched the first no-hitter in team history (v DR National Team, 06/28/2017), finishing the season with 115.2 IP, 5-8, 4.51 ERA, 1.491 WHIP, 103 K, 30 BB, 8 K/9, 2.3 BB/9.
Philippe returned to affiliated baseball for 2018. He signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers, spending his only season with the organization in Triple-A Toledo with the Mud Hens.
After opting for free agency, he returned to the capital, joining the Champions for the 2019 season, where he was named the CanAm League 2019 Pitcher of the Year. A successful season with the Champs led him back to affiliated ball and a return to the Jays organization, where he signed a minor league deal with Toronto for the 2020 season. We all know what happened that year. The minor league season was cancelled, and in the summer of 2020, Philippe Aumont called time on his baseball career.
ALL LEVELS/CAREER:
12 Seasons: 389 G, 83 GS, 37-63, 4.39 ERA, 859.2 IP, 1.485 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 4.7 BB/9, 48 SV
Philippe is probably best known for his time representing Canada on the international stage. He made many appearances wearing the maple leaf, including the 2009 & 2013 World Baseball Classics, 2015 & 2019 Pan Am Games, and 2015 & 2019 Premier 12. His last international appearance came in 2023 at the World Baseball Classic, where he came out of retirement after not pitching since 2020 to don the red and white one last time.
Smurfy Soundtrack
Thank you for checking in today. Until the next time, you know what it is…
KEEP IT 80 GRADE!
