Elliott: Mets lay off 21-year veteran scout Claude Pelletier

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

You know you are having a bad year as a scout if there are zero games to watch.

Same thing if you lose all your emails.

Those are two factors of Claude Pelletier’s 2020 season in addition to this COVID-19 virus.

Long-time New York Mets scout Pelletier (Saint-Lazare, Que.) was told in May, he could take the rest of the summer off. The Mets say that Pelletier was not fired and like all-part-timers he was laid off due to the COVID-19 virus. Pelletier’s contract runs until the end of October and the Mets say they could phone him with more work.

Pelletier, now 82, was the senior scout in terms of service covering Canada spending 13 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then, Gary Larocque recruited him to scout Canada for the Mets, where he worked for 21 years.

Dodger owner Peter O’Malley showed Dodger class writing Pelletier a hand-written note, which included lines like:

“I’m so sorry you are leaving ...”

“Apologizing for not getting to know (Pelletier) better ...”

And in his 21st year with the Mets he was let go in May by former Blue Jays scout Marc Tramuta, the Mets current scouting director.

That’s it. That’s all as Le Journal de Montreal columnist Jacques Beauchamp used to say.

* * *

That’s the same Tramuta who was kind enough to send out pre-draft emails to his staff: “Keep your eye out for a Canadian so we can move Claude up the top 100 most influential Canadians list.” All scouting directors should be so kind promoting Canucks.

Pelletier represented the Mets at the draft in the MLB Network studios in Secaucus, N.J. under the TV lights along with the Hall of Famers. Pelletier was also invited also into the war room when it was held in Port St. Lucie. Fla. the spring home of the Mets.

When Tramuta phoned, Pelletier pointed out he was making $5,000 US and the last call from human resources was a $300 deduction due to the virus.

Welcome to the scouting world. Pelletier had started scouting earning $20,000 and received salary bumps along the way. Among his peers, he was one of the most respected scouts in the business.

“How would I describe Claude?” a fellow scout repeated the question. “Well, he’s a talented scout with keen eyes. And he’s a gentleman.”

He is a former winner of the Canadian Baseball Network Jim Ridley Award Scout of the Year winner. Now, the senior scout in service time north of the border is Minnesota Twins scout Walt Burrows (Brentwood Bay, BC).

Pelletier had part-time status but since his area — Canada — was so big other scouts regarded him as full time due to the size of the coverage area.

* * *

In 2014, the Mets visited Olympic Stadium for a two-game, pre-season series against the Blue Jays. I saw Pelletier on the field during batting practice. We headed toward the tunnel and Pelletier said to me, “This place looks like a sell out, I have no idea what I am going to do for a ticket or a seat.”

Next day we saw Pelletier and asked where he sat? Apparently manager Terry Collins had overheard the conversation, knew Pelletier and invited him to spend the game in the Mets’ third base dugout. I could not resist saying, “Well, that explains all the missed signs.”

The Mount Rushmore of Canadian scouting watching first-round pick Noah Naylor of the Ontario Blue Jays: Wayne Norton (Port Moody, BC), left, Claude Pelletier (Saint-Lazare, Que.) the senior scout in terms of service until being let go and Minnesota Twins’ Walt Burrows (Brentwood Bay, BC). Photo: Tyler King.

* * *

But Pelletier’s 2020 got worse.

“I say, ‘So I’ll just send in my expenses?” He was told not to bother. He signed on to his email. Poof. Nothing there. So he called New York about access to his emails.

“After 21 years, I had personal files in that laptop, plus my medical information,” Pelletier said. He asked if his email could be restored for “two days so I could gather information.” He was told no it could not be done.

“It’s done, it’s done ... if anyone asks me if the Mets are a classy organization ...,” Pelletier said. “With my age, with the virus, I decided to let it ride. But it hurt when it happened. I still have their laptop and their radar gun. I guess that means they didn’t let me go … they only laid me off.

“I was 13 seasons with the Dodgers and owner Peter O’Malley writes me a nice letter. Not a word from the Mets after 21 years. I couldn’t believe they didn’t have more class.”

* * *

Pelletier’s scouting began at his winter home in Vero Beach, former home of the Dodgers. He became friends with Dodgers’ pitching coach Ron Perranoski, who either pitched or coached for the Dodgers for 30 seasons. Dodgers scout Gary Larocque hired Pelletier.

After the 2002 World Juniors were held in Sherbrooke, Pelletier’s boss told him to fly west and sign 12th rounder 3B Shawn Bowman (Coquitlam, BC). The Mets gave him $140,000. Bowman played 10 years in the minors for the Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins and the Mets. He reached triple-A at Gwinnett and New Orleans.

Pelletier signed 48th rounder Jonathan Malo (Laval, Que.) from Miami-Dade College who played seven years in the minors reaching triple-A Buffalo and eight more in independent ball. The scout gave Malo a $125,000 bonus.

And Pelletier signed outfielder Marc Griffin (Quebec City, Que.) for $80,000. Griffin spent three seasons in the Dodgers system at class-A Vero Beach and class-A Bakersfield. Then, he spent parts of two seasons with class-A West Palm Beach and double-A Harrisburg in the Montreal Expos organization.

He also signed INF Emmanuel Garcia (Montreal, Que.) as a free agent in 2005 and peaked at triple-A Buffalo.

They might have received more money, but they were far from his best. In 1995 as the Canadian Senior Team travelled across the country, Pelletier was watching. Canada was bound for the Olympic qualifier in Edmonton, a tourney which would decide who would go to the Atlanta Olympics the next summer. Canada lost to Nicaragua.

It turned out to be a worthwhile trip.

The Chicago White Sox had made Eric Gagne a 30th round pick in 1994. Gagne (Mascouche, Que.) didn’t sign and went to Seminole State College (OK). Again all teams passed on Gagne in the 1995 draft, but Pelletier was impressed. Only thing was he needed a supervisor to see Gagne.

Pelletier made a pest of himself phoning Dodgers scouting director Terry Reynolds to send someone to take a look at Gagne. Reynolds was not enthused but he had Dodger crosschecker Eddie Bane call Pelletier.

Bane asked, “Why should I come all the way up there to take a look at a kid that every team ignored?”

Now the ball was in Pelletier’s court. After taking a deep breath he said, “Why should you come here? Because I said so.

Bane flew to Calgary, liked Gagne and the Dodgers signed him, giving him a $75,000 bonus. Bane worked 11 years with the Dodgers as well as the Indians, Rays, Angels and Tigers.

Gagne made his big-league debut Sept. 7, 1999 before 13,644, including Pelletier at Pro Player Stadium. He faced RHP Ryan Dempster (Gibsons, BC) his former roomie with the Canadian team. Pelletier was there. I remember asking him before the game which Canadian he was rooting for ... a sand bag question.

“I spoke to Ryan and Eric before the game, and wished them both well,” Pelletier said. “They both said they hoped that they both pitched well and the bullpens would decide it.”

That’s what happened. Gagne pitched six scoreless, allowing two hits and struck out eight, while Dempster put up seven zeros giving up four hits and fanning seven. Alex Gonzalez hit a triple off Matt Herges to score Danny Bautista in the eighth. The game winner scored on a Kevin Millar error. Pelletier was seated beside former Washington Senators ace Camilo Pascual.

Gagne moved from struggling starter to closer. In a three-year stretch (2002–2004) he was the most outstanding closer in the game, winning the Cy Young Award in 2003. He set a major league record by converting 84 consecutive save opportunities. In all, he had 187 saves.

“Any time I needed a Canadian looked after, I always called Eddie,” said Pelletier, who got his start in Vero.

“I’d watch young pitchers at rookie-class Vero,” Pelletier said. “I saw all their starters. Some guys were better than Eric, but he was better than a lot of guys who were there.”

And to think Gagne was almost a Blue Jay. The Dodgers gave general manager J.P. Ricciardi a choice -- either RHPs Luke Prokopec or Gagne, both struggling starters at the time -- a choice at the 2001 winter meetings in Boston. In what was basically a salary dump ,the Jays sent Paul Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) and INF Cesar Izturis to the Dodgers for RHP Chad Ricketts (Waterloo, Ont.) and Prokopec to the Jays.

In his 10-year career, Gagne earned $40.8 Million.

* * *

Pelletier has been in on Canada’s best and lesser lights. He sat in Mike Soroka’s Calgary kitchen and listened to the right-hander say in a definite manner: “I’m going to school.”

The scout replied, “If they back a truck up to your door with enough money you will sign?”

The Atlanta Braves chose Soroka 28th overall and gave him a signing bonus of $1,974,700.

Pelletier took his immediate supervisor to see OF Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) when he won the home run derby at Tournament 12 and in Dunedin when with the Canadian Junior National Team, the teenager homered off the batter’s eye in centre field at TD Bank facing RHP Connor Overton, a sixth year pro.

Caissie was selected 45th overall from the FieldHouse Pirate was given a $1,650,200 signing bonus. The Mets chose OF Pete Crow-Armstrong a Studio City, Calif. high schooler 19th and did not have another pick until the 52nd spot.

Pelletier said he got along with Mets GMs Steve Phillips, Omar Minaya and especially Sandy Alderson, “a scout’s GM.”

His three favorite scouts south of the border were Russ Bove, Jack Bowen and Larocque.

Oddly enough Bove, who now works for the Toronto Blue Jays, was a mentor for Montreal native Alex Anthopoulos too.

“When Russ was scouting director of the Mets, he’d look at the reports and say ‘Guys these comments ... I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” said Pelletier.

Bowen, part of the many branches of the Bowen scouting tree, is now a cross checker with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’s the man who told Pelletier to fly to the west coast to sign Bowman.

And Gary Larocque, the man who hired him with the Dodgers, works in player development with the St. Louis Cardinals.

* * *

What will Pelletier do with his time now? Likely “Mr. Choo-Choo,” as Jim Ridley called him will be with his model trains.

He has 1,600 square feet of tracks (both Lionel Trains, of which 20% if the company is owned by singer Neil Young) and Mike’s Train House which is closing its doors in 2021.

Now the tracks are clear for Pelletier.