(Three years ago today we lost a giant of a man in Derek Aucoin. Now we celebrate his memory on Boxing Day 2023.)

December 26, 2023

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

If you were of a certain age like maybe born in the early 1980s, you would remember a CBC children’s show which originally aired in black and white.

The first time I met Derek was inside the Montreal Expos clubhouse at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter in 1998. He was seated at his locker, I introduced myself. He told me to have a seat in the next locker. Extending my hand to shake, Derek stood up.

As they used to say in the opening of the Friendly Giant: “Look up ... look higher ... look awaaaaay up.”

Derek was 6-foot-7 and I was seated. I had never met him, not seen him pitch on TV. I only knew he was Canadian. He had pitched in two games for the 1996 Expos. I had no idea he was that tall.

But he could have starred in a Friendly Giant remake, which aired from Sept. 30, 1958 to March 1985, because he was a giant and he was friendly.

His personality and presence could fill up a room like former manager Jim Fregosi and Philadelphia Phillies super scout Charlie Kerfeld entering ... at the same time.

* * *

I have a dear friend in New York City.

He first met Derek at The Baseball Center in Manhattan at 202 West 74th Street. This was after Derek had retired and was working in the heart of the city that never sleeps sat a batting cage complex, all underground, in what used to be a bank vault. My friend, who still plays twice a week in Central Park, explained the facility was “high tech ... with machines throwing 100 mph with pinpoint control. Or curves or sliders or splits.”

My friend explained it was a popular place: future Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw threw a bullpen there when in town for the New York Writers’ Dinner one January. Former New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui used to hit there. Jacob de Grom, then of New York Mets, once filmed an ad there. Rocker Elvis Costello was spotted one night in the cage.

For years, that operation was run by Derek. My friend used to go once a week to hit for an hour at noon since he loved to hit baseballs. He got to know Derek really well and remembers the “great stories” he told.

* * *

Derek was quite the teacher, too.

Both pitching and hitting. My friend remembers distinctly telling Derek how his swing was getting a bit too long and his mechanics were out of whack. He showed Derek where he was at. Derek took his bat, faced him, stood about four feet away.

“He then took a vicious cut right at me, belt-high level. I swear the barrel almost grazed me. I was like, yikes. He was showing me how compact a swing should be, without losing power. It really made an impression.”

* * *

The next time I saw Derek was in St. Marys at the Canadian Hall of Fame ceremonies.

A couple of years later after my son fell in love and ran away from home to live in New Brunswick, his friend -- and my friend -- Clarence Leblanc was producing a movie en Francais. The movie, “The Outlaw League,” was about a small town where the city fathers were going to pave over the old ball yard.

The city rallied to save the park with roughly 3,000 townsfolk/fans on set for the climax of the movie. Derek was there to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Derek sent me a text that me day to say he met Xavier, our grandson. I replied, “Well, kiddo, you had a better day than I did, if you saw his smile.”

* * *

My friend said Derek left New York a few years ago, maybe more.

Something might have happened with ownership? He wasn’t ever totally sure. But Derek was gone, had married and moved back to Canada. They talked once, then lost touch.

Then, a few days after last Christmas 2020, my friend was casually looking at baseball-reference.com, and saw recently passed players, guys like Glenn Beckert and Biff Pocoroba.

“That’s when I saw Derek’s name on the list,” my pal said. “It kind of hit me. Really made me sad. I could see his big smile and hear his big laugh,” he said.

* * *

Derek pitched 277 games (514 innings) in nine seasons in the Montreal system at rookie-class Gulf Coast Expos, class-A Jamestown, class-A Sumter, class-A Rockford, class-A West Palm Beach, double-A Harrisburg and triple-A Ottawa

Then, he spent 28 games in the New York Mets system in 1998.

* * *

“I didn’t know Derek well,” said Eric Gagne (Magousche, Que.), “but from what I know he was amazing guy and he was a great ambassador for baseball in Quebec and in Canada. We miss him greatly.”

* * *

From Gagne we move to former scout Claude Pelletier (Ste-Lazare, Que.) who signed Gagne, the future Cy Young award reliever in 1995 heading into the Atlanta Olympic qualifier which was staged in Edmonton.

Many years ago when Pelletier was scouting for the Los Angeles Dodgers, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Vero Beach, the Expos were visiting the Dodgers.

“It was published in all the Montreal papers and in some Florida papers that a Montreal native was to pitch for the Expos and possibly Eric Gagne of the Dodgers,” Pelletier recalls. “There must have been about 1,000 people from Quebec at the game. I was under the impression that I knew every French curse word in the book, but boy, was I ever wrong.”

The Expos were taking batting practice while the rest of the players were shagging -- that is catching anything that was about to hit them. Derek was supposed to pitch, so no shagging for him.

“Derek and I were shooting the bull on the side when out of nowhere, (manager) Felipe Alou called Derek to come to the club house,” Pelletier said. “Derek came back five minutes later. I could see smoke coming out of his ears. He came directly to me and in French to tell me that he was not pitching. I was very disappointed, but kept my mouth shut knowing that was not the right time.”

Now in right field at Vero, in front of the palm trees there is a high berm with benches. It is where the relievers sit.

“I always sat there and Derek was also there too,” Pelletier said. “During the game he came to me and said ‘You make sure that the Dodgers don’t screw Gagne.’ I said ‘Once you sign a player, they congratulate you then they take over.’ No insult intended, you have to earn your place.

“For a Gentle Giant like Derek, he could carry a grudge for a while ... After all the ups and downs he turned his attention to his wife and son. He was a great guy.”

Pelletier summed up the situation the same way we have heard Bobby Cox, Sparky Anderson and Whitey Herzog have over the years saying “it is what it is.”

R.I.P. Derek