Steve Pearce Will Write Next Chapter of His Feel-Good Story in Tampa

The story of his journey to the Major Leagues is not an uncommon one.

High school record-breaker, college standout and All-American, thrice an MLB Draft selection, journeyman for a few years, and then, all of a sudden, valuable asset to an MLB division champion.

On Thursday, Steve Pearce, who has spent the majority of the past four seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.

A native of Lakeland, Florida – just over an hour west of Tampa’s Tropicana Field – Pearce will return home to play in a stadium that has been kind to him over the years. In 23 games at The Trop, Pearce has belted seven home runs and mashed to the tune of a 1.039 OPS. Not too shabby.

Buck Showalter’s Orioles and their fans will surely miss Pearce, but the contract is a well-deserved one for a player who has worked his ass off to become the player he is today.

Pearce has not been one to light up the stat sheet, considering he has never really gotten the chance to be an everyday player. He did, however, hit 21 HR and slash .293/.373/.556 in just over 100 games (383 plate appearances) in 2014. The 2015 campaign was a difficult one for Pearce, fondly known amongst the Orioles’ Twitter family as “Professional Hitter,” but he still managed 15 HR in 92 games and remained a fan favorite.

The real value that Pearce brings to an organization comes from the type of person he is. He’s a walking cliché, and not in the bad way – good work ethic, positive attitude, interactive with fans, etc. As a fan who has spent a lot of time around the team and at Camden Yards, I have seen that firsthand.

On most days, Pearce is the first player out of the dugout for pregame warmups, whether he’s in the starting lineup or not. He goes through his normal routine of stretching, jogging, and getting loose. Then, once he’s finished, he walks over to the warning track and talks to fans until the game is ready to begin.

Never have I seen Steve deny anybody an autograph, picture, or conversation.

Back to the whole “walking cliché” thing I mentioned earlier – he’s one of those guys who is, simply put, easy to root for.

Our beloved manager will be the first person to tell you how important Steve Pearce really was to this organization. He was always ready for action and willing to contribute in whichever way possible. He accepted his role as a utility player and always looked for ways to improve.

He didn’t become a valuable player by chance. In fact, it took him years to solidify himself as a major leaguer.

For five years as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization from 2007-2011, he split time between Triple-A and the majors. In 2012, he was tossed around like a football before landing back with the Orioles, with whom he had spent June and July of that season, at the end of September. The O’s were one of four organizations with whom Pearce played during the 2012 season.

He was not much more than a role player in 2013, appearing in only 44 games at a variety of positions, including first base and the corners of the outfield.

It was not until 2014 that Pearce earned himself a spot in the lineup on a fairly regular basis. As I mentioned earlier, the 2014 season was easily his best, despite the fact that he was released in late April and re-signed two days later. He set career highs in just about every offensive category. And, to top it all off, he got to celebrate a division title.

He even recorded the final out himself:

Pearce, now 32, leaves behind a solid legacy in Birdland as he moves on to continue his career. Sometimes, the “easy to root for” guys are the hardest to let go, despite what their statistics might say.

Whether your fondest Steve Pearce memory is a long home run, a postgame pie in the face from Adam Jones, or the sight of him running around on the field with his daughter as Camden Yards celebrated the O’s first division title in 17 years, I’m sure he holds a special place in your heart as he does in mine.

Farewell, Steve. Good luck in Tampa Bay. I hope we haven’t seen the last of you in an Orioles uniform.