Juan Pierre (born August 14, 1977 in Mobile, Alabama), is a professional baseball center fielder for the Chicago Cubs. He bats and throws left-handed. Juan became a fan favorite early in his career because of his speed and durability. He led the National League in stolen bases in 2001 and 2003 and stole at least 45 bases each year from 2001 to 2005; because of his great speed and ability for contact hitting, many belive he is one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball. Critics are quick to point out that, in contrast to a prototypical leadoff hitter, Pierre rarely walks and must hit for a high average to sustain a high on-base percentage, which Pierre has not accomplished since 2004. In 2004, he led the National League in at-bats (for the second year in a row) with 678; in hits, with 221; and in triples, with 12. In addition, he was the only player in Major League Baseball to play every inning of each of his team's games in 2004. Juan was a major contributor to the Marlins' 2003 World Series championship. After a regular season in which he posted a .305 batting average and 65 stolen bases, he batted .333 in the World Series and .301 overall in his first postseason.
In a six-year career, Pierre has batted .309 with eight home runs, 212 RBI, and 218 stolen bases in 727 games.
On June 3, 2005, Pierre's consecutive-games streak ended at 386 (including 375 after joining the Marlins). It was the second-longest such streak in the majors at the time, behind that of Miguel Tejada of the Baltimore Orioles.
On December 7, 2005, the Florida Marlins traded Pierre to the Chicago Cubs, receiving RHP Sergio Mitre, RHP Ricky Nolasco and LHP Renyel Pinto in exchange. The deal was motivated by the Marlins' need to cut payroll after finding itself unable to secure a new stadium deal in south Florida.
On May 9, 2006, Pierre robbed the San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds of a carrer 714th home run by catching the ball as it topped the fence, which would have tied Bonds with Babe Ruth for second on the all-time list.
