Derek Aucoin
A Montreal-born pitcher whose Major League career was brief, but whose legacy is defined by his enduring commitment to youth baseball in Quebec.
1970–2020 (age 50)·Canadian baseball player·Birthday: March 27·Generation X
Biography
Derek Aucoin stood 6'6" and carried a fastball from Montreal's sandlots to the mound of the Olympic Stadium, realizing a local kid's dream when he pitched for the Expos in 1996. His major league stint was fleeting—just two appearances—but that statistic tells only a fraction of his story. For years before and long after his call-up, Aucoin was a fixture in the Canadian baseball landscape, a workhorse in the minor leagues and for the Canadian national team. His true impact, however, was measured off the field. Following his playing days, he became a passionate broadcaster and, most significantly, the founder of the Baseball Academy of Canada. He dedicated himself to coaching and mentoring generations of young Quebec athletes, instilling a love for the game with the same vigor he once used to attack the strike zone. His career, though not defined by longevity in the majors, was a complete baseball life devoted to the sport's growth in his home province.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Derek was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Derek Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Derek's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- He pitched in Major League Baseball for his hometown Montreal Expos during the 1996 season.
- He represented Canada as a member of the national baseball team in international competition.
- He founded the Baseball Academy of Canada, focusing on developing young talent in Quebec.
- He worked as a color commentator for Expos games on French-language radio after his playing career.
Did You Know?
He was signed by the Expos as an amateur free agent in 1989 without being drafted.
At 6'6", he was one of the tallest players to ever pitch for the Montreal Expos.
He was a standout multi-sport athlete in football and basketball before focusing solely on baseball.
His nickname was "Doc," short for "Duke of Cambridge," a play on his hometown of Cambridge, Ontario (though he was closely associated with Montreal).
“I wore the Expos jersey for two days, but I carried Montreal in my heart for a lifetime.”
