There was a time when Justin Bour seemed to be a potential building block for the Miami Marlins. A solid first baseman with an above average bat, he was a respectable piece of the Marlins lineup before he was traded to Philadelphia. Once that happened, Bour’s bat completely disappeared, to the point where he was unable to find a major league job just a year and a half later.
After bouncing around various foreign leagues and the Giants’ farm system, Bour is back in North America. He has signed a contract with the Mexico City Red Devils for the 2022 season as he hopes to eventually get back to the majors.
Former Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour continues baseball odyssey
Despite being a platoon player, Bour had put together a strong showing during his time in Miami. He posted a solid .262/.346/.470 batting line in his 1726 plate appearances, hitting 83 homers and 63 doubles. It was understandable that the Phillies had hoped that he would be a solid run producer when he was acquired.
Instead, Bour fell apart once leaving Miami. He struggled with the Marlins, eventually signing a one year deal with the Angels. Once again he struggled, leading to his banishment to Triple-A. Since the end of the 2019 season, Bour has been in Japan, back stateside on a minor league deal with the Giants, and then to the KBO after being released.
Now Bour is heading off to Mexico in an attempt to resurrect his flagging career. Red Devils manager Jorge del Valle has high hopes for his new first baseman, stating that Bour has similar power to their former first baseman, Jon Singleton.
Considering that Singleton earned a minor league contract with the Brewers, it is possible that Bour can do just that. He does have far more of a track record of success stateside than Singleton does, and may be able to find his way back on a major league roster in 2023.
Former Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour is heading to Mexico. Maybe this will be the move he needs to resurrect his career.