The Niagara Metros are pleased to welcome back Infielder Chris Pickles to the club for his 4th season in 2013.  Pickles is a member of the Metros' rookie crop of 2010, and has improved every season with the club, to where he is now one of the cornerstones of the Niagara ball team.  The 22 year-old, who played his Elite 18-and-under baseball with the Bullett-Proof Prospects, has given the Metros everything they asked for and more, during his first three years with the club.  Pickles began his minor career in St. Catharines but quickly got involved at the Welland-based Bullett-Proof baseball academy in 2004.  He made the most of these lessons, and at the age of 15 was selected to play with the Hamilton Cobras in the 2006 Sandlott World Series in Nashville, Tenn.  He returned to the Bullett-Proof 18U team in 2008, and helped lead the Prospects to a CSBL Championship, as Chris put together a .412 batting average, and was among his team's leaders in Runs, RBI's, and Slugging Pct.  It was also during the 2008 and '09 seasons that Chris was part of a couple more title runs, as he helped lead the Sir Winston Churchill H.S. team to the Zone 4 championship, and the SOSSA tournament.  In 2009, Pickles signed with Niagara County Community College, where he played one season before joining the Metros in the spring of 2010.  After his solid .269 rookie season with the Metros, Chris improved to .274 over his 112 plate appearances in 2011, adding 6 sacs, 11 walks and 12 RBI's to his totals.  He was also vital in helping out a Metros' pitching staff that was decimated by injuries, as he threw 55 innings, and picked up 4 wins, including a big one in game 3 of Elims, over Tecumseh.  It was last season, however, that Chris really came into his own at the Senior "AAA" level.  In his 117 plate appearances, Chris compiled a .356 average to finish 3rd on the Metros' team.  His 36 hits and 23 RBI's were also among the team's leaders, and he also drew 9 BB's (against just 14 K's) to post a nice OBP of .409.  Throw in a team-leading 7 Sacs, and solid defense at two positions, and you'll understand why Chris Pickles was named the Metros' Most Improved Player for his 2012 season.   

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