Current Contract:
Contract renewable through 2009.

Became a Cardinal:
Selected in the 19th round of the June 2003 First-Year Player Draft.

2006 Season:
Entering the season with a career .188 average, Motte decided to give-up catching in May and pursue a career as a pitcher. Motte joined short-season Class A State College in June, and went 1-2 with a 3.08 ERA, striking out 25 in 26.1 innings of work. Promoted to low Class A Quad Cities in August, Motte posted a 4.97 ERA in eight games for the Swing.

2005 Season:
Motte spent the majority of the season at high Class A Palm Beach where he hit .172 in 40 games. He was promoted to Springfield for one game on April 24 and he went 1-3 at the plate. On June 29, he was placed on the disabled list with a right thumb fracture that would require surgery and cause him to miss the remainder of the season. Behind the plate he averaged an assist once every 1.6 games (25 total) and committed three errors. Baseball America named him the best defensive catcher in the Florida State league for the second consecutive season.

Career Notes:
A 19th round selection by the Cardinals in the 2003 draft out of Iona College, Motte spent the first three years of his professional career and the first month of the 2006 season as a catcher. But after hitting a combined .190 while racking up 160 assists in 181 games as a backstop, the 24-year-old headed to extended spring training in early May in order to be converted into a pitcher.

Photo: MLB Photos