Peterson Thomas "Pete" Orr (born June 8, 1979) is a Canadian former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, and Philadelphia Phillies.
Amateur career
High school
Orr attended Newmarket High School in Newmarket, Ontario while playing baseball for the Ontario Blue Jaysnan amateur baseball team. He was a 39th round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in (1,187th overall) but did not sign with the team.
College
Orr attended Galveston Community College in Galveston, Texas in 1998 and 1999.
Professional career
Atlanta Braves
Orr signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Braves on July 3, . He spent his first professional season with Short-Season Jamestown Jammers of the New York–Penn League in , hitting .242 with two homers, 15 RBIs and 40 runs scored in 69 games. He hit .233 with four homers, 23 RBIs and 38 runs scored in 92 games with the Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League in .
In , Orr spent most of the season with the Double-A Greenville Braves of the Southern League, hitting .249 with two homers, 36 RBIs and 36 runs scored in 89 games and leading the team with 23 steals. He also hit .392 with eight RBIs in 17 games with Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach. He spent the season with Double-A Greenville, batting .226 with two homers and 31 RBIs in 98 games. He was named a postseason Southern League All-Star.
Orr made his major league debut for Atlanta on April 5, . His first MLB home run was a pinch-hit home run off Roberto Hernández of the New York Mets on April 25. He proved to be a versatile defender, playing second base, third base, and various outfield positions during the 2005 season. In a career-high 112 games, only 21 of them starts, he batted .300 with 1 home run, 8 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. In his only MLB postseason appearance, he batted 0-for-2 as a pinch hitter in the National League Division Series.
Orr filled a similar bench role in 2006, batting .253 in 102 games. His lone home run on the season was, again, a pinch-hit home run, dingering off Ramón Ortiz of the Washington Nationals on June 7. and was released on November 28.
Washington Nationals
In December 2007, Orr signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals and on June 21, , his contract was selected by the Nationals along with right-handed pitcher Steven Shell.
On October 30, 2008, Orr rejected his assignment to Triple-A and became a free agent. However, he returned to the team two weeks later, signing a minor league deal, playing with the Syracuse Chiefs in the International League, with a chance to earn a spot on the team in the spring. He returned to the majors at the end of August. He hit a walk-off sacrifice fly against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 23 and a game-winning single against Atlanta on October 1. subsequently becoming a member of the team's Opening Day roster. After spending the season with both the Phillies and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, their Triple-A affiliate, he became a free agent on October 18. On November 3, he re-signed a minor league contract with the Phillies, receiving an invite to spring training. and spent the 2014 season with their Triple-A affiliate Nashville Sounds.
Orr signed another minor league contract with the Brewers on November 7, 2014. He started the 2015 season with Milwaukee's new Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
International career
Orr played for the Canada national team in the 2004 Summer Olympics, batting .353 with 1 home run, 8 RBI, and two stolen bases as Canada finished fourth. In 2013, he batted 2-for-10 with a double and two RBIs. He was 2-for-11 in 2017.
In the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, Orr scored the winning run in the championship game, beating the U.S. in 10 innings. He also played in the 2015 WBSC Premier12 tournament. The 2015 was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Orr was scheduled to coach Canada's junior national team in 2020, but baseball activities were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Post-playing career
The Milwaukee Brewers hired Orr in October 2016 to be baseball scout.
Orr was a coach for the Toronto Mets of the Canadian Premier Baseball League, an amateur youth league in Ontario, in 2021.
Personal life
Orr is married and has a son.