Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jacob Hurtubise made history at the USMA on Tuesday night with his first two at-bats and a pinch-running opportunity on Monday.
With his debut, Hurtubise became the first West Point alum to reach the majors under the 2019 law that permits service academy graduates to enter the professional ranks without first serving two years in the military and then seeking professional sports chances.
The law has since been reversed, set to take effect next year, casting uncertainty on whether more West Point ballplayers will join the majors soon, despite a strong era for the program. The speedy outfielder Jacob Hurtubise had a distinguished career as a Black Knight, batting over .300 and achieving two seasons with 40+ stolen bases, putting him well on the way to a career total of over 100 stolen bases.
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Even though the 2020 season ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurtubise left college as the Patriot League’s all-time leader in both stolen bases and walks. He was a first-team All-Conference selection in 2019 and the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. After that season, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 39th round of the 2019 MLB Draft but declined to sign. Instead, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds as an undrafted free agent after not being selected in the five-round 2020 draft.
Previous West Pointers to reach the big leagues include Chris Rowley, who pitched in eight games for the Toronto Blue Jays between 2017 and 2018, and Walt French, who attended the academy and played baseball in the 1920s but apparently did not graduate.
Hurtubise aims to become the first former Army player to record a major league hit since French. He has the opportunity to do so as he was called up to replace injured outfielder TJ Friedl, who officially landed on the IL due to a fractured left thumb.
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