Reds Call Up Soldier For Reinforcements

 

Bring on the Army 

Jacob Hurtubise is the second West Point graduate to play in the Major Leagues.

After a good spring in Goodyear, Arizona, Hurtubise was optioned to Louisville.

He was recalled on May 13 when TJ Friedl was placed on the Injured List. 

The 26-year old left-handed batting outfielder from Zionsville, Indiana about 15 miles from downtown Indianapolis was lightly recruited by colleges and decided to accept an appointment to the US Army Academy at West Point along the Hudson River.

Graduates from US military academies are obligated to serve five years in the armed forces after graduation. In 2019 they changed the policy to allow athletes with professional contracts to delay the commitment until after their athletic career is over. 

“It allows me to play without any commitment currently to the military. My service time is just delayed until my baseball career is over,” Hurtubise explained. “I still owe five years of service. I’m not sure what capacity I will have to serve. I don’t know if it will be going back and teaching, or helping out with recruiting. Whatever it would be I’m excited to helping. They are a community that gave so much to me.”

Hurtubise attributes his plate discipline to the discipline he learned in the Army instilled in him since the BEAST which is the West Point boot camp for freshmen or plebes.

One of the duties is to set up the mess hall for upper classmen who eat first. Plebes are at the bottom of the list and treated as such until they progress through the system. It can be a humbling experience. Hurtubise is a yes sir, no sir interview. He is the first to do it in baseball.

Cincinnati native Roger Staubauch, a graduate of the Naval Academy, played in the NFL after he served four years in the navy, including a tour in Vietnam. David Robinson, also a Naval Academy graduate was allowed to play in the NBA under an agreement with Secretary of the Navy John Lehman. Robinson served as a civil engineering officer.

Hurtubise trained in air defense artillery. 

“I didn’t end up doing any of the specialty training,” Hurtubise said. “I signed my contract with the Reds so air defense was supposed to be my tool but I never got to it.”

Hurtubise was called up on May 13 when the Reds were on the Reds were in Arizona. It was the day TJ Friedl was placed on the injured list with a fractured thumb when he was hit by a pitch.

The young outfielder was invited to major league spring training for the first time this year. He was the Reds’ Position Player of the Year for 2023. Hurtubise hit .330 for Chattanooga and Louisville last season. He hit seven home runs and drove in 46 runs. He led the Southern League with 10 triples. Hurtubise was on base at a whopping .436 clip in three minor league seasons.

Hurtubise made history appearing against Arizona on May 15. He got his first hit on May 18 in Los Angeles. On May 21st he made his first start at Great American Ball Park in front of family and friends from Zionsville Community High School, where he ranked near the top of his class. 

He worked a walk in the first inning and his fly out allowed Jonathan India score the first run in a 2-0 win.

“It has been an unbelievable experience,” Hurtubise said. “Just a dream come true. I made mention to some of my friends and family. I don’t know how long playing professional baseball in the MLB has been a dream of mine. It is one of those things that has driven me for a long time now. I’m just excited to see how it continues to progress.”

Hurtubise expects to have a long career. He is blessed with above average speed, has an exceptional eye at the plate and superior discipline waiting for his pitch. Still, if baseball doesn’t work out like he expects, he has a military career in his back pocket to rely upon.

“That’s another exciting part, whenever I’m done playing baseball, I’ll be able to serve and give back to the country and the communities around.”

He is the first to compete under the new policy but Chris Rowley pitched in the Major Leagues for the Toronto Blue Jays. After three years as a first lieutenant in the Army, Rowley was granted an exception to pursue a baseball career which was granted in 2016. Walt French, who played outfield for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1923-29, attended West Point but did not graduate.