West Point graduate Jacob Hurtubise hopes to impress on the Reds field
“How did I get from on top of the world to the bottom of the barrel so quickly?” Jacob Hurtubise asked himself. Ten days earlier, Hurtubise had played in his high school state championship baseball game and now, he says, “I have these upperclassmen yelling in my face. It was a quick change of reality.”
These were the thoughts running through Jacob Hurtubise’s head during the first couple days of BEAST, which is the appropriate moniker long ago bestowed on Cadet Basic Training for incoming freshmen at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
When he entered West Point back in 2016, Hurtubise was a lightly recruited and undersized baseball player looking for an opportunity to compete at the Division I level. “I went into West Point at 158 pounds, which is small,” he says. “I didn’t think I looked like a professional athlete at that time so that dream wasn’t in my head at that moment.”
Nearly eight years later, that dream is almost a reality. Hurtubise will attend spring training with the Cincinnati Reds, competing for his opportunity to make it to the major leagues. Hurtubise’s journey to this moment is unique; however, it is his own journey that has prepared him for this moment, which began in Zionsville, Ind.
“Playing all sports in Zionsville was huge for me,” he says. “I played basketball. I played tennis. I played hockey. I played a lot of different sports growing up. I’m a big proponent of playing as many sports as you can. One, it helps you develop skills. Two, you meet so many more people and you have so many more life experiences by playing those different sports.”
Of all the sports he played, Hurtubise’s first love was baseball. Though undersized, he aspired to play collegiately at the highest level, Division I. To get noticed by college baseball programs, Hurtubise started traveling to prep baseball showcases during his junior year. “West Point was the only Division I school that ended up reaching out to me at that time,” he says.
West Point had arrived in Hurtubise’s life out of nowhere and he had a ton of questions. “I had a lot to learn, but the more that I took the time to dive into what the Military Academy was, what it represents and the opportunities I would have coming out of there, the decision was a no-brainer to choose to go to West Point,” he says.
As he battled through the challenges of the Academy, he now realizes it was those difficult experiences that prepared him to become a better baseball player. West Point “helped me to be resilient,” Hurtubise says. “Baseball is a very difficult game. A lot of times you go out on the field on a given day and you’re going to fail. Baseball is a game of failure and all of the times that I failed at West Point, whether it was land navigation or rifle marksmanship–I wasn’t a great shot and I failed at that a couple times–you learn that you have to trust the process, you have to grind through each day. But if you go about things the right way with the right attitude, eventually you are going to get to there.”
On the baseball field at West Point, Hurtubise excelled. A four-year starter, he finished his Army career as the program’s all-time leader in walks and stolen bases. He was All Patriot League for three seasons and was named an All-American in 2019 after putting up video game-like numbers. He was part of two Patriot League Championship teams (‘18 and ‘19) and played in two NCAA Tournaments. Most importantly–as any Army athlete can attest to–his teams beat Navy.
In consecutive seasons, Army battled Navy for the Patriot League Championship. Both times, Hurtubise and the Black Knights prevailed to claim the bragging rights that last a lifetime. “The highlight of my Army career was beating Navy for both of those (league) championships,” he says. “Those are definitely among the most intense baseball games I’ve ever played. It’s such a fun rivalry knowing what both teams have on the line but, most especially, what every single person on each team has signed up for–and that’s to go and serve their country at the end of the day.”
One of the reasons that the Army-Navy rivalry is held in such high regard is because each of the athletes playing for both teams aren’t going onto careers in professional sports upon graduation but rather swearing oaths to enter the profession of arms. But in 2019, that all changed for Hurtubise.
The Department of Defense enacted a new policy, permitting cadets to delay their active-duty commitment while playing professional sports. “The policy was passed seven months before I graduated,” he says. “Once this policy was put together, I knew that I was going to have a realistic shot at playing professional baseball.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft was reduced from 40 rounds to five rounds. Hurtubise went undrafted; however, all undrafted players got the opportunity to enter free agency and MLB clubs could sign more undrafted free agents. Hurtubise had multiple clubs reach out to him, including the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins and Cleveland Guardians, but as Hurtubise says, “I got to choose the Cincinnati Reds.”
A big reason Hurtubise chose Cincinnati was C.J. Gillman, who was the Reds’ minor league hitting coordinator at that time. Gillman had been a coach at the Air Force Academy while Hurtubise was playing for Army. “He knew my game and how much of an impact my style of play could have with the Cincinnati Reds,” Hurtubise says. “He spent a lot of time trying to recruit me to join the Cincinnati Reds. He really sold me on the people that were going to be in that organization and the style of play that they have in Cincinnati.”
Even in professional sports–as in many professions–the ties of the Service Academy connections were strong, and they influenced Hurtubise’s career path.
Hurtubise has been with the Reds organization since 2021 with stops in High-A Dayton, Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville. At each stop, as the level and competition has increased, remarkably so has Hurtubise’s play. His batting average has steadily increased at each level as well as his ability to hit for power. Hurtubise hit zero home runs during his four years at West Point. Last year, he smacked seven homers in a single season. The 2023 season was a big one for Hurtubise. In addition to those seven dingers, he batted .330, had 45 stolen bases and 46 RBIs over 119 combined games for Chattanooga and Louisville. That included him hitting .390 in 36 games for Louisville. What’s always been the consistent hallmark of Hurtubise’s career at both the collegiate and now professional level is his ability “to get on base.”
During his stint in Louisville in 2023, he topped out at a remarkable .537 OBP (On Base Percentage). Once again, Hurtubise credits his experience at West Point with his ability to get on base.
“Another thing that translates from West Point is discipline,” he says. “You have to be a disciplined hitter when you’re at the plate just like you have to be disciplined when you’re going through your daily tasks at West Point. I really do think it comes down to survival. My game has never been built on power. It’s been built on speed and scoring runs. The only way I can do that is get on base. If I want to play in this game for a long time, I have to be really selective at the pitches I’m swinging at, I have to have a keen eye, I have to be willing to get hit by a pitch–even if it hurts. [These are] the little things and the little sacrifices that you have to make in order to have the role that I have as a baseball player.”
Although not listed among Cincinnati’s Top 30 Prospects by MLB Pipeline at the end of 2023, Hurtubise finished the season as the Reds 2023 Minor League Position Player of the Year. As a result of his play, Hurtubise took another important step on his journey when he was added to the Reds 40-man roster in November 2023.
“It’s one of the biggest steps you can take as a professional baseball player,” he says. “Obviously, the biggest step is getting called up and being part of the 26-man roster. It just makes that dream feel like more of a reality. You’re that close, but it also keeps you humble and keeps you hungry, wanting to get to that last step.”
Now a part of the young and talented clubhouse, Hurtubise is able to see up close why the expectations for the Reds this season are high. “This is really the first time I got to meet guys like Spencer Steer, T.J. Friedl, Will Benson–all incredible human beings and everybody just wants to help one another,” he says. “They care so much about Cincinnati baseball that they don’t really care who’s getting the credit. They just want to be part of what’s going on in Cincinnati baseball and contribute in any way we can to help accomplish our goal of a championship for the city of Cincinnati.”
Against long odds, Hurtubise has made it to this point: on the brink of living his dream of making it to Major League Baseball. He greatly credits West Point with playing a large part in his development.
“Every situation and every experience I’ve had at West Point–I think every West Pointer will say this–it’s shaped them into who they are today,” he says.
Looking back, it’s hard for Hurtubise to believe how far he’s come. “I think resilience summarizes my story as a baseball player,” he says. “Day one, I wasn’t a prospect. But each and every day, you wake up and make the decision, ‘Am I going to attack this day or am I going to go through the motions?’ You have to wake up every day and make that decision to want to get better and trust the process. If you go about your business the right way, things will work out for you.”
Just like in BEAST at West Point, Hurtubise started his unique journey in professional baseball towards the bottom. He’s remained resilient, learned to be a survivor and attacked each day since. “The cool thing about baseball is you can never stop climbing, there’s always something more to reach for,” he says. “This is obviously a huge step, but it’s not the final step. I’m looking forward to every opportunity I get this spring training and trying to make the most of my opportunity.”
