Biography
Jacob Gilles Hurtubise (born December 11, 1997) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
Career
Amateur
Hurtubise attended Zionsville Community High School in Zionsville, Indiana, and the United States Military Academy, where he played college baseball for the Army Black Knights. Despite playing only three full seasons at Army due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he set Patriot League career records in stolen bases and walks. He was twice named to the All-Patriot League First Team and in 2019 was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 39th round of the 2019 MLB draft, but did not sign.
Cincinnati Reds
On July 17, 2020, Hurtubise signed with the Cincinnati Reds as an undrafted free agent. He, along with Cole Christiansen, Elijah Riley, Connor Slomka and Zac McGraw, was among the first athletes to be granted a delay in his military service to pursue a professional sports career under a new policy. Hurtubise did not play in any games for the organization in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hurtubise made his professional debut in 2021 with the High–A Dayton Dragons, batting .283/.413/.337 with no home runs, 33 RBI, and 39 stolen bases across 102 games. In 2022, he played in 63 games for the Double–A Chattanooga Lookouts, hitting .250/.385/.308 with one home run, nine RBI, and 16 stolen bases.
Hurtubise split the 2023 campaign between the Double–A Chattanooga and the Triple–A Louisville Bats. In 119 games split between the two affiliated, he hit a cumulative .330/.479/.483 with seven home runs, 46 RBI, and 45 stolen bases. Hurtubise was named the Reds' minor league position player of the year following the season.
On November 14, 2023, the Reds added Hurtubise to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He was optioned to the Triple–A Louisville Bats to begin the 2024 season. On May 13, 2024, Hurtubise was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his debut that night as an eighth-inning pinch runner for Mike Ford against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Arizona. He became the second USMA graduate to play in MLB.