Any time a young player comes up for his big league debut, it’s special enough. Getting to that point in your career is tremendously difficult, and it never happens for most professional players (much less for everyone who picks up a glove).
But for a guy like Narciso Crook, who had been grinding through injuries in the Cincinnati Reds organization, never quite getting a shot to prove himself, making The Show last night had to be all the more special. The Cubs gave him a chance on a minor league deal back in November, Crook raked at Triple-A, and then he got to come up to face his old organization in his big league debut.
Crook didn’t start, but got into the game in the middle innings thanks to the blowout. His first at bat featured him hitting a bullet … to just the wrong spot, and it wound up being a double play. Kind of a bummer for a first big league at bat.
But the next at bat? Another bullet, and this time to the right spot:
I love seeing the joy on Crook’s face, and seeing his teammates at the top step cheering him on. I’m also pretty sure I caught Christopher Morel smiling as he headed toward home plate. They all know what a huge moment that was for Crook, and it’s gotta be nice for them to be a part of it. Crook later added another single for good measure.
“I feel like everybody dreams about it and dreams about having a great debut,” Crook said after the game. “Fortunately, that was very special for me, just to go out there and have fun. I really can say that I did.”