Colter Bean

I Keep Hoping

One of the stat-head favorites in the Yankee farm has been Colter Bean. He's now 30, way back in the depth chart, and his star may not make it to the big leagues. The NYT has an article on him.

Bean, a 30-year-old right-hander, has three games in the majors to show for it all. The first game was the best. He pitched two innings against the Los Angeles Angels that April night, allowing a run but striking out the last batter in a 12-4 victory. The lineup card is framed at home. The memories are fresh.

“The taxicab dropped me off in front of Yankee Stadium,” Ruth Bean said. “A security guard was waiting for me. I had a suitcase in my hand, and he took it for me and showed me around. It’s a different world, when you get a taste of it. Everyone was so nice to me.”

She took her seat right before Colter entered the game. When he did, she said, it was the most exciting experience of her life. After the game, Colter was sent back to the minors. They spent a day in New York sightseeing, and six weeks later, their first child was born.

The boy, Gibson, is almost 2, and a daughter is due on his birthday, June 8. Colter said he wanted to pitch long enough for his son to know what he does for a living, to romp around the clubhouse with his father.

It does not seem likely to be the Yankees’ clubhouse. The roster is overflowing with relievers higher on the depth chart. The Yankees’ affiliate now plays in Moosic, Pa., so Bean cannot add to his Columbus record.

It was a dubious mark, he said, and teammates called him Bumpus. But Bean was touched by a gesture from the Columbus front office after he set the record with his 213th appearance. In a pregame ceremony, Bean received a check for $2,130 — $10 for each game he had pitched.

“I was kind of blown away by that,” Bean said. “We established a college fund for our son when he was born, but that boosted it pretty big. I’ll never forget that.”

Kind of tough when you find yourself in no-man's land.
It's hard to see how it might happen with the Yankees, but I do hope he gets a shot at the Big League level.