Bond between Fleming and McBroom traces back to WVU
TRENTON » Come to a game at Arm & Hammer Park when the Thunder are hosting New Hampshire, and you just might notice a funky hand signal between a home player and a visiting player.
It may come beforehand during batting practice. It may come when they cross paths on the field in the middle innings. But no, it is not animosity nor bad blood between opposing players.
The gesture emanates positive energy, tracing back to when Trenton’s Billy Fleming and New Hampshire’s Ryan McBroom played college baseball together at West Virginia University from 2012-14. McBroom distinctly remembers its inception during a nightmarish Big 12 matchup at the University of Texas in April 2013.
“We weren’t doing so hot, and then we looked at each other — he was playing second (base), I was playing first (base) — and we’re just like, ‘You know, bro, good vibes, man,’” McBroom recalls. “Ever since then we kind of took off from there. It’s pretty cool. We still do it now. We’ll look at each other and have the same signal, so it’s pretty funny.”
When the Yankees signed Fleming, a graduate of local Council Rock High School South, on July 23, 2014, he became the seventh member of WVU’s 2014 team to sign professionally, according to WVU Athletics.
One month earlier, the Blue Jays selected McBroom in the 15th round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
The two infielders have since squared off in both the Eastern League and Florida State League the last two years, including this weekend as the Thunder host the Fisher Cats for three games.
“We have similar personalities, similar outlooks on the game of baseball,” McBroom said. “I remember meeting him my sophomore year. He came in as a freshman and had a few freshmen friends along with him, and ever since the first day I met him we kind of just bonded. And here we are in Double-A playing against each other, which is pretty cool.”
Although the 2014 Mountaineers finished just shy of qualifying for an NCAA Tournament Regional, McBroom doesn’t regret returning for his senior year because of their close-knit core of players. Fleming was a junior. The two commanded the right side of the infield and batted third and fourth in WVU’s lineup for three seasons.
“I think we made a pretty big splash right away to say that West Virginia was here to play and wasn’t going to get pushed around in the Big 12,” Fleming said. “We had a really good group of guys, and I think that the talent that’s in the minor leagues kind of proves that.”
According to Baseball Almanac, 27 WVU alumni have made it to the major leagues, including current Cardinals third baseman Jedd Gyorko.
Fleming and McBroom hope to stamp their names on that list someday. Although they are in different dugouts and usually different cities these days, as close friends they frequently talk, text, FaceTime and squeeze in time to relax together when they can during the grind that is minor league baseball.
An everlasting connection formed five years ago has ensured Fleming and McBroom will stick together through the remainder of the journey and beyond.
“It was just incredible playing with him for three years. We had a lot of fun and a lot of good memories,” Fleming said. “We were just always together doing infield drills, always in the games together on that side of the infield. Just had a really good relationship on and off the field.”
Left-hander Nestor Cortes was promoted to TripleA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre again on Saturday, leaving an open roster spot on the Thunder.
Cortes, 22, made two appearances for the RailRiders at the end of June. He has mostly served as a spot starter and middle reliever for the Thunder, pitching to a 2.83 ERA in 47 2/3 innings this season.
The promotion means Cortes, who was pegged to replace the injured Justus Sheffield in the Eastern League All-Star Game, will no longer pitch in the exhibition next Wednesday.