Astros MLB draft pick Drew Gilbert. (Syndication: The Knoxville News-Sentinel)
When the Houston Astros selected Tennessee outfielder Drew Gilbert in the MLB Draft, they added a player who will definitely embrace being hated.
These days to be a member of the Houston Astros you have to get comfortable with the seething hatred of just about every other MLB fanbase directed at you. It doesn’t even matter if you weren’t part of the sign-stealing scandal that rocked baseball.
So it’s fitting that the Astros used their first-round MLB Draft pick on Tennessee outfielder Drew Gilbert.
One video clip reveals how Gilbert plays the game with a passionate attitude that won’t be cowed by hatred.
Watch: Drew Gilbert bat flip proves he’ll fit right in with universally-hated Astros
While he was playing for the Volunteers, Gilbert produced one of the most disrespectfully epic bat flips you’ll ever see. It came after a grand slam and, by some miracle, it didn’t result in a benches-clearing brawl.
Twitter was in full agreement that Gilbert seems made for Houston.
The Astros even highlighted the bat flip from another angle in a tweet introducing their newest draft pick.
If Gilbert is someone who has no problems riling up opponents, Houston should be a fun place for him to play. He first has to work his way up onto the major league roster.
As a junior, Gilbert batted .362 while hitting 11 home runs, 21 doubles and four triples en route to 71 RBIs with highly-ranked Tennessee this year. He has been praised for his contact and his base running. He’s also shown some promise in 11 appearances as a pitcher, which could make for interesting usage in an era with more and more pitching appearances for position players.
If Gilbert does make it into the lineup, the whole baseball world will be waiting for that first MLB bat flip and the vitriol that comes with it.