Remembering a tragic loss
You can be forgiven if you’ve never heard of Brian Cole. You won’t find him at Citi Field or in the Mets minor league system. He isn’t among the ranks of failed Mets prospects working for a shot with another club or in another country. He never hung up his spikes and left his playing career behind. He never got the chance to. On this day in 2001, Brian Cole lost his life in a car accident in Florida. He was 22.
Drafted in the 18th round in 1998, Cole moved up through the system quickly, finishing the 2000 season in Binghamton, only about a year or so away from the majors. His performance up to that point earned him a rookie card in 2000 Topps Traded along with an autograph card in the same product. Cole was set to be a fixture in the prospect ranks in 2001.
The first I had heard of Brian Cole was after 2001 SPX was released shortly after his death. This product contained his only game-used jersey card, something that I thought was important for my collection at the time. And that was the last I had heard of him until this spring.
You won’t find many Brian Cole cards out there. Including the SPX jersey/autograph, he has just seven autographs. His memorabilia includes the SPX jersey and bat and bat/autograph cards in 2001 SP Top Prospects. After his autographs in 2001 SP Top Prospects, SPX, eX, and Finest, Brian Cole’s time in the hobby spotlight was over.
Twelve years after his death, the world is finally hearing the story of Brian Cole. Between a Sports Illustrated profile of him in their Baseball Preview issue and talk of a movie, it looks like Cole will not be forgotten. It seems like there should be more to this story, but that’s really all I have. I had never heard about how great Cole was until I read the stories over the last few days. Back in 2001, the vast resources we now have to follow every detail of every aspect of baseball just did not exist. Now though, we have no excuse. And so I’m posting this, incomplete as it is, to make sure that my little corner of the world has a place to remember a prospect that never had a chance to make his mark in New York City.
Brian Cole wasn’t the first prospect to die in a tragic car accident and, sadly, will not be the last. Some are struck down through no fault of their own, while others tempt fate through reckless actions. After a spring when a prospect was arrested while driving 111mph while intoxicated, it seems like history is determined to repeat itself. That one will get another chance, but there’s still a message that needs to be sent. No matter how good you are, your future is never guaranteed.
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