Being the biggest guy on the team is not always easy. “When I was kid I always wore the really large numbers because the numbers like 1, 7, and 13 were always for smaller kids.” Recalled New Orleans outfielder Michel Bastide. “I always had to wear number 66 or 55 because those always came in XXXL.”

Bastide comes by his size honestly. The son of a bricklayer in Miramas in the Provence region of France, Bastide grew up hauling bricks for his father and reaching to the higher, more isolated heights on archways. By the time he was 15, Bastide had stretched his frame out to 6’6” and was built like a beast. His pale skin and imposing size caused a local sportswriter to label him “The Albino Rhino” after he flattened a catcher in a collision at home plate.

Bastide’s imposing size and deceptively smooth coverage in the outfield eventually le the New Orleans Trendsetters to draft Bastide in the 2^nd round (42^nd overall) of the 2037 draft. Bastide spent the second half of the 2037 season getting acclimated to professional baseball and playing a solid centerfield for Ensenada. An excellent spring in 2038 saw Bastide promoted to AA but not for long. A quick promotion after only 26 games moved Bastide to AAA Fayetteville where he demolished AAA pitching. A September call-up put Bastide into a Trendsetters uniform for his debut and Bastide performed well. Between the three stops, Bastide hit over .300 with 27 HR and 110 RBI.

Michel Bastide looks to take over in LF for Kazunari Ito who opted out of his three-year deal. The Albino Rhino also hopes to provide some pop in the Trendsetters lineup.