No matter the sport or how successful the franchise, every fan is on the lookout for the next big thing.

Growing up in New Hampshire, I've been to Fenway Park to root on the Boston Red Sox numerous times throughout the years. Back in 2000, I went with my family for my dad's birthday.

I was 15 years old and the hated New York Yankees were on the way to their fourth World Series title in five years, while the Curse of the Bambino tortured my Red Sox for the 82nd consecutive season.

The game that night was against the Baltimore Orioles, but I — as always — was more focused on what it was going to take for the Sox to jump the Yankees in the standings.

Morgan Burkhart, a rookie designated hitter, stepped to the plate and delivered his first career RBI in just the second game of his MLB career. My imagination immediately took off.

I leaned to my stepbrother Rick and said something along the lines of, “Hey, we might have just witnessed the first RBI of a future Hall of Famer.”

Well, Burkhart didn't exactly end up in Cooperstown. He finished with 23 career RBIs and only appeared in 42 MLB games.

While the rookie didn't live up to my absurd expectations, that's what being a fan is all about. Whether it's finding players to help break an 80-year-old curse or rooting for a franchise that has strung together 19 straight losing seasons, fans need reason to believe — even if it's false hope.

I was flipping through the channels Sunday night and landed on the Cardinals-Dodgers game. In the second inning, former Slippery Rock University star Matt Adams strolled to the plate for his first MLB at-bat. The first baseman put up strong numbers in the minors and apparently wasn't daunted by the big leagues.

He laced the first pitch he saw into center field for a single. I knew exactly how St. Louis fans were feeling: Adams could be the next big thing.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh fans were probably wondering: How the heck did the front office miss a 6-foot-3, 230-pound power-hitting first baseman that went to school about 45 minutes away?

It's a fair question, but St. Louis has won two World Series since 2006 and the Pirates are on pace for their second straight decade of losing. There are reasons for this.

The Pirates are in dire need of a power threat and the Cardinals found one in the 23rd round of the 2009 draft.

Pittsburgh drafted catcher Tony Sanchez with the No. 4 overall pick that year. He has hit 16 career homers in three-plus seasons in the minor leagues. Adams blasted twice as many in 2011 alone.

The offensively inept Pirates drafted 14 pitchers and nine position players before Adams was selected. Sanchez was the first of three catchers picked by the Bucs in the first 15 rounds. Pittsburgh took a first baseman, Aaron Baker, in the 11th round, but he's now playing single-A ball in the Baltimore organization.

Adams might just be another Morgan Burkhart. He could be on his way to the Hall of Fame. Somewhere in between the vast range is most likely.

While St. Louis ponders the possibilities of the next big thing, Pittsburgh is still stuck on the lookout.

Jason Orfao is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.