Jacob Nix
Jacob James Nix
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 4", Weight 220 lb.
- High School Los Alamitos High School
- Debut August 10, 2018
- Final Game September 29, 2018
- Born January 9, 1996 in Fullerton, CA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Pitcher Jacob Nix was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 3rd round of the 2015 amateur draft. A year earlier, in 2014, he had been the first pick of the 5th round, by the Houston Astros, after graduating from high school, but had failed to come to an agreement, after an oral agreement on a signing bonus of $1.5 million fell through. It was fallout from the Astros' failure to come to an agreement with #1 overall pick Brady Aiken, as Nix's bonus was to come in large part from money saved from signing Aiken for less than the slot's maximum. The Astros then offered him a much smaller bonus, which Nix declined. He was unable to enroll at UCLA, as he had originally planned, because the NCAA ruled he was not eligible as he had lost his amateur status by enlisting with the Players Association in order to be able to file a grievance against the Astros for reneging on their agreed offer. He was left in limbo for a year, working out at the IMG Academy in the meantime. He eventually received an undisclosed financial compensation from the Astros.
He began his pro career with the AZL Padres where he went 0-2, 5.49 in 7 games. In 2016, he was 3-7, 3.93 in 25 starts for the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League. He followed that in 2017 by pitching for both the Lake Elsinore Storm and San Antonio Missions, combining to go 5-5, 4.67 in 17 games. In spite of relatively unimpressive numbers, he was highly considered by scouts, and the Padres added him to their major league roster in order not to risk losing him in the Rule V Draft. In 2018 proved to be up to the task by going 2-3, 2.05 in his first 9 starts with San Antonio, and then won his first start of the AAA El Paso Chihuahuas by tossing 6 scoreless innings. It was at that point, on August 7th, that the Padres announced he would be called up to San Diego to make his major league debut in short order, as the Padres were busy auditioning some of the most promising young pitchers in the organization for major league jobs. He made his debut on August 10th and it was a good one as he held the Philadelphia Phillies scoreless through 6 innings and received credit for a 2-0 win.
He missed most of the 2019 season with an injury and only pitched 9 times in the minors. Following the season, on October 6th, he was arrested after allegedly attempting to break into someone's home through the dog door at 3:30 AM in Peoria, AZ. Accompanied by another pitcher from the Padres' organization, Thomas Cosgrove, he was kicked in the face by the home's owner, and then tased when he tried to escape. The homeowner then called police, who arrested the pair a few blocks away.
Further Reading[edit]
- AJ Cassavell: "Padres plan to promote righty Nix this weekend: The club's No. 14 prospect has 1.84 ERA in Minors this season", mlb.com, August 8, 2018. [1]
- Steve Gardner: "Padres pitcher tased, arrested after allegedly trying to enter home through dog door", USA Today, October 10, 2019. [2]
- Bob Nightengale: "A year after million-dollar payday vanished, Jacob Nix set for MLB draft", USA Today Sports, June 1, 2015. [3]
We're Social...for Statheads
Every Sports Reference Social Media Account
Site Last Updated:
Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction?
Subscribe to our Free Email Newsletter
Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE
Your All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database
Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more.