Nick Kimpton

Nicholas Andrew Kimpton

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 170-187 lb.

• Born October 27, 1983 in Adelaide, South Australia Australia

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Nick Kimpton played four years in the minors and won a Silver Medal in the Olympics.

Kimpton was signed by scout Grant Weir for the Anaheim Angels in January 2001. He debuted as a pro with the 2001 AZL Angels, hitting .269/.354/.312 with a team-high 30 runs in 49 games despite being only 17 years old. In 2002, he batted .262/.358/.328 in 93 games for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. The team's youngest position player, he fielded .990 in the outfield and stole 20 bases in 32 tries.

Nick struggled for the 2003 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes; again his team's youngest non-pitcher, he hit just .228/.293/.272 in 109 games, though he stole 20 bases while being caught only 7 times. He played for the Australian Provincials in the 2004 Claxton Shield, making his debut in his native Australia. He went 8 for 20 with a double, 2 triples, 2 walks, 4 runs and 4 RBI in five games to lead the Provincial offense.

In the 2004 minor league season, the 20-year-old hit .155/.224/.231 in 26 games for the Quakes and .290/.344/.354 in 37 games for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Kimpton was picked for Australia's Olympic team. He went 0 for 2 in four games, appearing as a defensive sub in RF and CF where Tom Brice (RF), Trent Oeltjen (CF) and Brett Roneberg (CF) saw most of the action. He handled one putout in five innings in the field, spread over three games; he pinch-ran in his other game. Kimpton did not appear in the Gold Medal game, which Australia lost; the Silver Medal was arguably the bright light in the country's baseball history to that point.

In the 2005 Claxton Shield, Kimpton was 6 for 18 for the Provincials. He played in the Japanese industrial leagues in 2005. He hit .333/.385/.625 with 5 runs and 4 RBI in five games while continuing to lead the Provincial squad in '06. In 2007, he was 4 for 20 with four runs for the Provincials.

After sitting out the 2008 Claxton Shield, Kimpton started the 2009 tournament faster than anyone else, earning him a spot on Australia's provisional roster for the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

OR page

Sources

• Defunct IBAF site
• 2002-2005 Baseball Almanacs
• Flintoff & Dunn Australian Baseball Almanac
• Australian Baseball Federation