Mitch Nay
Mitchell Ellis Nay (born September 20, 1993) is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent. He was drafted out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round (58th overall) of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.
Mitch Nay | |
---|---|
Free agent | |
Third baseman | |
Born: Chandler, Arizona | September 20, 1993|
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Career
Nay attended Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona.[1] He began his high school career as a shortstop, but became a third baseman due to the presence of teammate Jorge Flores.[2] As a junior, Nay had a .495 batting average, 14 home runs, and 54 runs batted in (RBI).[3] He won Arizona's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year Award in 2012,[2] and received a scholarship to attend Arizona State University.[4] USA Baseball named Nay to their youth baseball team.[5]
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays selected Nay in the supplemental first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, with the 58th overall selection.[5] He signed with Toronto, forgoing his scholarship.[2] He suffered a broken foot and did not make his professional debut until 2013. In 2013, Nay played for the Bluefield Blue Jays of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, where he had a .300 batting average in 64 games. He was promoted to the Vancouver Canadians of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League in time for their playoff chase. He was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the Northwest League playoffs by MiLB.com.[6]
Nay began the 2014 season with the Lansing Lugnuts of the Class A Midwest League.[7] On August 19, while Nay was leading the Midwest League in doubles, the Blue Jays promoted him to the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League.[8] In 120 games in Lansing, he batted .285 with 34 doubles, three home runs, and 59 RBI.[1] Nay played 11 games in Dunedin, batting .185 with one RBI.[1] On September 24, Nay was named the MVP for Lansing in 2014.[9] Nay played the entire 2015 season in Dunedin, and finished the season batting .243 with five home runs and 42 RBI in 109 games played.[1] Due to injuries, Nay appeared in just eight rehab games for the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays in 2016, and batted .091.[1] In 2017, Nay returned to Lansing and spent the whole season there, posting a .222 batting average with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs in 61 games.[10]
Cincinnati Reds
On December 14, 2017, Nay was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft.[11] Nay split the 2018 season between the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos and the High-A Daytona Tortugas, slashing .267/.352/.405 in 132 games between the two teams. He became a free agent after the 2018 season,[12] but re-signed with the team on February 24, 2019. Nay split the season between the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts and Triple-A Louisville Bats, hitting .278/.341/.504 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI in 114 total games.[13]
Seattle Mariners
On December 13, 2019, Nay signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners and was assigned to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers.[14] Nay did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] On May 28, 2020, Nay was released by the Mariners organization.[16]
Los Angeles Angels
On December 29, 2020, Nay signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels organization. Nay spent the 2021 season with the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas, slashing .237/.347/.480 with 23 home runs and 54 RBI in 106 games. He elected free agency following the season on November 7, 2021.[17]
On May 29, 2022, Nay re-signed with the Angels on a new minor league contract. He made 36 appearances split between the High-A Tri-City Dust Devils and rookie-level Arizona Complex League Angels, slashing .189/.272/.303 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI. He was released by the organization on July 29.[18]
Kane County Cougars
On August 27, 2022, Nay signed with the Kane County Cougars of the American Association of Professional Baseball.[19] On September 27, 2022, Nay was released by the Cougars.
Personal life
Nay's grandfather, Lou Klimchock, is a former MLB player.[2][8]
References
- "Mitch Nay Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- Campbell, Kevin (March 8, 2013). "Chandler-native Mitch Nay started young". Azcentral.com. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
- Parish, Christopher (May 4, 2012). "Love of the game drives No. 9 prospect Nay - ESPNHS Baseball - ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
- "Former baseball player helps children in need". Herald-review.com. April 17, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
- "Toronto Blue Jays select Hamilton's Mitch Nay with No. 58 overall pick in MLB draft". Azcentral.com. June 5, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
- Lowden, Trevor. "Jays prospect Nay entering family business". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
- "Toronto Blue Jays prospect Mitch Nay's hot month continues in Class A Lansing's big win - MiLB.com News - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- "Midwest notes: Nay learning the hard way - MiLB.com News - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- Chisholm, Gregor (September 24, 2014). "Blue Jays name MVPs in Minor League system". MLB.com. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- "Mitch Nay Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved January 13, 2018.
- "2017 Rule 5 Draft results: Pick-by-pick". MLB.com. December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
- Eddy, Matt (November 6, 2018). "Minor League Free Agents 2018". Baseball America. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- "Minor League Baseball Free Agents 2019".
- "Mitch Nay Stats & Scouting Report - Baseball America".
- "2020 Minor League Season Canceled". mlbtraderumors.com.
- "Mariners release 44 minor leaguers before 2020 season (Updated list)". May 29, 2020.
- "2021-22 Minor League Free Agents for All 30 MLB Teams".
- "Mitch Nay Stats, Fantasy & News".
- "American Association of Professional Baseball - 2022 Transactions".
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)