Jacob Nix

Pitching Coach

 

Jacob attended Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, California, and as a junior, he pitched to a 7-2 win-loss record with a 2.80 earned run average, and was named to the Press-Telegram's all-area first team. He committed to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on a college baseball scholarship to play for the UCLA Bruins baseball team. At the start of his senior year of high school, Nix played for the United States national baseball team in the 2013 18U Baseball World Cup. The United States won the gold medal in the event. By the start of his senior season, his fastball velocity ranged from 92 to 95 miles per hour.

 

The Houston Astros selected Nix in the fifth round (136th overall selection) of the 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. Nix and the Astros agreed to terms on a contract, however, the Astros failed to come to terms with Brady Aiken, the first overall selection of the draft, which reduced their allotted draft pool, leaving them unable to sign Nix without incurring penalties. Meeting with an agent is against NCAA rules, so rather than wait for a ruling on his collegiate eligibility, Nix opted to take a post-graduate year at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, to play for their baseball team. In this way, he became eligible for the 2015 MLB Draft. After watching him throw for scouts, Keith Law, a draft expert for ESPN, wrote that he believes Nix could be a first-round pick. In ten starts for the IMG Academy, Nix improved his fastball velocity to 95 to 97 miles per hour, improved his changeup, and developed a curveball.

 

The San Diego Padres selected Nix in the third round (86th overall selection) in the 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.