Austin Nola

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Austin Nola
Runs batted in
136
Teams

Austin Kyle Nola[1] (born December 28, 1989) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres. He made his MLB debut in 2019 for the Mariners.

Nola was born and raised in

2009 College World Series championship. He was drafted after his junior year in 2011, this time by the Toronto Blue Jays
, but chose to finish his college career.

The

trading deadline, the Mariners traded Nola to the Padres, with whom Nola had his first MLB postseason appearance. He caught the Padres through the 2020 National League Wild Card Series, taking the team to the 2020 National League Division Series
.

Early life

Nola was born on December 28, 1989, in

sergeant at arms for the Louisiana House of Representatives.[2] Nola took to baseball from an early age, often playing catch with his father in their backyard after school. A. J. also served as Austin and Aaron's baseball coach throughout their childhood.[3]

While attending

runs batted in (RBIs), and 13 home runs.[7]

College career

The

2009 College World Series, Nola batted .250 with four runs and one home run. He boasted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, making no errors in 24 chances as LSU won its sixth championship.[10]

Returning to LSU as a sophomore in 2010, Nola started all 63 regular-season games at shortstop, batting .320 with 50 runs, 52 RBIs, and five home runs.

Most Valuable Player (MVP).[11] Later that year, Nola played collegiate summer baseball for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[12][13] He returned to LSU as a junior in 2011, starting as the shortstop in all 56 games.[7] On April 10, while playing against Arkansas, Nola hit a grand slam in the sixth inning of an eventual 5–4 defeat.[14] In addition to being the first grand slam of Nola's career, it was the only one by an LSU player during the 2011 season.[7]

Nola played for Harwich again during the 2011 season, batting .217 in 39 games with 15 RBIs and 17 runs scored.

Cinderella run to the College World Series.[17] At the end of his college career, Nola was awarded the Wally Pontiff Academic Achievement Award as the top scholar-athlete on LSU's baseball team. He batted .299 during his senior season, with four home runs and 43 RBIs in 64 games.[7]

Professional career

Miami Marlins

The

High–A Florida State League. In 489 at bats, he batted .232 with one home run, 40 RBIs, and 96 hits.[15]

New Orleans Zephyrs
in 2015

In 2014, Nola was assigned to the

New Orleans Zephyrs, the crowded Zephyrs infield meant that he returned to Jacksonville at the start of the year.[25] He was called up to the Zephyrs on June 28, after infielder Miguel Rojas and outfielder Cole Gillespie received major league promotions.[26] Because the Zephyrs wore the abbreviation "NOLA" on the front of their jerseys, short for "New Orleans, Louisiana", Nola's name appeared on both the front and back of his Zephyrs uniform.[21] He played 61 games at Triple A in 2015, batting .280 with 18 RBIs and 18 runs scored.[15]

Nola returned to the Zephyrs in 2016, serving as the starting shortstop and the second batter in the

expanded roster in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[29]

During the 2016–17 offseason, Nola received private instruction from his brother on how to better his catching abilities through communication with pitchers. His ability to control the game from behind the plate impressed coaches during

waivers in order to join the Baby Cakes. There, he served as the team's starting catcher and bottom-of-the-order batter.[32] He played 69 minor league games that season, batting .279 with two home runs and 32 RBIs.[15] Nola became a free agent at the end of the season.[33]

Seattle Mariners

Nola signed a minor league contract with the

Edwin Encarnacion to the New York Yankees, and recorded his first hit in the third inning of the game.[36] His first major league home run came later that month, a solo shot against Wade Miley of the Houston Astros on June 28. The Astros went on to win the game 2–1 in extra innings.[37] Nola finished the season with a .269 batting average, including 10 home runs and 31 RBIs, in 267 at bats for the Seattle Mariners. He played a variety of positions for the team, spending most of his time at first base, with appearances at second and third base, catcher, and left and right field.[38]

After

opening day, Nola was chosen as the Mariners' starting catcher for the 2020 season, which began on July 24, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Joe Hudson was named as Nola's backup.[39] In the first month of the season, Nola was a consistently strong hitter for the Mariners, with five home runs, 17 RBIs, and nine multi-hit games in his first 25 appearances. He also grew more comfortable behind the plate, telling reporters, "I like getting back there. I learn so much from being back there a lot."[40] In 29 games with the Mariners in 2020, Nola batted .306 with five home runs and 19 RBIs.[38]

San Diego Padres

Nola catching for the Padres during the 2021 season

On August 30, 2020, the Mariners traded Nola, as well as pitchers Dan Altavilla and Austin Adams, to the San Diego Padres, in exchange for infielder Ty France, outfielder Taylor Trammell, pitcher Andrés Muñoz, and catcher Luis Torrens. The trade was part of a larger series of deadline moves by Padres general manager A. J. Preller, who aimed to take the team to its first playoff appearance in 14 seasons.[41] That postseason, the Padres appeared in the 2020 National League Wild Card Series, facing the St. Louis Cardinals. In the final match of the three-game series, the Padres played a bullpen game,[a] and Nola became the first MLB catcher to backstop nine pitchers through a postseason shutout, taking the team to the 2020 National League Division Series (NLDS).[43] There, the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Padres in a three-game series.[44] After the season ended, Nola revealed that he had fractured his foot on a foul ball about a week after the trade was finalized, but he had continued playing through the injury.[45] In the 48 games which he caught, pitchers posted a 2.50 earned run average (ERA), the lowest among all team catchers. Offensively, Nola batted .273 in 161 at bats with the Padres that year, including seven home runs, 28 RBIs, and 24 runs scored.[46]

During

Victor Caratini and Luis Campusano filling in behind the plate until Nola was reactivated on April 27.[48] After playing only 18 games upon his return, Nola was sidelined again, this time with a sprained knee.[49] Webster Rivas was called up from Triple-A in Nola's place.[50] Nola began practicing again at the start of July,[51] and started behind the plate again on July 28 for a game against the Oakland Athletics.[52] Nola faced his brother for the first time in their respective MLB careers on August 21, when the Padres played the Phillies. Austin struck out swinging on three consecutive fastball pitches from Aaron.[53] Nola's injury-ridden season came to an end on September 24, when he was shut down to undergo thumb surgery from an injury sustained in a home plate collision with Brandon Belt of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2021, Nola had never gone on the injured list in either the minor or the major leagues; that season, his finger, knee, and thumb injuries limited Nola to only 56 games.[54] He batted .272 in the games he did play, with two home runs and 29 RBIs in 173 at bats.[38]

During Game 2 of the 2022 National League Championship Series, Austin and Aaron Nola became the first pair of brothers in Major League Baseball postseason history to face each other as pitcher and batter.[55]

On January 13, 2023, Nola agreed to a one-year, $2.35 million contract with the Padres, avoiding salary arbitration.[56] He was hit in the face by a pitch during spring training, breaking his nose.[57] He cleared concussion protocols and was on San Diego's Opening Day roster. After batting .146 in 130 at bats, the Padres optioned Nola to El Paso. He batted ,185 in eight games before being reexamined for concussion symptoms. Nola was diagnosed with oculomotor dysfunction.[58] He was non-tendered and became a free agent on November 17.

Kansas City Royals

On January 5, 2024, Nola signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers organization. [59] However, he was released by the Brewers on February 22[60] and signed a one-year major league contract with the Kansas City Royals the following day.[61] Nola was optioned to the Triple–A Omaha Storm Chasers to begin the 2024 season.[62]

Personal life

Nola and his wife Michelle have one son together who was born on March 26, 2020, which would have been opening day had the

2020 MLB season not been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[45] Their daughter was born on September 9, 2022.[63]

Nola is of

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and in January 2020, the Nola brothers hosted a "Strike Out ALS" charity event on his behalf.[66]

Notes

  1. ^ The term refers to a contemporary practice in which, rather than a traditional game that utilizes a multi-inning starting pitcher, a series of relievers combine to pitch the entire game.[42]

References

  1. ^ a b "Austin Nola Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Dellenger, Ross (May 16, 2014). "For Stacie Nola, baseball is a Mother's Day tradition". The Advocate. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Montemurro, Meghan (July 13, 2018). "How to explain Aaron Nola's success? Start with a trip to Baton Rouge to meet his family". The Athletic. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Williams, Darrell (May 19, 2018). "Making the switch: Baby Cakes former shortstop Austin Nola becoming more comfortable as a catcher". The Advocate. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  5. ^ "Austin Nola Commits to LSU". Catholic High School. November 15, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  6. ^ Williams, Darrell (July 13, 2015). "Having reached Triple-A and back in his home state with the Zephyrs, ex-LSU standout Austin Nola is eager to prove himself". The Advocate. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Austin Nola – 2012 – Baseball". LSU Athletics. Louisiana State University. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
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  9. ^ Gegenheimer, Mike (June 10, 2017). "After eight years in the majors and a Gold Glove,DJ LeMahieu has embraced Paul Mainieri's decision to move him to second base". The Advocate. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  10. ^ Constant, Andrew (June 30, 2015). "Nola returns to Omaha with Zephyrs". MiLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  11. ^ "LSU wins third straight championship". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 30, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  12. ^ "#6 Austin Nola (2010)". pointstreak.com. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  13. ^ "Cape League: Harwich's Nola pitches gem". Cape Cod Times. June 20, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  14. ^ "College Baseball: Razorbacks down LSU". Texarkana Gazette. Associated Press. April 10, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
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  17. ^ Kubena, Brooks (May 29, 2019). "Remember the 'Shock the World' Stony Brook Seawolves? On a season they'll never forget". The Advocate. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
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  19. ^ Beile, Kelly Anne (January 23, 2020). "Aaron and Austin Nola host 'Strike Out ALS' at Red Stick Social on Jan. 30". WVLA-TV. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  20. ^ Lyons, Lori (April 4, 2013). "Former LSU shortstop Nola working hard on improving skills". The Advocate. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Rockwell, Curtis (June 29, 2015). "After promotion to New Orleans, Austin Nola will wear last name on front and back of jersey". Press-Register. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  22. ^ "Jacksonville Suns bring home Southern League crown with 6–1 win over Chattanooga Friday night". The Florida Times-Union. September 12, 2014. Archived from the original on June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  23. ^ "2014 Southern League". Stats Crew. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  24. ^ "Haines at the helm in Arizona Fall League". MiLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. October 6, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  25. ^ Dabe, Christopher (April 7, 2015). "LSU baseball product Austin Nola deserves Triple-A promotion in 2015, Zephyrs manager says". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  26. ^ Grubbs, Tim (June 28, 2015). "New Orleans Zephyrs add former LSU star Austin Nola". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  27. ^ Rome, Chandler (July 16, 2016). "Austin Nola, the New Orleans Zephyrs' 'captain,' is paving his professional path with lessons learned at LSU". The Advocate. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  28. ^ Brock, Corey (July 15, 2020). "How Austin Nola broke through". The Athletic. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  29. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (November 18, 2016). "Teams set 40-man rosters ahead of Rule 5 Draft". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  30. ^ Spencer, Clark (March 2, 2017). "Baseball-smart Marlin turns to 'tools of ignorance'". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
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  32. ^ Dabe, Christopher (June 16, 2019). "Austin Nola, former LSU baseball player, rejoins Baby Cakes before opener". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  33. ^ Seidman, Corey (August 30, 2020). "Aaron Nola's brother traded to the National League". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  34. ^ "Mariners' Austin Nola: Signs deal with Seattle". CBS Sports. November 9, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  35. ^ Smith, Lauren (May 8, 2019). "Tacoma's most versatile player hopes his most recent position gives him a ticket to the majors". The News Tribune. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  36. ^ Haft, Chris (June 16, 2019). "Nola joins Mariners, ending long Minors journey". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
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  41. ^ Cassavell, AJ (August 31, 2020). "Padres, Mariners complete 7-player deal". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  42. ^ Diamond, Jared (September 19, 2018). "Bullpen Day Turns Into a Winning Formula in Baseball". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  43. ^ Keown, Tim (October 8, 2020). "Padres catcher Austin Nola's long journey to the NLDS". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  44. ^ Castillo, Jorge (October 8, 2020). "Dodgers sweep Padres in NLDS behind stellar pitching and offense". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  45. ^ a b Lin, Dennis (March 1, 2021). "After playing hurt, Austin Nola could make an even bigger impact on Padres". The Athletic. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
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  49. ^ Cassavell, AJ (May 27, 2021). "Catcher Nola headed to IL with knee sprain". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  50. ^ Acee, Kevin (May 28, 2021). "Padres notes: Popular Rivas replaces Nola; Machado eases back into starting; bullpen bolstered". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  51. ^ Sanders, Jeff (July 5, 2021). "Padres notes: Nola's out through All-Star break; Pagán's bat; Lamet's next steps". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
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  53. ^ Nesbitt, Andy (August 22, 2021). "Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola struck out his older brother, Austin, and their dad had a classic reaction". USA Today. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  54. ^ Cassavell, AJ (September 24, 2021). "Padres lose Nola for season (thumb surgery)". MLB.com. Advanced Media Group. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  55. ^ McEvoy, Colin (February 9, 2023). "The Ultimate Sibling Rivalry: 8 Sets of Brothers Who Faced Off in Sports Championships". Biography. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  56. ^ "2023 MLB Arbitration Tracker". MLBTradeRumors. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  57. ^ "Padres notes: Austin Nola easing back after breaking nose; Yu Darvish expected back Thursday". San Diego Union-Tribune. March 23, 2023.
  58. ^ Sanders, Jeff (September 2, 2023). "Padres catcher Austin Nola 'on the road to recovery' following diagnosis of eye-movement issue". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  59. ^ Farkas, Brady (January 5, 2024). "Milwaukee Brewers Sign Veteran Backstop to Minor League Deal". Fastball. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  60. ^ "Royals improve catching depth, ink Nola to 1-year deal". MLB.com.
  61. ^ "Royals Sign Austin Nola To Major League Deal". MLB Trade Rumors. February 23, 2024.
  62. ^ "Nick Pratto, Drew Waters, Austin Nola assigned to minors". royalsreview.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  63. ^ "Austin Nola is back off the paternity list (baby girl born yesterday morning). Matt Beaty has been designated for assignment. Bob Melvin said reliever Drew Pomeranz is probably not going to pitch this season. Reiss Knehr optioned to Triple-A to make room for Pierce Johnson". Twitter. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  64. ^ Hill, Benjamin (August 3, 2015). "Nola feeling right at home in New Orleans". MiLB.com. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  65. ^ Lauber, Scott (February 13, 2019). "Aaron Nola agrees to four-year contract extension with Phillies". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  66. ^ Doucet, Jacques; Auzenne, Josh (January 30, 2020). "Baseball brothers host 'Strike Out ALS with Aaron and Austin Nola'". WAFB. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2021.

External links

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