Trot Nixon
Trot Nixon | |
---|---|
Right fielder | |
Born: Durham, North Carolina, U.S. | April 11, 1974|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
September 21, 1996, for the Boston Red Sox | |
Last MLB appearance | |
June 28, 2008, for the New York Mets | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .274 |
Home runs | 137 |
Runs batted in | 555 |
Teams | |
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Christopher Trotman "Trot" Nixon (born April 11, 1974) is an American former professional
Youth and high school career
Nixon was born in
Professional career
Boston Red Sox
Nixon was drafted by the Red Sox in the 1st round of the
Nixon's first full season in the majors was in 1999, when he played in 124 games and hit .270 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs. He came in 9th place in Rookie of the Year voting with just a single vote point (Carlos Beltrán of the Kansas City Royals won the award by a landslide).[3]
Nixon quickly became a fan favorite for his scrappy, enthusiastic gameplay. He was considered the inspiration for the expression "Boston Dirt Dogs."[citation needed] The signature is that of a "scrapper," a player who hustles and usually gets his uniform dirty during games.
After a decent 2000 season, Nixon produced career highs (at the time) during the 2001 season with a .280 batting average, 27 home runs, and 88 RBIs.
The 2002 season was also a good one for Nixon: he posted career bests in doubles (36) and RBIs (94). On May 5, 2002, in response to several hits by pitches, Nixon threw his bat in the direction of Tampa Bay Devil Rays pitcher Ryan Rupe, pretending that the bat slipped out of his hands while swinging.[4] In response, Bob Watson, the Major League Baseball vice president in charge of discipline, fined him $2,000 and suspended him four games.[5][6]
Nixon had the best year of his career in 2003, batting .306 with 28 home runs and 87 RBIs. On October 4, 2003, in Game 3 of the American League Division Series, he had the most prominent moment of his career. Nixon was called from the bench as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 11th. With the Red Sox facing elimination, Nixon lined a two-run homer over the center field wall for a 3–1 Boston victory. The Red Sox went on to win the next two games, stunning the Oakland Athletics with a 3-2 series win and advancing to the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. The Red Sox lost the ALCS in seven games despite Nixon batting .333 (8 for 24) with 3 home runs and 5 RBIs in the series.
During the 2004 season, Nixon was unavailable for several months due to a
Nixon also endeared himself to Sox fans by briefly wearing a mohawk hairstyle, one of many unconventional and bizarre hairstyles the Sox sported over the course of the 2004 season.
Loved by Boston's fans, Nixon is known for an extremely volatile temper and steadfast dedication to his teammates.[citation needed] In August 2005, while officially on the disabled list, Nixon remained in uniform and in the dugout with the rest of the team during the game. When teammate Gabe Kapler (who often acted as Nixon's right field replacement) hit a long fly ball off of the Green Monster, the umpires ruled it a double. Nixon leapt off the bench and argued with such passion that Kapler's hit had been a home run (television replays confirmed that the hit had landed above the home run line, and thus should have been ruled a two-run homer) that he was ejected from the game.
On October 1, 2006, with two outs in the fifth inning of the final game of the season, manager Terry Francona replaced Nixon in right field with rookie David Murphy. Knowing Nixon might be playing his final game with the Sox, the fans gave him a grateful ovation as he ran off the field. Said Nixon, when asked if it was difficult playing what may have been his last game for the Red Sox:
There were a couple of times—my first at-bat and coming out of the game. It really was, because this is the only organization I've ever known. There was [sic] definitely a couple of times out there that I did want to break down. I really did care about this organization. I did care about this town. I think this town has been unbelievable for my family and me. Absolutely unbelievable. I think there's a lot of guys in this organization who feel the same way.
— Trot Nixon, [7] The Patriot Ledger
After the 2006 season, the Red Sox did not offer Nixon salary arbitration as the team pursued and eventually signed free agent J. D. Drew and had a fourth outfielder, Wily Mo Peña, on the roster.[8]
In 2010, Red Sox manager Terry Francona compared rookie Red Sox outfielder Ryan Kalish's intensity and aggressiveness to Nixon's.[9][10]
Cleveland Indians
In January 2007, Nixon signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the
Arizona Diamondbacks
In February 2008, he signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the
New York Mets
On June 13, 2008, Nixon was acquired by the New York Mets from the Diamondbacks for cash considerations and a player to be named later. The Mets acquired him to replace injured outfielder Moisés Alou. He was added to the Mets roster on June 15, replacing outfielder Chris Aguila who was designated for assignment.[12][13] The same day he was activated, Nixon started in right field against the Texas Rangers.[14] However, he finished the season on the disabled list.
Milwaukee Brewers
On December 18, 2008, Nixon signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was put onto the inactive roster. After his release from the Brewers in March 2009, Nixon retired from baseball.
Career statistics
In 1092 games over 12 seasons, Nixon posted a .274
Personal life
Nixon became an
Nixon is married to his wife, Kathryn, with whom he has two sons, Chase (born September 11, 2001) and Luke (born October 1, 2004). He was flying back to
He and his family reside in Wilmington, North Carolina.[citation needed] He co-hosts "The 5th Quarter", a Friday night high school football highlight show on WWAY-TV. His father also lives in Wilmington, and his grandmother and cousins live in Hertford, North Carolina.
In October 2018, Nixon threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the American League Division Series to Dustin Pedroia, and collected donations outside of Fenway Park for Hurricane Florence victims.[17]
See also
References
- ^ "TheWolfpackCentral - NCSU football experienced an event-filled offseason 25 years ago". August 15, 2018.
- ^ "Trot Nixon Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- ^ a b Trot Nixon (Baseball Reference)
- ^ Trot Nixon loses grip on bat, sends it flying past Ryan Rupe, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved August 18, 2019
- ^ Writer, PAUL DOYLE; Courant Staff (May 15, 2002). "NIXON ILL; APPEAL DROPPED". courant.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "ESPN.com: MLB - Boston's Nixon, Castillo hit with suspensions". a.espncdn.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- ^ "Title Unknown". The Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009.
- ^ Edes, Gordon (December 2, 2006). "No arbitration for Nixon". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Joe Haggerty (March 12, 2010). "Red Sox notes: Buchholz pushed back to Saturday". Necn.com. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
- ^ Paul Kenyon and Daniel Barbarisi (August 1, 2010). "Red Sox journal: Kalish has a debut he'll never forget". The Providence Journal. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
- ^ "Time running out for ex-Red Sox right fielder Trot Nixon". Boston Herald. May 27, 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
- ^ "Nixon traded, and promoted, to Mets". Boston Globe. June 14, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
- ^ "New York Mets Transactions: June 2008". MLB.com. June 15, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
- ^ "Mets' rally falls short in first game of doubleheader". ESPN. June 16, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
- ^ Hohler, Bob (August 31, 2005). "Faith binds many on Sox". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Browne, Ian (September 7, 2002). "Nixon's life changed on 9/11; Tragedy caused him to miss birth of his son". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media, LP.
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (October 5, 2018). "Red Sox Notebook: Price hopes to snap dubious playoff streak". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet