Jacob Nottingham

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #10 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Ever since the Brewers acquired Nottingham in the trade that sent Khris Davis to Oakland in February 2016, there have been questions whether he could put his physical gifts together offensively and defensively. After middling results in two seasons at Double-A, Nottingham made huge strides at Triple-A in 2018 and was rewarded with his first big league callup. A couple of injuries, including a chip fracture in his right wrist suffered on a foul tip, limited him to 50 games, the only downside to his season.
  
  Scouting Report: Nottingham's 6-foot-3, 230-pound size helps him produce big power but hinders his quickness and agility behind the plate. He has worked hard to improve his game-calling and blocking, now showing enough to get the job done at an average level to go with his above-average arm. Nottingham's mammoth raw power has yet to yield big home run totals because he's still too aggressive with too many strikeouts. He has moved in the right direction by reducing his strikeout rate and improving his on-base percentage each year.
  
  The Future: Nottingham's biggest improvements have come on the defensive side, the key for any catching prospect. He now projects as a power-hitting backup at least and is still young enough to emerge as more.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #23 prospect in 2018
  When the Brewers sent slugger Khris Davis to Oakland before the 2016 season in a trade that netted Nottingham, the plan was to have a young prospect develop as their catcher of the future. Davis hit 40-plus homers in each of his first two seasons with the Athletics, while Nottingham has stalled in Double-A. The raw Nottingham has worked hard to make strides defensively behind the plate, but his offense has suffered in the process. Back for a second season at Double-A Biloxi in 2017, the big, powerful Nottingham slugged just .369 and didn't reach 10 home runs. He has worked on cutting down his strikeouts but doesn't walk much, and needs to improve his general plate discipline. On defense he has improved his receiving, throwing accuracy, blocking and mobility behind the plate. He still has work to do, particularly in game calling, but is committed to the position and the Brewers plan to keep him there. Nottingham will play the entire 2018 season at 23, so there's still time to get him on track, but he needs to rediscover his big power.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #14 prospect in 2017
  The rebuilding Brewers went into 2016 knowing they would probably trade veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy, a free agent after the 2017 season. Milwaukee did in fact end up dealing Lucroy to the Rangers at the trade deadline in a deal that fetched top prospects Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz. With the pending vacancy at catcher, they realized they had no young catcher on standby to replace Lucory, so they made a preemptive trade with the Athletics that sent slugger Khris Davis to Oakland for Nottingham and righthander Bubba Derby. The Brewers then aggressively assigned the 21-year-old Nottingham to Double-A Biloxi, where he had his hands full in the Southern League, one of the most unforgiving environments for catchers. He caught 98 games, one of the highest totals in the minors, and threw out a league-average 29 percent of basestealers. The Brewers believe Nottingham will develop into a home-run hitter because of his combination of physical strength and bat speed. He already is learning to drive the ball to all parts of the park. Overmatched at times in the SL, he struck out 30 percent of the time while drawing just 29 walks. Nottingham faces defensive questions because despite obvious arm strength, he still is raw in terms of receiving and blocking balls in the dirt. He might simply outgrow the position as well, which raises the possibility of a move to first base. Given Nottingham's youth, a return to Biloxi seems likely.
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  Ranked Oakland Athletics #11 prospect in 2016
  Nottingham established himself as a rising star in the Astros system, leading the low Class A Midwest League in OPS (.931) at the time Houston promoted the 20-year-old catcher to high Class A at the end of June. His big first half also attracted the Athletics, who brought him over with prospect righthander Daniel Mengden in their July trade that sent Scott Kazmir to Houston. A two-sport standout in high school, Nottingham had an offer to play linebacker at Arizona but instead signed with the Astros for $300,000 as a sixth rounder in 2013, and he still looks the part of football player on the diamond. Nottingham's an imposing figure in the batter's box with a quick bat and plus raw power. He gets caught up at times in trying to hit balls out and will start trying to pull everything, but he shows a feel for using the whole field and hitting with two strikes when he's going well. His defense is further behind, although the A's were encouraged by his progress in the instructional league. He has good hands and a solid arm, and threw out 38 percent of basestealers in 2015, but he'll have lapses in concentration and needs to improve his agility; he committed 19 passed balls in 89 games. The Astros dabbled with playing him at first base but the A's are intent on developing him as a catcher, seeing him in the Mike Napoli mold. He'll go to Double-A as a 21-year-old in 2016.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #115 prospect in 2013 draft
  Physical and durable at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Nottingham played linebacker for the Redlands football team. Scouts are divided on him as a baseball prospect, but a club that likes him could take a shot on him in the top five rounds. The Oklahoma recruit stands out for his righthanded power potential, which projects as solid-average or slightly better if he can harness it. He has a balanced approach at the plate and good bat speed, giving him a chance to be a fringy to average hitter. He has decent receiving skills behind the plate but is still learning how to sit, shift and block. He could become an average catcher and shows solid-average arm strength, though his throwing can be erratic. Most scouts think he could stay behind the plate, but if he winds up moving, his slightly below-average speed should play at a corner outfield spot.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Midwest League #12 prospect in 2015
  A two-sport linebacker/catcher at Redlands High, Nottingham took a big step forward at the plate in 2015, his first crack at full-season ball. He was on pace to lead the MWL in average (.326), on-base percentage (.387) and slugging (.543) at Quad Cities prior to his promotion to high Class A Lancaster. The Astros later traded him to the Athletics in the Scott Kazmir deal. Nottingham has excellent strength with above-average power and a potentially average hit tool. His power isn't only to his pull side, and he impressed managers with his ability to drive the ball out to right field. Evaluators are less enthused about Nottingham's defense. He's somewhat stiff as a receiver, which leads some scouts to project him as a first baseman. Others argue that his desire to catch will provide him the chances he needs to stay behind the plate as a bat-first catcher. He has a strong arm--he threw out 47 percent of basestealers--but he needs to soften his hands and improve his agility.

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  It took a while for Nottingham to find his footing, both offensively and defensively, since coming in a trade from Oakland in February 2016. But after two years of struggling at the Double-A level, he finally gained traction in a big way this season at Class AAA Colorado Springs. Nottingham made such strides defensively, particularly in blocking balls and calling games, the Brewers gave him his first taste of MLB life early in the season. After non-stop work, the 6-3, 230-pounder finally has found his power stroke and has begun driving the ball with regularity.