Jacob Nix

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #14 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: The Astros drafted Nix in the fifth round out of Los Alamitos (Calif.) High in 2014, but their failure to sign Brady Aiken cost them the bonus pool money necessary to sign Nix. Nix spent a year at postgrad IMG Academy before the Padres drafted him in the third round. A groin strain delayed Nix's start to 2018, and he missed two additional weeks with an infected abscess on his rear. But he pitched well when healthy at Triple-A and made his major league debut Aug. 10.
  
  Scouting Report: Nix has yet to pitch more than 100 innings in any season, but he's been effective when healthy. Big and physical at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Nix throws three pitches for strikes: a 93-95 mph fastball, a 76-78 mph curveball that flashes plus but is inconsistent and an average low 80s changeup. Nix throws strikes, but he lacks deception and none of his offerings are swing-and-miss pitches, so he relies on balls in play being turned into outs. His command wavers, leading to a volatile mix of strong outings with clunkers when he catches too much of the plate.
  
  The Future: Nix's three pitch-mix and physicality are that of a solid starter. He'll have to improve his command to reach that potential.
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  Ranked San Diego Padres #11 prospect in 2018
  The Astros drafted Nix in the fifth round in 2014 but didn't sign him after they failed to agree with top overall pick Brady Aiken, costing them the bonus pool money needed to also sign Nix. The Padres redrafted Nix in the third round a year later out of post-grad IMG Academy. A groin strain shelved Nix for the first six weeks of the 2017 season, but he still rose through two levels and finished at Double-A San Antonio. Nix is strongly-built at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and maintains some of the highest average fastball velocity in the system at 93-96 mph. His plus power curveball is a hammer with depth in the low 80s, and his changeup shows above-average potential. Nix repeats his delivery and throws all of his pitches for strikes, but frequently catches too much of the plate. He also lacks deception and fastball life. As a result, he has allowed more than 10 hits per nine innings at every level and has a career strikeout rate of 7.5 per nine. Nix has the pure stuff of a mid-rotation starter, but needs to improve his command and life to get there. He will try at Triple-A El Paso in 2018.
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  Ranked San Diego Padres #7 prospect in 2017
  The Astros drafted Nix in the fifth round out of Los Alamitos (Calif.) High in 2014 but failed to sign him after the Brady Aiken debacle curtailed their bonus-pool amount. Nix, a UCLA commit, instead went to postgrad IMG Academy in Florida and went to the Padres a year later in the third round. He signed for $900,000. Long described as physical, athletic and projectable, Nix found a consistent, repeatable delivery in 2016 and saw his stuff take off at low Class A Fort Wayne in 2016. He recorded one of the highest average velocities in the Padres system with a 93-95 mph fastball that touched 97. His curveball shows improved depth thanks to a consistent release point and now projects to plus. It has 12-to-6 action and earned recognition as the best breaking pitch in the Midwest League. Nix's above-average changeup also began getting swings and misses in the bottom of the zone with his improved delivery. His control leapt forward as well. He cut his walk rate nearly in half from 2015 to 2016, highlighted by a midsummer stretch where he walked only one batter in six starts. Everything is trending up for Nix, who will begin 2017 at high Class A Lake Elsinore and projects as a quality mid-rotation starter.
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  Ranked San Diego Padres #11 prospect in 2016
  An Astros fifth-round pick out of Los Alamitos (Calif.) High in 2014, Nix agreed to terms with Houston and even passed a physical. The Astros withdrew their offer, however, when they experienced a shortfall in bonus-pool money as a result of failing to come to terms with No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken. Nix filed a grievance with the Astros, with the pitcher receiving an undisclosed payment in December 2014. Nix enrolled at the IMG Academy's post-graduate program in Bradenton, Fla., with an eye toward the 2015 draft. The Padres made him a third-round pick and signed him for $900,000. Nix has a durable body with room for additional strength and the physicality of a starter. He tantalizes with easy fastball velocity up to 95 mph, but his secondary offerings are fringy at best. His curveball flashes decent depth, and he has feel for his changeup, but it can get too firm, and he has trouble finding a consistent release point for both pitches. Nix completely lost feel for throwing strikes briefly, and he chalked up his struggles to anxiety. He worked with the Padres' mental-conditioning staff before turning to his inconsistent mechanics, working to tighten his delivery, which had gotten long in the back. Nix likely will head to short-season Tri-City in 2016 to work on a repeatable delivery.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #37 prospect in 2015 draft
  Nix tantalizes scouts with his size and easy velocity, but they have expressed disappointment with his performance this spring. At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, he is physical, athletic and projectable, so some scouts predict he could touch the high 90s as he matures. He already touches 93-95 mph, though he sits at 90-91. Last summer on the showcase circuit, Nix showed the ability to spot his fastball to all four quadrants, but he has struggled to command the pitch consistently this spring, and hitters sit on it because his secondary stuff is undeveloped. Nix's curveball lacks power and bite, though it occasionally flashes promise. He seldom uses his changeup, but he has enough feel for it that it could become an average offering down the road. Nix offers upside but has a long way to go, and scouts have expressed reluctance to spend what it will take to buy him out of a commitment to UCLA.
• Ranked #104 prospect in 2014 draft
  Nix tantalizes scouts with his size and easy velocity, but they have expressed disappointment with his performance this spring. At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, he is physical, athletic and projectable, so some scouts predict he could touch the high 90s as he matures. He already touches 93-95 mph, though he sits at 90-91. Last summer on the showcase circuit, Nix showed the ability to spot his fastball to all four quadrants, but he has struggled to command the pitch consistently this spring, and hitters sit on it because his secondary stuff is undeveloped. Nix's curveball lacks power and bite, though it occasionally flashes promise. He seldom uses his changeup, but he has enough feel for it that it could become an average offering down the road. Nix offers upside but has a long way to go, and scouts have expressed reluctance to spend what it will take to buy him out of a commitment to UCLA.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Arizona Complex League #8 prospect in 2015
  Noted for being the "other guy" caught up in the Astros' inability to sign No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken at the 2014 signing deadline, Nix passed on a UCLA offer to pitch a post-scholastic year at IMG Academy. The Padres drafted and signed him for $900,000. San Diego held Nix back for the first few weeks of the season, and he finally made his pro debut on July 21, when he struck out the side in his lone inning of work. Nix has the potential for three plus pitches and a strong body that has some projection. Scouts commented that his results didn't always match his stuff, in part because of issues repeating his delivery out of the stretch. All three pitches in Nix's arsenal project to be above-average offerings, with his curveball being his best pitch. His fastball tops out at 95 mph, and he has a good feel for his changeup.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: The Astros drafted Nix in the fifth round out of Los Alamitos (Calif.) High in 2014 but failed to sign him after the Brady Aiken debacle curtailed their bonus pool. Nix, a UCLA commit, instead went to postgrad IMG Academy in Florida and went to the Padres a year later in the third round. He signed for $900,000. Scouting Report: Long described as physical, athletic and projectable, Nix found a consistent, repeatable delivery in 2016 and saw his stuff take off at low Class A Fort Wayne in 2016. He recorded one of the highest average velocities in the Padres system with a 93-95 mph fastball that touched 97, and he held that velocity deep into his starts. His curveball shows improved depth thanks to a consistent release point and now projects to plus. It has 12-to-6 action and earned recognition as the best breaking pitch in the Midwest League. Nix's above-average changeup also began getting swings and misses in the bottom of the zone with his improved delivery. His control leapt forward as well. He cut his walk rate nearly in half from 2015 to 2016, highlighted by a midsummer stretch where he walked only one batter in six starts.
  
  The Future: Everything is trending up for Nix, who will begin 2017 at high Class A Lake Elsinore and projects as a quality mid-rotation starter.