Jake William Hager (born March 4, 1993) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

and

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

Career

Tampa Bay Rays

Hager attended Sierra Vista High School in

Spring Valley, Nevada Spring Valley is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States, located west of the Las Vegas Strip. The population was 215,597 at the 2020 census. Spring Valley was formed in May 1981. History In 1 ...

, where he was a four-year starter on the baseball team. As a senior, he was the Nevada

Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' ...

after batting .547 with 11 home runs and 57 RBIs. Hager was drafted by the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

in the first round (32nd overall) of the

2011 Major League Baseball draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the firs ...

. He signed with the Rays rather than play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

at Arizona State University. After signing, Hager made his professional debut that same year for

Princeton Rays The Princeton Rays were a Minor League Baseball team in Princeton, West Virginia, operating as an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with several Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, primarily the Ta ...

and spent the whole season there, batting .269 with four home runs and 17 RBIs in 47 games. He played for the

Bowling Green Hot Rods The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which open ...

in 2012 where he slashed .281/.345/.412 with ten home runs and 72 RBIS in 114 games,

Charlotte Stone Crabs The Charlotte Stone Crabs were a Minor League Baseball team located in Port Charlotte, Florida, from 2009 to 2020. They competed in the Florida State League (FSL) as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

in 2013 where he batted .258 with 33 RBIs in 113 games, and

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

in 2014 where he posted a .271 batting average with four home runs and 47 RBIs in 114 games. Hager did not play in 2015 due to injury. In 2016, he played for Montgomery and the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

where he batted a combined a combined .233 with four home runs and 38 RBIs in 114 games, and in 2017, he returned to Durham where he slashed .229/.275/.328 with four home runs and 26 RBIs in 73 games. Hager elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Milwaukee Brewers

On February 9, 2018, Hager signed with the St. Paul Saints of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

. On February 20, 2018, Hager signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was assigned to the

Biloxi Shuckers The Biloxi Shuckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Biloxi, Mississippi, and are named in reference to the city's oyster industry and seafood heri ...

. On October 29, Hager re-signed to a minor league contract that included an invitation to 2019 spring training. He elected free agency following the 2019 season.

New York Mets

On January 9, 2020, Hager signed a minor league deal the

organization. Hager did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. He became a free agent on November 2. On November 4, 2020, Hager re-signed with the Mets on a new minor league contract. On May 15, 2021, Hager was selected to the Mets 40-man roster and was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut for the Mets that day against his former draft team the

as a pinch hitter in the top of the 9th inning for

Kevin Pillar Kevin Andrew Pillar () (born January 4, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, N ...

, lining out to center field in his only at-bat. On May 21, Hager recorded his first major league hit, a single off of Miami Marlins reliever

Adam Cimber Adam Christian Cimber (born August 15, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, and Miami Marlins. Cimber is one ...

. He was designated for assignment the next day after hitting .125 in 5 games.

Milwaukee Brewers (second stint)

On May 25, 2021, Hager was claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. Hager posted a .211/.288/.394 slash line for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds before being designated for assignment on June 18. He did not make an MLB appearance with the Brewers before his designation.

Seattle Mariners

On June 22, 2021, Hager was claimed off waivers by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

. Hager hit .214/.294/.469 with 6 home runs and 11 RBI in 26 games for the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

before he was designated for assignment on July 27.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 30, 2021, Hager was claimed off of waivers by the

. Hager appeared in 9 games for the Diamondbacks, going 2-for-18 (.111) with 2 RBI. On September 12, Hager was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and assigned to the Triple-A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...

. He became a free agent following the season, but re-signed on minor league contract on December 1. Hager was assigned to Triple-A Reno to begin the 2022 season. On May 16, 2022, Hager was selected to the active roster and started Game 1 of that day's doubleheader against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. In 28 games for Arizona, Hager batted .240/.345/.280 with no home runs and 3 RBI. He was designated for assignment on August 22, 2022. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Reno on August 24. On October 2, Hager was re-selected to Arizona's 40-man and active rosters, but did not make another appearance for the team to finish out the season. On November 3, Hager was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple–A; he subsequently elected free agency in lieu of the assignment. On January 30, 2023, Hager re-signed with the Diamondbacks on a minor league contract. In an April 27 game in which Reno defeated the

Sugar Land Space Cowboys The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston ...

24–2, Hager recorded 5 hits in 5 at-bats with a home run and 8 RBI. The 8

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

tied an Aces team record, last accomplished by

Cole Gillespie Cole Braden Gillespie (born June 20, 1984) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, and ...

in 2012. In 56 games for Reno, he hit .245/.301/.415 with 3 home runs and 30 RBI. On August 10, Hager was released by the Diamondbacks organization.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hager, Jake 1993 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Nevada Biloxi Shuckers players Bowling Green Hot Rods players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Durham Bulls players Gulf Coast Rays players Major League Baseball infielders Montgomery Biscuits players Nashville Sounds players New York Mets players Princeton Rays players Reno Aces players San Antonio Missions players Sportspeople from Henderson, Nevada Syracuse Mets players Tacoma Rainiers players