Jacob Carlos Amaya (born September 3, 1998) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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

in the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

organization. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

and

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

Career

Los Angeles Dodgers

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

selected Amaya in the 11th round, with the 340th overall selection, of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

out of South Hills High School in

West Covina, California West Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located east of downtown Los Angeles in the eastern San Gabriel Valley, it is part of Greater Los Angeles Area, Greater Los Angeles. The population for the city was 109,501 ...

. He made his debut with the rookie–level

Arizona League Dodgers The Arizona Complex League Dodgers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The team is compo ...

in 2017, hitting .254 in 34 games. He split the 2018 season between the rookie–level

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitch ...

and Single–A

Great Lakes Loons The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007. Hist ...

, hitting .311 in 59 games. He spent 103 games with the Loons in 2019 before a promotion to the High–A

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The franc ...

for 21 games. Overall he hit .260. Amaya did not play in a game 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He returned to action in 2021, and played in 113 games with the Double–A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

, hitting .216/.303/.343 with career–highs in home runs (12) and RBI (47). He was assigned to the

Glendale Desert Dogs The Glendale Desert Dogs are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility of the Chicago White S ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

after the season and then added to the Dodgers 40-man roster. His season was split between the Drillers and the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their ho ...

. He hit a combined .261 in 133 games with 17 homers and 71 RBI.

Miami Marlins

On January 11, 2023, the Dodgers traded Amaya to the

for Miguel Rojas. Amaya was optioned to the Triple-A

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in th ...

to begin the 2023 season. In 58 games, he hit .278/.346/.472 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs. On June 17, 2023, Amaya was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut the next day, recording his first MLB

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

. Amaya played in four games for Miami in his rookie campaign, going 2–for–9 (.222) with no home runs, two RBI, and one stolen base. Amaya was optioned to Triple–A Jacksonville to begin the 2024 season. On April 2, he was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

following the acquisition of Emmanuel Rivera.

Houston Astros

On April 6, 2024, Amaya was traded to the

in exchange for

Valente Bellozo Valente Bellozo (born January 4, 2000) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024. Career Houston Astros Bellozo signed with the Houston Astros as an internatio ...

. He made one appearance for Houston, flying out against

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

pitcher Ron Marinaccio in his only at–bat. Amaya was designated for assignment by the Astros on August 24.

Chicago White Sox

On August 26, 2024, Amaya was claimed off waivers by the

. In 23 games for Chicago, he batted .179/.225/.194 with no home runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Amaya was designated for assignment by the White Sox on January 8, 2025. On January 16, 2025, Amaya was claimed off waivers by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. He was designated for assignment following the signing of Dylan Carlson on January 27. On February 3, Amaya was claimed back off waivers by the White Sox. In 33 appearances for Chicago, he batted .097/.119/.113 with seven RBI and two stolen bases. On May 16, Amaya was designated for assignment by the White Sox; he cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

the next day.

Personal life

Amaya's grandfather Frank was also drafted by the Dodgers.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amaya, Jacob 1998 births Living people Arizona League Dodgers players Baseball players from Los Angeles County, California Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Glendale Desert Dogs players Great Lakes Loons players Houston Astros players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Major League Baseball shortstops Miami Marlins players Ogden Raptors players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Sportspeople from El Monte, California Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Sugar Land Space Cowboys players Tulsa Drillers players