Laynce Michael Nix (born October 30, 1980) is an American former

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 professiona ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

. Nix 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 Texas Rangers,

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

, and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

. Nix played all three outfield positions, as well as first base, but was officially listed as a

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering sy ...

by ESPN. His younger brother, Jayson Nix, also has played in MLB.

Early life

Nix grew up in the suburbs of

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

and was home schooled by his mother. A fan of the Texas Rangers, Nix commented that during his childhood: "We'd do some studies in the morning, my brother and I, and then we'd watch the Cubs every day at 1:00. My brother and I would go out in the backyard and imitate what we saw, which was

Ryne Sandberg Ryne Dee Sandberg (born September 18, 1959), nicknamed "Ryno", is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies (1 ...

Andre Dawson Andre Nolan Dawson (born July 10, 1954), nicknamed "The Hawk" and "Awesome Dawson", is an American former professional baseball player and inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During a 21-year baseball career, he played for four different tea ...

, and that crew ... we had a good time." Eventually, he went to public school and attended Midland High, where he played football and was the team's starting quarterback, but baseball was his "first love", and the Rangers drafted him in the fourth round after his senior year in high school.

Career

Texas Rangers

Nix was selected in the fourth round of the

2000 Major League Baseball draft First round selections Compensation picks Background The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...

by the Texas Rangers. He made his debut on July 10, , in a game against the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

. In that game, he recorded his first major league hit, and also scored a

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop grou ...

. Through , Nix hit 28

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

s with 108

RBI RBI most often refers to: *Reserve Bank of India *Run batted in RBI may also refer to: Organisations *Radio Berlin International *Raiffeisen Bank International *Reed Business Information *Restaurant Brands International *Ruđer Bošković In ...

. His 2005 season was cut short when he elected to have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. After a slow start in and the return of

Gary Matthews, Jr. Gary Nathaniel Matthews Jr. (born August 25, 1974) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1999 to 2010. Matthews is the son of the 1973 Rookie of the Year, 1979 All-Star, and former P ...

from injury, Nix was optioned to the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma RedHawks.

Milwaukee Brewers

On July 28, 2006, Nix was traded to the

along with

Francisco Cordero Francisco Javier Cordero (born May 11, 1975) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, and Housto ...

, Kevin Mench, and

Julian Cordero Julian may refer to: People * Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363 * Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots * Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints * Julian (gi ...

for

Carlos Lee Carlos Noriel Lee (born June 20, 1976), nicknamed "El Caballo", is a Panamanian former professional baseball first baseman and left fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1999–2012 with the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, ...

and Nelson Cruz. Hampered by an injury, Nix spent most of with Milwaukee's Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry, ...

. He was a September call-up, but went hitless in ten games with the Brewers. In December, Nix cleared waivers and was reassigned to Nashville, where he spent the entire 2008 season.

Cincinnati Reds

In December 2008, Nix signed a minor league contract with the

. On November 9, 2010 the Reds released him.

Washington Nationals

On February 3, 2011 Nix signed a minor league deal with the

. He also received a spring training invite along with his contract. Despite hitting a career high 16 home runs, he became a free agent following the season.

Philadelphia Phillies

On December 4, 2011, Nix was signed to a two-year contract by the

citing his "mental toughness" and "football mentality". He had an injury-laced 2012 campaign during which he totaled a batting average of .246 with three home runs and 16 RBIs. In the 2012 offseason Nix and Michael Young, close friends from their time together in Texas, reunited when Young signed with the Phillies. Nix was designated for assignment on August 6, 2013. He was released on August 12, 2013. He hit .211/.270/.331 as a Phillie.

References

External links

Minor League Splits and Situational Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nix, Laynce 1980 births Living people Major League Baseball center fielders Baseball players from Texas Texas Rangers players Milwaukee Brewers players Cincinnati Reds players Washington Nationals players Philadelphia Phillies players Gulf Coast Rangers players Charlotte Rangers players Savannah Sand Gnats players Peoria Javelinas players Frisco RoughRiders players Oklahoma RedHawks players Nashville Sounds players Huntsville Stars players People from Houston Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Clearwater Threshers players Midland High School (Midland, Texas) alumni