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
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 ...
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
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 ...
. On November 9, 2010 the Reds released him.
Washington Nationals
On February 3, 2011 Nix signed a minor league deal with the
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 ...
. 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
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 ...
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