Austin Nola

Austin Kyle Nola (born December 28, 1989) is an American professional baseball catcher and infielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Seattle Mariners. He attended Louisiana State University (LSU), where he played college baseball for the LSU Tigers and was a member of the 2009 College World Series champions.

Austin Nola
Nola playing for the New Orleans Zephyrs in 2015
San Diego Padres – No. 26
Catcher / Infielder
Born: (1989-12-28) December 28, 1989
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 16, 2019, for the Seattle Mariners
MLB statistics
(through 2020 season)
Batting average.271
Home runs17
Runs batted in59
Teams

Career

Amateur career

Nola attended Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Playing for the school's baseball team, he was named All-State for Louisiana in all four years he played for Catholic.[1] He was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 48th round of the 2008 MLB draft, but he did not sign.[2][3]

He enrolled at Louisiana State University (LSU) and played college baseball for the LSU Tigers. In 2009, his freshman year, he played shortstop for the Tigers, with DJ LeMahieu shifting to second base, as the Tigers won the College World Series.[4][5] In 2010 and 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[6][7] The Toronto Blue Jays selected Nola in the 31st round of the 2011 MLB draft,[8] but he did not sign, instead returning to LSU for his senior year. The Miami Marlins selected Nola in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB draft, and he signed for a $75,000 signing bonus.[9][10]

Miami Marlins

The Marlins assigned Nola to the Jamestown Jammers of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League and promoted him to the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the Class A South Atlantic League later in the 2012 season.[10] He played for the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League in 2013[1] and the Jacksonville Suns of the Class AA Southern League in 2014. After the 2014 season, the Marlins assigned Nola to the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League.[11] He began the 2014 season with Jacksonville,[12] and was promoted to the New Orleans Zephyrs of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL) in June 2015.[13] Nola's name appeared on the front and back of his uniform, as the team wore "NOLA", the abbreviation for "New Orleans, Louisiana", on the front of their uniforms.[14][15]

The Marlins added Nola to their 40-man roster after the 2016 season.[16] In 2017, Nola began to play catcher.[17] He was designated for assignment on March 29, 2018. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A.[18] In 2018, Nola batted .279/.370/.376 with two home runs and 32 runs batted in (RBIs) for the New Orleans Baby Cakes of the PCL, while playing 68 games in his second season as a catcher.[19]

Seattle Mariners

Nola elected free agency on November 2, 2018, and signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners on November 9, 2018.[20] He opened the 2019 season with the Tacoma Rainiers of the PCL.[21] The Mariners promoted Nola to the 25-man roster on June 16, 2019.[22] He made his Major League debut the same day, starting at first base and going 1-2 with a run scored in a 6-3 win over the Oakland Athletics.[23] He finished the season hitting .269/.342/.454/.796 with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs.[24]

San Diego Padres

On August 30, 2020, the Mariners traded Nola, Austin Adams, and Dan Altavilla to the San Diego Padres for Luis Torrens, Taylor Trammell, Ty France, and Andrés Muñoz.[25]

Personal life

Austin played baseball at LSU with his younger brother, Aaron, who pitches for the Philadelphia Phillies.[26] The Nolas are of Italian descent; their great-grandparents emigrated to Baton Rouge from Sicily.[14]

Austin Nola is married to Michelle.[27]

References
  1. "Having reached Triple-A and back in his home state with the Zephyrs, ex-LSU standout Austin Nola is eager to prove himself". theadvocate.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  2. Donnellon, Sam (March 16, 2016). "Phillies' Nola leans on brother for advice, support". Phiadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  3. "Mariners select catcher/infielder Austin Nola from Triple-A Tacoma". MLB.com. June 16, 2019.
  4. "Nola returns to Omaha with Zephyrs". New Orleans Zephyrs. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  5. "After eight years in the majors and a Gold Glove, DJ LeMahieu has embraced Paul Mainieri's decision to move him to second base | LSU". theadvocate.com. June 10, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  6. "#6 Austin Nola - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  7. "#6 Austin Nola - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  8. "LSU baseball: Austin Nola joins brother, Aaron, as Toronto Blue Jays draftee". NOLA.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  9. "Austin Nola". The Baseball Cube. June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  10. "Austin Nola is living the dream and learning the game with Miami Marlins organization". NOLA.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  11. "Austin Nola continues progress, improved hitting in AFL win". Miami Marlins. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  12. "LSU baseball product Austin Nola deserves Triple-A promotion in 2015, Zephyrs manager says". NOLA.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  13. "New Orleans Zephyrs add former LSU star Austin Nola". NOLA.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  14. Hill, Benjamin (August 3, 2015). "Nola feeling right at home in New Orleans: Marlins prospect proud to display name on front of his jersey". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  15. "After promotion to New Orleans, Austin Nola will wear last name on front and back of jersey". gulflive.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  16. Frisaro, Joe (May 24, 2018). "Marlins add 4 to 40-man roster". Mlb.com. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  17. "Baseball-smart Marlin turns to 'tools of ignorance'". Miamiherald.com. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  18. https://www.nola.com/baby-cakes/2018/04/austin_nola_baby_cakes.html
  19. "Austin Nola Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  20. Matt Eddy (November 22, 2018). "Minor League Transactions: Nov 6 - Nov 21". Baseball America. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  21. Lauren Smith (May 8, 2019). "Rainiers' Austin Nola learned to catch as way to the majors". Tacoma News Tribune. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  22. Chris Haft (June 16, 2019). "Nola joins Mariners, ending long Minors journey". MLB.com. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  23. Robert O'Shields (June 16, 2019). "Former LSU Infielder Austin Nola Gets First Big League Hit Sunday in MLB Debut". WGNO.com. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  24. Corey Brock (September 24, 2019). "Amid a nightmare season for Mariners, a handful of dreams come true". The Athletic. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  25. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29775868/padres-acquire-catcher-austin-nola-mariners-part-7-player-deal-sources-say
  26. Hotard, Scott (June 8, 2013). "LSU pitcher Aaron Nola making his own identity". Theadvocate.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  27. Keown, Tim (October 7, 2020). "Padres catcher Austin Nola's long journey to the NLDS". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
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