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Jayson Nix Signs Minor League Deal with Orioles

By Chris Georges

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The Orioles have reportedly signed utility infielder Jayson Nix to a Minor League deal, per Jon Heyman. The deal is said to be worth $750K, with incentives of $50K. The Orioles will be the 9th organization that he will be a part of, after spending the 2014 season with three different teams. This will also be his third AL East team, after spending time with the Blue Jays in 2011 and Yankees from 2012-2013. Jayson is the brother of Laynce Nix, who last appeared in the big leagues with Philadelphia in 2013.

The former 44th overall pick in 2001 by the Rockies has had limited success as a Major Leaguer, posting career splits of .212/.282/.345 across 1305 at bats. Early on his career, he showed the pop and speed to potentially be a 20/20 guy. In his first year with the White Sox in 2009, he was able to hit 12 homers and 10 steals in 94 games. He spent the following year split between Chicago and Cleveland, where he appeared in 102 games, which was the highest single season total of his career.

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He was never able to hit well enough to get regular playing time, but has still carried value the last few years because of his defensive versatility. A natural shortstop, the 32-year old has also appeared at first, second, third and in the corner outfield spots in the big leagues. Without the ability to play any spot defensively, Nix would probably not have stuck around the Majors as long as he has over the last few years. 

His 2014 season was his worst to date, spending 41 games split between Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Kansas City, and posting an OPS of .325. Despite the horrendous year, he managed to play in 3 games for the Royals during their playoff run. The 5 foot 11, 195 pounder will be battling Ryan Flaherty in Spring Training for the utility job, and will likely start off in Triple-A. He will likely provide depth in case one of Baltimore’s infielders get hurt, but there is still a chance he could make the big league club.

If his hitting ability returns to the .250 range, he will be a bat who can provide some pop off the bench and has the ability to fill in at seven defensive positions. At age 32, Nix is likely not about to get much better. At this point in his career, he is expected to bring a veteran presence to a club. Such a presence could be crucial for an Orioles team that is looking to get over the hump.

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