Jacob Amaya

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Jacob Carlos Amaya

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Biographical Information[edit]

Infielder Jacob Amaya was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2017 amateur draft, out of a high school in West Covina, CA.

He began his professional career in 2017 with the AZL Dodgers, hitting .254 in 34 games while playing mainly shortstop. In 2018, he appeared for two team, the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League and the Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League, combining to hit .311/.432/.436 in 59 games. Defensively, he saw time at second base as well as shortstop. He played a first full season in 2019, starting off with Great Lakes and then earning a late-season promotion to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League. In a total of 124 games, he hit .260/.369/.391, with 7 homers, 82 runs and 71 RBIs.

Like the vast majority of players active in professional baseball at the time, Jacob saw his career put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. While he was definitely emerging as a prospect in spite of his relatively low draft position, he was not far enough up the organizational ladder to earn one of the few precious invitations to the Dodgers' alternate training site when the minor league season was cancelled, and had to sit around for a full season during his prime development years. He was able to resume his career in 2021, going to the Tulsa Drillers of what was called that year the Double-A Central. He hit just .216 in 113 games, but with 12 homers, 60 runs and 47 RBIs. In 2022, he started the season back with Tulsa, now back in the Texas League and after 49 games was promoted to the AAA Pacific Coast League where he played with the Oklahoma City Dodgers. All in all, he appeared in 133 games and hit .261/.369/.427, with 17 homers, 85 runs and 71 RBIs.

The Dodgers lost their starting shortstop, Trea Turner, to free agency following the 2022 season and turned to the trade market to strengthen the position at the major league level. On January 11, 2023, they sent Jacob to the Miami Marlins in return for veteran Miguel Rojas, the longest-tenured player on the Marlins. While the Marlins had a number of options to fill the now-vacant position, it was an opportunity for Jacob to get into the mix with a team that, unlike the Dodgers, was not in a win now mood and could be patient with a rookie trying to find his marks in the Show. He started the season with the AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. He was hitting 278 in 58 games, with 9 homers and 35 RBIs when he got the call to Miami. He made his debut on June 18th, starting at shortstop against the Washington Nationals. He went 1 for 3 with a run and an RBI in a 4-2 win.

His grandfather, Frank Amaya, played minor league baseball in the 1950s.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Jordan McPherson (Miami Herald): "Jacob Amaya’s MLB debut with Miami Marlins was an emotional one for his family", Yahoo! News, June 19, 2023. [1]

Related Sites[edit]

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