Arizona Diamondbacks Add First Base Depth with Mike Jacobs Signing
Despite having second-year player Paul Goldschmidt and veteran and original Diamondback Lyle Overbay on the current roster at first base, Arizona added another option to the position on Wednesday by signing slugger Mike Jacobs to a minor league deal. The move was first reported by Baseball America and then followed up by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
Drafted by the New York Mets during the 1999 Amateur Draft, Jacobs came on like gangbusters in his first big league season in the Big Apple in 2005. During that year, the first baseman hit .310 with 11 home runs and 23 RBI’s in 30 games with the Mets.
During the following offseason though, Jacobs was traded to Florida as part of a deal that brought Carlos Delgado to New York.
Despite playing with a new team, Jacobs didn’t a miss a beat in a Marlins uniform. During his three seasons in Miami, Jacobs slugged 69 long balls and drove in 224 runs. His best season with Florida came in 2008 where then 27-year-old at the time knocked 32 balls out of the park and just missed the century mark with 93 RBI’s.
The last three seasons have been a much different story for California native. In 2009, Jacobs saw his average dip to .228 and his home run and RBI totals went significantly as well in Kansas City. In 2010, Jacobs would return to the Mets, but saw only 24 at-bats with them.
Last season, Jacobs didn’t see any time with a major league club and spent his entire year with Colorado Springs, the Triple A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. In 117 games, he managed to hit just under the .300 mark at .298 and Jacobs hit 23 homers and drove in 97 of his teammates.
With Goldschmidt and Overbay ahead of him on the depth chart at first, if Jacobs can have a good spring, Arizona will more than likely keep him. In case an injury occurs to either Goldy or Overbay or if one of the two gets off to a slow start, Jacobs would be one of the first guys to be called up because of his history as being a power hitter.
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