Nicholas James Loftin (born September 25, 1998) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.
| Nick Loftin | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Loftin with the Omaha Storm Chasers in 2023 | |
| Kansas City Royals – No. 12 | |
| Infielder | |
| Born: September 25, 1998 Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 1, 2023, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics (through April 12, 2024) | |
| Batting average | .301 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 16 |
| Teams | |
| |
Amateur career edit
Loftin attended W. B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he played baseball.[1] As a senior in 2017, he batted .465 with three home runs alongside going 11–4 with a 1.10 ERA on the mound.[2] He originally committed to play college baseball at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, but later switched his commitment to Baylor University.[3] Undrafted in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at Baylor.[4]
In 2018, Loftin's freshman year at Baylor, he appeared in 55 games (making 53 starts), batting .306 with six home runs and 36 RBIs, earning Freshman All-American honors alongside being named to the Big 12 Conference All-Second Team and All-Freshman Team.[5][6] As a sophomore in 2019, Loftin started 53 games in which he hit .323 with six home runs, 41 RBIs, and 18 doubles.[7][8] He was named to the All-Big 12 First Team.[9] That summer, he played for both the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League and for the United States collegiate national baseball team.[10][11][12][13][14] Prior to Loftin's junior year in 2020, he was named the Big 12 Conference Preseason Player of the Year.[15][16][17] Over 14 games for his junior season, he batted .298 with two home runs and 15 RBIs before the college baseball season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professional career edit
The Kansas City Royals selected Loftin with the 32nd overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[18] On June 23, 2020, Loftin signed with the Royals on a $3 million signing bonus.[19] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the pandemic.[20]
Loftin was assigned to the Quad Cities River Bandits of the High-A Central for the 2021 season, slashing .289/.373/.463 with ten home runs and 57 RBIs over ninety games.[21] He was assigned to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Double-A Texas League to begin the 2022 season.[22] In early August, he was promoted to the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Triple-A International League.[23] Over 128 games between the two teams, he slashed .254/.333/.403 with 17 home runs and 66 RBIs.[24]
Loftin returned to Omaha to open the 2023 season.[25] In 82 games for Triple–A Omaha, he batted .270/.344/.444 with 14 home runs and 56 RBI. On September 1, 2023, Loftin was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[26] He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros.[27]
References edit
- ^ Hayward, Len. "Q&A with All-South Texas Baseball MVP Nick Loftin". Caller-Times.
- ^ https://www.iwacc.org/uploaded/images/Campus_News/2016-2017/Angels_in_the_News/2017-06-26_4C_IWA_Senior_Makes_All-South_Texas_Baseball_Team_CALLER.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ Burns, Ashlee. "HOMETOWN HEROES: Five Questions with Baylor's Nick Loftin". USA TODAY.
- ^ "Nick Loftin prides himself on team-first mindset". Baseball Prospect Journal. February 20, 2020.
- ^ "Baylor's Loftin named Baseball America freshman All-American". www.kwtx.com. July 12, 2018.
- ^ Staff report (July 11, 2018). "Loftin receives Baseball America freshman honors". WacoTrib.com.
- ^ CHERRY, BRICE (January 24, 2020). "Expectations haven't graduated for Baylor baseball". WacoTrib.com.
- ^ CHERRY, BRICE (April 11, 2019). "Can't keep him off the field: Baylor's easy come-easy go Loftin brings ample versatility". WacoTrib.com.
- ^ "All-Big 12 Baseball Awards". The Ada News. May 23, 2019.
- ^ Hayward, Len. "Ray grad and Baylor infielder Nick Loftin to play for USA Baseball select team". Caller-Times.
- ^ Staff report (June 18, 2019). "Baylor's Loftin gets his shot with USA Baseball". WacoTrib.com.
- ^ "GSA Spotlight: Nick Loftin". USA Baseball.
- ^ "Forty-One USA Baseball Alumni Selected in the 2020 MLB Draft". USA Baseball. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ "Nick Loftin - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ^ Martinez, Quinton. "Ray grad, Baylor infielder Nick Loftin named Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year". Caller-Times.
- ^ "Led by Nick Loftin, Baylor baseball is a legitimate Big 12 and NCAA tournament contender | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com.
- ^ "Baylor shortstop Nick Loftin headlines Preseason All-Big 12 team". kcentv.com. January 29, 2020.
- ^ CHERRY, BRICE (June 11, 2020). "Loftin's 'so surreal' draft moment preceded by plenty of nerves". WacoTrib.com.
- ^ Staff report (June 23, 2020). "Ex-Baylor SS Loftin signs with Royals". WacoTrib.com.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Cancelled". MiLB.com.
- ^ "Royals announce Minor League rosters". MLB.com.
- ^ "First Round Pick Asa Lacy Headlines the Naturals 2022 Roster".
- ^ "Royals' Nick Loftin: Bumped up to Triple-A". August 9, 2022.
- ^ "Nick Loftin Stats, Fantasy & News".
- ^ "Where Royals top prospects are starting 2023 season". MLB.com.
- ^ "Royals' Nick Loftin: Debuting as designated hitter". cbssports.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ https://www.mlb.com/news/rosters-announced-for-2023-arizona-fall-league
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Baylor Bears bio