Nick Heath (baseball)

Nicholas James Heath (born November 27, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Chicago Dogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Nick Heath
Heath with the Omaha Storm Chasers in 2019
Chicago Dogs – No. 3
Outfielder
Born: (1993-11-27) November 27, 1993
Junction City, Kansas, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
July 30, 2020, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Batting average.146
Home runs0
Runs batted in4
Teams

Career

Heath attended Junction City High School in Junction City, Kansas.[1] Undrafted out of high school, Heath attended Northwestern State University. He redshirted his freshman year and played the following three seasons of college baseball for the Demons (2014-2016).[2] Heath was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 16th round, with the 493rd overall selection, of the 2016 MLB draft.[3]

Kansas City Royals

Heath played for the Idaho Falls Chukars in 2016, hitting .291/.350/.387/.737 with 2 home runs, 28 RBI, and 36 stolen bases.[4] He split the 2017 season between the Arizona Royals, Lexington Legends, and Wilmington Blue Rocks, hitting a combined .253/.316/.298/.614 with 1 home run, 16 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. Heath split the 2018 season between Wilmington and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, hitting a combined .274/.376/.358/.734 with 2 home runs, 27 RBI, and 39 stolen bases.[1] He played for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League following the 2018 season.[5] He split the 2019 season between Northwest Arkansas and the Omaha Storm Chasers, hitting a combined .255/.345/.387/.732 with 8 home runs, 36 RBI, and 60 stolen bases.[6][7]

Heath was added to the Royals 40–man roster following the 2019 season.[8] He made his MLB debut on July 30, 2020, against the Detroit Tigers. Overall with the 2020 Kansas City Royals, Heath batted .154 with no home runs and 3 RBIs in 15 games.[9]

On April 14, 2021, Heath was designated for assignment by the Royals.[10]

Arizona Diamondbacks

On April 17, 2021, Heath was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for right-hander Eduardo Herrera.[11] Heath hit .143/.231/.171 with no home runs and 1 RBI in 20 games for Arizona before he was designated for assignment on July 10.[12] On July 14, Heath was assigned outright to the Triple-A Reno Aces.[13] He was released on April 30, 2022.

Charleston Dirty Birds

On June 19, 2022, Heath signed with the Charleston Dirty Birds of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Heath appeared in 77 games for Charleston, slashing .238/.358/.349 with 4 home runs, 33 RBI, and 42 stolen bases. He became a free agent following the season.

Chicago Dogs

On March 16, 2023, Heath signed with the Chicago Dogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.[14]

Personal life

Heath's mother, Kimberly Milleson, ran track at Kansas State University and was a U.S. Olympic trials participant.[15]

In June 2020, Northwestern State created the Nick Heath Minority Scholarship which it announced would be awarded to three minority baseball players between ages 5 and 13 to cover the cost of enrollment at a school-sponsored youth baseball camp. Heath also announced that he would be donating a bat and custom glove to each recipient of the scholarship.[16]

References
  1. Alix Kunkle (July 25, 2018). "Junction City native Heath promoted in Royals system". The Daily Union. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  2. Nick Couzin (March 21, 2018). "The Speed Demon". Spring Break Beat. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  3. Luke Thompson (June 11, 2016). "Two Demons taken in first 20 rounds of MLB Draft". The Times. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  4. Jason Pugh (March 3, 2017). "Former Demon Nick Heath honored by Royals organization". Northwestern State Demons baseball. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  5. Nick Kappel (December 11, 2018). "Nick Heath Named to AFL Top Prospects Team". MLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  6. Jordan Wolf (November 1, 2019). "Bubic, Lee lead prosperous Royals ranks". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  7. Dewey Terrill (July 27, 2018). "Former Junction City Blue Jay Nick Heath is moving up in the Royals system". Junction City Post. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  8. "Royals add four players to 40-man roster; Bonifacio, Dini among four DFA'd". Fox Sports Kansas City. November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  9. "Nick Heath Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  10. "Royals Designate Nick Heath for Assignment".
  11. "Diamondbacks Acquire Nick Heath".
  12. "Diamondbacks Reinstate Kole Calhoun from Injured List, Designate Nick Heath".
  13. "D-backs Outright Nick Heath".
  14. "American Association of Professional Baseball - 2023 Transactions".
  15. Jim Callis (November 22, 2019). "Here are 10 interesting 40-man roster additions". MLB.com. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  16. Pugh, Jason (June 9, 2020). "Rhodes Properties establishes Nick Heath Minority Scholarship for youth camp". Northwestern State University Athletics. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
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