Nick Solak | |
---|---|
Pittsburgh Pirates | |
Second baseman / Outfielder | |
Born: Woodridge, Illinois, U.S. | January 11, 1995|
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
MLB debut | |
August 20, 2019, for the Texas Rangers | |
MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |
Batting average | .252 |
Home runs | 21 |
Runs batted in | 93 |
Stats at Baseball Reference | |
Teams | |
Nicholas Blake Solak (born January 11,1995) is an American professional baseball second baseman and outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers,Atlanta Braves,and Detroit Tigers. Solak attended Naperville North High School in Naperville,Illinois,and the University of Louisville in Louisville,Kentucky.
The New York Yankees drafted Solak in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft. After playing in several minor-league teams in the Yankees farm system,Solak was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 in a three-team trade,during which he played for the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits and,in 2019,the Triple-A Durham Bulls. On July 13,2019,the Texas Rangers acquired Solak,and he was assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds.
Solak made his major-league debut for the Rangers on August 20,2019,and was voted the team's Rookie of the Year that season. Solak remained with the team until July 23,2021,when he was sent down to the Triple-A Round Rock Express. He returned to the Rangers on August 20,2021,and stayed with the team until May 19,2022,when he was once again optioned to Round Rock.
Solak was born on January 11,1995,in Woodridge,Illinois. [1] He has a sister named Alexis. His father Mark worked for Motorola for 30 years, [2] while his mother Roseann ( née Pawlak) has a background in community health and substance abuse prevention. He was named after Nick's Sports Page,a sports bar in Dolton,Illinois,where his parents had first met during an event featuring Carlton Fisk. [3] Nick played the saxophone in elementary and junior high school band,and he resumed playing it after his father had the old saxophone refurbished. [1]
Growing up outside of Chicago,Solak was a childhood fan of the Chicago White Sox,and his favorite childhood baseball players were Scott Podsednik,Paul Konerko,and Mark Buehrle. [4] Solak played three seasons with the baseball team at Naperville North High School in Naperville,Illinois,where he played as a middle infielder. [5] [6] He batted .442 with 27 runs batted in (RBI) as a junior in 2012. As a senior in 2013,he had a .340 batting average. [7] However,only the Pittsburgh Pirates sent him a questionnaire before the 2013 Major League Baseball draft. [3]
Solak married his girlfriend,Roxanne McVey,on November 20,2021. [1] Solak and McVey met during their attendance at the University of Louisville,where McVey played volleyball,with Solak proposing to her in 2019 at the bar where they first met. [1] [2]
Solak made his college baseball debut on February 16,2014,pinch hitting for the Louisville Cardinals in their 6–1 win against the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens. [8] [9] The following week,Solak experienced a number of collegiate firsts. On February 19,during the Cardinals' season home opener against Eastern Kentucky,he recorded his first RBI on a groundout. [10] Two days later,he recorded his first hit in the Cardinals' 21–8 rout of the Western Michigan Broncos, [11] and he made his first start the day after that as a designated hitter when the Cardinals shut out the Broncos 8–0. [8] [12] In the summer of 2014,he played for the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. [13]
As a sophomore in 2015,Solak attained a .324 batting average,and had three homeruns,forty RBIs,fifteen doubles,and eighteen stolen bases. [8] Along with Pete Alonso, [1] he played for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League,with Solak name a league all-star. [14] [15]
In 2016,he played as a second baseman, [16] and despite suffering from an injury, [17] he was named a Second Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America,and earned second-team All-America recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. [18] He had a slash line of a .376 batting average,.470 on-base percentage,and a .564 slugging percentage. [19] He also hit four home runs,and 26 RBIs in his 42 games played in 2016. [16] Solak finished his collegiate career with a slash line of .346/.442/.484 with 10 home runs,94 RBI,36 stolen bases,and a .926 on-base plus slugging (OPS). [20]
The New York Yankees selected Solak in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft as the 62nd overall pick, [21] and signed him for a $950,000 signing bonus. [22] Before the draft,Baseball America had ranked him as the 86th-best draft prospect. [23] He made his professional debut with the Short-Season Class A Staten Island Yankees and hit two three-run home runs during his first at-bat there. [24] He finished the 2016 season with a .321 batting average and 3 home runs,with his 77 hits a tie for the second-most hits in the New York–Penn League (NYPL),and 48 runs a tie for the third-most runs. He also hit .411 during a 14-game hitting streak stretching from July 28 to August 13. He was named to the NYPL's mid-season all-star team,and Baseball America's Short-Season All-Star team. Following the season Baseball America also ranked Solak the number 19 prospect in the Yankees organization. [1]
In 2017,Solak finished with a .301 batting average for the high-A Tampa Yankees, [20] hitting 10 home runs with 44 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. After playing 100 games with Tampa,Solak was promoted to the then-Double-A Trenton Thunder on August 1,where he finished the season batting .286/.344/.429. He led the Florida State League (FSL) with a .397 OBP,and ranked second with a .301 average and a .460 slugging percentage. MLB.com named him to the League's postseason all-star team and the Yankees Organizational All-Star Team,and ranked him as the number five second-base prospect following the season. Moreover,Baseball America ranked Solak as the number 14 prospect in the FSL,and in their Best Tools survey,Solak was tabbed as the Best Hitter for Average in the Yankees organization. [1]
On February 18,2018,the Yankees sent Solak to the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade,in which the Yankees acquired Brandon Drury from the Arizona Diamondbacks,the Diamondbacks acquired Steven Souza from the Rays and Taylor Widener from the Yankees,and the Rays acquired Anthony Banda,Colin Poche,and Sam McWilliams from the Diamondbacks. [25] He spent the 2018 season with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits. After batting .282 with 19 home runs,76 RBIs,and 21 stolen bases in 126 games, [1] Solak was named Montgomery's MVP. [26] Solak also participated in the Southern League All-Star Game in June. [27]
Solak began 2019 with the Triple-A Durham Bulls of the International League, [28] with Joe McCarthy stating that "[t]he guy is a hitter" in reference to Solak. [29] He finished his Bulls season with a .266/.350/.485/.835 slash line,17 home runs,and 47 RBI in 301 at-bats. [30]
On July 13,2019,Solak was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for pitcher Pete Fairbanks. [31] He was assigned to the Nashville Sounds of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. [30] On August 20,the Rangers selected Solak's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. [32] He made his major league debut that day in a double-header versus the Los Angeles Angels,recording his first career hit off Andrew Heaney and first career home run off Jaime Barría. [2] [33] Solak finished the 2019 season hitting .293/.393/.491 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI over 33 games for Texas. [34] He had the fastest sprint speed of all major league designated hitters,at 28.7 feet/second, [35] and was also voted the team's Rookie of the Year. [19]
Entering the 2020 season,Baseball America ranked Solak as the Rangers' fourth-best prospect. [19] Solak was the Rangers' Opening Day left fielder. In addition to left field,Solak also played at second base,center field,and as a designated hitter. [1] His first home run of the season on August 9 was annulled after a referee changed it to an error committed by Jo Adell. [36] Solak played 58 games (a tie for the club lead with Isiah Kiner-Falefa),finishing .268/.326/.344 and hitting two home runs. [1]
Solak was part of the Rangers' Opening Day roster for 2021 as a second baseman. [37] On July 23,2021,Solak was optioned to the Triple-A Round Rock Express. Up until that point,he had a team-high 88 second-base starts,as well as a .225 batting average and 34 RBIs in 92 games. [38] He was recalled to the Rangers on August 20. [39] Upon his return,Solak stated he learned "not to put too much pressure on [himself] whether things are going really good or things are going really bad" while Chris Woodward,the Rangers manager,stated that "it's been nice to see him kind of make that adjustment". [40] Solak finished the season hitting .242/.314/.362/.677 with 11 home runs and 49 RBI. [41] From April 14 to July 9,Solak had a 71-game no-error streak,the longest single-game streak among Ranger second basemen. [38]
Solak was part of the Rangers' 2022 Opening Day roster as an outfielder. [42] On May 19, [1] he was again optioned to Round Rock Express. [43] He hit .209/.293/.313 and two home runs in his 75 plate appearances before his demotion. [44]
On November 10,2022,Solak was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations. [45] Solak was optioned to the Triple-A Louisville Bats to begin the 2023 season. [46] On March 30,2023,the Reds designated him for assignment. [47]
On March 31,2023,the Reds traded Solak to the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations. He was optioned to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. He went 1-for-13 in 4 games with Tacoma before being designated for assignment on April 10. [48]
On April 14,2023,the Chicago White Sox claimed Solak off of waivers and optioned him to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. [49] He was designated for assignment on April 16. [50]
On April 18,2023,Solak was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves and optioned to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. [51] He was recalled to the major league roster on April 25 after Eli White was placed on the paternity list. [52] He appeared in one game against the Miami Marlins as a pinch runner for Sean Murphy before he was optioned to Gwinnett April 28. [53] Solak was designated for assignment on June 6 following the acquisition of Ben Heller. [54]
On June 9,2023,Solak was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers and optioned to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. [55] The Tigers called up Solak the next day where he made his debut as a pinch runner. [56] August 4,Solak was designated for assignment by the Tigers following the acquisition of Andrew Vasquez. [57] On August 6,Solak cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A. [58] For the 2023 season,Solak had the distinction of having only two pinch runner appearances for two different teams without having an official at-bat. [59] He elected free agency following the season on November 6. [60]
On January 30,2024,Solak signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners. [61] In 90 games for the Triple–A Tacoma Rainiers,he hit .311 with nine home runs,53 RBI,and 10 stolen bases,his highest batting average in a full season since 2016. [20] Solak elected free agency following the season on November 4. [62]
On December 6,2024,Solak signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. [63]
Robinson David Chirinos González is a Venezuelan professional baseball former catcher and current bench coach for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays,Texas Rangers,Houston Astros,New York Mets,Chicago Cubs,and Baltimore Orioles. He signed with the Cubs as an undrafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2000.
Kole Alan Calhoun is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels,Arizona Diamondbacks,Texas Rangers,and Cleveland Guardians. Calhoun played college baseball at Yavapai College and Arizona State University. He was drafted by the Angels in the eighth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft and made his MLB debut in 2012. He won a Gold Glove Award in 2015.
Clint Jackson Frazier is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox.
Kevin Jeffrey Plawecki is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets,Cleveland Indians,Boston Red Sox,and Texas Rangers.
Nicholas Anthony Ciuffo is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles. Ciuffo attended Lexington High School in Lexington,South Carolina,and was selected by the Rays in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft.
William Landis McKinney is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,Toronto Blue Jays,Milwaukee Brewers,New York Mets,Los Angeles Dodgers,Oakland Athletics,and Pittsburgh Pirates. McKinney was a first-round draft pick of the Athletics in 2013. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2014,and the Yankees in 2016. He made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2018,and was traded to the Blue Jays during the season,with whom he played for until 2020.
Jorge Mario Alfaro Buelvas is a Colombian professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies,Miami Marlins,San Diego Padres,Colorado Rockies,and Boston Red Sox. Alfaro signed with the Texas Rangers as a free agent in 2010,was traded to the Phillies in 2015,and made his MLB debut in 2016.
Peter Robert O'Brien is an American professional baseball left fielder for the Pericos de Puebla of the Mexican League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins.
Nicholas Chad Gordon is an American professional baseball outfielder and infielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins. He was selected by the Twins in the first round of the 2014 MLB draft,and made his MLB debut with them in 2021.
Michael Harrison Ford is an American professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,San Francisco Giants,Seattle Mariners,Atlanta Braves,Los Angeles Angels,and Cincinnati Reds,and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
Miguel Enrique Andújar is a Dominican professional baseball left fielder for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Willie Shawn Lamont Calhoun is an American professional baseball left fielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers,San Francisco Giants,New York Yankees,and Los Angeles Angels.
Jordon Scott Adell is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020.
Leslie Arnold "Bubba" Thompson is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds. Thompson was drafted by the Rangers with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 MLB draft.
Louis Linwood Voit III is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,St. Louis Cardinals,San Diego Padres,Washington Nationals,and Milwaukee Brewers.
Jonathan Rayshad Davis is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays,New York Yankees,Milwaukee Brewers,and Miami Marlins.
JoséIsrael Barrero is a Cuban professional baseball shortstop and outfielder in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds. He was known as JoséGarcía before changing his name to JoséBarrero in 2021.
Curtis Marquis Terry is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Lake Country DockHounds of the American Association of Professional Baseball. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers.
Trey Thomas Sweeney is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Eastern Illinois Panthers. He was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 2021 MLB draft and traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023 and Detroit Tigers in 2024. He made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2024.
Jesús Alejo López is a Mexican professional baseball infielder in the Athletics organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds.