| Niko Decolati | |
|---|---|
| Right fielder | |
| Born:August 12, 1997 Boulder, Colorado, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Nicholas Quinn Decolati (born August 12,1997) is an American former professional baseball right fielder.
Decolati was born in Boulder,Colorado,before moving to Las Vegas due to his father's job;he attended Cimarron-Memorial High School in Las Vegas. [1] As a junior in 2014,he batted .414 with eight home runs. [2] In 2015,Decolati senior year,he hit .411 with ten home runs,25 RBI,and 39 runs,and was named the Southern Nevada Player of the Year. [3]
After graduating high school in 2015,Decolati enrolled at Loyola Marymount University where he played college baseball. As a freshman in 2016,he played in 47 games (making forty starts) in which he hit .306 with four home runs and 33 RBI,earning a spot on the All-West Coast Conference Freshman Team. [4] In 2017,Decolati played in 56 games,slashing .320/.426/.432 with four home runs and 24 RBI. That summer,he played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League,where he was named a league all-star. [5] [6] As a junior in 2018,Decolati started 54-of-55 games and batted .271 with six home runs and 21 RBI. [7]
After his junior year,he was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the sixth round,with the 186th overall selection,of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. [8]
Decolati signed with the Rockies and was assigned to the Grand Junction Rockies of the Rookie-level Pioneer League. After being a third baseman all through high school and college,the Rockies immediately moved him to right field, [9] where he was subsequently named an All-Star. [10] Over 69 games in Grand Junction,Decolati batted .327 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI. [11] In 2019,he missed time at the beginning of the year after suffering a broken wrist,but returned to play in June with the Asheville Tourists of the Single-A South Atlantic League,hitting .265 with six home runs and 38 RBI over 77 appearances. [12] Decolati did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [13]
Decolati was assigned to the Spokane Indians of the High-A West for the 2021 season,slashing .264/.341/.402 with 11 home runs,56 RBI,and 26 stolen bases over 100 games. [14] He spent the 2022 season with the Hartford Yard Goats of the Double-A Eastern League but missed time due to injury. [15] Over 44 appearances for Hartford,Decolati slashed .199/.327/.277 with one home run and 17 RBI. [16] He returned to Hartford for the 2023 season,slashing .225/.380/.313 with three home runs,16 RBI,and 12 stolen bases. [17]
In 2024,Decolati played in only 10 games for the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Rockies,hitting .143/.333/.143 with three RBI and one stolen base. He elected free agency following the season on November 4,2024. [18]