TUCSON, Ariz.—Jayson Nix got an early start on cleaning out his locker, stuffing clothes, shoes and gloves into an oversized travel bag.
For once, though, the gear of the Colorado Rockies rookie second baseman isn’t bound for Triple-A Colorado Springs at the conclusion of spring training.
Nix earned a big-league job thanks to his stellar defense, plus a sprinkling of offense.
“It’s a relief to know I made it,” said Nix, who was anointed the starter after the game Monday with Milwaukee. “But honestly, it doesn’t feel any different. I still have a job to do.”
The Rockies were holding open auditions this spring for the second base job following the departure of Kaz Mastui. Nix beat out the likes of Jeff Baker, Clint Barmes, Marcus Giles and Ian Stewart for the first crack at starting.
The team knew Nix was solid in the field, the concern was over his bat. So far this spring, he’s hitting .300, mostly from the No. 8 spot in the batting order.
“To play in the big leagues, you’ve got to be a complete player,” said Nix, who hit .292 last season with the Sky Sox. “I had to show them something.”
He impressed Rockies manager Clint Hurdle with his fielding from the outset of camp. Nix had a play recently where he glided far to his left to track down a grounder, taking a sure hit away from a Los Angeles Dodgers hitter. Hurdle gushed about the play after the game.
“That’s as much range as I’ve seen a second baseman have,” Hurdle said. “Defensively, he has a lot of confidence. That’s all we heard. We’re getting to see it.”
Nix’s three homers this spring have come as a relative surprise, even to him. He hit a combined 13 in two seasons at Colorado Springs.
“I’m not a home run hitter,” said Nix, who missed a handful of games this spring with a stiff lower back. “But I know that if I get certain types of pitches, I can run into them and hit home runs.”
The 25-year-old tried not to put too much pressure on himself this spring. And when he did feel anxiety, he simply called his brother, Laynce, an outfielder with the Milwaukee Brewers who was just recently assigned to their minor league camp.
“He’s been through situations like this so he’d give me advice,” Nix said. “He just told me to be enthusiastic and be aggressive and take advantage of the opportunity you have.”
Nix followed his older brother’s instructions, and won the job.
“Jayson has been a great player,” Baker said. “He did everything well this spring.”
Baker worked hard in the offseason to turn himself back into a second baseman, a position he hasn’t played since high school. He dropped 15 pounds and constantly worked out at an indoor facility near his home in Virginia, taking a steady volume of grounders at second all winter.
“I think I showed I can play second base,” Baker said. “Everybody wants to be that guy to help the team win, but there’s only one guy that’s going to start. There are still a lot of different roles.”
Baker could slip back into his familiar role of playing anywhere the team needs. He saw time last season at first, third and in the outfield.
“Having a year of experience in the utility role is definitely going to help me by leaps and bounds,” said Baker, who led the team in pinch hits with nine, but only batted .196 in that role. “I just have to try to be ready to go when my name’s in the lineup.”
Barmes doesn’t know what his role may be with the club. He was once the starting shortstop before slick-fielding Troy Tulowitzki came along. Now, Barmes is just hoping there’s a utility spot available for him.
Other teams have made some inquiries about Barmes, just to see if the Rockies would be willing to part with him. He’s flattered by the attention.
“It’s always nice to know that there’s interest at other places,” Barmes said. “But I want to be with the Rockies. I want to be on this team, it’s a championship team. I’m just going to continue going about my business, no matter what my role is.”
Nix may have had his breakout performance last fall when he helped Team USA to a gold medal at the World Cup in Taiwan. He went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in the finals against Cuba, and was named the most outstanding player as Team USA won its first World Cup title since 1974.
“A lot has been made of it, but I didn’t go over there and do anything that surprised me,” Nix said. “It didn’t hurt, but as far as boosting my confidence a whole lot, it wasn’t like that for me. But I’ve gotten some recognition because of that.”
He said he came into camp this season with the same expectations he’s always had—break spring training with the team. He finally succeeded.
All that was left was to finish packing his gear.
