A sixth-round pick by the Astros in the 2013 Draft, Nottingham was in the middle of an impressive first full season two years later when the club traded him to Oakland in a deal for Scott Kazmir. After the A's packaged him to Milwaukee that offseason in the Khris Davis deal, Nottingham spent the next two seasons in Double-A, struggling to make an impact on either side of the ball. Advancing to Triple-A in 2018, Nottingham finally made the all-around improvements the Brewers had long hoped he might. It earned him his first big league callup in April, and he joined the club again for stretches in July and September. He might have taken on a larger role with the Brewers had he not suffered a chip fracture in his right wrist via a foul tip at the outset of August.
After back-to-back disappointing Double-A campaigns in 2016-17 -- during which he produced a .223 average and 20 home runs in 213 games -- Nottingham's bat finally came alive last season at Triple-A, where he hit .281 with 10 homers in 50 games. Improved plate discipline and significantly less swing-and-miss helped fuel the turnaround, as did the fact that Nottingham hit the ball in the air more consistently than at any other point in his career. That evolution in his batted-ball profile, along with his improved feel for the zone, inspires hope in club officials that Nottingham might be on the cusp of earnestly tapping into his plus raw power.
Even during his deepest struggles at the plate in Double-A, Nottingham relentlessly put in the hard work needed to improve his defense. The results showed in 2017 in the form of a 40 percent caught-stealing rate, and club officials are quick to note the significant gains he's made with his blocking. Overall, Nottingham has the profile of a potential big league backup who could still emerge as an everyday player if his power comes out. Statcast - Batting Season Pitches Batted Balls Barrels Barrel % Exit Velocity Launch Angle XBA XSLG WOBA XWOBA XWOBACON Hard Hit % K % BB % 2018 110 12 0 0.0 86.8 12.7 .164 .185 .277 .243 .257 25.0 33.3 16.7 2019 34 4 0 0.0 93.6 29.6 .145 .266 .504 .246 .251 50.0 28.6 0.0 ALL 144 16 0 0.0 88.5 16.9 .160 .204 .328 .244 .255 31.3 32.3 12.9 MLB 40553 6.3 87.5 11.2 .251 .412 .317 .318 .371 34.5 21.7 8.3 Transactions Team Date Transaction 09/06/2019 Milwaukee Brewers recalled C Jacob Nottingham from San Antonio Missions. 06/02/2019 Milwaukee Brewers optioned C Jacob Nottingham to San Antonio Missions. 05/16/2019 Milwaukee Brewers recalled Jacob Nottingham from San Antonio Missions. 03/18/2019 Milwaukee Brewers optioned C Jacob Nottingham to San Antonio Missions. 09/01/2018 Milwaukee Brewers recalled C Jacob Nottingham from Colorado Springs Sky Sox. 08/31/2018 Colorado Springs Sky Sox activated C Jacob Nottingham from the 7-day disabled list. 08/31/2018 Colorado Springs Sky Sox activated C Jacob Nottingham from the 7-day disabled list. 08/01/2018 Colorado Springs Sky Sox placed C Jacob Nottingham on the 7-day disabled list. 07/21/2018 Milwaukee Brewers optioned C Jacob Nottingham to Colorado Springs Sky Sox. 07/08/2018 Milwaukee Brewers recalled Jacob Nottingham from Colorado Springs Sky Sox. 06/05/2018 Colorado Springs Sky Sox activated C Jacob Nottingham from the 7-day disabled list. 05/12/2018 Colorado Springs Sky Sox placed C Jacob Nottingham on the 7-day disabled list. 04/24/2018 Milwaukee Brewers optioned C Jacob Nottingham to Colorado Springs Sky Sox. 04/16/2018 Milwaukee Brewers recalled Jacob Nottingham from Colorado Springs Sky Sox. 03/09/2018 Milwaukee Brewers optioned C Jacob Nottingham to Colorado Springs Sky Sox. 11/20/2017 Milwaukee Brewers selected the contract of Jacob Nottingham from Colorado Springs Sky Sox. 09/07/2017 C Jacob Nottingham assigned to Colorado Springs Sky Sox from Biloxi Shuckers. 01/29/2017 Milwaukee Brewers invited non-roster C Jacob Nottingham to spring training. 10/08/2016 C Jacob Nottingham assigned to Salt River Rafters. 04/02/2016 C Jacob Nottingham assigned to Biloxi Shuckers from AZL Brewers. 02/16/2016 C Jacob Nottingham assigned to AZL Brewers. 02/16/2016 Milwaukee Brewers invited non-roster C Jacob Nottingham to spring training. 02/12/2016 Milwaukee Brewers traded LF Khris Davis to Oakland Athletics for RHP Bubba Derby and C Jacob Nottingham. 02/10/2016 Oakland Athletics invited non-roster C Jacob Nottingham to spring training. 07/23/2015 Oakland Athletics traded LHP Scott Kazmir to Houston Astros for RHP Daniel Mengden and C Jacob Nottingham. 07/23/2015 C Jacob Nottingham assigned to Stockton Ports. 06/29/2015 C Jacob Nottingham assigned to Lancaster JetHawks from Quad Cities River Bandits. 04/01/2015 C Jacob Nottingham assigned to Quad Cities River Bandits from Greeneville Astros. 06/18/2014 C Jacob Nottingham assigned to Greeneville Astros from GCL Astros. 06/15/2013 C Jacob Nottingham assigned to GCL Astros. 06/14/2013 Houston Astros signed Jacob Nottingham.
