Jake Cave

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Jake Cave
Jake Cave (47553905641) (cropped).jpg
Cave with the Minnesota Twins in 2019
Minnesota Twins
Outfielder
Born: (1992-12-04) December 4, 1992 (age 29)
Hampton, Virginia
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
May 19, 2018, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Batting average.240
Home runs28
Runs batted in98
Teams

Andrew Jacob Cave (born December 4, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2018.

Amateur career[]

Cave attended Hampton Christian High School in Hampton, Virginia. As a pitcher for the school's baseball team in his sophomore year, Cave had a 10–0 win–loss record and a 1.23 earned run average with 109 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched. He also demonstrated his hitting ability winning the World Wooden Bat Association Under-16 national title. He committed to attend Louisiana State University on a college baseball scholarship. Before his junior year, he transferred to Kecoughtan High School. He also played basketball in high school.[1] In 2011, his senior year at Kecoughtan, he had a .609 batting average.[2] Cave was named the Peninsula District and Daily Press Player of the Year. He spent the summer after graduating from Kecoughtan playing for the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plain League.[3][4]

Professional career[]

New York Yankees[]

The New York Yankees selected Cave in the sixth round, with the 209th overall selection, of the 2011 MLB draft. He signed with the Yankees, receiving a $825,000 signing bonus.[3] He made his professional debut that season for the Gulf Coast Yankees. In his first game, he fractured his kneecap in a collision at home plate.[5] The injury caused him to miss the rest of the season as well as the entire 2012 season.

In 2013, Cave played 113 games for the Charleston RiverDogs of the Class A South Atlantic League. He finished the year hitting .282/.347/.401 with two home runs and 31 RBIs. Cave started the 2014 season with the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League.[6] After hitting .304/.354/.395 with three home runs and 24 RBIs in 90 games with Tampa, he was promoted to the Trenton Thunder of the Class AA Eastern League in July,[7][8] where he finished the season batting .273 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 42 games.

Cave spent 2015 with both Trenton and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Class AAA International League, compiling a combined .278 batting average with two home runs and 39 RBIs. He was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2015 Rule 5 draft.[9] Cave did not make the Reds' Opening Day roster, and he was returned to the Yankees on April 5, 2016.[10] In 2016, he played for Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, posting a combined .268 batting average with eight home runs and 55 RBIs, and in 2017, he returned to both the Thunder and RailRiders, batting a combined .305 with 20 home runs and 56 RBIs.[11]

The Yankees added Cave to their 40-man roster after the 2017 season.[12] He was designated for assignment on March 12, 2018, following the Yankees signing of Neil Walker.[13]

Minnesota Twins[]

The Minnesota Twins acquired Cave on March 16, 2018, for minor league pitcher Luis Gil.[14][15] He began the season with the Rochester Red Wings of the International League, and made his MLB debut on May 19. He hit his first major league home run in his first major league game.[16] During the 2018 season, Cave hit 13 home runs and led all Major League Baseball hitters in average distance per home run, at 421 feet.[17]

On May 13, 2019, Cave was sent down to the minor leagues. On the season, Cave hit .258 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI. He was added to the playoff roster for the 2019 postseason.[18] In 2020, Cave hit .221 with 4 home runs and 15 RBI.

On May 15, 2021, Cave was placed on the 60-day injured list after suffering a fracture in his back.[19] Cave was activated off of the injured list on July 24.[20] On November 25, 2021, the Minnesota Twins outrighted Cave to the St. Paul Saints.[21]

Personal life[]

Cave's father, Bryan, played baseball at Kecoughtan and became the head coach of The Apprentice School. Both of Cave's sisters played softball and were named All-District.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Jake Cave transferring to Kecoughtan from Hampton Christian". Daily Press. February 27, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  2. ^ "Former Kecoughtan baseball star Jake Cave excelling with Yankees farm team". Daily Press. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "It's official: Former Red Sox fan Jake Cave signs with Yankees for $825K". Daily Press. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  4. ^ "Peninsula Pilots: Jake Cave enjoying time with Pilots while he awaits the Yankees". Daily Press. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  5. ^ "On the shelf for now, Jake Cave is eager to get back on the diamond". Daily Press. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  6. ^ "Jake Cave is in a hitter's zone with the Tampa Yankees". dailypress.com. June 27, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  7. ^ "Thunder call-up Jake Cave adds versatility to lineup". The Trentonian. July 24, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  8. ^ "Yankees promote Jake Cave from Single-A Tampa to Double-A Trenton". dailypress.com. July 16, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  9. ^ Daily Press (December 10, 2015). "Former Kecoughtan/Hampton Christian baseball player Cave selected in MLB Rule 5 draft". dailypress.com. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  10. ^ "New York Yankees reacquire outfielder Jake Cave from Cincinnati Reds - MiLB.com News - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  11. ^ "Jake Cave Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  12. ^ "Hampton native Jake Cave added to New York Yankees 40-man roster". Daily Press. November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  13. ^ Steve Adams (March 12, 2018). "Yankees Designate Jake Cave For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  14. ^ NorthJersey. "NY Yankees trade Jake Cave to Minnesota Twins for pitcher Luis Gil". Northjersey.com. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  15. ^ "Jake Cave adds needed depth to Twins outfield".
  16. ^ "Hampton native Jake Cave called up to play for Minnesota Twins".
  17. ^ Schoenfield, David (November 3, 2018). "Why Mookie Betts is the perfect player, and other fun stats". ESPN. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  18. ^ "2019 Minnesota Twins Transactions". Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  19. ^ "Twins to Place Jake Cave on 60-Day IL, Select Rob Refsnyder".
  20. ^ "Major League Baseball Transactions".
  21. ^ "Twins Claim Trevor Megill, Outright Jake Cave". Twins Daily. Retrieved February 1, 2022.

External links[]

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