Trot Nixon

From SoSH

Christopher Trotman Nixon (born April 11, 1974; Durham, NC) is an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians. Nixon was a member of the Red Sox organization from 1993 to 2006.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Moment in the Sun 3 Trivia 4 Career Regular Season Numbers Vs. Roger Clemens 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Overall Career

Trot was drafted with the Red Sox first pick in the 1993 Amateur Draft (7th overall). Nixon got his start that year- signing for a $890,000 bonus late in the summer after he had participated in football drill for North Carolina State - in the Florida Instructional League, hitting .366 in 24 games. He would spend the remainder of 1993 along with the 1994-1998 seasons in the Boston farm system. Trot then made his major league debut in 1996 after being called up from Double-A Trenton in September. On September 21st, Nixon was used as a pinch runner against the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium, stealing a base and playing the rest of the game in RF.

Nixon spent all of 1997 in Triple-A Pawtucket, and was named the PawSox player of the year, hitting .244 with 20 HR and 61 RBI. Nixon was called up again in 1998- the season he'd be named Red Sox Minor Leaguer of the Year- getting 27 ABs and hitting .259 at the age of 24.

1999 was Nixon's first full season in Boston, getting 124 games and 381 ABs as the team's primary RF. It was here that Nixon began to show a pronounced weakness in facing LHP however, which often forced manager Jimy Williams into sitting him against southpaws, a practice that continues for Trot to this day. Nixon finished the year with 15 HR and a .270 BA, sharing Red Sox Rookie of the Year honors with friend Brian Daubach.

After another strong year in 2000, Nixon entered the 2001 season in what would be his peak. He would split time in 2001 between RF and CF, setting new career highs in HR, RBI, BA, OBP, SLG, and runs scored. At the end of the season, Nixon won the Boston Sportswriter's Team MVP award, and began to garner an appreciation from the fans for being a "scrappy," hardworking, emotional player. 2002 brought a slight downturn in the BA/ OBP/ SLG categories, but had Nixon post a career high in games played and RBI, and a career-best 16 game hitting streak.

2003 was Nixon's best as a major leaguer, putting him in the top ten in the AL for OBP, SLG, OPS, RC/ 27 and HR/ AB. Nixon also, however, missed time late in the season with a calf muscle strain, part of a continuing bout of nagging injuries that would plague him over the next few seasons. In spring of 2004, Nixon hurt his back driving from his home to Red Sox spring training, then hurt his quadriceps muscle in rushing back from the injury. As a result, Nixon was limited to only 150 ABs in 2004, though he made the most of it hitting .315/ .377/ .510 with 6 HR.

Nixon was then limited to 400 ABs in 2005 after injuring his back in Tampa Bay. He still managed a solid 804 OPS in his healthy time. On January 19, 2007, Nixon signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians.

Moment in the Sun

Nixon has had a number of big hits for the Red Sox, but his two biggest came in successive postseasons for Boston.

October 4th, 2003 (Fenway Park)

Down 2-0 and facing elimination, Nixon was forced to start the crucial Game Three on the bench with LHP Ted Lilly starting for the Oakland Athletics. After Oakland had tied the game 1-1 in the 6th inning, relievers Mike Timlin and Scott Williamson held the A's down until the 11th inning, when Oakland sent young pitcher Rich Harden to face Kevin Millar, Doug Mirabelli and Gabe Kapler. After Millar made the first out, Mirabelli singled to RF. Nixon, a .330 hitter against RHP during the season, was an obvious choice off the bench for the Sox. After getting ahead 2-1 against Harden, Nixon drove the letter-high fastball from Harden into the CF bleachers for a series-saving walkoff win, a series the Sox would eventually win in five.

October 27th, 2004 (Busch Stadium)

With the Sox leading the World Series 3-0 over St. Louis, and 1-0 in the 4th game, Trot Nixon came up in the 3rd inning with the bases loaded against struggling starter Jason Marquis. After a single, a double, and a walk, Nixon came up with two outs in the inning. Not wanting to let St. Louis back into the Series, Boston couldn't allow the morale boost gained by stopping a bases-loaded rally. Marquis fell behind Nixon 3-0, and on the next pitch left a fastball inner half in an attempt to get a strike. Nixon aggressively went after the pitch, driving it deep to right-center field, missing a grand slam by mere feet. Two runs scored, and though they weren't the winning runs, they were effectively the dagger in the Cardinals' heart.

There are, of course, others...

May 28th, 2000 (Yankee Stadium)

In an epic complete games- duel between Pedro Martinez and Yankee Roger Clemens, Nixon gets his first of many big hits off Roger, belting a game winning 2-R HR in the 9th to beat the Yankees in New York.

September 1, 2003 (Veterans Stadium)

In a Memorial Day Game being made up in rainy Philadelphia, Nixon hits a grand slam off Phillies relief pitcher Turk Wendell to cap a 6-run inning and seal a 13-9 win that Boston had to have. Often credited with giving that team a full head of steam going into Wild Card Race.

October 18th, 2004 (Fenway Park)

Down two in the 8th and facing elimination in the ALCS in Game 5, David Ortiz homers off om Gordon, followed by Kevin Millar walking, and being run for by Dave Roberts. With none out, Nixon singles in the hole created by a running Dave Roberts, getting him to third and into position to be sac-fly'd home by Jason Varitek.

POSTSEASON PERFORMANCE

Year	AB	Avg	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI
1998 ALDS	3	.333	.500	.333	0	0
1999 ALDS	14	.214	.350	.429	0	6
1999 ALCS	14	.286	.333	.429	0	0
2003 ALDS	10	.200	.273	.500	1	2
2003 ALCS	24	.333	.429	.750	3	5
2004 ALDS	8	.250	.400	.250	0	2
2004 ALCS	29	.207	.207	.345	1	3
2004 WS	14	.357	.400	.571	0	3
2005 ALDS	11	.273	.333	.273	0	1

Trivia

• Son Chase was born on September 11th, 2001
• Shares a birthday with Jason Varitek
• Has trouble remembering number of outs in an inning
• Went to the same high school (New Hanover High School; Wilmington, NC) as David Brinkey, Sonny Jurgensen and Roman Gabriel
• Signed a letter of intent to play QB for NC State. Signed with Boston instead.
• Nixon's father William caught Catfish Hunter in the minor leagues.
• Wears number 7 because his father's favorite player was Mickey Mantle.
• Named 1993 High School Player of the Year hitting .519 with 12 HR, 56 RBI and going 12-0 with a 0.40 ERA as a pitcher
• One time in the on deck circle couldn't get the donut off his bat and nearly lost it
• Teammates called him "Volcano" for a time because of his temper.
• Wore a double flap helmet for about two months in 2006 for no apparent reason whatsoever. The helmet was rumored to be Mark Bellhorn's. That's still not much of a reason.
• Is known to "give information" to opposing players who mess with his teammates
• Does a pretty mean Cookie Monster impression
• Has been known to partake in the disgusting habit of removing his chewing gum and sniffing it during games/ in the dugout.
• Once punctuated the Devil Rays/ Red Sox animosity by throwing his bat at P Ryan Rupe under the guise of a swing-and-slipped-handle. Rupe would later pitch for the Red Sox, making for an awkward clubhouse.
• Trot ranks among the following on team lists:
  • 10th in club history in career SLG (.488)
  • t-16th in club history in career HRs (131- Frank Malzone)
• Roger Clemens has a birthmark on his ass that reads "owned by Christopher Trotman Nixon."
• Early in his career, Trot frequently used bats made by The Barnstable Bat Company of Cape Cod.
• Was depicted as African-American in Interplay Sports' Baseball 2000 for the PlayStation.
• Appeared in the movie Fever Pitch as himself.

Career Regular Season Numbers Vs. Roger Clemens

AB	Avg	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI
35	.371	.476	.800	3	10

Transactions

• June 3, 1993: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (7th pick) of the 1993 amateur draft. Player signed August 31, 1993.
• January 19, 2007: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cleveland Indians.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Trot Nixon at ESPN.com