Mike Jacobs
Kansas City Royals — No. 17
First baseman
Born: October 30, 1980 (1980-10-30) (age 29) Chula Vista, California
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 21, 2005 for the New York Mets
Career statistics (through 2009 season)
Batting average	.254
Home runs	99
Runs batted in	308
Teams
New York Mets (2005) Florida Marlins (2006-2008) Kansas City Royals (2009-present)

Michael James "Mike" Jacobs (born October 30, 1980) is a Major League Baseball first baseman who plays for the Kansas City Royals.

[edit] Life and career

Jacobs was born in Chula Vista, California. He attended Hilltop High School in Chula Vista and Grossmont Junior College in El Cajon, California, before being selected by the New York Mets in the 38th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft and signed as a catcher.

Over his first four years in the minor leagues, Jacobs developed into a solid power-hitting prospect. In 2003, after a successful year with the Double-A Binghamton Mets, he won the Sterling Award for top minor league player in the Mets organization. However, in May 2004, while playing for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, Jacobs suffered an arm injury and underwent surgery for a torn labrum, which ended his season prematurely. He returned to Binghamton in 2005, continuing his success at the plate. But because of his injury and his mediocre defense as a catcher, Jacobs spent much of the 2005 season learning to play first base.

Jacobs with the Florida Marlins in 2008.

Jacobs made his major league debut with the Mets on August 21, 2005, hitting a three-run pinch-hit home run against Esteban Loaiza of the Washington Nationals in his first ever Major League at-bat. He went on to hit three more home runs in his next three games, setting an all-time major league record for the most home runs by a player in the first four games of his career.

In only 30 games and 100 at-bats, Jacobs hit a very impressive 11 home runs and 23 RBI. Many people penciled him in as the Mets' first baseman for the 2006 season. However, on November 23, 2005, the Mets traded him and a minor league pitcher, Yusmeiro Petit, to the Florida Marlins in exchange for Carlos Delgado and $7 million.

In 2006 with the Marlins, Jacobs played in 136 games while hitting .262 with 20 HR and 77 RBIs. In 2007 he only played in 114 games, but still improved on his batting average hitting .265 that season including 17 HR and 54 RBIs. In 2008 Jacobs saw increased playing time and had a break out season in power with 32 HR and 93 RBI but his batting average slipped to .247.

After the 2008 season, Jacobs was traded to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Leo Núñez.^[1] While initially thought to split time at first base with Billy Butler, he has mostly been the team's DH due to inconsistent play on the field.

Jacobs got married in December 2006 and resides in Chula Vista during the baseball offseason. He has twin daughters, Havana and Isabella.

[edit] See also

• Home run in first Major League at-bat

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)