Future Watch: Austin Nola Baseball Cards, Seattle Mariners – Austin Nola was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft. This came after he was originally selected by the Colorado Rockies in 2008 (48th round) and Toronto Blue Jays in 2011 (31st round) but in those cases he did not sign a contract and chose instead to play college ball.
Nola started playing high school ball at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, LA and later enrolled at LSU. In his freshman season, Nola played alongside DJ LeMahieu, who is now with the New York Yankees. As a second baseman, Nola hit 49 doubles, 14 home runs, and drove in 155 runs in 169 games. He was an All-American during his senior season.
His minor league stay lasted from 2012 to 2019, but he never gave up. During this period, the 6’2″, 200-pound infielder counted 142 doubles, 12 triples, 22 home runs and 299 RBI with a .252 average and 32 steals. In 2016, the Marlins signed him to the 40-man roster and shifted him to catcher one year later.
In November 2018, Nola became a free agent and signed with the Seattle Mariners. He made his major league debut in 2019. In his first big league game, Nola went 1-2 with a run scored while playing first base. He finished that season with 10 home runs and 31 RBI while hitting .259 in just 79 games. Now 30, Nola made the Mariners roster, as their starting catcher when baseball returned to play.
Collectors first got a look at Nola in 2012 Elite Extra Edition from Panini, and saw his first MLB cards in 2014 Bowman. Nola gained his rookie card in 2020 and has been included in Topps Chrome, Bowman and other products.
Here’s a look at some of Nola’s highlights:
In his first 17 games, Nola had 2 home runs, with eight RBI, five doubles, a .273 batting average and a slugging percentage of .509, solid numbers for any major league catcher. He’s collectible because he’s a catcher who can hit, and family collectors will be sure to hunt him down to pair with his younger brother, Aaron, who is the ace of the Philadelphia Phillies’ rotation.
Future Watch: Austin Nola Baseball Cards, Seattle Mariners – Stats
Future Watch: Austin Nola Baseball Cards, Seattle Mariners – More Resources
- Austin Nola MLB.com Player Profile
- Austin Nola – Secondary Market Pricing
- Beckett Card Catalog – Austin Nola Baseball Cards
Future Watch: Austin Nola Baseball Cards– Image Gallery
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