Jacob Amaya Bio
Jacob Carlos Amaya is an American professional baseball shortstop currently in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, and Chicago White Sox. After being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017, Amaya worked his way through the minor leagues before making his Major League debut in 2023.
A middle infielder from Southern California, Amaya has built his career on defensive reliability and contact hitting. He has spent time at every minor league level, including a stint in the Arizona Fall League, and has been added to multiple 40-man rosters across organizations.
Early Life and Background
Jacob Carlos Amaya was born on September 3, 1998, in West Covina, California. He grew up in the same Southern California community where he would later attend high school and begin his baseball journey. West Covina, located in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles, has long produced athletes who have gone on to professional careers.
Amaya attended South Hills High School in West Covina, where he played baseball and developed into a promising shortstop prospect. His grandfather, Frank Amaya, was also drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, establishing an early family connection to professional baseball and to the Dodgers organization in particular.
The influence of his grandfather and the deep baseball culture of Southern California helped shape Amaya’s path toward the sport. By the time he finished high school, he had attracted the attention of MLB scouts and was projected as a middle-infield prospect with above-average defensive skills.
Path to Baseball
Amaya’s professional path began when the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the 11th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, with the 340th overall pick. He came out of South Hills High School as a 18-year-old shortstop, and the Dodgers quickly assigned him to their rookie-level affiliate.
He made his professional debut with the Arizona League Dodgers in 2017 and hit .254 across 34 games in his first taste of pro ball. The following season, Amaya split time between the rookie-level Ogden Raptors and the Single-A Great Lakes Loons, batting .311 in 59 combined games and showing the offensive potential that had drawn the Dodgers’ attention.
In 2019, Amaya spent 103 games with the Great Lakes Loons before earning a promotion to the High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, where he appeared in 21 games. He finished that year with a .260 batting average across both levels, continuing his steady climb through the Dodgers’ farm system.
Jacob Amaya Career
Early Career (2017–2020)
Amaya’s first three professional seasons followed a familiar path for a young infielder in the Dodgers organization. After his debut in the Arizona League in 2017 and a productive 2018 split between Ogden and Great Lakes, he continued to progress through the lower minors in 2019.
The 2020 minor league season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, costing Amaya a full year of development. He returned to action in 2021 with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, where he played 113 games and set career highs with 12 home runs and 47 runs batted in, while batting .216 with a .303 on-base percentage.
Dodgers Development Years (2021–2022)
Following the 2021 season, Amaya was assigned to the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League and was later added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, signaling that the organization viewed him as a legitimate prospect. In 2022, he split his season between the Tulsa Drillers and the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers.
Across 133 combined games in 2022, Amaya hit .261 with 17 home runs and 71 runs batted in, further establishing himself as an offensive middle infielder. His performance at Triple-A appeared to position him for a potential call-up to Los Angeles, but a trade would ultimately change his trajectory.
Miami Marlins Era (2023)
On January 11, 2023, the Los Angeles Dodgers traded Amaya to the Miami Marlins in exchange for veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas. The Marlins optioned him to the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to begin the season, where he played 58 games and hit .278 with nine home runs and 35 runs batted in.
On June 17, 2023, the Marlins promoted Amaya to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut the next day and recorded his first Major League hit in that appearance. Amaya played in four games for Miami during his rookie campaign, going 2-for-9 with two runs batted in and one stolen base before being optioned back to Triple-A.
Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox Era (2024–2025)
Amaya began the 2024 season with Triple-A Jacksonville but was designated for assignment by the Marlins on April 2 after the team acquired Emmanuel Rivera. On April 6, 2024, he was traded to the Houston Astros in exchange for Valente Bellozo.
Amaya made just one appearance for Houston, flying out in his only at-bat against New York Yankees pitcher Ron Marinaccio, before being designated for assignment on August 24. Two days later, on August 26, 2024, the Chicago White Sox claimed him off waivers. In 23 games for the White Sox, he batted .179 with three runs batted in and one stolen base before being designated for assignment again on January 8, 2025.
On January 16, 2025, Amaya was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles, but he was designated for assignment again following the signing of Dylan Carlson. The White Sox claimed him back off waivers on February 3, 2025. Across 33 appearances for Chicago in 2025, he batted .097 with seven runs batted in and two stolen bases, going through multiple designations for assignment and outright assignments to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights before electing free agency on October 3, 2025.
Arizona Diamondbacks Era (2025–Present)
On December 5, 2025, Amaya signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, joining their organization as he looks to rebuild his career in the majors. The move offered him a fresh opportunity in the National League West, where he had originally begun his professional career in the Dodgers system.
Through the 2025 MLB season, Amaya’s major league totals include a .147 batting average, 0 home runs, and 13 runs batted in. His role with the Diamondbacks organization figures to focus on providing infield depth and potentially returning to the majors with consistent performance in the minors.
Driving Style and Strengths
As a shortstop, Amaya’s primary value has traditionally been tied to his defensive play and his ability to make consistent contact at the plate. Throughout the minor leagues, he showed the ability to handle both middle-infield positions and to drive in runs when given regular playing time, peaking with 17 home runs and 71 runs batted in during the 2022 season.
Notable Events and Milestones
Amaya’s most significant career milestone came on June 18, 2023, when he made his Major League debut with the Miami Marlins and recorded his first MLB hit. He was also part of a January 2023 trade that sent longtime Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas to the Dodgers, a deal that signaled Miami’s faith in Amaya as a potential long-term answer at the position.
Jacob Amaya Career Highlights
Across his professional career, Jacob Carlos Amaya has appeared at every level of the minor leagues and played in parts of three Major League seasons. His verified MLB statistics through 2025 include a .147 batting average, 0 home runs, and 13 runs batted in, accumulated across brief stints with the Marlins, Astros, and White Sox.
Minor League Highlights
Amaya’s most productive minor league season came in 2022, when he hit .261 with 17 home runs and 71 runs batted in across 133 combined games between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. That performance earned him a spot on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster and positioned him for a Major League opportunity.
Other Performances
In 2021, Amaya set early career highs with 12 home runs and 47 runs batted in while playing 113 games for the Tulsa Drillers. He also participated in the Arizona Fall League with the Glendale Desert Dogs, a traditional finishing school for top prospects, after that season.
Jacob Amaya Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Amaya comes from a family with ties to professional baseball through his grandfather, Frank Amaya, who was also drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers. That family connection gave Jacob an early link to one of MLB’s most storied franchises and helped shape his path toward a career in the sport.
Personal Life
Jacob Carlos Amaya grew up in West Covina, California, where he attended South Hills High School. Beyond his family ties to the Dodgers through his grandfather, limited public information is available regarding other aspects of his personal life.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was a turbulent year for Jacob Carlos Amaya at the Major League level. After being designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox in January, he was briefly claimed by the Baltimore Orioles before being designated again and reclaimed by Chicago on February 3, 2025.
In 33 appearances for the White Sox during the 2025 season, Amaya batted .097 with a .119 on-base percentage and a .113 slugging percentage, recording seven runs batted in and two stolen bases. He went through multiple designations for assignment and outright assignments to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, including a brief return to Chicago’s active roster in August, before electing free agency on October 3.
Following the end of his White Sox tenure, Amaya signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks on December 5, 2025. His outlook for the coming seasons will depend on his ability to rediscover the offensive form he showed in the Dodgers’ minor league system, where he once hit .261 with 17 home runs and 71 runs batted in across 133 games in 2022.
