D-backs’ Mike Jacobs happy to be back in majors
Sep 20, 2012, 12:15 AM | Updated: 1:22 am
Once upon a time, Mike Jacobs was a power-hitting prospect in the New York Mets organization.
After being selected in the 38th round of the 1999 MLB First Year Player Draft, Jacobs labored in the minor leagues until finally breaking into “the show” in 2005. The 6-foot-5, left-handed hitting slugger made an early mark, clubbing 11 home runs in just 100 at-bats for the Mets. Three of those came in a two-day stretch in August against the Diamondbacks.
Following the season, Jacobs was traded to the Florida Marlins in the Carlos Delgado deal, and he’d go on to smack 69 homers in the next three seasons in South Florida.
Jacobs was traded to Kansas City, where he spent the 2009 season, and then it was back to the Mets, where he signed as a free agent in 2010. Following that season, in which he played in only seven big league games, Jacobs inked a deal with Colorado.
It was in Colorado where Jacobs became the answer to a dubious trivia question when he became the first athlete to ever test positive for human growth hormone (HGH). He received a 50-game suspension and was released by the Rockies.
But in September of 2011, Jacobs is getting a second chance in the big leagues, courtesy of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who selected his contract from Reno, where he hit 18 homers and drove in 60 runs in 101 games for the Triple-A champion Aces.
“It’s kind of overwhelming,” Jacobs told the media Wednesday. “It’s been a long time, it’s exciting to be here. I’m grateful for the opportunity, grateful to the organization and I’m just looking forward to being here.”
Unlike many players who have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, Jacobs took ownership for his actions in Colorado and he says that’s helped him get back to the majors.
“I think if you look at the history of people that have had things go wrong, when they run from it, it blows up in their face,” he said. “When you can just own up to your mistakes and try to move on from them, that’s the only thing you can do. That’s what I did, and I’m here now.”
Arizona Sports’ Kyndra de St. Aubin contributed to this report
