Jacob Alu (born April 6, 1997) is an American professional baseball

Infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

in the Washington Nationals organization. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2023.

Amateur career

Alu was born and raised in the Hamilton Square section of Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey. Alu attended

Princeton Day School Princeton Day School is a private coeducational day school located in Princeton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The largest division is the Upper School (grades 9–12), ...

in Princeton, New Jersey. During his senior year in 2015, Alu registered .523 batting average with three home runs and 18 runs batted in (RBIs) for the baseball team. He recorded recording his 100th hit on April 28, 2015. Alu enrolled at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

as a business major in the

Carroll School of Management The Wallace E. Carroll School of Management (CSOM) is the business school of Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The school is regularly ranked among the best business schools in the United States, particularly its undergraduate progr ...

and played college baseball for the Boston College Eagles. In 2016, as a freshman, Alu appeared in 10 games with .500 batting average, entering as a pinch runner eight times and a pinch hitter twice. As a sophomore in 2017, he played in 48 games, making 45 starts – 29 in left field, 10 at second base, five as the designated hitter and one shortstop. That year, Alu registered .331 with 23 RBIs. In 2017, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the Bourne Braves of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

. As a Junior in 2018, Alu registered .216 batting average with two home runs and 19 RBIs. In 2019, Alu was named as a third team All-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

performer at Boston College after he batted .343 with 40 RBIs. The same year, Alu also played in Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament. He graduated in 2019 with a degree in business management.

Professional career

The Washington Nationals selected Alu in the 24th round, with the 723rd overall selection, of the

2019 Major League Baseball draft The 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In additi ...

. He signed and was assigned to the Low-A Auburn Doubledays of the New York–Penn League. In 45 games for Auburn, Alu slashed .257/.290/.340 with one home run and 25 RBI. Alu did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alu returned to action in 2021, playing in 96 games split between the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks and Double-A Harrisburg Senators. On the year, he hit a cumulative .281/.332/.444 with 10 home runs, 42 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. He spent the 2022 season playing for Harrisburg and the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

. In 132 total games, Alu batted .299/.365/.506 with career-highs in home runs (20), RBI (81), and stolen bases (15). On November 15, 2022, the Nationals selected Alu to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Alu was optioned to the Triple-A

to begin the 2023 season. In 20 games for Rochester, he hit .240/.318/.333 with one home run, 9 RBI, and 3 stolen bases. On May 7, 2023, the Nationals promoted Alu to the major leagues for the first time. In 51 games during his rookie campaign, he batted .226/.282/.289 with 2 home runs, 16 RBI, and 5 stolen bases. Alu was optioned to Triple–A Rochester to begin the 2024 season. On April 23, 2024, he was designated for assignment by the Nationals. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Rochester on April 28.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alu, Jake 1997 births Living people Auburn Doubledays players Baseball players from Mercer County, New Jersey Boston College Eagles baseball players Bourne Braves players Harrisburg Senators players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball outfielders People from Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Princeton Day School alumni Rochester Red Wings players Washington Nationals players Wilmington Blue Rocks players