Tyler Stephenson

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Tyler Stephenson
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 27, 2020, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
(through April 14, 2024)
Batting average.271
Home runs32
Runs batted in147
Teams

Tyler Robert Stephenson

2015 MLB Draft
.

Born in

Southern League
managers as a defensive catcher.

The upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to MLB meant that Stephenson spent most of the 2020 season at an alternate training site rather than playing in Triple-A. He made his MLB debut that year, hitting a home run in his first major league plate appearance, but was used rarely, as the Reds had two catchers. When Curt Casali left the team prior to the 2021 season, Stephenson became Tucker Barnhart's backup catcher, and he also received significant time as a pinch hitter. Barnhart was traded after the 2021 season, allowing Stephenson to become the Reds' starting catcher in 2022.

Early life

Stephenson was born on August 16, 1996, in

runs batted in (RBI).[5]

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

Stephenson with the Dayton Dragons in 2017

The

Arizona League Reds, Stephenson rejoined the Dragons on July 13.[9] He finished the season batting .278 in 139 at bats, with three home runs and 16 RBI in 39 Midwest League games.[8] During his Arizona League rehabilitation assignment, Stephenson met major league outfielder Jesse Winker, who was also recovering from a wrist injury, and his discussions with Winker informed his plate discipline. Stephenson went from 12 walks and 45 strikeouts in 2016 to 44 walks and 58 strikeouts in 2017.[10]

Stephenson rejoined the Dragons for the 2017

Class A-Advanced Daytona Tortugas of the Florida State League for the 2018 season. He remained fully healthy throughout the season but was uneven at the plate: Stephenson batted .351 through the first half of the minor league season but only .188 in August.[12] He batted .250 for the season, with 11 home runs and 59 RBI in 388 at bats across 109 games,[8] and was a Florida State League All-Star at the end of the season.[13]

The Reds'

40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[19]

Cincinnati Reds

Stephenson was slated to begin the 2020 season with the

optioned off the major league roster too close to the end of the regular season.[25] The Braves won the Wild Card, shutting out the Reds twice in the best-of-three series and eliminating them from the playoffs.[26]

The offseason departure of Curt Casali allowed Stephenseon to appear on the Reds' 2021

first base in May after an injury to Joey Votto.[29] Regular playing time in the middle of the batting order during Votto's injury seemed beneficial for Stephenson, who batted .316 over a seven-game span in Votto's absence, and Bell promised to find Stephenson opportunities to bat even in games he did not start that season.[30] He was a successful pinch hitter when not catching, going 9-for-35 with two doubles, three home runs, and 12 RBI in pinch-hitting situations by September 10.[31] The Reds fell short of postseason contention, finishing seven games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card race, but Stephenson had a strong rookie season, batting .286 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI.[32] He additionally led all rookie catchers with a .797 on-base plus slugging (OPS) and was named to the MLB All-Rookie First Team.[33] Stephenson received two third-place votes in balloting for NL Rookie of the Year, an award which was won by Cincinnati teammate Jonathan India.[34]

The Reds traded Barnhart to the Detroit Tigers during the 2021–22 offseason, with general manager Nick Krall telling reporters that the move allowed Stephenson to become Cincinnati's everyday catcher in 2022.[35] On April 19, Stephenson sustained a concussion when Luke Voit of the San Diego Padres collided with him at home plate: Voit was attempting to score on the play, while Stephenson was tagging him out.[36][37] He returned two weeks later after clearing concussion protocols.[38] Stephenson was injured again on June 10, fracturing his right thumb on a foul tip off the bat of Jordan Luplow during Cincinnati's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.[39] He was activated from the 10-day injured list on July 9 and returned to his role as everyday catcher.[40] On July 22, Stephenson fractured his right clavicle on a foul tip off the bat of St. Louis Cardinals hitter Paul Goldschmidt.[41] Stephenson required surgery to repair the fracture, which effectively ended his season.[42]

Personal life

While he was in high school, a Vine of Stephenson's post-home run bat flip went viral.[43] Stephenson told reporters, "It just kind of happened ... I saw the Vine of it later that night, and the next thing I know I wake up in the morning and it's got a million views ... Now everyone says, 'You're that bat flip kid!'"[44]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Tyler Stephenson Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. February 23, 2022. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  2. ^ Bersch, Jeff (July 20, 2015). "Stephenson family all a Twitter over Mustangs". Billings Gazette. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Payne, Paul (September 29, 2020). "Reds' Stephenson Returns Home To Face Childhood Favorites In MLB Playoffs". The Chattanoogan. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  4. Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived
    from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  5. ^ Bain, Matthew (June 8, 2015). "Kennesaw Mountain's Tyler Stephenson drafted 11th by Cincinnati Reds". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  6. ^ Rosecrans, C. Trent (June 8, 2015). "Reds select C Tyler Stephenson with 1st pick in draft". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  7. ^ Laymance, Austin (June 12, 2015). "Reds sign top Draft pick Stephenson". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d "Tyler Stephenson Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  9. ^ Hartman, Marcus (July 13, 2016). "Dragons reinstate Stephenson from DL, add rookie pitchers". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  10. ^ Gray, Doug (April 20, 2018). "Reds prospect Tyler Stephenson showing why he was a first-round pick". The Athletic. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  11. ^ Forsha, Stephen (January 25, 2018). "Cincinnati Reds prospect Tyler Stephenson wants to stay healthy, have continued improvement". The Highland County Press. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  12. ^ Rosecrans, C. Trent (September 7, 2018). "A healthy Tyler Stephenson looks to finish strong in Reds minor-league play". The Athletic. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  13. ^ Sheldon, Mark (January 13, 2020). "Higher call? '20 may be dream year for Reds' C". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  14. ^ Paschall, David (April 2, 2019). "Taylor Trammell, Tyler Stephenson among the opening Lookouts". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  15. ^ Payne, Paul (July 28, 2020). "Former Lookouts Impressive In Debut With Reds". The Chattanoogan. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  16. ^ Nichols, Tom (November 12, 2019). "Dragons on Deck: Tyler Stephenson". Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  17. ^ Nightengale, Bobby (October 26, 2019). "Cincinnati Reds catching prospect Tyler Stephenson breaks out offensively in Arizona Fall League". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  18. ^ Sanchez, Jesse (October 26, 2019). "Reds' Stephenson earns AFL's Stenson Award". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  19. ^ Nightengale, Bobby (November 20, 2019). "Prospects Tyler Stephenson, Tony Santillan among 4 Cincinnati Reds added to 40-man roster". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  20. ^ Sheldon, Mark (July 14, 2020). "Reds have impact potential at alternate site". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  21. ^ Boyle, Chris (July 28, 2020). "Ex-Tortugas Tyler Stephenson, Tejay Antone star in MLB debuts for Reds". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  22. ^ Gorman, Kevin (September 14, 2020). "Reds boosted by three home runs, ugly sixth inning to sweep Pirates in doubleheader". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  23. ^ Fay, John (September 14, 2020). "'Did that just happen?' Tyler Stephenson hits pinch-hit, walk-off home run as Reds beat Pirates". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  24. ^ a b Nightengale, Bobby (April 1, 2021). "What to expect from every player on the Cincinnati Reds' final 26-man Opening Day roster". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  25. ^ Nightengale, Bobby (September 30, 2020). "Cincinnati Reds add Matt Davidson, Travis Jankowski to playoff roster; DeSclafani left off". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  26. ^ Sheinin, Dave (October 1, 2020). "The Braves finally win a postseason series, ending a streak that was old enough to vote". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  27. ^ Goldsmith, Charlie (April 10, 2021). "How will the Reds juggle playing time between Tucker Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson?". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  28. ^ Goldsmith, Charlie (September 5, 2021). "Reds notes: Tucker Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson are both playing like every day catchers". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  29. ^ McCoy, Hal (May 19, 2021). "McCoy: Stephenson set to make professional debut at first base". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  30. ^ Goldsmith, Charlie (June 9, 2021). "Reds notes: How Joey Votto's return from the IL impacts catcher Tyler Stephenson". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  31. ^ Nightengale, Bobby (September 10, 2021). "Reds notes: Tyler Stephenson is a top pinch-hitter; Jose Barrero starts at short". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  32. ^ Jablonski, David (October 4, 2021). "Season in review: Reds better but still not good enough in 2021". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  33. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (October 12, 2021). "MLB Pipeline's 2021 All-Rookie Team". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  34. ^ "Here are the Rookie of the Year vote totals". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. November 15, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  35. ^ Jablonski, David (November 4, 2021). "Barnhart trade opens door for Stephenson to be Reds' everyday catcher". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  36. ^ Sheldon, Mark (April 20, 2022). "'Dirty': Collision, catcher's concussion have teammates seeing red". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  37. ^ Nightengale, Bobby (April 20, 2022). "'Dirty as (expletive)': Tommy Pham, Reds upset at Luke Voit slide injuring Tyler Stephenson". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  38. ^ Pollizze, Joey (May 7, 2022). "Stephenson getting back into his groove". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  39. ^ Sheldon, Mark (June 10, 2022). "Fractured right thumb to sideline Stephenson". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  40. ^ "Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Reinstated from 10-day IL". CBS Sports. RotoWire. July 9, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  41. ^ Sheldon, Mark (July 22, 2022). "Stephenson exits in 1st with broken clavicle". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  42. ^ Nightengale, Bobby (August 6, 2022). "Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson likely out for the rest of 2022 season after surgery". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  43. ^ Smith, Cam (May 8, 2015). "Video: Top baseball prospect Tyler Stephenson has the most aggressive bat flip you will ever see". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  44. ^ Piecoro, Nick (June 6, 2015). "Diamondbacks draft: Tyler Stephenson has all the tools at catcher". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tyler_Stephenson&oldid=1218953209"