| Andrew Toles | |
|---|---|
 Toles takingbatting practice in 2016 | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1992-05-24)May 24, 1992 (age 32) Decatur, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 8, 2016, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 2018, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .286 |
| Home runs | 8 |
| Runs batted in | 35 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Alvin Andrew Toles (born May 24, 1992) is an American former professionalbaseballoutfielder in theLos Angeles Dodgers organization.
Toles played college baseball for theUniversity of Tennessee andChipola College. He was selected by theTampa Bay Rays in the third round of the2012 Major League Baseball draft and played for the organization until 2015. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2015 season and made his major league debut in 2016, and still remains on the club'srestricted list despite not playing a game since 2018.
Toles attendedSandy Creek High School inTyrone, Georgia. After he graduated, theFlorida Marlins selected him in the fourth round of the2010 Major League Baseball draft. He chose not to sign with the Marlins.[1]
Toles enrolled at theUniversity of Tennessee to playcollege baseball for theTennessee Volunteers. He was named to theSEC All-Freshman team in 2011. However, he was dismissed by the Volunteers baseball team later that year.[2][3] Tennessee coachDave Serrano did not specify a reason for Toles' dismissal but noted "a certain standard of accountability to which every member of the team must be held."[2][3] After the 2011 season, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theBrewster Whitecaps of theCape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star.[4]
Toles then transferred toChipola College in northern Florida.[5] He was suspended from Chipola's baseball team in 2012, for breaking team rules.[6][5]
TheTampa Bay Rays selected Toles in the third round of the2012 Major League Baseball draft. He signed, receiving a $369,700signing bonus. After his first professional season, with thePrinceton Rays of theRookie-levelAppalachian League in 2012 in which he batted .281,Baseball America named Toles the Best Athlete and the Fastest Baserunner in the organization.[7][8] In 2013, playing for theBowling Green Hot Rods of theClass AMidwest League, Toles led the league in batting average and hits and was named a Mid- and Post-Season All-Star, aTopps Class-A All-Star, aMiLB.com Organization All-Star, and the Rays' Minor League Player of the Year.[9][10]
In 2014, playing for two months with theCharlotte Stone Crabs of theClass A-AdvancedFlorida State League, Toles was criticized by managerJared Sandberg. He was admonished first for not running hard to first, and was then pulled from a game for not hustling.[11] His manager said: "If you don’t play hard, you don’t play.... I watched Andrew play last year, and he came out of the game last year, too. So this isn’t the first time."[11] Toles left the team days later, and was eventually placed on theinactive list for "personal reasons," missing two months of the season.[7][5][12][2][13] He batted .261/.302/.337 for Charlotte.[14] He played six games in August for theGulf Coast Rays of the Rookie-levelGulf Coast League.
In 2015, Toles attended spring training with the Rays. However, he was released prior to the season for disciplinary reasons and did not play professional baseball that year.[2][15][6]
Toles signed with theLos Angeles Dodgers after the 2015 season.[2] He began 2016 with theRancho Cucamonga Quakes of the Class A-AdvancedCalifornia League, and was promoted to theTulsa Drillers of theClass AATexas League andOklahoma City Dodgers of theClass AAAPacific Coast League during the season.[16][17]
The Dodgers called him up on July 8, 2016. Toles made his MLB debut as the startingcenter fielder that night against theSan Diego Padres and had one hit in four at bats, a double in his first plate appearance, offAndrew Cashner.[18][19][20] He hit his first home run on August 22 offJosh Smith of theCincinnati Reds.[21] He hit his firstgrand slam on August 31 offAdam Ottavino of theColorado Rockies.[22] Toles finished the season with a .314 batting average in 48 games, along with three home runs and 16 RBIs.[23] ManagerDave Roberts likened Toles's rookie season to a "dream".[24] In the postseason, he hit .364 in 22 at bats.[25]
Toles returned to the Dodgers in 2017, making theirOpening Day starting lineup. For the first month of the season, he was the Dodgers' primary leadoff hitter and starting left fielder against right-handed pitching. However, on May 9 hetore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee as he pulled up on the warning track atDodger Stadium, was placed on thedisabled list, and had season-ending surgery.[26][27] In 31 games he batted .271 with five home runs and 15 RBIs.[25]
In 2018 with the Dodgers, he batted .233/.281/.300 in 17 games.[25] He spent most of the season with Oklahoma City, where he hit .306 in 71 games.[28]
Toles did not report to spring training in 2019, and the Dodgers announced that he was dealing with a personal matter and was out indefinitely.[29] He was placed on therestricted list at the start of the season.[30] He did eventually report to camp on April 30 for extended spring training[31] but he left the club a month later to return to his family. He did not return to the team during the 2019 season and did not appear in any games.[32]
Toles has battledmental health issues including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.[33] While signed to the Rays and playing in the minor leagues, he hadanxiety and struggled to sleep. As a result, he showed up late at the ballpark and made mental mistakes on the field, leading to criticisms from managerJared Sandberg.[34] Toles eventually asked for a release from the Rays and spent time in a mental health treatment center in 2015.[35] Between the 2015 and 2016Major League Baseball seasons, Toles spent two weeks working in the frozen-foods section of a GeorgiaKroger grocery store.[36][13][37][35] In 2018, Toles was diagnosed withbipolar disorder andschizophrenia after spending two weeks in a mental health hospital.[38]
Toles was arrested and jailed on amisdemeanor charge oftrespassing on June 22, 2020, after police found him sleeping behindKey West Airport and refusing to leave the area. His address was listed as "the streets of Key West".[35][39] While the charges were dropped, Toles continued to drift through hospitals and homeless shelters until his father gained guardianship of him.[40]
As of 2025[update], the Dodgers have signed Toles to contracts every season since 2018 so that he may have access to the team'shealth insurance. The contracts are non-salary and Toles is placed on the restricted list for the entire season.[33][41][42]
Toles was born inDecatur, Georgia. He is the son ofAlvin Toles, who played college football at the University of Tennessee and then played in theNational Football League.[43]
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