| Rowdy Tellez | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_(50165389962)_(cropped).jpg) Tellez with theToronto Blue Jays in 2020 | |||||||||||||||
| Free agent | |||||||||||||||
| First baseman | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1995-03-16)March 16, 1995 (age 30) Sacramento, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| September 5, 2018, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .234 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 122 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 368 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Ryan John "Rowdy"Tellez (/təˈlɛz/tə-LEZ;[1] born March 16, 1995) is an American professionalbaseballfirst baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theToronto Blue Jays,Milwaukee Brewers,Pittsburgh Pirates,Seattle Mariners, andTexas Rangers. He has also played for theMexico national baseball team.
In 2013, Tellez was both aBaseball America and aRawlings High School All-American. The Blue Jays drafted him in the 30th round of the2013 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut with Toronto in 2018. He is the only player since 1913 to hit seven doubles in his first seven major league games. Toronto traded him to Milwaukee during the 2021 season. He signed as a free agent with Pittsburgh before the 2024 season, then with Seattle and Texas in 2025.
Tellez is the oldest child of Greg and Lori (née Bernick) Tellez.[2][3] Concerning his nickname, his father said, "We didn't know the sex and we didn't want to know, and we stayed away from calling him 'Baby' or 'It.' But he was so active in there, moving around all of the time in the womb, that we ended up calling him 'Baby Rowdy', and it stuck. Now he's just 'Rowdy', and that's how everybody knows him."[2][4]
Tellez attendedElk Grove High School. He was teammates with fellow future MLB playersJ. D. Davis,Dom Nuñez,Derek Hill,Nick Madrigal, andDylan Carlson.[5][6] Tellez was a 2013Baseball America High School All-American, 2013Rawlings First Team All-American, and 2013 Rawlings/Perfect Game All-Region First Team – California. He accepted a scholarship offer to play baseball for theUniversity of Southern California.[7][8][9]
TheToronto Blue Jays drafted Tellez in the 30th round of the2013 Major League Baseball draft.[10] Entering the draft, Tellez was ranked as the 59th-best player available byBaseball America, but he was passed over by every team many times due to his commitment to USC.[9] He signed with the Blue Jays for an $850,000signing bonus, which at the time was the most ever paid to a post-10th-round pick, following new draft signing rules enacted two years prior.[7][10]
Tellez was assigned to theRookie-levelGulf Coast League Blue Jays for rest of 2013, batting .234 with twohome runs and 20runs batted in (RBIs) in 34 games.[11]Baseball America rated him the best power hitter in the Blue Jays minor league organization.[12] He played most of the 2014 season with theBluefield Blue Jays of theAppalachian League and earned a late-season promotion to theSingle-ALansing Lugnuts of theMidwest League. In total, Tellez played 65 games in 2014, and batted .305 with six home runs and 43 RBI.[11]
Tellez opened the 2015 season with Lansing, and was Midwest League Player of the Week for the week ended May 18.[11][13] He was named a Midwest League midseason All-Star.[13] At that time, he led the league in RBI, with 41.[14] Tellez was promoted to theDunedin Blue Jays of theHigh-AFlorida State League in late June and hit three home runs in his first four games with the team, earning a spot on MLBPipeline's Prospect Team of the Week and being named Florida State League Player of the Week for the week ended June 29.[15][13] He ended the 2015 season on the disabled list. Tellez set several career-highs in 2015, playing in 103 games and batting .289 with 14 home runs and 77 RBIs.[11] After the season, he played 21 games with theSalt River Rafters of theArizona Fall League, batting .293 and leading the team with four home runs and 17 RBIs.[16][17] He was named to the AFL All-Prospect Team, and AFL Rising Stars.[13]
Tellez was invited to Major Leaguespring training in 2016.[18] He was assigned to theDouble-ANew Hampshire Fisher Cats to open the 2016 season.[19] Tellez was named anEastern League mid-season and full-season All-Star.[20][13] Tellez had a stellar 2016 season, posting new career bests in almost every offensive category. In 124 games, he hit .297 (10th in the Eastern League) with a .389on-base percentage (2nd), .530slugging percentage (3rd), 23 home runs (4th), 63walks (4th), 81 RBIs (6th), 71 runs (6th), and 29 doubles (tied for 8th).[11][21] He was named an MiLB.com Toronto Blue Jays Organization All-Star, and aBaseball America Double-A All-Star.[13]
Heading into the 2017 season, Tellez was named the sixth-best first base prospect by MLB and Toronto's 5th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline.[22][23] In spring training, Jays managerJohn Gibbons said Tellez was the prospect closest to being ready for the major leagues.[24] Tellez was assigned to theTriple-ABuffalo Bisons in late March. In his first game for the Bisons, he hit two home runs to lead the team to a 4–2 victory over theScranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.[25] From that point on, however, Tellez struggled in Triple-A. In 122 games, he hit .222 with six home runs and 56 RBI.[11] On November 20, Tellez was added to Toronto's40-man roster.[26]
Tellez began the 2018 season playing again for the Bisons.[27] He was ranked 29th on MLB's 2018 Top 30 Blue Jays prospects list.[28] He played in 112 games and hit .270/.340/.425 with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs.[11] On September 4, Tellez was called up by the Blue Jays, following the end of Buffalo's season.[29][30]
On September 5, 2018, Tellez made his Major League debut with the Blue Jays. In his first at bat, he hit a first-pitch, pinch-hit double against theTampa Bay Rays.[31]
In his first three games with Toronto, Tellez hit six doubles, becoming the first major league player since 1913 to do so.[32] He was the first player since 1920 to debut with three consecutive doubles, and he was the first American League rookie sinceJoe DiMaggio in 1936 to hit six doubles in a three-game span. Tellez also tied the record set byChris Dickerson in 2008 for the mostextra-base hits in a player's first three games.[32] Tellez then became the only player since 1913 to hit seven doubles in his first seven major league games.[33] In his first 40 plate appearances he had 10 extra base hits, tyingTaylor Teagarden for the most by any ballplayer since 1913.[34]
In 23 games in September 2018, he batted .314/.329/.614 with Toronto. He hit 9 doubles, 4 home runs, and 14 RBIs in 73 plate appearances.[35]
Tellez made the Blue Jays' 2019Opening Day roster.[36] On April 11, he hit a home run with a 115.2 mphexit velocity, the fastest for a Toronto Blue Jays home run in theStatcast era (since 2015), later surpassed byVladimir Guerrero Jr.[37][38] Tellez's home run was in the top 3 percent of the highest exit velocities hit by major leaguers in 2019.[37][39]
On April 23, Tellez became the fifth-youngest Blue Jay of all time to hit agrand slam, at 24 years and 38 days. He became the first player in team history to hit 13 home runs in his first 65 major league games and 17 home runs in his first 85 games.[37]
For the season with Toronto, Tellez batted .227/.293/.449 with 21 home runs and 51 RBIs in 409 plate appearances.[40] Tellez became the third Blue Jays rookie to hit 21 or more home runs, joiningEric Hinske (24 in 2002) andJ.P. Arencibia (23 in 2011).[41]
Tellez also played 26 games with Buffalo in 2019, batting .366/.450/.688 with 7 home runs and 21 RBIs in 109 plate appearances.[11]
_(50164595893)_(cropped).jpg)
In theCOVID-19-shortened2020 season, Tellez batted .283/.346/.540. He hit eight home runs and 23 RBIs, with 20 strikeouts in 127 plate appearances, and on defense he played error-free baseball.[42][40]
His strikeout rate decreased 12.7 percentage points from 2019, the greatest decrease among major league hitters.[43] Tellez drove in a run every 4.91 at bats, the 10th-best rate in the AL.[37] On August 20, he hit a home run with an exit velocity of 117.4 mph, the highest for a home run by a Blue Jay in theStatcast era (since 2015), and the third-highest exit velocity of any batted ball for all major leaguers in 2020, behindPete Alonso (118.4) andGary Sanchez (117.5).[37][44]
Tellez was the Blue Jays' Opening Day designated hitter, but struggled at the plate, batting .209 with 4 home runs in 50 games for Toronto to start the season. He was demoted to Triple-A in mid-June.[45][46]
On July 6, 2021, Tellez was traded to theMilwaukee Brewers for pitchersTrevor Richards andBowden Francis.[46]
In the 2021 regular season for the Brewers, Tellez batted .272/.333/.481. He hit 10 doubles, seven home runs, and 28 RBIs in 174 plate appearances.[40]
Tellez hit a two-run home run in Game 1 of the2021 National League Division Series offCharlie Morton, driving in the Brewers' only runs in a 2–1 win over theAtlanta Braves.[47][48] He hit another two-run home run in Game 4,[49] but the Brewers lost that game and the series to Atlanta, the eventualWorld Series champion. Those two home runs were his only hits in 10 at bats in the playoffs.[50]
On May 4, 2022, Tellez set a Brewers record with eight RBIs in one game, hitting two home runs, a double, and a single in an 18–4 win over theCincinnati Reds.[51] On May 8, Tellez received theNL Player of the Week Award.[52]
In 2022 he batted .219/.306/.461 in 599 plate appearances, with 35 home runs (5th in the NL), 89 RBIs, 9 intentional walks (4th), and 15.1 at bats per home run (3rd).[40] His highest exit velocity was 116.9 mph, 7th-highest in major league baseball.[53] On defense, his .998 fielding percentage was second-best among NL first basemen, and the best in franchise history.[37]
On January 13, 2023, Tellez agreed to a one-year, $4.95 million contract with theBrewers, avoiding salary arbitration.[54] His season started well, batting .244/.330/.500 with 12 home runs through June 1. However, his production declined, with only one home run the rest of the season. He spent six weeks on theinjured list, first with right forearm inflammation and then with a torn fingernail and fractured leftring finger that required 17 stitches.[55][56][57][58][59] He pitched a scoreless ninth inning to close out a 16–1 win over theMiami Marlins on September 22, which clinched apostseason berth for the Brewers.[60] He did not play in the postseason.[50]
In the 2023 regular season he batted .215/.291/.376 in 351 plate appearances with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs.[40] His maximum exit velocity was 114.8 mph, in the top 6 percent of major league batters for the fifth year in a row.[61] He played 76 games at first base, 20 at DH, and one as a pitcher.[40] Tellez was non-tendered and became a free agent on November 17.[62]
On December 15, 2023, Tellez signed a one-year, $3.2 million contract with thePittsburgh Pirates with incentives that could increase his salary up to $4 million.[63][64]
He played in 131 games for the Pirates in 2024, slashing .243/.299/.392 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs over 421 plate appearances, with a maximum exit velocity of 115.5 mph, the 20th-highest in the majors for the year. His .998 fielding percentage was second-highest among MLB first basemen.[65] He excelled in the clutch, batting .302/.361/.547 in games that were late and close and .351/.415/.460 when there were two outs and runners in scoring position.[66] Tellez wasdesignated for assignment by Pittsburgh on September 24, and released the next day. At the time, he was four plate appearances away from receiving a $200,000 bonus for reaching 425 plate appearances in the season. He had batted .299 in July and August combined.[67][68][66]
On February 20, 2025, Tellez signed a minor league contract with theSeattle Mariners that included an invitation to spring training.[69] On March 25, the Mariners selected Tellez's contract after he made the team'sOpening Day roster.[70] He hit a home run in three consecutive games from April 18 to April 20 against his former team, theToronto Blue Jays. It was the longest such streak in his career.[71] In 62 appearances for Seattle, Tellez batted .208/.249/.434 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI. On June 20, Tellez was designated for assignment by the Mariners.[72] Seattle released him on June 26.[73]
On July 5, 2025, Tellez signed a minor league contract with theTexas Rangers.[74] He was assigned to theRound Rock Express, where he played four games.[75][76] On July 18, he was called up to the Rangers’ 40-man major league roster to start play after the All-Star break.[77] Tellez hit better with Texas, batting .259/.315/.457 with 6 home runs in 50 games.[78]
Tellez played forMexico in the2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) as adesignated hitter, slashing .280/.333/.440 with one home run and five RBI.[79][80] Tellez was also invited to play forTeam Israel, as he and his mother were Jewish. He chose Mexico for various reasons, including logistical ones—the paperwork was all in order, and Mexico was in the pool that played in Phoenix, close to the Brewers’ spring training home, while Israel trained and played in Florida.[81]
Mexico offered Tellez a spot on their2017 WBC roster, but he declined, focusing on making the Blue Jays' major league roster.[81]
Tellez's mother, Lori, was diagnosed withstage IVmelanoma in late 2016 and later battledbrain cancer.[82] She died on August 18, 2018, just over two weeks before his major league debut.[83]
Tellez isJewish.[84][85] By the end of 2022, he was third in career home run frequency among Jewish major leaguers, hitting a home run every 17.46 at bats, trailing Hall of FamerHank Greenberg and All-StarJoc Pederson. By the end of 2025, his home run rate dropped to every 19.4 plate appearances, worse than MVPRyan Braun.[86][78]
Tellez is of Mexican descent through his father. His paternal grandfather, John, played baseball in Mexico and Colorado.[87][88][81][89] Tellez has a sister.[90]
Tellez started riding dirt bikes when he was three years old but, due to his size, switched to baseball when he was 10.[2] He also enjoys hunting and fishing.[87]
During one year in high school, teammateDerek Hill lived with Tellez's family.[83]
Tellez served as the officiant at former Toronto teammateDanny Jansen’s wedding in 2022.[91]
