Steven Wayne Tolleson (born November 1, 1983) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) between 2010 and 2015. He is the son of former major leaguer Wayne Tolleson.

Amateur career

Tolleson had a career .425

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

and 18

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...

Paul M. Dorman High School Paul M. Dorman High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the only comprehensive high school in Spartanburg County School District 6. It has a Roebuck post office addr ...

Roebuck, South Carolina Roebuck is a census-designated place (CDP) in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,200 at the 2010 census. History The community was named for Revolutionary War Officer, Benjamin Roebuck. Roebuck is home to th ...

. He also played for the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

. In 2004, 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

Brewster Whitecaps The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Bro ...

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 1,000 forme ...

Professional career

Minnesota Twins

He was selected by the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

in the fifth round of the

2005 Major League Baseball Draft The 2005 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best drafts in recent memory. ''SourceMajor L ...

out of the

. Tolleson batted .321 for the rookie

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...

Elizabethton Twins The Elizabethton Twins were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They were located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and were named for their Major League Baseball, major league aff ...

his first professional season to earn a promotion to the

Beloit Snappers The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C ...

midway through the season. The

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

, however, proved to be too much for Tolleson as his batting average fell to .176. A year later, Tolleson redeemed himself, earning a Midwest League All-Star nod. He was added to the Twins' 40-man roster on November 11, . In , with the

New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League (1938–2020), Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado ...

and

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 Fie ...

, Tolleson played all three

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...

positions, second, short and third.

Oakland Athletics

On Feb 1, , Tolleson was claimed off waivers by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

. He made his big league debut with the A's on April 28 against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

. Two days later, he picked up his first major league hit against

Josh Roenicke Joshua James Roenicke (born August 4, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies and Minnesota Twins, and in the Chinese Profess ...

of Toronto.

San Diego Padres

He was traded to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

on May 29, 2011, in exchange for a player to be named later.

Baltimore Orioles

On November 21, 2011, Tolleson signed a contract with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. On May 9, 2012, the Orioles purchased Tolleson's contract and called him up. He hit .183 in 71 at-bats over several stints. After the season, he was outrighted off the Orioles' 40-man roster but refused the assignment and elected free agency.

Chicago White Sox

On November 13, 2012, Tolleson signed a minor league deal with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

with an invitation to spring training. He spent the season with the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

Toronto Blue Jays

On December 17, 2013, Tolleson signed a minor league deal with the

that included an invitation to spring training. He was sent to minor league camp on March 24, 2014. The Blue Jays selected his contract from the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

on May 1. He made his debut for the Jays the following day, and recorded a pinch-hit triple and an RBI against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

. The triple was the first of his Major League career. On May 14, Tolleson pitched for the first time in the Majors, getting the final out in a 15–4 loss to the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. In pitching for the Blue Jays, he became just the seventh position player to do so for the franchise, and first since

Jeff Mathis Jeffrey Stephen Mathis (born March 31, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Range ...

in 2012. Tolleson hit his first home run as a Blue Jay on May 23, helping the team to a 3–2 win over the Oakland Athletics. He played in 109 games for the Blue Jays in 2014, mostly as a pinch hitter and late-innings replacement, and hit .253 with 3 home runs and 16 RBI. Tolleson opened the 2015 season as the backup infielder for the Blue Jays. On April 24, 2015, he was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for

Michael Saunders Michael Edward Brett Saunders (born November 19, 1986) is a Canadian former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, and Philadelphia Phillies. He was nicknamed "th ...

. He cleared waivers on May 5, and was assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, but chose to become a free agent. On May 7, Tolleson signed a new minor league contract with the Blue Jays, allowing him to bypass a 10-day waiting period before he could be recalled to Toronto. On May 10, Tolleson was re-added to the active roster, after Michael Saunders was placed on the disabled list. He suffered a groin injury in late May and was placed on the disabled list. On July 1, Tolleson was activated from the disabled list and designated for assignment for the second time in 2015. He remained in the minors through the end of the season. Tolleson appeared in 19 games for the Blue Jays in 2015, and batted .268 with 3 RBI. He elected free agency on October 5, 2015.

Baltimore Orioles (second stint)

On November 23, 2015, Tolleson signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles that included an invitation to spring training. He was released by the Orioles organization on May 24, 2016.

Kansas City Royals

On May 27, 2016, Tolleson signed a minor league contract with the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

organization. He played in three games for the Triple–A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

, going 0–for–4. Tolleson elected free agency following the season on November 7.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolleson, Steve 1983 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Oakland Athletics players Baltimore Orioles players Toronto Blue Jays players South Carolina Gamecocks baseball players Brewster Whitecaps players Elizabethton Twins players Beloit Snappers players Gulf Coast Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players New Britain Rock Cats players Rochester Red Wings players Sacramento River Cats players Tucson Padres players Norfolk Tides players Charlotte Knights players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Major League Baseball infielders