Timothy Joseph Federowicz (born August 5, 1987) is an American former
professional baseball catcher. He played in
Major League Baseball (MLB) for the
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
,
San Francisco Giants,
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
,
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
, and
Texas Rangers. He currently serves as the catching coach for the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
Amateur career
A native of
Apex, North Carolina, Federowicz attended
Apex High School
Apex High School is a public high school in Apex, North Carolina, United States, and is part of the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS). It is on a 4x4 block scheduling system.
History
Apex High School was selected by WCPSS to receive ...
and the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At North Carolina, he was a first team Freshman All-American in 2006. After the 2007 season, 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
Chatham A's 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 at UNC in 2008, he hit .303 in 68 games. He was selected by the
Boston Red Sox in the 7th round of the
2008 Major League Baseball draft
The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008.
First round selections
;Key
Supplemental first rou ...
.
Professional career
Boston Red Sox
He began his professional career with the
Lowell Spinners in the
New York–Penn League in 2008. He broke out in 2009 with the
Greenville Drive, hitting .345 with 10 homers in 55 games and being named to the
South Atlantic League mid-season all-star team. He was promoted to the
Salem Red Sox in the
Carolina League, where he played through 2010. In 2011, he began the year with the Double-A
Portland Sea Dogs.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On July 31, 2011 he was traded to the
Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a three-team trade that sent
Érik Bédard
Érik Joseph Bédard (pronounced ''baydar''; born March 5, 1979) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Ho ...
to the Red Sox and
Trayvon Robinson
Trayvon Andrew Dwayne Robinson (born September 1, 1987) is an American professional baseball left fielder for the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mar ...
to the
Seattle Mariners.
The Dodgers assigned him to the Triple-A
Albuquerque Isotopes. He was in 25 games for the Isotopes, hitting .325 with 6 home runs.
He was called up to the Dodgers on September 6, 2011 and made his major league debut on September 11, 2011 against the
San Francisco Giants as a defensive replacement in the 8th inning. He struck out in his first major league plate appearance in the ninth inning against
Waldis JoaquÃn
Waldis JoaquÃn de la Cruz (born December 25, 1986) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher. He played for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2009 through 2011. JoaquÃn throws three pitches: a fastball, a slider, ...
. On September 15, 2011, he had his first major-league start 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 (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
and singled in the fifth against
Ross Ohlendorf for his first major-league hit. He appeared in 7 games for the Dodgers, with 2 hits in 13 at-bats.
In 2012 with Albuquerque he hit .294 with 11 homers and 76 RBI in 115 games and was selected to the
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
mid-season All-Star team and the post-season All-PCL Team. He returned to the Majors when the Dodgers called him up on September 1, and he had 1 hit in 4 at-bats for them at the end of the season. After the season, he played for the
Tigres del Licey in the
Dominican Winter League.

Federowicz made the Dodgers opening day roster in 2013 as the backup catcher to
A. J. Ellis
Andrew James Ellis (born April 9, 1981), is an American former professional baseball catcher who is currently a Special Assistant to the General Manager in the front office of the San Diego Padres. Ellis played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ...
. However, he was optioned back to AAA after
Ramón Hernández was acquired from the Rockies. He rejoined the Dodgers in June and became the full-time backup catcher after Hernández was released on June 14.
Federowicz hit his first major league home run on June 1, 2013 at Colorado, in the top of the 3rd inning against pitcher
Jhoulys ChacÃn. In 56 games with the Dodgers in 2013, he hit .231 with 4 homers and 16 RBI.
In 2014, he was beaten out for the backup catcher job by
Drew Butera and spent most of the season in AAA with the Isotopes. In 78 games for them, he hit .328 with 14 homers and 48 RBI. In limited action with the Dodgers, he hit .113 in 23 games.
San Diego Padres
On December 18, 2014, he was traded to the
San Diego Padres (along with
Matt Kemp and cash) for
Yasmani Grandal,
Joe Wieland, and
Zach Eflin
Zack or Zach may refer to:
People
* Zach (surname), various people
* Zack (surname), various people
* Zack (personal name), lists of people and fictional characters named Zack, Zach, Zac, Zak or Zakk
* Záh (gens) or Zách, a ''gens'' (clan) in th ...
. During a spring training game, Federowicz suffered a tear in the
lateral meniscus
The lateral meniscus (external semilunar fibrocartilage) is a fibrocartilaginous band that spans the lateral side of the interior of the knee joint. It is one of two meniscus (anatomy), menisci of the knee, the other being the medial meniscus. It ...
in his right knee, which caused him to miss the entire season. After being
designated for assignment on August 1, 2015, he was sent to the Padres Triple-A
El Paso Chihuahuas on August 11.
Chicago Cubs
Federowicz signed a minor league contract with the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
on January 14, 2016. He started the season with the Triple-A
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...
. He was brought up to the major league roster on April 28. Federowicz appeared in 17 games for the Cubs, finishing the year with a .194 batting average and three RBI. The Cubs would eventually win the World Series in seven games over the
Cleveland Indians, ending their 108-year drought. Federowicz was not active during the postseason, but would still win a world championship for the first time in his career.
San Francisco Giants
Federowicz signed a minor league contract with the
San Francisco Giants in December, 2016. On April 11, 2017, his contract was purchased by the Giants. Federowicz was designated for assignment on April 18, 2017. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.
Houston Astros
On December 11, 2017, Federowicz signed a minor league contract with the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
. Federowicz was designated for assignment on June 8, 2018. He cleared waivers, as no team picked him up. Federowicz was designated for assignment on July 26, 2018. He elected to be a free agent in lieu of being designated for assignment in Triple-A
Fresno Grizzlies.
Cincinnati Reds
On August 3, 2018, Federowicz signed a minor league deal with the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
. On October 3, 2018, he was outrighted to the minors and removed from the Reds 40 man roster. He declared free agency on October 3, 2018.
Cleveland Indians
Federowicz signed a minor league contract with the
Cleveland Indians on February 14, 2019. The deal includes an invitation to the Indians' major league spring training camp.
Texas Rangers
On June 7, 2019, Federowicz was traded to the
Texas Rangers in exchange for a
player to be named later or cash considerations. The Rangers selected his contract, adding him to their major league 25-man roster, on the same day. On August 1, Federowicz was designated for assignment. On August 3, Federowicz cleared waivers and was outrighted to the
Nashville Sounds
The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
. On September 20, the Rangers selected his contract. He became a free agent following the 2019 season, but was re-signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training on December 19, 2019. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.
Los Angeles Dodgers (second stint)
On December 16, 2020, Federowicz signed a minor league contract with the
Los Angeles Dodgers organization where he was assigned to the Triple-A
Oklahoma City Dodgers. He played in only 25 games, missing time to play in the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
and additional time on the injured list. He batted only .200 before he was released on September 4.
Coaching career
Seattle Mariners
On December 7, 2021, Federowicz announced his retirement from professional baseball, and announced that he would be serving as the manager for the
Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the
Seattle Mariners, for the 2022 season.
Detroit Tigers
On January 19, 2023, Federowicz was named the catching coach for the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
.
International career
In May 2021, Federowicz was named to the roster of the
United States national baseball team for qualifying for
baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Baseball was featured at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, for the first time since the 2008 Summer Olympics. Six national teams competed in the tournament: Israel, Japan (host), Mexico, South Korea, the United States, and the Dominican Republ ...
. After the team qualified, he was named to the Olympics roster on July 2. Federowicz did not appear in the tournament, all catching being done by
Mark Kolozsvary
Mark Daniel Kolozsvary ( ; born September 4, 1995) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds. He was drafted by the Reds in the ...
. He still received a silver medal, which the team secured after falling to Japan in the gold-medal game.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Federowicz, Tim
1987 births
Living people
Baseball players from Pennsylvania
Sportspeople from Erie, Pennsylvania
Major League Baseball catchers
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Chicago Cubs players
San Francisco Giants players
Houston Astros players
Cincinnati Reds players
Texas Rangers players
North Carolina Tar Heels baseball players
Chatham Anglers players
Lowell Spinners players
Greenville Drive players
Tigres del Licey players
American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic
Salem Red Sox players
Portland Sea Dogs players
Albuquerque Isotopes players
Mayos de Navojoa players
Fort Wayne TinCaps players
El Paso Chihuahuas players
Iowa Cubs players
Sacramento River Cats players
Fresno Grizzlies players
Louisville Bats players
Columbus Clippers players
Nashville Sounds players
Oklahoma City Dodgers players
United States national baseball team players
Baseball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Olympic baseball players of the United States
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in baseball