Tyler Daschiel Herron (August 5, 1986 – October 22, 2021) was an American

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more Fine motor skill, dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dext ...

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. As a senior at Wellington High School in Florida, Herron led the nation with a 0.25

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

. He was drafted by the

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

in the First 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 ...

. Herron was ranked 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 ...

# 11 prospect in 2007, and the St. Louis Cardinals # 10 prospect, by ''Baseball America''. He pitched for the Honolulu Sharks in the Rookie 2008 Hawaii Winter Baseball League, and led the league with a 0.69 ERA. Pitching for the

Indios de Mayagüez The Indios de Mayagüez (Mayagüez Indians) are a baseball team in Puerto Rico's Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, in Spanish). Based in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, the ''Indios' ...

in the winter of 2014, he was a post-season Puerto Rico

Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente The Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Spanish: Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, abbreviation LBPRC) is the main professional baseball league in Puerto Rico; it is colloquially referred to as the Puerto Rican Winter le ...

All Star and a

Caribbean World Series The Caribbean Series ( Spanish: ''Serie del Caribe'') is an annual club tournament contested by professional baseball teams in Latin America. It is organized by the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation. The series is normally played in ...

All Star. He pitched as high as Triple–A in 2014 and 2016, for the Washington Nationals and New York Mets farm teams. In 2016, pitching for the

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Fargo, North Dakota, in the United States. The RedHawks are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major Lea ...

, he led the independent American Association with a 0.80 ERA. Herron pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. In total, at all levels he pitched 16 seasons, and had a record of 103-95. Herron died on October 22, 2021, aged 35.

Early life

Herron was born and grew up in

West Palm Beach West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

, Florida."Tyler Herron Stats, Highlights, Bio"
MiLB.com."Healthy living from the ground up"
''Radish Magazine''. He later lived in

Wellington, Florida Wellington is a village west of West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County and north of Miami. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area and the fifth largest municipality in Palm Beach County by population. As of the 2020 census, the village had a po ...

. He was of Puerto Rican descent, and one of his grandmothers was Jewish—as a result of which he was eligible to play for Team Israel. He attended Wellington High School, in Wellington, Florida. Initially, in high school Herron played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

and

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. As a senior for the Wellington Wolverines, Herron led the nation with a 0.25 ERA, and struck out 81 batters in 57 innings.Dave Heeren (June 8, 2005)
"Wellington Adds To Its Elite,"
''SunSentinel''. He was named to the 2005 ABCA/Rawlings High School All-America Second Team, along with among others future major leaguers

Ike Davis Isaac Benjamin Davis (born March 22, 1987) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. From 2010 through 2016, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, and New York Ya ...

and Scott Van Slyke.

Career

St. Louis Cardinals

Herron was drafted by the

in the first round (46th, overall) of the

. His agent was Jim Munsey, his former T-ball pitcher. He received a $675,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

."Tyler Herron Profile,"
''Scout''. He began his professional career in 2005 with the

Johnson City Cardinals The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie League, Rookie-level Appalachian Leagu ...

of 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 ...

, going 0–3 in 13 starts with a 5.62 ERA and 49 strikeouts in innings as he kept opponents to a .245 batting average. Herron was ranked the Appalachian League # 20 prospect, and the St. Louis Cardinals # 12 prospect, in 2005 by ''Baseball America''."Stats: Tyler Herron"
''Baseball America''. The following season, pitching for Johnson City, on August 13, 2006, Herron was voted Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week. In 13 starts for Johnson City he was 5–6 with one complete game and a 4.13 ERA, and he lost his one start with the

State College Spikes The State College Spikes are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in State College, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Medlar Field on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. The team was fo ...

of the Low–A

New York-Penn League New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

while giving up two runs in six innings. He was ranked the Appalachian League # 13 prospect, and the St. Louis Cardinals # 18 prospect, in 2006 by ''Baseball America''. Pitching for Johnson City and State College, he averaged 8.88 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, third-best among Cardinals' minor leaguers. In June 2007, pitching for the Single–A Swing of the Quad Cities, Herron was named Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month. On July 2, 2007, Herron was voted

Pitcher of the Week. For the season he was 10–7 with a 3.74 ERA, and in innings gave up 26 walks while he had 130 strikeouts (6th in the league) as he kept opponents to a .240 batting average."2007 Midwest League – Season Review,"
Baseball Cube. He averaged 1.69 walks per nine innings as a starter, which was 4th-lowest among Midwest League starters, and his strikeout/walk ratio of 5.00 led the league. He threw primarily a mid-90s sinking

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

, a solid

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

, and a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

with a good break. He was ranked the Midwest League # 11 prospect in 2007, and the St. Louis Cardinals # 10 prospect, by ''Baseball America''. Pitching for the High–A

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

, on August 4, 2008, Herron was voted

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

Pitcher of the Week. For the season for the team, he was 2–2 with a 2.70 ERA in 15 starts, and in innings he gave up 11 walks as he kept opponents to a .234 batting average. Pitching for the

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They are members of the Texas League's North Division and serve as the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Springfield Cardinals began pl ...

of the Double–A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, Herron was 5–5 with a 5.20 ERA. He was ranked the St. Louis Cardinals # 23 prospect after the 2008 season by ''Baseball America''. He pitched for the Honolulu Sharks in the Rookie 2008 Hawaii Winter Baseball League, and led the league with a 0.69 ERA. Pitching for the Springfield Cardinals in 2009 he was 2–4 with a 4.34 ERA in 9 starts. Herron was released by the Cardinals organization on June 3, 2009.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On June 12, 2009, Herron signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. Pitching the remainder of the season for the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...

of the Double–A Eastern League, he was 0–2 with a 4.50 ERA. He was released by the Pirates organization on October 30.

Kalamazoo Kings

In 2010, Herron pitched for the

Kalamazoo Kings The Kalamazoo Kings were a professional baseball team based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in the United States between 2001-2010. The Kings were a member of the independent Frontier League. The Kings played their home games at Homer Stryker Field. A ...

in the independent

Frontier League The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...

, primarily as a reliever, throwing between 89 and 93 mph with his fastball, and was 1-3 with three saves and a 3.50 ERA.James Wagner (January 3, 2013)
"Nationals sign former first-round pick pitcher Tyler Herron,"
''The Washington Post''. He did not pitch in 2011 due to rehabilitation from surgery for an arm injury.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

In 2012, Herron pitched for the

Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Fargo, North Dakota, in the United States. The RedHawks are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major Lea ...

of the independent American Association, going 12–3 with a 3.29 ERA (6th in the league) in 23 games (17 starts) over 123 innings with 105 strikeouts (6th in the league) and 30 walks. His 12 wins tied for second-best in the league, and his strikeouts/walks ratio of 3.50 was 7th-best in the league.

Washington Nationals

On December 7, 2012, the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

signed Herron as a free agent to a minor league contract. In 2013, he pitched for the

Potomac Nationals The Potomac Nationals were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They were situated in Woodbridge, Virginia, and played their home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. After the 2019 season, the team relocated to ...

of the High–A

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

, for whom he was 1–1 with one save and a 1.70 ERA. Herron struck out 32 batters in innings as he kept opponents to a .222 batting average. With the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...

of the Double–A Eastern League, he was 6–2 with five saves and a 3.11 ERA as he struck out 58 batters in innings and kept opponents to a .247 batting average. Pitching for the

in the winter of 2013, in the

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, in 19 games (third in the league) in relief Herron was 1–0 with 12 saves and a 0.84 ERA (leading the league, for all pitchers with 20 or more innings pitched). In 2014, Herron returned to Double–A Harrisburg, for whom he was 3–2 with six saves and a 2.73 ERA in 48 relief appearances (tied for 6th in the league), and also pitched for the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

of the Triple–A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

(for whom he pitched innings). Pitching for the Indios de Mayagüez in the winter of 2014, he was a post-season Puerto Rico Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente All Star. Pitching for Puerto Rico in 2014, Herron was a

All Star.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (second stint)

In 2015, Herron pitched for the

of the American Association, and was 6–7 with a 4.47 ERA in 20 starts, tied for second in the league with four

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s and two

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

s, and was third in the American Association with 119 strikeouts in 131 innings. Pitching for the Indios de Mayagüez in the Puerto Rico Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in the winter of 2015, he was 5–2 with a 1.96 ERA in 18 relief appearances. In 2016, Herron returned to Fargo-Moorhead, and led the American Association with a 0.80 ERA in 56 innings in which he walked 12 batters, had a 5–1 record with two shutouts, and held opponents to a .161 batting average.Michael Mayer (June 28, 2016)
"Mets Sign RHP Tyler Herron,"
MetsMinors.net.

New York Mets

On June 28, 2016, Herron signed a minor league contract with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. He spent the remainder of the campaign with the

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...

of the Double–A Eastern League, for whom he was 2–6 with a 6.32 ERA in 11 starts, and the Las Vegas 51s of the Triple–A

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 ...

, for whom he was 1–0 with a 2.70 ERA. Herron elected free agency following the season on November 7.

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On March 28, 2017, Herron signed with the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Tigres de Quintana Roo (English: Quintana Roo Tigers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve championships to date: ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He made 12 starts, finishing with a record of 3–5 and a 5.52 ERA before he was released on June 11.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (third stint)

Herron re-signed with the

of the American Association on June 20, 2017, and logged a 9-3 record with three complete games and an ERA of 2.92.

Lincoln Saltdogs

On January 30, 2018, Herron was traded to the

Lincoln Saltdogs The Lincoln Saltdogs are a professional baseball team based in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the United States. The Saltdogs are in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Since the 2001 se ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. Pitching for Lincoln in the first half of 2018, he registered a 4-5 record and a 7.33 ERA.

Winnipeg Goldeyes

On July 12, 2018, Herron was claimed off waivers by the

Winnipeg Goldeyes The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of ...

of the American Association. Pitching for Goldeyes in 2018, he compiled a 2-4 record with two complete games, one shutout, and a 3.19 ERA in innings. He was released following the conclusion of the 2018 season.

High Point Rockers

On May 1, 2019, Herron signed with the High Point Rockers of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. In 17 starts for the team, he was 2–7 with a 6.05 ERA over innings.

Sioux Falls Canaries

On July 31, 2019, he was traded to the

Sioux Falls Canaries The Sioux Falls Canaries are a professional baseball team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. The Canaries are members of the North Division of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major ...

of the

. In seven starts for the team, he was 1-3 with one complete game and a 3.78 ERA over 50 innings.">"Tyler Herron Minor, Winter, Independent & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History,"
Baseball-Reference.com. Herron was released by the Canaries on February 4, 2020. However, he later re-signed with the team on May 21. In 2020 for the Canaries, Herron posted a 7-1 record with one complete game and a 4.60 ERA in innings, while also serving as the team’s

bench coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decision ...

. On May 4, 2021, Herron was released by the Canaries.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (fourth stint)

On June 15, 2021, Herron signed with the

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. Herron struggled to a 15.26 ERA in 3 appearances, in which he pitched a total of innings. Herron was released by the RedHawks on June 30. Herron's career eight-season minor league record was 38–41, with a 4.12 ERA, and 588 strikeouts in 667 innings. His career foreign league record over nine seasons was 16–13 with a 3.77 ERA, and 192 strikeouts in 234 innings. In addition, his career independent league record over 10 seasons was 49–41, with a 4.03 ERA, with 640 strikeouts over innings. In total, at all levels he pitched 16 seasons facing 7,323 batters, had a record of 103-95 with 38 saves and a 4.10 ERA, and 1,420 strikeouts in innings.

World Baseball Classic

Herron was on the roster for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifier, but did not pitch. Herron pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic in March 2017. He said it was: "The best experience I've ever had in baseball for sure... It was the coolest experience I've ever had."Eric Peterson (June 24, 2017)
"RedHawks starter Herron savored World Baseball Classic experience,"
inforum.com.

Death

Herron died of unknown causes at his apartment in

on October 22, 2021, aged 35.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herron, Tyler 1986 births 2021 deaths 2017 World Baseball Classic players Altoona Curve players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Atenienses de Manatí (baseball) players Baseball coaches from Florida Binghamton Mets players Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks players Harrisburg Senators players High Point Rockers players Honolulu Sharks players Indios de Mayagüez players Jewish American baseball players Johnson City Cardinals players Kalamazoo Kings players Las Vegas 51s players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente pitchers Lincoln Saltdogs players Mexican League baseball pitchers Palm Beach Cardinals players Sportspeople from Wellington, Florida Potomac Nationals players Sioux Falls Canaries players Somerset Patriots players Baseball players from West Palm Beach, Florida Springfield Cardinals players State College Spikes players Swing of the Quad Cities players Syracuse Chiefs players Tigres de Quintana Roo players 21st-century American Jews