Tyler Wesley Naquin ( ; born April 24, 1991) is an American 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 ...

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, ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

in the

Cleveland Guardians 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) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

organization. He has previously 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) for 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 ...

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

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2016. Prior to playing professionally, Naquin played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Texas A&M Aggies The Texas A&M Aggies are the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "wikt:aggie#Etymology 2, Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also simply referr ...

. Originally an outfielder, Naquin transitioned to a pitcher prior to the 2025 season.

Early life and amateur career

Naquin attended

Klein Collins High School Klein Collins High School is a public high school located at 20811 Ella Boulevard in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States. The school, with a Klein, Texas postal address, serves students in grades 9 through 12, as part of the Klein ...

in unincorporated

Harris County, Texas Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, and was estimated to be 5,009,302 in 2024, making it the List of counties in Texas, most populous cou ...

, where he played for the school's baseball team. He lettered in baseball for three years. He was twice honored as All-State, three times honored as All-District, and three times named All-Greater

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. Naquin grew up a

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

fan. 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 ...

selected Naquin in the 33rd round of the

2009 Major League Baseball draft The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The drafting order is as follows: First-round selections Key Supplemental first-round selections From Baseball Americ ...

. After considering signing with the Orioles, Naquin decided to enroll at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, to play

for the

Texas A&M Aggies baseball The Texas A&M Aggies baseball team represents Texas A&M University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The Aggies have competed in the Southeastern Conference since 2013. The Aggies play home games at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The team wa ...

team. Naquin was named the Big 12 Conference Baseball Player of the Year in 2011.

Professional career

Cleveland Indians

The

selected Naquin in the first round, with the 15th overall selection, of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

. He signed and made his professional debut that season with the

Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...

of the

Class A Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (crea ...

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 ...

, batting .270 in 36 games. Naquin played for the

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games ...

of the

High-A High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

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 ...

and the

Akron Aeros The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,63 ...

of the Double-A Eastern League in 2013, hitting a combined .269 with ten home runs, 48 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases in 126 total games between both teams. After the 2013 season, the Indians assigned Naquin to the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

, and he participated in the Fall Stars Game. Naquin began the 2014 season with Akron, but suffered a broken hand in July. He required surgery, and missed the remainder of the 2014 season. In 76 games for Akron before his injury, he was batting .313 with four home runs and 30 RBIs. Naquin began the 2015 season with Akron. In June, the Indians promoted him to the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

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 ...

. However, a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

and soreness in his right hip limited him to 50

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Associat ...

with Columbus. In 84 games between Akron and Columbus, he slashed .300/.381/.446 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. After the 2015 season, the Indians added Naquin to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

. After the 2015 season, Naquin remained at the Indians' facility in Arizona to engage in

strength training Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve physical strength. It is often associated with the lifting of Weightlifting, weights. It can also incorporate techniques such as bodyweigh ...

. He competed for a spot on the Indians'

25-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

during

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2016, and was named to the

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster. Naquin was named the

American League Rookie of the Month Major League Baseball (MLB) honors its best rookies with a Rookie of the Month Award for one player in the American League (AL) and one in the National League (baseball), National League (NL) during each month of the regular season. These awards h ...

for June and July 2016. On August 19, Naquin hit a walk-off

inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a rare play in which a Batter (baseball), batter rounds all four bases for a home run without the baseball leaving the baseball field, field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-p ...

to lead the Indians to a 3–2 win over 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 ...

. He became the first Indians batter to hit a walk off inside-the-park home run since

Braggo Roth Robert Frank Roth (August 28, 1892 – September 11, 1936), nicknamed Braggo, was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball over parts of eight seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Ph ...

, who accomplished the feat in 1916. In 116 games, he hit .296 with 14 home runs, 43 RBIs and 18 doubles, finishing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He reached the

2016 World Series The 2016 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 season. The 112th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs and the American Leag ...

with Cleveland, where they lost in seven games to the

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

. In Game 6, with two outs in the first inning, Naquin misplayed a fly ball with Lonnie Chisenhall, leading to two Cubs runs. He later struck out with the bases loaded, missing a key scoring chance for Cleveland as they lost 9–3. Naquin began 2017 with Cleveland. However, he was hampered with injuries and struggled with the Indians, and he only appeared in 19 games for Cleveland in which he hit .216. He spent the majority of the year with Columbus, where he slashed .298/.359/.475 with ten home runs and 51 RBIs in 80 games. He played in 61 games for the Indians in 2018, hitting .264/.295/.356 with 3 home runs and 23 RBI. In 2019 with Cleveland, Naquin played in 89 games, slashing .288/.325/.467 with 10 home runs, 34 RBI, and 4 stolen bases. Overall with the 2020 Cleveland Indians, Naquin batted .218 with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 40 games. Naquin was not tendered a contract for the 2021 season by the December 2, 2020, deadline, making him a free agent.

Cincinnati Reds

On February 18, 2021, Naquin signed a minor league contract with the

organization that included an invitation to spring training. On March 29, 2021, Naquin was selected to the 40-man roster. Naquin appeared in 127 games with Cincinnati in 2021, finishing with a .270 batting average, 19 home runs, and 70 RBIs. In 2022, Naquin appeared in 56 games for Cincinnati, posting a batting line of .246/.305/.444 with 7 home runs and 33 RBI.

New York Mets

On July 28, 2022, the Reds traded Naquin and Phillip Diehl to the

for minor league prospects Jose Acuña and Héctor Rodríguez. He played in 49 games for the Mets down the stretch, slashing .203/.246/.390 with four home runs and 13 RBIs.

Milwaukee Brewers

On February 21, 2023, Naquin signed a minor league contract with the

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

organization. In 40 games for the Triple–A

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 ...

, he hit .284/.333/.432 with 6 home runs and 21 RBI.

Chicago White Sox

On August 7, 2023, Naquin was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. In 28 games for 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 ...

, he batted .217/.294/.371 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI. On September 26, 2023, the White Sox selected Naquin's contract to the major league roster after Luis Robert Jr. suffered an injury. Appearing in 5 games for Chicago, he went hitless in 8 at-bats. Naquin was released by the White Sox on October 3 following the waiver claim of Alex Speas.

Cleveland Guardians

On March 6, 2025, Naquin signed a minor league contract with the

as a pitcher.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Naquin, Tyler 1991 births Living people Akron Aeros players Akron RubberDucks players Arizona Complex League Guardians players Baseball players from Harris County, Texas Carolina Mudcats players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Gigantes del Cibao players Lake County Captains players Louisville Bats players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Major League Baseball outfielders Mankato MoonDogs players Nashville Sounds players New York Mets players Sportspeople from Spring, Texas Surprise Saguaros players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players