Kelby Aaron Tomlinson (born June 16, 1990) is an American former
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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
utility player. He played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
at
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
and played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
, by whom he was drafted in 2011. He is tall and weighs . He bats and throws right-handed.
Early career
Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, Tomlinson attended
Elgin High School in
Elgin, Oklahoma.
Tomlinson played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
for two seasons at
Seward County Community College
Seward County Community College (SCCC) is a public community college in Liberal, Kansas.
History
Established on December 29, 1967, its classes officially started on September 2, 1969. For the 2008–2009 academic year, Seward County Community Co ...
(2009–10) and one season at
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
(2011). He was drafted by the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
in the 12th round (387th overall) of the
2011 MLB draft
The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...
.
Professional career
San Francisco Giants
Minor leagues
In 2011, Tomlinson began his professional baseball career playing for the
Augusta GreenJackets
The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina, which opened in April 2018. They previo ...
of the
Class A South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...
, hitting .356 in 149 at bats. In 2012, Tomlinson finished the year with a .224 average in 450 at bats. In 2013, Tomlinson started the year with the
AZL Giants
The Arizona Complex League Giants are a professional baseball team competing as a Rookie-level affiliate of the San Francisco Giants in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Scottsdale Stadium in S ...
of the
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...
. He was then promoted to the
San Jose Giants
The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark.
Games
San Jose Giants ga ...
of the
California League at the A-Advanced level, where he had a .276 average in 134 at bats. He was then called up to play for the
Richmond Flying Squirrels
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. The ...
of the
Class AA
Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...
Eastern League. He struggled, managing only a .198 average in 96 at bats. In 2014, Tomlinson was now the starting second baseman for the
Richmond Flying Squirrels
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. The ...
. He eventually finished the year with a .268 average in 433 at bats, playing in 126 games.
In 2015, Tomlinson continued to play for the Richmond Flying Squirrels. He was eventually promoted to play for the
Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 ...
of the
Pacific Coast League, at the AAA level. after hitting .324 in 253 at bats for the Flying Squirrels. He managed a .316 average in 136 at bats before being called up the Major Leagues, to play for the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
.
In his minor league career, Tomlinson played in 457 games and recorded 1679 at bats. He scored 253 runs and 459 hits. Tomlinson hit 8 home runs and had 160 runs batted in. He was walked 175 times and struck out 336 times. Tomlinson also stole 126 bases. In the minors, Tomlinson recorded an average of .273 and an on-base percentage of .345.
Major leagues
Tomlinson was called up to the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
on August 3, 2015, to replace the injured
Joe Panik. Tomlinson also made his debut that day, hitting a single and scoring a run in the 12th inning of a game against the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
. He started his first major league game on August 5, driving in three runs in his first two at-bats.
Tomlinson became the first Giant to hit safely in his first three at-bats since
Fred Lewis
Frederick Deshaun Lewis (born December 9, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He made his debut on September 1, , with the San Francisco Giants. He is the cousin of former Major League outfielder Matt Lawton. He lived ...
in 2006.
On August 27, Tomlinson hit a
grand slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
off
James Russell of the
Chicago Cubs for his first major league home run. The next day, he got his first walk-off hit: a single against a drawn-in five-man infield in a 5–4 win against the St. Louis Cardinals. On October 3 at
AT&T Park
Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's curren ...
, in a 3–2 win over the
Colorado Rockies, Tomlinson hit an
inside-the-park home run
In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of the field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-park home run", or "in-the-park homer".
Discussion
To score ...
off
Chris Rusin. During his rookie season with the Giants, Tomlinson made 46 starts at second base and played in 54 games. He batted .303 while driving in 20 runs.
Following the 2015 season, in an effort to add to his versatility, he began training as an outfielder in the instructional league. Tomlinson made the Giants 25-man roster in 2016 as a backup infielder. During the 2016 season, Tomlinson made starts at second base, shortstop, third base and left field for the Giants while playing in 52 games and having a .292 batting average.
During the 2017 season he appeared in 104 games with 38 starts for the Giants.
During the 2018 season he appeared in 63 games with 19 starts for the Giants. He was
outrighted to Triple-A on October 22, 2018. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.
Arizona Diamondbacks
On November 20, 2018, Tomlinson signed a minor-league deal with the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
. He was released on May 12, 2019 after playing in 30 games for the Triple-A
Reno Aces
The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...
.
Seattle Mariners
He signed a minor league deal with the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
on May 31, 2019 and was assigned to the Triple-A
Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...
. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.
Colorado Rockies
On January 21, 2020, Tomlinson signed a minor league deal with the
Colorado Rockies. He was released on June 27. On June 1, 2021, Tomlinson re-signed with the Rockies organization on a new minor league contract. He was assigned to the Triple-A
Albuquerque Isotopes
The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...
and went 3-for-16 in 8 games for the team. On July 8, Tomlinson retired from professional baseball.
Post-playing career
Tomlinson became a certified
optician and, together with his wife Tiffany, opened an
eyewear shop called Squints in
Liberal, Kansas
Liberal is the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 19,825. Liberal is home of Seward County Community College.
History
Early settler S. S. Rogers built the first hous ...
in 2020.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomlinson, Kelby
1990 births
Living people
People from Chickasha, Oklahoma
Baseball players from Oklahoma
Major League Baseball infielders
San Francisco Giants players
Seward County Saints baseball players
Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball players
Arizona League Giants players
Augusta GreenJackets players
San Jose Giants players
Reno Aces players
Richmond Flying Squirrels players
Scottsdale Scorpions players
Sacramento River Cats players
Tacoma Rainiers players
Estrellas Orientales players
American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic
Albuquerque Isotopes players