![Mark Teahen on July 29, 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Mark_Teahen_on_July_29%2C_2009.jpg)
Mark Thomas Teahen (born September 6, 1981) is an
American-Canadian
American Canadians are Canadians of American descent. The term is most often used to refer to Canadians who migrated from or have ancestry from the United States.
Demography
According to the 2016 Census, 29,590 Canadians reported American as ...
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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.
Standard arrangement of positions
In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...
who 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
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) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
,
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) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
, and
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) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
.
He graduated from
Yucaipa High School in 1999 and attended
St. Mary's College in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. Teahen was drafted 39th overall in the
2002 draft by the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
with a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds. He was featured in the book ''
Moneyball'', which noted the Athletics considered that Teahen could have the potential to become the next
Jason Giambi
Jason Gilbert Giambi (; born January 8, 1971) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter. In his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, which began in 1995, Giambi played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yank ...
.
Prior to the
2009 World Baseball Classic, Teahen, whose father was born in
St. Marys, Ontario
St. Marys is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the north branch of the Thames River and Trout Creek southwest of Stratford, and is surrounded by the Township of Perth South in Perth County, Ontario. St. ...
, became a naturalized Canadian citizen and played for Team Canada in that event. In 2011, Teahen and
Brett Lawrie
Brett Russell Lawrie (born January 18, 1990) is a Canadian former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox.
Amateur career
While playing hi ...
both started in the infield for the Blue Jays, marking the first time the squad had two Canadians in its starting lineup.
Professional career
Kansas City Royals
Oakland traded him to Kansas City in , along with
Mike Wood, as part of a three-way trade that sent
Carlos Beltrán
Carlos Iván Beltrán (; born April 24, 1977) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1998 to 2017 for the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, San Fra ...
to 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 ...
,
Octavio Dotel
Octavio Eduardo Dotel Diaz (born November 25, 1973) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. Dotel played for 13 major league teams, the second most teams played for by any player in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), setti ...
from the Astros to the Athletics, and
John Buck from the Astros to the Royals. Although he had been one of the most highly regarded prospects in the Oakland organization, he became available when the Athletics were able to sign
Eric Chavez
Eric Cesar Chavez (born December 7, 1977) is an American professional baseball coach and former third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics (1998–2010), New York Yankees (2011–2012), and Arizona Diamondb ...
to a long-term contract.
Royals management did not expect Teahen to make the opening-day roster in ; however, after hitting .344 in
spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
and after injuries sidelined potential third basemen
Chris Truby
Christopher John Truby (born December 9, 1973) is a third baseman who played some of his career in Major League Baseball, though most of his time was spent in various teams' minor league systems. Chris is a 1992 graduate of Damien Memorial High ...
and
Chris Clapinski, the Royals announced Teahen would be their regular third baseman for 2005, and he made his major-league debut on April 4, 2005.
His first hit was a triple and he hit four homers in his last 17 games of 2005. Teahen hit .240 in his rookie season with KC.
In , he hit .290 with 18
home run
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 i ...
s and 69 RBIs. During July, he raised his performance level with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs during the 38 games ending August 2. He continued to hit well, but suffered an injury and had to have season-ending surgery on September 8.
Going into the season, Teahen moved from third base to
right field
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...
because of the arrival of young prospect
Alex Gordon
Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...
. His home run total dropped alarmingly to only seven homers, after hitting 18 the year prior. During the season, he hit two inside-the-park home runs (leading the majors), bringing his total for 2008 to 14 homers.
While in Kansas City, Teahen was a spokesman and fundraiser for a program that gave children with physical or mental challenges the chance to play baseball. Since Teahen obtained dual Canadian-American citizenship in 2005, he was able to play for the Canadian team in the
2009 World Baseball Classic. In , he hit .271 with a career-high 34 doubles, 12 home runs and 50 RBI in 144 games with Kansas City. He made 99 starts at third base, 31 in right field and three at second.
Chicago White Sox
On November 5, 2009, Teahen was traded by the Royals to 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) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
in exchange for infielders
Chris Getz
Christopher Ryan Getz (born August 30, 1983) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays. Getz currently serves as the assista ...
and
Josh Fields. He later received the
2009 Hutch Award for his efforts on and off the field.
On December 8, Teahen and the White Sox agreed to a three-year, $14 million deal.
Toronto Blue Jays
On July 27, 2011, Teahen was traded to 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) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
with
Edwin Jackson for
Jason Frasor
Jason Andrew Frasor (born August 9, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004, and had a 4.08 ERA in 63 games. He also played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, ...
and
Zach Stewart
Zachary Robert Stewart (born September 28, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Red Sox, and in the KBO League for the NC Dino ...
. The Blue Jays designated him for assignment on January 9, 2012. He was released on January 17. In his one season with the Blue Jays, Teahen played in 27 games, mostly as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement, and hit .190 with one home run and three RBI.
2012–2013
Teahen signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
on February 6, 2012. Teahen spent the 2012 season with the Nationals
Triple-A affiliate
Syracuse Chiefs
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
. According to the
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 level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
transactions page, Teahen declared free agency on November 2, 2012.
On November 26, 2012, Teahen signed a minor league contract 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 f ...
. He started the 2013 season with the
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. ...
, but was released by the Diamondbacks at his request on May 20.
The
Texas Rangers signed Teahen to a minor league deal on May 23, 2013,
and assigned him to the Triple-A
Round Rock Express
The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...
. He was released on June 3, 2013.
On June 17, 2013 he signed a contract to play for the
York Revolution
The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league, independent "partner lea ...
in the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...
.
Teahen signed a minor-league contract with 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 Yor ...
on February 15, 2014. This contract did not include an invitation to major league spring training. He was released on March 19.
On December 15, it was reported that Teahen had retired.
2017
On January 24, 2017, it was announced that Teahen would play in the
Italian Baseball League
The Italian Baseball League (IBL; Italian: ') is a professional baseball league that is governed by FIBS (Italian Baseball & Softball Federation), which has its headquarters in Rome. The IBL is a wood bat league in which both composite and alumi ...
after signing with the Padua team.
Personal life
Mark married Lauren McClain on December 31, 2010. They have three children.
References
External links
Recap of 8/2/06 game in which Teahen went 3 for 5 including a home run and his performance scrutinized a bit moreColumn by Yahoo! Sports columnist primarily about Teahen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teahen, Mark
1981 births
Living people
American people of Canadian descent
Baseball players from California
Canadian baseball players
Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Charlotte Knights players
Chicago White Sox players
American expatriate baseball players in Italy
Kansas City Royals players
Major League Baseball third basemen
Midland RockHounds players
Modesto A's players
Omaha Royals players
People from Redlands, California
People from Yucaipa, California
Reno Aces players
Round Rock Express players
Sacramento River Cats players
Saint Mary's Gaels baseball players
Sportspeople from San Bernardino County, California
Syracuse Chiefs players
Toronto Blue Jays players
Vancouver Canadians players
World Baseball Classic players of Canada
York Revolution players
2009 World Baseball Classic players
Anchorage Glacier Pilots players