Michael Robert Tauchman (born December 3, 1990) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

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 c ...

who is a free agent. He has 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 Colorado Rockies,

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, and

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 ...

, and in the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

for the

Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles ( ko, 한화 이글스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon. They are a member of the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium. The Eagles have won the Korean Series on ...

. In his senior year of college in 2013 at

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. Th ...

he batted .425, leading all

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

baseball players. The Rockies selected Tauchman in the 10th round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2017.

Early life

Tauchman attended

William Fremd High School William Fremd High School, or Fremd (initially Palatine High School South), is a public four-year high school located in Palatine, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School Distric ...

in Palatine, Illinois, where he played

, and was also the

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

and

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

for the football team. In baseball, he batted .490 and was named

Mid-Suburban League The Mid-Suburban League (MSL) is an Illinois High School Association recognized high school extra-curricular league which includes 12 schools located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The conference is split up into two divisions for ...

West Player of the Year as a senior. In football, he led a second-half comeback against future NFL quarterback

Jimmy Garoppolo James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...

in a game during his senior year. He attended

, majored in business management & administration, and 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 the

Bradley Braves The Bradley Braves are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, United States. The Braves' athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I lev ...

. In 2013, his senior year, Tauchman batted .425 (leading all

)/.513 (leading the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

)/.591(1st) with 52 runs (2nd), 15

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

s (6th), 5

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

s (3rd), 2

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, 41 RBIs (8th), 10 HBP (4th), and 28 stolen bases (2nd) in 30 attempts. He won the 2013 MVC Baseball Player of the Year Award, was a Rawlings/

American Baseball Coaches Association The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) is the world's largest Amateur baseball in the United States, amateur baseball Manager (baseball), coaching organization. It was founded in 1945 as the American Association of College Baseball Coach ...

First Team All-American, First Team All-MVC, and named to the MVC All-Defensive Team.

Professional career

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies selected Tauchman in the 10th round of the

. In 2013 he played for the Short-Season

Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home ga ...

and batted .297/.388/.377 with 38 runs (5th in the league), 3 triples (4th), 33

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

s (7th), and 20 stolen bases (3rd) in 236 at bats, and was named a

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Basebal ...

Mid-Season All-Star. In 2014 he played for Tri-City and then for the High-A California League

Modesto Nuts The Modesto Nuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Modesto, California, and are named for the several types of nuts grown in the region. They play the ...

, batting a combined .293/.384/.437 with 4 home runs, 22 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 222 at bats. In 2015 Tauchman played for the Double-A

New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado Rockies for one. They played ...

, batted .294 (4th in the league)/.355/.381 with 62 runs (10th), 6 triples (3rd), 3 home runs, 43 RBIs, 47 walks (7th), and 25 stolen bases (5th) in 507 at bats, and was named an Eastern League Post-Season All-Star. In 2016 he played for 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 ...

, batting .286/.342/.373 with one home run, 51 RBIs, 6

sacrifice hit In baseball, a sacrifice bunt (also called a sacrifice hit) is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base. The batter is almost always put out, an ...

s (6th in the league), and 23 stolen bases (2nd) in 475 at bats. He then played for Águilas del Zulia in the

Venezuelan Winter League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

, batting .269/.343/.328 with one home run, nine RBIs, and five stolen bases (10th in the league) in 119 at bats over 31 games. In 2017 he played for the AAA

and batted .331 (3rd in the league)/.386/.555, with 8 triples (9th), 16 home runs, 80 RBIs (8th), 3

intentional walk In baseball, an intentional base on balls, usually referred to as an intentional walk and denoted in baseball scorekeeping by ''IBB'', is a walk issued to a batter by a pitcher with the intent of removing the batter's opportunity to swing at the ...

s, and 10

sacrifice flies In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d): "Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair o ...

(1st) in 420 at bats, and was named a Pacific Coast League Post-Season All-Star and an MiLB.com Organization All-Star. The Rockies called Tauchman up to the majors for the first time on June 27, 2017. He batted 6-for-27 for the Rockies in 2017. Playing again for Albuquerque, Tauchman was named PCL Player of the Week for May 14–20, 2018, after batting .417 with eight runs, five home runs, eight RBIs, 27

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, whil ...

, two multi-homer games, and a slugging percentage of 1.125. For the 2018 season in the PCL, he batted .323/.408/.571(7th in the league) with 20 home runs (6th), 81 RBIs (6th), and 6 sacrifice flies (6th) in 403 at bats, and was named a Mid-Season and Post-Season PCL All-Star and an MiLB.com Organization All-Star. He also played in 21 major league games in 2018, batting 3-for-32. In his minor league career through 2019, Tauchman played 278 games in

center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

, 208 games in

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

, and 120 games in right field. He batted .303/.375/.453 in 2,358 at bats.

New York Yankees

On March 23, 2019, the Rockies traded Tauchman to the

in exchange for pitcher Phil Diehl. He made the Yankees' Opening Day roster. On September 10 he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain. He batted .277/.361/.504 with 13 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 6 stolen bases without being caught in 260 at bats over 87 games for the Yankees. He saw 4.34 pitches per plate appearance, the highest rate of anyone on the Yankees roster who had at least 200 plate appearances. He was second in the AL in percentage of balls hit to the opposite field, at 35.3%, behind only

Luis Arráez Luis Sangel Arráez (born April 9, 1997) is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Arráez signed with the Minnesota Twins as an international free agent in 2013, and made his MLB ...

. He played all three outfield positions during the season, playing 473 innings in left field, 122 in right field, and 100 in center field. He also batted .274/.386/.505 in 95 at bats for the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

of the International League. During the 2020 season for the Yankees, Tauchman batted .242/.342/.305 in 95 at bats with 14 RBIs and 6 stolen bases without being caught, and hampered by a lingering right shoulder injury did not hit any home runs. He began the 2021 season with the Yankees, with whom he had 14 at bats.

San Francisco Giants

On April 27, 2021, the Yankees traded Tauchman to the

in exchange for pitcher Wandy Peralta and Connor Cannon. On May 28, Tauchman robbed Albert Pujols of a walk-off home run. 11 days later, he hit his first MLB career

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 ...

to take the lead against the Texas Rangers. Three days after the grand slam, Tauchman robbed

Juan Soto Juan José Soto Pacheco (born October 25, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals. Soto signed with the Nation ...

of a game-tying home run to keep Anthony DeSclafani's

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

intact. On July 29, Tauchman was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

after hitting .178 with an OPS of .569 in 152 at bats. On August 2, Tauchman cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Triple-A

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 ...

. On October 13, Tauchman elected free agency.

Hanwha Eagles

On December 9, 2021, Tauchman signed a one-year contract for $1 million with the

of the

. He finished the year batting .289/.366/.430 with 12 home runs in 575 at bats. He became a free agent after the 2022 season.

Personal life

Tauchman and his wife, Eileen, married in January of 2017.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tauchman, Mike 1990 births Living people People from Palatine, Illinois Baseball players from Illinois Major League Baseball outfielders Colorado Rockies players New York Yankees players San Francisco Giants players Bradley Braves baseball players Tri-City Dust Devils players Modesto Nuts players New Britain Rock Cats players Albuquerque Isotopes players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Águilas del Zulia players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players