Tayler Andrew Saucedo (born June 18, 1993) is an American

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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for 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) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

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). He was drafted by 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 ...

in the 21st round of the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks ...

, and made his MLB debut for the team in 2021. Listed at and , he throws and bats left-handed.

Amateur career

Saucedo was born on June 18, 1993, in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

to mother Tanya and father Andy. He is of Mexican descent and his family ancestry can be traced to Spain and Guatemala. As Saucedo's father was in the Marine Corps, he moved around a lot as a child including Hawaii, Japan, Seattle, and Texas. While living in Japan, Saucedo was introduced to the sport of

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 tea ...

. As a child, Saucedo began to pursue the position of pitcher when he would pitch against older children. His father was required to sign a waiver to allow him to play against 12 year olds. While in middle school, Saucedo was selected for the Little League All Stars and subsequently played varsity baseball at

Tahoma High School Tahoma High School (THS) is a public high school serving grades nine through twelve, and is the only high school in the Tahoma School District. The school provides for citizens in southeast King County, and has been housed in multiple buildings, ...

Maple Valley, Washington Maple Valley is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 28,013 at the 2020 census. The city functions as a commuter town for residents, though there is an increasing amount of commercial activity in the area. His ...

. He was originally cut from the team in Grade 10 and then failed to record a single win in his junior season. Following his junior year, Saucedo cited his lack of confidence as a factor for his poor season. He improved from 0–4 to a 7–1 in his senior campaign as he led the Bears to a South Puget Sound League North Division title. As such, Saucedo was selected for the 2011 Washington State Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A All-State second team and the 2011 South Puget Sound League All-North Division first team.

Collegiate career

Due to his grades, Saucedo began his collegiate career at

Tacoma Community College Tacoma Community College (TCC) is a public community college in Tacoma, Washington with operations in Tacoma and Gig Harbor. It serves the city of Tacoma and the Pierce County portion of the Kitsap Peninsula. History TCC's creation was author ...

but dropped out after his first year. Prior to leaving, Saucedo was selected as a Top 200 Junior College Prospect and played in the Coastal Plains League for the Martinsville Mustangs during the summer of 2013. After redshirting in 2013, Saucedo enrolled at

Tennessee Wesleyan University Tennessee Wesleyan University (TWU) is a private Methodist university in Athens, Tennessee. It was founded in 1857 and is affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. It maintains a branch campus in Knoxville, where i ...

. In April 2015, Saucedo earned his first Appalachian Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week Honour after he walked three and fanned seven batters from Union to recorded a complete-game, one-hit shutout win. Following the win, he had a 4–1 on the season with a 1.53 ERA. He was selected by the

in the 21st round, 632nd overall, of the

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

Following the draft, Saucedo made his professional debut with the

Bluefield Blue Jays The Bluefield Blue Jays were a minor league baseball team of the Rookie Appalachian League representing the twin cities of Bluefield, West Virginia, and Bluefield, Virginia. The team played their home games at Bowen Field at Peters Park, a histori ...

of the Rookie Appalachian League. While with the team, he pitched 22.1 innings collecting 1 win, 1 save, a 2.42 ERA, and 18 strikeouts. He also played for the Low-A

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. ...

, posting a 4-2 record and 2.48 ERA in 13 games. In his second Canadians game on August 8, 2015, Saucedo pitched six scoreless innings to lead the team to a 5–1 over the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

. By the end of the month, Saucedo had allowed 16 hits in 20 innings and recorded 12 walks. He also struck out 17 batters with various pitching styles including a fastball, a curve, a slider, and a change-up. He spent the 2016 season in Single-A with the

Lansing Lugnuts The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field (Lansing), Jackson Field. The Midwe ...

, pitching to an 8-11 record and 5.91 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 120.1 innings of work. In 2017, Saucedo split the season between the High-A

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...

and Lansing, recording a 5-3 record and 4.48 ERA in 33 appearances. In 2018, Saucedo split the year between the Double-A

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major league club. During the team's first seas ...

and Dunedin, logging a 10-9 record and 4.21 ERA in 26 games between the two teams. In 2019, he split the year between the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

and New Hampshire, posting an 8-2 record and 3.61 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched. Saucedo did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo to begin the 2021 season, and pitched to a 2–1 record and 2.20 ERA in 10 appearances for the team. On June 12, 2021, Saucedo was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the majors for the first time. Saucedo subsequently made his MLB debut on June 17, pitching a scoreless inning of relief against the

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

. In his debut, he also notched his first career strikeout, punching out Yankees outfielder

Miguel Andújar Miguel Enrique Andújar (born March 2, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball third baseman and left fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2017 and played for the ...

. In September, Saucedo was optioned to Buffalo to make room for pitcher Anthony Castro. He appeared in 29 games for Toronto in his rookie campaign, recording a 4.56 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 25.2 innings pitched. In 2022, Saucedo made four appearances for the Blue Jays, but struggled to a 13.50 ERA with no strikeouts in 2.2 innings of work. On June 29, 2022, Saucedo was placed on the 60-day injured list with a hip injury, and missed the remainder of the season.

Seattle Mariners

On November 9, 2022, Saucedo was claimed off waivers by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. Saucedo was designated for assignment by the Mets on January 24, 2023, after the signing of

Tommy Pham Thomas James Pham (born March 8, 1988) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston R ...

was made official. On January 31, 2023, Saucedo was claimed off waivers by the

. Saucedo was optioned 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. ...

to begin the 2023 season. He was recalled to the Mariners on April 18 and spent the rest of the season in the Majors, appearing in 52 games with a 3-2 record, 1 save, and 3.59

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

References

External links

Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saucedo, Tayler 1993 births Living people Baseball players from Honolulu Major League Baseball pitchers Toronto Blue Jays players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Titans baseball players Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs baseball players Vancouver Canadians players Bluefield Blue Jays players Lansing Lugnuts players Dunedin Blue Jays players Canberra Cavalry players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Tacoma Rainiers players American expatriate baseball players in Australia Florida Complex League Blue Jays players