Taylor Mark Tankersley (born March 7, 1983) 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 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 ...

. He 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

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

Career

Amateur

During his senior year at Warren Central High School in Vicksburg, Tankersley went 13–0. He also played

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

whenever he was not pitching. Warren Central won the Mississippi 5A Baseball State Championship that year. After high school, Tankersley continued his baseball career at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

. He started and did relief work for the Crimson Tide. In 2002, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Brewster Whitecaps The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Brook ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

and was named a league all-star.

Florida Marlins

After three years throwing for the Tide, Tankersley was a first rounder in the major league draft. The 27th pick overall, Taylor was the Marlins' first pick. He made his major league debut on June 3, , pitching a scoreless inning in relief. In March 2009 Tankersley was demoted to the Marlin's Triple-A

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

team due to an elbow injury, ultimately undergoing surgery to correct the recurring stress fracture. In May 2010, Tankersley was called up by the Marlins to work as a "Lefty specialist" out of the bullpen. 20 of the first 21 left-handed hitters Tankersley faced were retired; he finished the season "shutting down" lefties, who batted just .200 against him. On October 13, 2010, Tankersley refused a minor league assignment and became a free agent.

New York Mets

On January 11, 2011, Tankersley reached a minor league deal with the New York Mets, which included an invite to spring training. He would spend the entire 2011 season with the AAA

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 ...

where he would compile a 1–1 record with a 5.79 ERA in 56 innings pitched.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tankersley, Taylor 1983 births Living people Sportspeople from Vicksburg, Mississippi Baseball players from Mississippi Major League Baseball pitchers Florida Marlins players Alabama Crimson Tide baseball players Brewster Whitecaps players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Albuquerque Isotopes players Jamestown Jammers players Jupiter Hammerheads players Surprise Rafters players Carolina Mudcats players New Orleans Zephyrs players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players