Timothy Donald Locastro (born July 14, 1992) 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 ...

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 cat ...

in 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 ...

organization. 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

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

. He holds the MLB record for most successful

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s to start a career, with 29.

Career

Amateur career

Locastro played high school baseball at Auburn High School in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, the ...

, and then 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 pl ...

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and go ...

, where he was the

Empire 8 The Empire 8 (E8) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. The E8 sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's fi ...

player of the year in 2013 when he set school records for runs and stolen bases. 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 13th 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 ...

and signed with them on June 13.

Toronto Blue Jays

Locastro played for 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

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...

in 2013, hitting .283 in 43 games. The following season, he was selected to play in the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, 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 Maj ...

mid-season all-star game, and he hit .313 in 67 games for the

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. ...

and also stole 32 bases while being caught only four times. He began the 2015 season 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 ...

of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

, where he hit .310 with 30 steals in 70 games.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Locastro was traded to the

(along with

Chase De Jong Chase Louis De Jong (born December 29, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). De Jong was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2nd round of the 2012 Major League Baseball dr ...

) on July 2, 2015, in exchange for three international signing slots. He was assigned to the

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The franc ...

and helped them to the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

championship. He began 2016 with Rancho Cucamonga again and was promoted mid-season to the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

. Between the two teams, he was in 131 games, hitting .285 with 24 steals. The Dodgers assigned him to the

Glendale Desert Dogs The Glendale Desert Dogs are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility of the Chicago White ...

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 fill ...

after the season. In 2017 he was selected to the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

mid-season all-star game and between Tulsa and AAA

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, he hit .308 in 127 games with 34 steals. Locastro was called up to the majors for the first time on September 29, 2017. He was called up to be evaluated for possible use as an impact

pinch runner In baseball, a pinch runner is a player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing another player on base. The pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been sub ...

in the playoffs. He made his MLB debut that night against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

, running for

Corey Seager Corey Drew Seager (born April 27, 1994), nicknamed "Seags", is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Seager was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 2012 Ma ...

in the eighth inning and remaining in the game to play an inning 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 ...

. He became the first Ithaca player to play in MLB since

Glen Cook Glen Charles Cook (born July 9, 1944) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction, known for ''The Black Company'' and '' Garrett P.I.'' fantasy series. Biography Cook was born in New York City.Texas Rangers in 1985. The following day, Locastro again appeared as a pinch runner, and stole third base for his first major league steal. He did finally get an at-bat, in his third and final appearance for the Dodgers this season, on October 1. He pinch hit against Adam Ottavino and popped out to second. He was not added to the post-season roster. Locastro was designated for assignment on November 20, 2018.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The day after being designated, Locastro was traded to the

for minor league pitcher Drew Finley and cash. On January 16, 2019, the Yankees traded Locastro to the

for minor league pitcher Ronald Roman and cash. In 2019, Locastro batted .250/.357/.340, and stole 17 bases without being caught (bringing his career major league record to 22 stolen bases without being caught), leading the major leagues in stolen base percentage. He had the fastest sprint speed of all major league players, at 30.8 feet/second. He finished the season with a

BABIP In baseball statistics, batting average on balls in play (abbreviated BABIP) is a measurement of how often batted balls result in hits, excluding home runs. It can be expressed as, "when you hit the ball and it’s not a home run, what’s your ba ...

of .243 on ground balls. He also set the MLB record for most hit by pitches (22, or 8.8%) with fewer than 300 plate appearances, which in turn inflated his on base percentage (.357). In 2020 he batted .290/.395/.464 in 69 at bats with 15 runs, two home runs, seven RBIs, and four stolen bases in four attempts, and was hit by pitches four times. He had yet to record a

caught stealing In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder whil ...

in his career. He had the fastest sprint speed of all major league players, at 30.7 feet/second. On April 10, 2021, he broke the record for number of stolen bases to start a career without being caught stealing (28), a record previously held by

Tim Raines Timothy Raines Sr. (born September 16, 1959), nicknamed "Rock",Raines received this nickname at an Expo rookie camp when he was seventeen, based on his physique. is an American professional baseball coach and former player. He played as a left ...

. On April 17, Locastro got caught stealing for the first time in his career, being thrown out by

Yan Gomes Yan Gomes (; ; born July 19, 1987) is a Brazilian-American professional baseball catcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals and Oakland Ath ...

of 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 ...

. In the play, he also jammed his finger and was placed on the 10-day injured list after the game and was reinstated May 3. In 55 games with Arizona in 2021, Locastro slashed .178/.271/.220 with one home run and five RBIs.

New York Yankees

On July 1, 2021, the Diamondbacks traded Locastro to the

in exchange for Keegan Curtis. On July 11, Locastro hit his first Yankees home run against Framber Valdez of 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 ...

. Locastro played in nine games (batting 4-for-21) for the Yankees before suffering a torn

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

while catching a fly ball off the bat of

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

outfielder

Alex Verdugo Alexander Brady Verdugo (born May 15, 1996) is an Mexican-American professional baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Verdugo in the second round of the 2014 MLB draft. He mad ...

on July 17, ending his 2021 season. In 2021, Locastro had the fastest sprint speed of all major league center fielders, and the second-fastest sprint speed in the major leagues, at . On November 5, 2021, Locastro was claimed off waivers by the

. However, he was non-tendered on November 30, making him a free agent. On March 13, 2022, Locastro was signed by the Yankees to a one-year major league deal. He began the 2022 season with the

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 (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

and was promoted to the major leagues on April 17.

New York Mets

On January 9, 2023, Locastro signed a minor league contract with the

organization with a spring training invitation.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Locastro, Tim 1992 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Dodgers players Auburn High School (Auburn, New York) alumni Baseball players from New York (state) Baseball second basemen Baseball shortstops Bluefield Blue Jays players Glendale Desert Dogs players Ithaca Bombers baseball players Lansing Lugnuts players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball outfielders New York Yankees players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Reno Aces players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Sportspeople from Auburn, New York Tulsa Drillers players Vancouver Canadians players