Tyler Daschiel Herron (August 5, 1986 – October 22, 2021) was an American

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 ...

. As a senior at Wellington High School in Florida, Herron led the nation with a 0.25

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

. He was drafted by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

in the First Round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. Herron was ranked 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 ...

# 11 prospect in 2007, and the St. Louis Cardinals # 10 prospect, by ''Baseball America''. He pitched for the

Honolulu Sharks The Honolulu Sharks were a minor league baseball team in the Hawaii Winter Baseball league based in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Sharks name comes from the large number of shark species native to the waters of Hawaii. They played their home games at the ...

in the Rookie 2008

Hawaii Winter Baseball Hawaii Winter Baseball (HWB), based in Honolulu, Hawaii, was a professional baseball league in the Hawaiian islands. It was loosely affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB). History The HWB league first began play in 1993. Funded by Major ...

League, and led the league with a 0.69 ERA. Pitching for the

Indios de Mayagüez The Indios de Mayagüez (Mayagüez Indians) are a baseball team in Puerto Rico's Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, in Spanish). Based in Mayagüez, the ''Indios'' have won 18 national ...

in the winter of 2014, he was a post-season Puerto Rico

Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) is the main professional baseball league in Puerto Rico; it is colloquially referred to as the Puerto Rican Winter League. Consisting of seven teams as of the 2020–21 season, the league's ...

All Star and a

Caribbean World Series The Caribbean Series (''Spanish'': ''Serie del Caribe''), also called Caribbean World Series, is the highest tournament for professional baseball teams in Latin America. The tournament location is rotated annually among the countries and is norma ...

All Star. He pitched as high as AAA in 2014 and 2016, for the Washington Nationals and New York Mets farm teams. In 2016, pitching for the

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Fargo, North Dakota, in the United States. The RedHawks are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major Leagu ...

, he led the independent

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

with a 0.80 ERA. Herron pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. In total, at all levels he pitched 16 seasons, and had a record of 103-95. Herron died on October 22, 2021, aged 35.

Early life

Herron was born and grew up in

West Palm Beach West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

, Florida."Tyler Herron Stats, Highlights, Bio"
MiLB.com."Healthy living from the ground up"
''Radish Magazine''. He later lived in

Wellington, Florida Wellington is a village just west of West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County and north of Miami. As of 2019, the city had a population of 65,398 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, making it the most populous village in the state. It is th ...

. He was of Puerto Rican descent, and one of his grandmothers was Jewish—as a result of which he was eligible to play for Team Israel. He attended Wellington High School, in Wellington, Florida. Initially, in high school Herron played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

and

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. As a senior for the Wellington Wolverines, Herron led the nation with a 0.25 ERA, and struck out 81 batters in 57 innings.Dave Heeren (June 8, 2005)
"Wellington Adds To Its Elite,"
''SunSentinel''. He was named to the 2005 ABCA/Rawlings High School All-America Second Team, along with among others future major leaguers

Ike Davis Isaac Benjamin Davis (born March 22, 1987) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. From 2010 through 2016, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, and New York ...

and

Scott Van Slyke Scott Tyler Van Slyke (born July 24, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman who is a free agent. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and for the Doosan Bears of the KBO Leagu ...

Professional career

St. Louis Cardinals

Herron was drafted by the

in the First Round (46th, overall) of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. His agent was Jim Munsey, his former T-ball pitcher. He received a $675,000 signing bonus."Tyler Herron Profile,"
''Scout''. He began his professional career in 2005 with the

Johnson City Cardinals The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League. The team wo ...

of the Rookie Appalachian League, going 0–3 in 13 starts with a 5.62 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 49.2 innings as he kept opponents to a .245 batting average. Herron was ranked the Appalachian League # 20 prospect, and the St. Louis Cardinals # 12 prospect, in 2005 by ''Baseball America''."Stats: Tyler Herron"
''Baseball America''. The following season, pitching for Johnson City, on August 13, 2006, Herron was voted Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week. In 13 starts for Johnson City he was 5–6 with one complete game and a 4.13 ERA, and he lost his one start with the

State College Spikes The State College Spikes are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in State College, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. T ...

of the Class A-Short New York-Penn League while giving up two runs in six innings. He was ranked the Appalachian League # 13 prospect, and the St. Louis Cardinals # 18 prospect, in 2006 by ''Baseball America''. Pitching for Johnson City and State College, he averaged 8.88 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, third-best among Cardinals' minor leaguers. In June 2007, pitching for the Class A

Swing of the Quad Cities Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing ri ...

, he was named Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month. On July 2, 2007, Herron was voted

Pitcher of the Week. For the season he was 10–7 with a 3.74 ERA, and in 137.1 innings gave up 26 walks while he had 130 strikeouts (6th in the league) as he kept opponents to a .240 batting average."2007 Midwest League – Season Review,"
Baseball Cube. He averaged 1.69 walks per nine innings as a starter, which was 4th-lowest among Midwest League starters, and his strikeout/walk ratio of 5.00 led the league. He threw primarily a mid-90s sinking

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...

, a solid

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

, and a curveball with a good break. He was ranked the Midwest League # 11 prospect in 2007, and the St. Louis Cardinals # 10 prospect, by ''Baseball America''. Pitching for the Class A-Advanced

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Rog ...

, on August 4, 2008, Herron was voted Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. For the season for the team, he was 2–2 with a 2.70 ERA in 15 starts, and in 56.2 innings he gave up 11 walks as he kept opponents to a .234 batting average. Pitching for the

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

of the AA

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 ...

, he was 5–5 with a 5.20 ERA. He was ranked the St. Louis Cardinals # 23 prospect after the 2008 season by ''Baseball America''. He pitched for the

in the Rookie 2008

League, and led the league with a 0.69 ERA. Pitching for the Springfield Cardinals in 2009 he was 2–4 with a 4.34 ERA in 9 starts. Herron was released by the St. Louis Cardinals in June 2009.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Herron was then signed that month by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pitching the remainder of the season for the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...

of the AA Eastern League, he was 0–2 with a 4.50 ERA. He was released by the Pirates in October 2009.

Kalamazoo Kings

In 2010, Herron pitched for the

Kalamazoo Kings The Kalamazoo Kings were a professional baseball team based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in the United States between 2001-2010. The Kings were a member of the independent Frontier League. The Kings played their home games at Homer Stryker Field. A ...

in the independent

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

, primarily as a reliever, throwing between 89 and 93 mph with his fastball, and was 1-3 with three saves and a 3.50 ERA.James Wagner (January 3, 2013)
"Nationals sign former first-round pick pitcher Tyler Herron,"
''The Washington Post''. He did not pitch in 2011 due to rehabilitation from surgery for an arm injury.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

In 2012, he pitched for the

Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Fargo, North Dakota, in the United States. The RedHawks are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major Leagu ...

of the independent

, going 12–3 with a 3.29 ERA (6th in the league) in 23 games (17 starts) over 123 innings with 105 strikeouts (6th in the league) and 30 walks. His 12 wins tied for second-best in the league, and his strikeouts/walks ratio of 3.50 was 7th-best in the league.

Washington Nationals

In December 2012 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 ...

signed Herron as a free agent to a minor league contract. In 2013, he pitched for the

Potomac Nationals The Potomac Nationals were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They were located in Woodbridge, Virginia, and played their home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. After the 2019 season, the team relocated to F ...

of the Class A-Advanced

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

, for whom he was 1–1 with one save and a 1.70 ERA as he struck out 32 batters in 20.1 innings as he kept opponents to a .222 batting average, and the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

of the AA Eastern League for whom he was 6–2 with five saves and a 3.11 ERA as he struck out 58 batters in 46.1 innings and kept opponents to a .247 batting average. Pitching for the

in the winter of 2013, in the

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

, in 19 games (third in the league) in relief Herron was 1–0 with 12 saves and a 0.84 ERA (leading the league, for all pitchers with 20 or more innings pitched). In 2014, Herron pitched for the Harrisburg Senators for whom he was 3–2 with six saves and a 2.73 ERA in 48 relief appearances (tied for 6th in the league), and for the

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 ...

of the AAA International League for whom he pitched 1.2 innings. Pitching for the Indios de Mayagüez in the winter of 2014, he was a post-season Puerto Rico Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente All Star. Pitching for Puerto Rico in 2014, Herron was a

All Star.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (second stint)

In 2015, Herron pitched for the

of the

, and was 6–7 with a 4.47 ERA in 20 starts, tied for second in the league with four complete games and two

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 ...

s, and was third in the American Association with 119 strikeouts in 131 innings. Pitching for the Indios de Mayagüez in the Puerto Rico Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in the winter of 2015, he was 5–2 with a 1.96 ERA in 18 relief appearances. In 2016, pitching for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, he led the American Association with a 0.80 ERA in 56 innings in which he walked 12 batters, had a 5–1 record with two shutouts, and held opponents to a .161 batting average, at the time he was signed by the Mets.Michael Mayer (June 28, 2016)
"Mets Sign RHP Tyler Herron,"
MetsMinors.net.

New York Mets

In June 2016 the New York Mets signed Herron as a free agent to a minor league contract. In 2016, he pitched for the

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mirab ...

of the AA Eastern League for whom he was 2–6 with a 6.32 ERA in 11 starts, and the Las Vegas 51s of the AAA Pacific Coast League for whom he was 1–0 with a 2.70 ERA. In November 2016 he elected to become a free agent.

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On March 28, 2017, Herron signed with the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Quintana Roo Tigers (), formerly known as the Mexico (City) Tigers () are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve champio ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five t ...

. He made 12 starts, finishing with a record of 3–5 and a 5.52 ERA before he was released on June 11, 2017.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (third stint)

He re-signed with the

of the American Association on June 20, 2017, for whom he was 9-3 with three complete games and an ERA of 2.92.

Lincoln Saltdogs

On January 30, 2018, Herron was traded to the

Lincoln Saltdogs The Lincoln Saltdogs are a professional baseball team based in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the United States. The Saltdogs are in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Since the 2001 sea ...

of the

. Pitching for them in the first half of 2018 he was 4-5 with a 7.33 ERA.

Winnipeg Goldeyes

On July 12, 2018, Herron was claimed off waivers by the

Winnipeg Goldeyes The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of the Norther ...

of the American Association. Pitching for them in 2018 he was 2-4 with two complete games, one shutout, and a 3.19 ERA in 36.2 innings. He was released following the conclusion of the 2018 season.

High Point Rockers

On May 1, 2019, Herron signed with the

High Point Rockers The High Point Rockers are an American professional baseball team based at Truist Point ballpark in High Point, North Carolina, which is part of the Piedmont Triad region. They are members of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Profession ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Pitching 17 starts for the team in 2019, he was 2-7 with a 6.05 ERA in 93.2 innings.

Sioux Falls Canaries

On July 31, 2019, he was traded to the

Sioux Falls Canaries The Sioux Falls Canaries are a professional baseball team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. The Canaries are members of the North Division of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major L ...

of the

. Pitching seven starts for the team in 2019, he was 1-3 with once complete game and a 3.78 ERA in 50.0 innings."Tyler Herron Minor, Winter, Independent & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History,"
Baseball-Reference.com. Herron was released by the Canaries on February 4, 2020. However, he later re-signed with the Canaries on May 21, 2020. In 2020 for the Canaries he was 7-1 with one complete game and a 4.60 ERA in 76.1 innings, while also serving as the team’s

bench coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

. On May 4, 2021, Herron was released by the Canaries.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (fourth stint)

On June 15, 2021, Herron signed with the

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. Herron struggled to a 15.26 ERA in 3 appearances in which he pitched 7.2 innings with Fargo before he was released on June 30. Herron's career eight-season minor league record was 38–41, with a 4.12 ERA, and 588 strikeouts in 667 innings. His career foreign league record over nine seasons was 16–13 with a 3.77 ERA, and 192 strikeouts in 234 innings. And his career independent league record over 10 seasons was 49–41, with a 4.03 ERA, with 640 strikeouts over 800.2 innings. In total, at all levels he pitched 16 seasons facing 7,323 batters, had a record of 103-95 with 38 saves and a 4.10 ERA, and 1,420 strikeouts in 1701.2 innings.

Death

Herron died at his apartment in the United States on October 22, 2021, aged 35.

World Baseball Classic; Team Israel

Herron was on the roster for

Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic Team Israel has competed in the World Baseball Classic since the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifier round. In 2017 Israel competed at a World Baseball Classic qualifier for the second time, and for the first time qualified for the main tourname ...

qualifier, but did not pitch. Herron pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic in March 2017.">"Israel unveils complete WBC roster; Israel will play against the host country, the Netherlands and Chinese Taipei,"
''The Jerusalem Post'', February 10, 2017. He said it was: "The best experience I've ever had in baseball for sure... It was the coolest experience I've ever had."Eric Peterson (June 24, 2017)
"RedHawks starter Herron savored World Baseball Classic experience,"
inforum.com.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herron, Tyler 1986 births 2021 deaths 2017 World Baseball Classic players Altoona Curve players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Atenienses de Manatí (baseball) players Baseball coaches Baseball players from Florida Binghamton Mets players Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks players Harrisburg Senators players High Point Rockers players Honolulu Sharks players Indios de Mayagüez players Jewish American baseball players Johnson City Cardinals players Kalamazoo Kings players Las Vegas 51s players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente pitchers Lincoln Saltdogs players Mexican League baseball pitchers Palm Beach Cardinals players People from Wellington, Florida Potomac Nationals players Sioux Falls Canaries players Somerset Patriots players Sportspeople from West Palm Beach, Florida Springfield Cardinals players State College Spikes players Swing of the Quad Cities players Syracuse Chiefs players Tigres de Quintana Roo players 21st-century American Jews