Timothy Pyznarski (born February 4, 1960) is a 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

player, who 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

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

in 1986. He was selected 15th in the first round of the

1981 MLB Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1981 Major League Baseball draft. Compensation Picks Other notable players * Darrin Jackson, 2nd round, 28th overall by the Chicago Cubs * Mike Gallego, 2nd round, 3 ...

by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

. Pyznarski grew up on the

South side of Chicago The South Side is an area of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. It lies south of the city's Loop area in the downtown. Geographically, it is the largest of the three sides of the city that radiate from downtown, with the other two being the north and we ...

, attending Marist High School. Pyznarski led Marist to the IHSA Class AA State Championship in 1978. He then went on to attend

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

, where he set several offensive records with the

Eastern Illinois Panthers baseball The Eastern Illinois Panthers baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, United States. The team is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, which is part of the National Colleg ...

team. After a successful career in Minor League Baseball, highlighted by ''The Sporting News'' Minor League Player of the Year Award and

Topps Minor League Player of the Year Award The Topps Minor League Player of the Year Award was presented by The Topps Company in conjunction with Minor League Baseball to a minor-league player deemed to have had the most outstanding season. It was awarded annually beginning in 1960, but d ...

in 1986, Pyznarski had a brief stint in the majors, appearing in 15 games for the 1986 San Diego Padres, where he compiled a .238

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average i ...

(10-for-42). Pyznarski is now an assistant coach at Marist, and has a daughter Mandy, who is a senior at Marist.

Career

He played in MLB for the San Diego Padres (1986) and the

Modesto A's Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton ...

(1981),

West Haven A's The West Haven A's were an American Minor League Baseball team that played in the Double-A Eastern League from 1972 to 1982. They were located in West Haven, Connecticut, and played their home games at Quigley Stadium. From 1972 to 1979, the t ...

(1982), Albany A's (1983), Tacoma Tigers (1984), Las Vegas Stars (1985–86), and

Denver Zephyrs The Denver Zephyrs (formerly the Denver Bears) were a Minor League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They were a Triple-A team that played in the American Association from 1955 to 1962, the Pacific Coast League from 1963 t ...

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in do ...

and

Omaha Royals Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

. His 1987

Topps The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, an ...

baseball card stated he was 6'2", weighed 195 pounds and batted and threw right handed.

External links

1960 births Living people San Diego Padres players Major League Baseball first basemen Baseball players from Chicago Modesto A's players West Haven A's players Albany A's players Tacoma Tigers players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Denver Zephyrs players Rochester Red Wings players Omaha Royals players Eastern Illinois Panthers baseball players Pacific Coast League MVP award winners {{baseball-first-baseman-stub