Tyler Alan O'Neill (born June 22, 1995) is a Canadian professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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 catch ...

for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

and

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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. He has represented

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in international play, winning a gold medal at the

2015 Pan American games The 2015 Pan American Games (), officially the XVII Pan American Games () and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games (Toronto 2015), were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, ...

. Listed at and , he throws and bats right-handed. The

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners 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 ...

selected O'Neill in the third round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball 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 reverse order of t ...

. In 2016, he was the Southern League Most Valuable Player (MVP). On July 21, 2017, the Mariners traded him to the Cardinals. After making his MLB debut in 2018, O'Neill struggled with injuries and split time between MLB and the minor leagues for two seasons before he became the Cardinals' starting left fielder in 2020, winning his first

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

Early life and amateur career

O'Neill attended Garibaldi Secondary School in

Maple Ridge, British Columbia Maple Ridge is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the northeastern section of Greater Vancouver between the Fraser River and the Golden Ears (peaks), Golden Ears, which is a group of mountain summits which are the southernmo ...

, and played for the Langley Blaze of the British Columbia Premier Baseball League. He grew up a fan of the

Professional career

Seattle Mariners

The

selected O'Neill in the third round of the

. He signed with the Mariners and made his professional debut with the

Arizona League Mariners The Arizona Complex League Mariners are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The team is comp ...

. In 2014, O'Neill played in only 51 games between the Arizona League Mariners,

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is the High-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seatin ...

and

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...

because he broke a bone in his right hand by punching a concrete wall in the dugout. He spent 2015 with the

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the California League at the Class A-Advanced level, hosting home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facing ...

, where he posted a .260 batting average along with 32 home runs and 87 RBIs. O'Neill played for the Canada national team at the

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and the 2015 WBSC Premier12. In the 2015 Pan Am Games final, Canada defeated the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

7–6 in extra innings to claim the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

. He spent 2016 with the

Jackson Generals The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...

of the Southern League, where he batted .293 with 24 home runs and 102 RBIs. Jackson won the Southern League

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

after a league best 84–55 record, and O'Neill was the Southern League Most Valuable Player (MVP). In seven playoff contests, he batted .448, three home runs and eight RBIs. He began 2017 with the

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

(PCL).

St. Louis Cardinals

2017

On July 21, 2017, the

acquired O'Neill for pitcher

Marco Gonzales Marco Elias Gonzales (born February 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates. He att ...

and assigned him to the

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbird ...

of the PCL. O'Neill finished 2017 with a combined .246 batting average, 31 home runs, and 95 RBIs in 130 games between Tacoma and Memphis. The Redbirds became the 2017 PCL champions after defeating the

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team based in El Paso, Texas. The Chihuahuas compete in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Sou ...

in five games in the league championship final, giving O'Neill consecutive minor league championships with two organizations at two levels. The Cardinals added him to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

after the season to protect him from being chosen in the

Rule 5 Draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

2018

MLB.com ranked O'Neill as St Louis’ fourth-best prospect going into the 2018 season. He competed in

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

, seeking to make the major league roster as a reserve, but hamstring and oblique injuries meant he began the season with Memphis. He was promoted to MLB on April 19, 2018. He had been leading the PCL with six home runs and 18 RBI. He made his MLB debut the next night at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...

against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

, making him the sixth Canadian-born player to appear on an active MLB roster on the season. He was sent back down on April 28 after seven hitless at-bats, then recalled again on May 18. He mustered his first MLB hit, a single off Yacksel Ríos of the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

that night in a 12–4 St. Louis win. O'Neill hit his first MLB home run the next day off Luis García. On May 21, he amassed his first four-RBI game, and homered in his third consecutive game the following day. He was optioned back to Memphis on May 31 and was recalled by St. Louis for the second time on July 2 to take the spot of Dexter Fowler, who had gone on paternity leave. He was placed on the 10-day

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

on July 5 with a hamstring strain, was activated on June 17, and was optioned back to Memphis. He was recalled once again on July 31 following the trade of

Tommy Pham Thomas James Pham (born March 8, 1988) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Cin ...

, and spent the remainder of the season in St. Louis. He hit his first

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not have an opp ...

on September 22, a 414-foot shot against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, leading St. Louis to a 5-4 victory. In 61 games for the Cardinals, O'Neill batted .254 with nine home runs and 23 RBIs.

2019

In 2019, O'Neill made St. Louis' Opening Day roster, but his season was interrupted by injuries and more than a month in Memphis. He was recalled to St. Louis in June, and finished the year with them. In sixty games, he hit .262 with five home runs and 16 RBIs.

2020

O'Neill made St. Louis' Opening Day roster in 2020, and spent the whole season there starting in the outfield, slashing .173/.261/.621 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs over 139

at-bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

. After the season, he was awarded his first

for left field after leading major-league left fielders with nine defensive runs saved and four outs above average and not committing an error in 344 innings.

2021

O'Neill returned as St. Louis' starting left fielder in 2021. On September 20, O'Neill was named the National League Player of the Week after leading the Cardinals to a 6-0 week while batting .391 with three home runs, nine runs scored, and a 1.308 OPS. He was named the National League Player of the Month for September after hitting .328/.377/.731 with 13 home runs, thirty RBIs, and a 1.108 OPS. O'Neill finished the 2021 season with 482

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

s over 138 games, slashing .286/.352/.560 with 34 home runs, eighty RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. He won his second consecutive

in left field, one of five Cardinals to win that year—an MLB record.

2022

O'Neill opened the season as the club's starting left fielder. In mid-May, he lost his salary arbitration case against the Cardinals, resulting in a $3.4 million salary, not his requested salary of $4.15 million. He struggled to open the season, slashing .195/.256/.297 with two home runs and 42 strikeouts over 32 games before he was placed on the injured list in mid-May with a sore shoulder. He was activated on June 7. On June 20, he was placed back on the injured list with a hamstring injury before being activated in mid-July. He was placed back on the injured list with another hamstring injury in September, and missed the remainder of the season. Over 96 games with the Cardinals, he hit .228 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs. He was sent to play for the

Salt River Rafters The Salt River Rafters are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community near Scottsdale, Arizona. ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

after the season to rehab.

2023

On January 13, 2023, O'Neill agreed to a one-year, $4.95 million contract with the Cardinals, avoiding salary arbitration. O’Neill hit .228 in 29 games for St. Louis before he was placed on the injured list with a lower back strain. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on June 16. He was activated on July 20. O'Neill hit home runs for the Cardinals in four consecutive Opening Day games, from 2020 through 2023, tying a major-league record achieved by

Todd Hundley Todd Randolph Hundley (born May 27, 1969) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher and outfielder. He was a two-time All-Star who played for 14 seasons with the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs. Early life Hundley ...

Gary Carter Gary Edmund Carter (April 8, 1954 – February 16, 2012) was an American professional baseball catcher whose 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career was spent primarily with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. Nicknamed "Kid" for his youth ...

, and

Yogi Berra Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born Lorenzo Pietro Berra; May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of Manager (baseball), manager and Coach (baseball), coach. He played 19 seas ...

Boston Red Sox

On December 8, 2023, the Cardinals traded O'Neill to the

for Nick Robertson and Victor Santos. O'Neill hit a home run in Boston's Opening Day game against the

, giving him five consecutive Opening Day home runs, a major-league record. O'Neill followed his record-breaking Opening Day home run with another home run against the Mariners and three against the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

on the season-opening West Coast road trip. He also hit a home run in his first at-bat at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

against the

to lead the Majors. In 133 games for the Red Sox, O'Neill slashed .241/.336/.511 with 31 home runs and 61 RBI.

Baltimore Orioles

On December 10, 2024, O'Neill signed a three–year, $49.5 million contract with the

. He hit his sixth consecutive Opening Day home run on March 27, 2025, against 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

, an MLB record.

Personal life

O'Neill plays the

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

, and entertained his teammates in the clubhouse during

in 2017 by playing the theme song to the "Lord of the Rings" film series on a keyboard. He has said his favourite song to play is "

O Canada "O Canada" () is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French- ...

". An avid

weightlifter Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can ...

, O'Neill has been recorded on video quarter-

squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...

as much as . He was given the nickname "

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar. O'Neill and his wife, Stephanie, were married in December 2021 in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. In January 2023, O'Neill and Stephanie welcomed their first child.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:ONeill, Tyler 1995 births Living people Arizona League Mariners players Bakersfield Blaze players Baseball people from British Columbia Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Boston Red Sox players Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States Canadian sportspeople of Irish descent Clinton LumberKings players Everett AquaSox players Gold Glove Award winners Jackson Generals (Southern League) players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Canada 21st-century Canadian sportsmen Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games Memphis Redbirds players Norfolk Tides players Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada Pan American Games gold medalists in baseball Peoria Javelinas players Sportspeople from Burnaby St. Louis Cardinals players Tacoma Rainiers players Worcester Red Sox players World Baseball Classic players of Canada 2015 WBSC Premier12 players 2017 World Baseball Classic players 2023 World Baseball Classic players