Steven Tolleson
Encyclopedia
Steven Wayne Tolleson is a major league Infielder
for the Baltimore Orioles
organization. He is the son of former Major leaguer
Wayne Tolleson
.
Tolleson had a career .425 batting average
and eighteen home runs at Paul M. Dorman High School
in Roebuck, South Carolina
. He was selected by the Twins in the fifth round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft
out of the University of South Carolina
.
Tolleson batted .321 for the rookie Appalachian League
Elizabethton Twins
his first professional season to earn a promotion to the Beloit Snappers
midway through the season. The Midwest League
, however, proved to be too much for Tolleson as his batting average fell to .176. A year later, Tolleson redeemed himself, earning a Midwest League All-Star nod.
Tolleson is primarily a second baseman
, but he has played a lot of shortstop
throughout his minor league career. In , with the New Britain Rock Cats
and Rochester Red Wings
, Tolleson played all three outfield
positions, second short and third
. He was added to the Twins' 40 man roster on November 11, .
On February 1, , Tolleson was claimed off waivers by the Oakland A's. He made his big league debut with the A's on April 28 against the Toronto Blue Jays
. Two days later, he picked up his first major league hit against Josh Roenicke
of Toronto.
He was traded to the San Diego Padres on May 29, 2011, in exchange for a player to be named later.
On November 21, 2011, Tolleson signed a contract with the Baltimore Orioles
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
for the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
organization. He is the son of former Major leaguer
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Wayne Tolleson
Wayne Tolleson
Jimmy Wayne Tolleson is a former Major League Baseball player. A switch hitter who threw right-handed, Tolleson was listed at 5'9" tall and 160 pounds during his playing career.-Western Carolina University:...
.
Tolleson had a career .425 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and eighteen home runs at Paul M. Dorman High School
Paul M. Dorman High School
Paul M. Dorman High School is a high school located in Roebuck, South Carolina. The school is part of Spartanburg County School District Six. It consists of a main campus for 10th-12th graders and a separate campus for 9th graders. The campus is located at the intersection of Interstate 26 and...
in Roebuck, South Carolina
Roebuck, South Carolina
Roebuck is a census-designated place in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,200 at the 2010 census.-History:Roebuck is home to the Walnut Grove Plantation, a preserved 18th-century farmhouse and tourist attraction...
. He was selected by the Twins in the fifth round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft
2005 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...
out of the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
.
Tolleson batted .321 for the rookie Appalachian League
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee...
Elizabethton Twins
Elizabethton Twins
The Elizabethton Twins are a minor league baseball team in Elizabethton, Tennessee, USA. They are a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League, and have been a farm team of the Minnesota Twins since 1974. The Twins play home games at Joe O'Brien Field...
his first professional season to earn a promotion to the Beloit Snappers
Beloit Snappers
The Beloit Snappers are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Minnesota Twins, that plays in the Midwest League.Beloit joined the Midwest League as an expansion franchise in 1982. They were a Milwaukee Brewers farm team from its beginning through 2004; they switched to the...
midway through the season. The Midwest League
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...
, however, proved to be too much for Tolleson as his batting average fell to .176. A year later, Tolleson redeemed himself, earning a Midwest League All-Star nod.
Tolleson is primarily a second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
, but he has played a lot of shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
throughout his minor league career. In , with the New Britain Rock Cats
New Britain Rock Cats
The New Britain Rock Cats are the Double-A minor league baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball club. They compete in the Eastern League and play their home games at New Britain Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut.-History:...
and Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
, Tolleson played all three outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
positions, second short and third
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball 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...
. He was added to the Twins' 40 man roster on November 11, .
On February 1, , Tolleson was claimed off waivers by the Oakland A's. He made his big league debut with the A's on April 28 against the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
. Two days later, he picked up his first major league hit against Josh Roenicke
Josh Roenicke
Joshua James Roenicke is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball.-Career:...
of Toronto.
He was traded to the San Diego Padres on May 29, 2011, in exchange for a player to be named later.
On November 21, 2011, Tolleson signed a contract with the Baltimore Orioles