Matt Tuiasosopo

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We all knew that if we were in the running, all of us would be here in the playoffs, because we know how important that it was, The organization thinks it's important winning in the Minor Leagues, so we knew that we were going to be around and we just wanted to keep winning. We wanted to see if we could get that ring. That was important to all of us in that room there.

— Matt Tuiasosopo, mariners.com: September 15, 2009. [6]

On September 27, during the pre-game show on 710 ESPN Radio, color man Mike Blowers predicted that Tuiasosopo would hit his first major league home run in his second at bat of the game on a 3–1 fastball into the left center field second level of Rogers Centre. Sure enough, in the fifth inning of their game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Tuiasosopo delivered, although the home run went above the left field bullpen on technically what is the first level of the stadium. [7] [8]

Tuiasosopo played in 50 games in the major leagues with the Seattle Mariners during the 2010 season. He played his first major league games at shortstop, first base, and in the outfield.

Tuiasosopo spent the 2011 season with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. Tuiasosopo signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets on January 27, 2012, and spent the season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. Tuiasosopo signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers on December 6, 2012.

Tuiasosopo with the Detroit Tigers in 2013 20130601-0223 Matt Tuiasosopo2.jpg
Tuiasosopo with the Detroit Tigers in 2013

On March 26, 2013, citing an impressive spring that saw Tuiasosopo hit .327 with four home runs and 10 RBIs, Tigers manager Jim Leyland announced that Tuiasosopo had made the major league team. [9] After a good start to the season, Tuiasosopo landed on the 15-day disabled list (DL) on June 21. [10] He returned from the DL on July 5. [11] On the season, Matt appeared in 81 games for the Tigers, hitting .244 with 7 home runs and 30 RBIs.

Return to the minor leagues

In November 2013, Tuiasosopo was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks. On March 20, 2014, Tuiasosopo was again claimed off waivers, this time by the Toronto Blue Jays. [12] He was assigned outright to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on March 28, 2014. [13] On June 12, the Blue Jays traded Tuiasosopo to the Chicago White Sox for cash considerations. [14]

On December 16, 2014, Tuiasosopo signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles. [15] He was released in March 2015 [16] and signed with the Chicago White Sox on April 3, 2015. [17]

On November 24, 2015, Tuiasosopo signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. [18]

In May 2016, Tuiasosopo was promoted to the major leagues by the Braves, making his debut on May 4. He was designated for assignment on May 9. [19] On October 21, Tuiasosospo re–signed with the Braves on a minor league contract.

Tuiasosopo spent the entire 2017 season in the minors with the Gwinnett Braves of the Triple-A International League, playing in 114 games. On July 20, he made his first career pitching appearance in his 1,243rd minor league game, striking out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning against the Indianapolis Indians at Coolray Field. [20] He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017. [21]

On May 21, 2018, Tuiasosopo signed with the New Britain Bees of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. [22] He announced his retirement from professional baseball on August 20, 2018.

Coaching career

Tuiasosopo began his coaching career in the Atlanta Braves' minor league system. He was named manager of the Rome Braves for the 2019 season. [23] He won Atlanta Braves Bobby Cox Award for best Manager in the Atlanta Braves minor league system. In 2020, with the Minor League Baseball season canceled, he coached at the Braves' alternate training site. Tuiasosopo was named the manager of the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers for the 2021 season. [24]

Tuiasosopo was named the Braves' third base coach on December 11, 2023. [25]

Personal life

Tuiasosopo is the younger brother of Marques and Zach, and the son of Manu Tuiasosopo. His father and brothers played college football in the Pac-10 Conference; Manu at UCLA and his two older brothers at the University of Washington in Seattle. Their older sister Leslie Gabriel played volleyball at Washington, and is currently the head coach for the Huskies. [26]

Tuiasosopo is married to Abi Owings Tuiasosopo and has two sons, Josiah and Haven. [27] His brother-in-law is Micah Owings, his former roommate. [28] He is a cousin of Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, the perpetrator of the Manti Te'o catfishing hoax. [29]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Matt Tuiasosopo". MLN Sports Zone. Archived from the original on October 24, 2006.
  2. ↑ [ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ Curto, Mike (July 6, 2009). "Fast-starting Shell unravels in 6-2 loss". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. p. B3. Retrieved November 12, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Matt Tuiasosopo homers twice in Rainiers victory" . The Seattle Times. August 28, 2009. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009.
  5. ↑ Street, Jim (September 13, 2009). "Mariners promote three from Triple-A". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011.
  6. ↑ Another taste of Majors for Tuiasosopo mariners.com
  7. ↑ Blowers Sees the Future - Precisely - for Tuiasosopo Greg Johns, seattlepi.com, 29 September 2009
  8. ↑ Drayer, Shannon (September 28, 2009). "Call Of The Year". MV Northwest. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012.
  9. ↑ Sipple, George (March 26, 2013). "Rick Porcello wins Tigers' No. 5 starter role; Matt Tuiasosopo makes team". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  10. ↑ Schmehl, James (June 22, 2013). "Tigers place Matt Tuiasosopo on 15-day DL with rib-cage strain, recall outfielder Avisail Garcia". MLive.com. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  11. ↑ "July 2013 Transactions". MLB.com. Tigers.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2007. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  12. ↑ Kennedy, Brendan (March 23, 2014). "Blue Jays jobs still up for grabs a week before season opener". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Matt Tuiasosopo outrighted to Buffalo". bluebirdbanter.com. March 29, 2014. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Sanchez to make Bisons debut Saturday". MILB.com. June 12, 2014.
  15. ↑ Simon, Andrew (December 16, 2014). "Orioles sign three to Minor League deals". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  16. ↑ Eddy, Matt (April 6, 2015). "Minor League Transactions: March 27-April 2". Baseball America. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Scoreboard". Duluth News Tribune. April 3, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  18. ↑ Todd, Jeff (November 24, 2015). "Braves Sign David Carpenter, Nine Others To Minors Deals". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  19. ↑ Bowman, Mark (May 9, 2016). "Beckham re-activated, Tuiasosopo optioned". MLB.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  20. ↑ "G-Braves Buried Early in Loss to Indians". MiLB.com. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Minor League Free Agents 2017". baseballamerica.com. November 7, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Former Major Leaguer Tuiasosopo Signs with Bees". New Britain Bees. May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  23. ↑ "2019 Rome Braves Field Staff Announced". MiLB.com. January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  24. ↑ Lezotte, Dave (March 30, 2021). "Atlanta Braves Announce Gwinnett Coaching Staff for 2021". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Braves fill three openings on their coaching staff". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Leslie Gabriel - Volleyball Coach". University of Washington Athletics. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  27. ↑ Gilmer, Laura (August 17, 2016). "GoHorseShow - Abi Owings Returns to Show Pen Stronger than Ever After Long Absence". GoHorseShow. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  28. ↑ Baker, Geoff (March 19, 2011). "Matt Tuiasosopo willing to play any position to make Mariners' roster". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  29. ↑ Shelburne, Ramona (September 30, 2005). "He's got a name: Tuiasosopo serves as A.V. signal caller". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin . Archived from the original on March 27, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
Matt Tuiasosopo
Matt Tuiasosopo (52828905689) (cropped).jpg
Tuiasosopo with the Gwinnett Stripers in 2023
Atlanta Braves – No. 89
Utility player / Manager
Born: (1986-05-10) May 10, 1986 (age 38)
Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 5, 2008, for the Seattle Mariners
Last MLB appearance
May 8, 2016, for the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves current roster
Active roster
Coaching staff
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