Tyler Pastornicky

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Tyler Pastornicky
Shortstop / Second baseman
Born: (1989-12-13) December 13, 1989 (age 35)
Bradenton, Florida, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 5, 2012, for the Atlanta Braves
Last MLB appearance
July 25, 2014, for the Atlanta Braves
Men's baseball
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Pan American Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2015 Toronto Team
WBSC Premier12
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2015 Tokyo Team

Tyler Brock Pastornicky (born December 13, 1989) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2008 Major League Baseball draft and made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2012.

Contents

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

Pastornicky was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round, with the 159th overall selection, of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft out of The Pendleton School. [1] Pastornicky played 2008 with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays, hitting .263 in 50 games with one home run, 17 RBI, and 27 stolen bases in 32 attempts. He played 2009 mostly with the Single-A Lansing Lugnuts, hitting .269 in 109 games with one home run, 31 RBI, and 51 stolen bases in 66 attempts. Pastornicky played 15 games with High-A Dunedin Blue Jays. He started 2010 with Dunedin, hitting .258 with six home runs, 35 RBI, and 24 stolen bases in 31 attempts. Pastornicky was named to the Florida State League All-Star Game. [2]

Atlanta Braves

On July 15, 2010, the Blue Jays traded Pastornicky along with Álex González and Tim Collins to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes. [3] He finished 2010 with the Double-A Mississippi Braves. In total, Pastornicky hit .257 in 115 games with eight home runs, 50 RBI, and 35 stolen bases in 44 attempts. Following the season, he played for the Phoenix Desert Dogs, where he went 15-for-54 (.278) in 15 games. [4] Pastornicky played 2011 mostly with Mississippi, but also played 27 games for the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves. With Mississippi, he hit .299 with six home runs and 36 RBI in 90 games and stole 20 of 28. [4] He was named to the Southern League All-Star Game. [5] [6]

Pastornicky was called up to the majors for the first time on September 28, 2011. [7] However, he did not appear for Atlanta before the conclusion of the season, and briefly became a phantom ballplayer.

Pastornicky made his major league debut on April 5, 2012, as the Opening Day shortstop for the Braves against the New York Mets in New York City. Pastornicky recorded his first hit that day, a triple off of Ramón Ramírez that went over the head of center fielder Andrés Torres. [8] His first home run came on April 10, against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. [9] Pastornicky was sent back down to Triple-A Gwinnett after having the lowest fielding percentage among all major league shortstops. He was replaced by Andrelton Simmons who was called up from Double-A Mississippi on June 2. [10] In 76 total appearances for the Braves during his rookie campaign, Pastornicky batted .243/.287/.325 with two home runs, 13 RBI, and two stolen bases. [11]

Pastornicky played in 20 games for Atlanta during the 2013 season, going 9-for-30 (.300) with no home runs or RBI. [12] He made 28 appearances for the Braves in 2014, slashing .200/.304/.250 with no home runs and two RBI. [13]

Pastornicky was designated for assignment by the Braves on January 8, 2015, [14] and later released by the organization on March 19. [15] [16]

Texas Rangers / Philadelphia Phillies

On March 22, 2015, Pastornicky signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He was assigned to AA Frisco RoughRiders. [17] He was then promoted from AA to AAA Round Rock Express. The Rangers traded Pastornicky to the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations on August 10. [18] [19] He elected free agency in November 2015. [20]

International competition

Pastornicky represented the United States at the 2015 Pan American Games, and earned a silver medal as a member of the baseball team. [21] [22] In October, Pastornicky was placed on the roster for the inaugural 2015 WBSC Premier12. [23] The United States finished the tournament with a silver medal. [24]

Personal life

He is the son of former Kansas City Royals third baseman Cliff Pastornicky and the grandson of Ernest Pastornicky, [25] who played in the Chicago Cubs minor league system. [26]

See also

References

  1. Bastian, Jordan (June 5, 2008). "Jays nab college bat in first round". MLB.com. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  2. Vivlamore, Chris (July 14, 2010). "Braves swap shortstops; Obtain Gonzalez, trade Escobar". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  3. "Braves get Gonzalez; Escobar to Jays". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 15, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Tyler Pastornicky Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  5. Dill, Jason (October 11, 2011). "IMG alum gets short introduction to big leagues". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  6. Wild, Danny (June 8, 2011). "Goldschmidt, Flaherty named All-Stars". Minor League Baseball . Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  7. Rogers, Carroll (September 27, 2011). "Gonzalez doubtful for Wednesday; Braves call up Pastornicky". ajc.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  8. Bowman, Mark (April 5, 2012). "Hanson strong, but Braves come up empty". MLB.com.[ dead link ]
  9. Coleman, Scott (April 10, 2012). "Braves vs. Astros: Chipper Jones Homers, Atlanta Claims First Win Of Season". SB Nation Atlanta. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  10. O'Brien, David (May 30, 2012). "Atlanta Braves Pastornicky sent to Triple-A; Simmons coming to majors". ajc.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  11. "Tyler Pastornicky 2012 pitching Stats Per Game". espn.com. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  12. "Tyler Pastornicky 2013 pitching Stats Per Game". espn.com. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  13. "Tyler Pastornicky 2014 pitching Stats Per Game". espn.com. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  14. Bowman, Mark (January 7, 2015). "Braves bring in Outman as lefty specialist". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  15. O'Brien, David (March 19, 2015). "Braves release Pastornicky, their 2012 opening-day shortstop". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  16. Bowman, Mark (March 19, 2015). "Braves release former starting shortstop Pastornicky". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  17. Grant, Evan (March 22, 2015). "Texas Rangers sign infielder Tyler Pastornicky". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  18. "Rangers send INF Pastornicky to Phillies for cash". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 10, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  19. "Rangers trade infield prospect Tyler Pastornicky to Phillies for cash". Dallas Morning News. August 10, 2015. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  20. Eddy, Matt (November 10, 2015). "Minor League Free Agents 2015". Baseball America. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  21. Caple, Jim (July 19, 2015). "U.S. rallies to bet Cuba, will play for gold at Pan Am Games". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  22. Pingue, Frank (July 26, 2015). "Pan Am athletes leave lasting impression". Reuters. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  23. Manuel, John (October 21, 2015). "U.S. Unveils Premier 12 Roster As Start Of Event Nears". Baseball America. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  24. "S. Korea blanks US 8-0 to become inaugural champ of Premier 12 baseball". Korea Herald. Yonhap News Agency. November 21, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  25. Perez, Missy (December 11, 2013). "From Bradenton to the Braves: Tyler Pastornicky's journey to the Major Leagues". WRUF.com. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  26. "Ernest Pastornicky Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved March 21, 2014.