Andrew Toles

Andrew Toles

Toles taking batting practice at Wrigley Field before game 6 of the 2016 NLCS
Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 60
Outfielder
Born: (1992-05-24) May 24, 1992
Decatur, Georgia
Bats: Left Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 8, 2016, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
(through 2016 season)
Batting average .314
Home runs 3
Runs batted in 16
Teams

Alvin Andrew Toles (born May 24, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Career

Amateur career

Toles attended Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia. After graduating, the Florida Marlins selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft; he chose not to sign with the Marlins,[1] and enrolled in University of Tennessee to play college baseball for the Tennessee Volunteers. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2011,[2] but was dismissed by the Volunteers later that year.[2][3] Tennessee coach Dave Serrano did not specify a reason for Toles' dismissal, but made reference to "a certain standard of accountability to which every member of the team must be held."[2][3] Toles transferred to Chipola College, but was suspended from Chipola's baseball team in 2012.[4]

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays selected Toles in the third round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. He signed, receiving a $369,700 signing bonus. After his first professional season, with the Princeton Rays of the Rookie-level Appalachian League in 2012, Baseball America named Toles the Best Athlete and the Fastest Baserunner in the organization.[5] In 2013, playing for the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Class A Midwest League, Toles led the Midwest League in batting average and hits and was named a Mid- and Post-Season All-Star, a Topps Class-A All-Star, a MiLB.com Organization All-Star, and the Rays' Minor League Player of the Year.[6][7] In 2014, after playing for two months with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, Toles was criticized by his manager[8] and then left the team and was placed on the inactive list for "personal reasons."[2] He played a few games in August for the Gulf Coast Rays of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League.

In 2015, Toles attended spring training with the Rays,[2] but was released prior to the 2015 season[4] and did not play professional baseball that season.[2]

Los Angeles Dodgers

Having missed the entire 2015 baseball season, and working at a Kroger supermarket in Atlanta that year,[9] Toles signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2015 season.[2] He began the 2016 season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the Class A-Advanced California League, and was promoted to the Tulsa Drillers of the Class AA Texas League[9] and Oklahoma City Dodgers of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League during the season.[10] The Dodgers called him up to the majors on July 8, 2016[11] and he made his debut as the starting center fielder that night against the San Diego Padres.[12] Toles had one hit in four at bats in his debut, with a double in his first plate appearance, off Andrew Cashner.[13] He hit his first home run on August 22 off Josh Smith of the Cincinnati Reds.[14] He hit his first grand slam on August 31 off Adam Ottavino of the Colorado Rockies.[15]

Toles finished the season with a .314 batting average in 48 games, along with three home runs and 16 RBI.[16] Manager Dave Roberts likened Toles' rookie season to a "dream".[17] In the post-season, he hit .364 in 11 games.[18]

Personal

Toles is the son of Alvin Toles, who played in the National Football League.[19]

Toles spent the time between the 2015 and 2016 Major League Baseball seasons working in the frozen-foods section of a grocery store.[20]

References

  1. ↑ Rodriguez, Juan C. (August 17, 2010). "Marlins, first-rounder Yelich agree just before deadline: Left-handed hitting OF will receive a $1.7 million signing bonus". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Grauer, Scott (October 6, 2015). "Dodgers sign former Rays prospect Andrew Toles". Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Andrew Toles Dismissed from Baseball Team". Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Andrew Toles released by Rays". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  5. ↑ "2013 Tampa Bay Rays Top 10 Prospects". November 3, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Rays announce 2013 Minor League award winners". Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  7. ↑ "2014 Tampa Bay Rays Top 10 Prospects". December 11, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  8. ↑ https://suncoastsports.wordpress.com/2014/05/25/crab-cakes-andrew-toles-removed-from-game-vs-bradenton
  9. 1 2 "Andrew Toles breaks out of slump, helps Drillers defeat RoughRiders 6-4". Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  10. ↑ "OKC Dodgers journal: Outfielder Andrew Toles nearly hits for cycle in win over Colorado Springs". July 4, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  11. ↑ Hoornstra, J.P. (July 8, 2016). "Sources: Dodgers calling up Andrew Toles, who was out of baseball last year.". LA Daily News. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  12. ↑ Stephen, Eric (July 8, 2016). "Andrew Toles starts in center field for his major league debut". SB Nation. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  13. ↑ "July 8, 216 San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers play-by-play and box score". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  14. ↑ Sheldon, Mark and Cody Pace (August 22, 2016). "Seventh wonder: Dodgers trounce Reds". mlb.com. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  15. ↑ Gurnick, Ken and Ben Weinrib (September 1, 2016). "Toles' slam caps LA's huge rally at Coors". mlb.com. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  16. ↑ "2016 Los Angeles Dodgers Batting, Pitching & Fielding Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  17. ↑ http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-report-20160922-snap-story.html
  18. ↑ "Andrew Toles Statistics & History". Baseball Reference.
  19. ↑ "Driller to watch: Andrew Toles". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Andrew Toles Goes From Frozen Foods to Dodgers' Outfield". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2016.

External links

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