Tyler Heineman

Tyler Heineman
Heineman playing for the Fresno Grizzlies, triple-A affiliates of the Astros, in 2015
Houston Astros – No. 72
Catcher
Born: June 19, 1991 Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California
Bats: Switch Throws: Right

Tyler Andrew Heineman (born June 19, 1991) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Houston Astros' organization. He played college baseball for the University of California, Los Angeles.

Career

Heineman attended the Windward School in Los Angeles, where he played for the school's baseball team. Lightly recruited by college baseball programs, Heineman received no scholarship offers. He enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and made the UCLA Bruins baseball team as a walk-on. He played sparingly as a freshman and sophomore, receiving eight at-bats as a freshman, and batting .261 in 23 games as a sophomore. Heineman became the Bruins' starting catcher in his junior year after starting catcher Steve Rodriguez and recruit Austin Hedges signed professional contracts.^[1] He was named All-Pac-12 Conference^[2] and a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to college baseball's best catcher.^[1]

The Houston Astros selected Heineman in the eighth round of the 2012 MLB draft.^[2] He played for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League after signing, and his .358 batting average led the league.^[3] He played for the Lancaster JetHawks of the Class A-Advanced California League in 2013,^[4] and the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Class AA Texas League in 2014. After the 2014 regular season, the Astros assigned Heineman to the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League.^[5] Heineman began the 2015 season with Corpus Christi, and received a midseason promotion to the Fresno Grizzlies of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.

Personal life

Heineman's younger brother, Scott, played college baseball for the University of Oregon. Scott is currently playing for the High Desert Maverics, California League A-Advanced affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Their father, Steve, is an officer in the Santa Monica Police Department.^[6]

References

1. Yoon, Peter. "Catcher Heineman a tower of strength". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
2. "UCLA baseball walk-ons prove their worth". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
3. Joel Roza. "Houston Astros 2013 spring training preview: Catchers". CCCT. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
4. "Heineman, who was cut today, showcases Astros’ strong catching depth". Ultimate Astros. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
5. George Vondracek. "On the Mark: Appel shines as Hooks blank RoughRiders in series opener". CCCT. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
6. Daniel Archuleta. "Baseball: Brothers with local ties square off". Santa Monica Daily Press. Retrieved January 13, 2015.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)