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Tyler Flowers

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Tyler Flowers
Flowers with the Atlanta Braves in 2016
Catcher
Born: (1986-01-24) January 24, 1986 (age 38)
Roswell, Georgia, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 3, 2009, for the Chicago White Sox
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 2020, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics
Batting average.237
Home runs86
Runs batted in301
Teams

Cole Tyler Flowers (born January 24, 1986) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Flowers was drafted by the Braves in the 33rd round of the 2005 MLB draft. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox from 2009, when he made his MLB debut, to 2015 and for the Atlanta Braves from 2016 to 2020.

Amateur career

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Flowers attended Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, Georgia, where he played American football as a linebacker and fullback. In baseball, Flowers was a catcher, infielder and pitcher.[1] Flowers was inducted into the Blessed Trinity Hall of Fame in January 2015.[2]

He then attended Chipola College, a state college in Marianna, Florida, and played first base for the college baseball team.[3]

Professional career

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Atlanta Braves

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Flowers was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 33rd round of the 2005 MLB draft.[4][5]

In 2006 Flowers played 34 games in his first professional season for the Rookie League Danville Braves. He hit .279 with 36 hits, 5 home runs and 16 RBIs, playing 22 games at first and eight as a catcher. Flowers tested positive for steroids and served a 50-game suspension starting in the 2006 season.

In 2007, he was promoted to A-ball with the Rome Braves. Flowers played in 106 games with a batting average of .298 with 116 hits, 12 homers, 70 RBIs and a .488 slugging percentage. He began transitioning to catcher that season, after the starting and substitute catchers suffered injuries in the same game.[6]

In 2008 Flowers played for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of Advanced-A. He played 122 games, all at catcher. He had a .288 batting average, .427 on-base percentage, and .494 slugging percentage. He caught 28% of base stealers, as 112 runners stole bases against him and he caught 43.[7]

Chicago White Sox

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Flowers with the White Sox in 2011

On December 4, 2008, Flowers and fellow Braves prospects Brent Lillibridge, Jonathan Gilmore and Santos Rodriguez were traded to the Chicago White Sox for Javier Vázquez and Boone Logan.[8][9]

On September 1, 2009, Flowers was called up from the Triple–A Charlotte Knights after hitting .297 with 15 home runs and 56 RBI between the Double–A Birmingham Barons and Charlotte.[10] He made his major league debut on September 3[11] and recorded his first major league hit on September 19, against the Kansas City Royals. In 10 games, Flowers finished the 2009 season batting .188 with no home runs and no RBIs.

Flowers started the 2010 season at Triple–A Charlotte. He hit .220 with 16 home runs and 53 RBI in 346 at-bats before getting another September call up.[12] Flowers played in 8 games with the White Sox and only had 1 hit in 11 at-bats.

Flowers again started the 2011 season at Triple–A Charlotte. There he hit .261 with 15 home runs and 32 RBI in 222 at-bats. He was then called up in July to serve as the backup to A. J. Pierzynski after Ramón Castro was placed on the disabled list.[13] Flowers became the starting catcher in mid-August after an injury to Pierzynski.[14] Flowers hit his first Major League home run on August 13, 2011, against Luke Hochevar and the Kansas City Royals.[15] On August 28, 2011, while facing Jason Vargas and the Seattle Mariners, Flowers hit his first Major League grand slam.[16]

With the departure of veteran catcher A. J. Pierzynski in the offseason, Flowers became the starting catcher for the White Sox in 2013.[3] An offseason injury adversely affected his offensive production,[17] and Flowers was demoted to backup as the White Sox brought up one of their top prospects, Josh Phegley.[18][19] Flowers left in early September to have season-ending shoulder surgery.[20] After the season, Flowers signed a one-year deal for $950,000 with Chicago, avoiding arbitration.[21] Flowers was named the starting catcher to begin the 2014 season.[22] On May 26, 2014, Flowers received his first career ejection by Ron Kulpa for arguing a pitch that appeared low.[23] He finished the year with a .241 batting average, 15 home runs and 50 runs batted in.

Flowers and the White Sox on January 16, 2015, agreed to a one-year deal for $2.675 million avoiding arbitration.[24] On April 25, 2015, Flowers was fined an undisclosed amount for his role in a brawl against the Kansas City Royals but was not suspended any games.[25] On defense, in 2015 he had the weakest arm strength (77.3) of all major league catchers.[26] The White Sox did not tender Flowers a contract for the 2016 season, making him a free agent.

Second stint with Braves

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Kelsey Wingert interviewing Tyler Flowers after a game vs the Rockies at Coors Field

The Atlanta Braves signed Flowers to a two-year contract worth $5.3 million on December 16, 2015.[27] In July 2016, Miami Marlins pitcher A. J. Ramos hit Flowers' left hand with a pitch.[28] The injury was exacerbated in a series against the Chicago White Sox,[29] and it was announced during the All-Star break that Flowers would miss six weeks of the season.[30] He was reactivated on August 17.[31] In 2016, he caught only 5% of base stealers, as 60 runners stole bases against him and he caught 3.[7]

Though he was hit by several pitches throughout the course of the 2017 season,[32] Flowers did not miss many games until he was injured by a foul tip on August 30.[33] Shortly after his reinstatement from the 10-day disabled list, Flowers was hit by a pitch in a game against the Washington Nationals on September 13.[34] The incident caused a wrist injury, though Flowers was unaware of its severity until having surgery on October 9.[35][36] On defense, in 2017 he had the weakest arm strength (74.7) of all major league catchers.[37] In 2017, he caught 23% of base stealers, as 55 runners stole bases against him (3rd-most in the league) and he caught 16.[7] The Braves picked up Flowers' team option at the end of the 2017 season.[38] He agreed to a one-year extension for the 2019 season on August 28, 2018, worth $4 million. The contract included a club option for the 2020 season worth $6 million.[39]

In 2018 he batted .227/.341/.359 with 8 home runs and 30 RBIs.[40] On defense, in 2018 he again had the weakest arm strength (74.7) of all major league catchers.[37] He caught 23% of base stealers, as 44 runners stole bases against him and he caught 13.[7]

In 2019, he batted .229/.319/.413 with 36 runs, 11 home runs and 34 RBIs.[40] On defense he allowed the most passed balls of all major league catchers, with 16.[41] In November 2019, the Braves declined Flowers' option, instead agreeing to a one-year, $4 million contract for the 2020 season.[42]

In 2020 he batted .217/.325/.348 with one home run and five RBIs in 69 at bats.[40] He became a free agent after the 2020 season.

In the 2020/2021 offseason, Flowers took a non-playing position with the Braves, working with the team's analytics department.[43] On May 4, 2021, Flowers signed a minor league contract with the Braves organization.[44] However, after discovering that he had developed a third degenerative disc in his back, Flowers retired from professional baseball on May 14, 2021.[45][46]

Personal life

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Flowers is married to Nancy, a former high school classmate, with whom he has five children. When he is off the field, he sports a puka shell necklace and each shell represents one of his children.[47][48]

References

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  1. ^ Alexander, Michael (March 5, 2015). "The Hall of Fame is open: Meet the first two inductees". Georgia Bulletin. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  2. ^ Alexander, Michael (March 5, 2015). "BT inaugurates Athletic Hall of Fame with baseball, golf standouts". Georgia Bulletin. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Joseph, Kevin (April 7, 2013). "White Sox catcher has tough act to follow". USA Today. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  4. ^ Bowman, Mark (December 8, 2015). "Braves land catcher Flowers with 2-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  5. ^ Stephenson, Creg (December 8, 2015). "Atlanta Braves sign veteran catcher Tyler Flowers, reports say". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  6. ^ Hummer, Steve (February 27, 2016). "Tyler Flowers a catcher to his core". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d "Tyler Flowers Minor, Winter & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  8. ^ "White Sox acquire Tyler Flowers, Jonathan Gilmore, Brent Lillibridge and Santos Rodriguez from Atlanta Braves in exchange for Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan". MLB.com. December 4, 2008. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  9. ^ Thesier, Kelly (December 4, 2008). "Sox seal Vazquez deal with Braves". MLB.com. Retrieved October 14, 2016.[dead link]
  10. ^ Merkin, Scott (September 2, 2009). "Lasting impression prospects' top priority". MLB.com. Retrieved October 14, 2016.[dead link]
  11. ^ Temple, Jesse (September 6, 2009). "Flowers gaining valuable experience". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  12. ^ "White Sox make four roster moves". MLB.com. September 1, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2016.[dead link]
  13. ^ "Castro placed on DL; Flowers recalled". MLB.com. July 10, 2011. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  14. ^ Merkin, Scott (August 13, 2011). "Pierzynski exits after being hit on wrist". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  15. ^ "Luke's luck runs out as Royals fall to Sox". Topeka Capital Journal. Associated Press. August 13, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  16. ^ Stone, Larry (August 28, 2011). "Mariners' rookies get schooled in sweep by White Sox". Seattle Times. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  17. ^ Merkin, Scott (September 26, 2013). "Flowers not making excuses for rocky season". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  18. ^ Merkin, Scott (July 5, 2013). "Phegley forces way into big leagues with performance". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  19. ^ Merkin, Scott (July 9, 2013). "Flowers eyes downtime as learning experience". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  20. ^ Karpovich, Todd (September 5, 2013). "Flowers has exploratory surgery on right shoulder". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  21. ^ "White Sox re-sign Tyler Flowers". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 2, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  22. ^ Kane, Colleen (March 19, 2014). "Josh Phegley to work on all-around game in minors". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  23. ^ Kane, Colleen (May 26, 2014). "Jose Abreu takes steps toward return from DL". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  24. ^ Padilla, Doug (January 16, 2015). "Samardzija, Flowers reach one-year deals". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  25. ^ Merkin, Scott (April 25, 2015). "Sale, Samardzija suspended following fracas". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  26. ^ "Statcast Catcher Pop Time Leaderboard". baseballsavant.com.
  27. ^ Bowman, Mark (December 16, 2015). "Braves make deal with catcher Flowers official". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  28. ^ Bowman, Mark (July 9, 2016). "Flowers forced to exit with strained left hand". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  29. ^ Bowman, Mark (July 10, 2016). "Flowers to have left hand examined". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  30. ^ Bowman, Mark (July 12, 2016). "Flowers out 6-plus weeks with broken hand". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  31. ^ James, Pat (August 17, 2016). "Braves activate Flowers, place Pierzynski on DL". MLB.com. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  32. ^ O’Brien, David (August 30, 2017). "Flowers lands on 10-day DL for wrist injury". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  33. ^ Bowman, Mark. "Braves confirm no hand fracture for Flowers". MLB.com. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  34. ^ Curtright, Guy (September 21, 2017). "R.A. Dickey, Atlanta Braves baffle Washington Nationals". United Press International. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  35. ^ O'Brien, David (October 23, 2017). "Flowers' 2018 option picked up by Braves; catching tandem returns intact". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  36. ^ O'Brien, David (February 13, 2018). "Flowers has surgery scars after HBPs, but catcher is repaired, ready". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  37. ^ a b "Statcast Catcher Pop Time Leaderboard". baseballsavant.com.
  38. ^ Bowman, Mark (October 23, 2017). "Atlanta picks up Flowers' option; no to Dickey's". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  39. ^ Bowman, Mark (August 28, 2018). "Braves, Flowers agree to 1-year extension". MLB.com. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  40. ^ a b c "Tyler Flowers Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
  41. ^ "2019 Major League Baseball Fielding Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  42. ^ Bowman, Mark (November 4, 2019). "Markakis, Flowers return on one-year contracts". MLB.com. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  43. ^ Burns, Gabriel (May 6, 2021). "Braves re-sign Tyler Flowers to minor-league deal". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  44. ^ "Braves bring back C Tyler Flowers on minor league deal". Associated Press. May 6, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  45. ^ "Atlanta Braves veteran catcher Tyler Flowers retires at age 35". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  46. ^ Bowman, Mark (May 14, 2021). "Flowers retires after 12-year MLB career". MLB.com. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  47. ^ Beattie, Trent (July 15, 2013). "White Sox Catcher Celebrates Family on All-Star Break". National Catholic Register. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  48. ^ O'Brien, David (December 8, 2015). "Braves add catcher Tyler Flowers to split duties with Pierzynski". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
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