Freddy Tarnok
Oakland Athletics – No. 62
Pitcher
Born: (1998-11-24) November 24, 1998 (age 25)
Brandon, Florida, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 17, 2022, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Win–loss record1–1
Earned run average4.70
Strikeouts15
Teams

Frederic Michael Tarnok (born November 24, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut with the Braves in 2022.

Amateur career

Tarnok attended Riverview High School in Riverview, Florida, where he played baseball. In 2017, his senior year, he went 7–0 with a 0.66 ERA while also batting .393.[1] Following his senior season, he was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[2] He signed with the Braves, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at the University of Tampa.[3]

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

Tarnok made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Braves, going 0–3 with a 2.57 ERA over 14 innings. In 2018, he pitched with the Rome Braves of the Class A South Atlantic League, with whom he was named an All-Star.[4] Over 27 games (11 starts), Tarnok went 5–5 with a 3.96 ERA, striking out 83 batters over 77+1⁄3 innings.[5] Tarnok missed time during the 2019 season due to injury, but still started 19 games for the Florida Fire Frogs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, pitching to a 3–7 record with a 4.87 ERA. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Tarnok missed the beginning of the 2021 season while rehabbing and made his first appearance in mid-June for Rome, now members of the High-A East.[7] After 28+1⁄3 innings pitched with Rome, he was promoted to the Mississippi Braves of the Double-A South in mid-July with whom he finished the year.[8][9][10] Over 16 games (14 starts) between the two teams, Tarnok went 6–4 with a 3.44 ERA and 109 strikeouts over 73+1⁄3 innings.[11]

On November 18, 2021, the Braves selected Tarnok's contract and added him to the 40-man roster.[12] He returned to Mississippi to begin the 2022 season. In early July, he was promoted to the Gwinnett Stripers of the Triple-A International League.[13][14] On August 16, 2022, Tarnok was called up to the majors.[15][16] He made his MLB debut on August 17 from the bullpen.[17] He pitched two-thirds of an inning with no hits or walks and his first career strikeout against Tyler Naquin.[citation needed]

Oakland Athletics

On December 12, 2022, the Oakland Athletics acquired Tarnok from the Braves in a three-team trade in which the Atlanta Braves acquired Sean Murphy, the Milwaukee Brewers acquired William Contreras, Joel Payamps, and Justin Yeager, and the Athletics also acquired Manny Piña, Kyle Muller, Esteury Ruiz, and Royber Salinas.[18] On April 13, 2023, Tarnok was placed on the 60-day injured list with a right shoulder strain.[19] He was activated from the injured list on July 8 and subsequently optioned to the Triple–A Las Vegas Aviators.[20] He was recalled to the active roster on July 14.[21] In 5 appearances for Oakland, he logged a 4.91 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 14+2⁄3 innings pitched. On August 31, Tarnok underwent season–ending surgery to repair the labrum and cartilage in his right hip.[22]

Personal life

Tarnok's parents are Jeff and Neung. He has a brother, Christopher, and a half-brother, Nick. Through his mother, Tarnok is of Thai descent.[23]

References

  1. ^ Page, Rodney (June 13, 2017). "Move to the mound pays off for Riverview's Freddy Tarnok". Tampa Bay Times.
  2. ^ Winkeljohn, Matt (June 13, 2017). "Braves draft six more pitchers, seven total". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  3. ^ "Spartans Send-off Seven to the MLB". University of Tampa Athletics. June 14, 2017.
  4. ^ "Six Rome Braves Named to 2018 All-Star Team". Milb.com. 2018-06-05. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  5. ^ Joel Reuter (2019-01-16). "Each MLB Team's Most Underhyped Prospect You Need to Know". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  6. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
  7. ^ "Wednesday's top prospect performers". MLB.com.
  8. ^ Happoldt, Alex (July 20, 2021). "Braves #10 prospect Freddy Tarnok added to M-Braves roster, starts on Saturday". MILB.com. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  9. ^ "Braves #10 prospect Freddy Tarnok promoted to m-braves from High-A Rome". Picayune Item. July 27, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  10. ^ Happoldt, Alex (July 23, 2021). "Tarnok shines in Double-A debut, but M-Brave drop sixth-straight". MILB.com. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  11. ^ "Braves add four players to 40-man roster including Drew Waters and Freddy Tarnok". November 18, 2021.
  12. ^ Bowman, Mark (November 18, 2021). "Waters, 3 others protected from Rule 5 Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  13. ^ Sadighian, Jack (July 8, 2022). "Freddy Tarnok Promoted to Gwinnett From Mississippi". MILB.com. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  14. ^ "Freddy Tarnok promoted to Gwinnett from Mississippi". WJTV. July 8, 2022.
  15. ^ "Needing a fresh arm, Braves call up prospect Freddy Tarnok". Atlanta Journal Constitution. August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  16. ^ "Atlanta Braves recall pitching prospect Freddy Tarnok, veteran infielder Ryan Goins". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  17. ^ "Braves' Freddy Tarnok: Moves back to minors". 2022-08-18. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  18. ^ "A's get Braves' top prospect Muller in 3-team, 9-player trade". MLB.com. December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  19. ^ "A's claim LHP Richard Lovelady off waivers from Atlanta". MLB.com. April 13, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  20. ^ "Athletics' Freddy Tarnok: Activated and optioned". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  21. ^ "Athletics select contracts of Tyler Soderstrom and Zack Gelof, recall Freddy Tarnok". athleticsnation.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  22. ^ "A's Freddy Tarnok Undergoes Season-Ending Hip Surgery". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  23. ^ O'Brien, David (August 17, 2022). "Pitcher Freddy Tarnok is latest Braves prospect to get the call, and he's excited". The Athletic. Retrieved August 21, 2022.

External links

Oakland Athletics current roster
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