Biography
Tyler Joseph Fitzgerald (born September 15, 1997) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at the University of Louisville. He was selected by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023.
Early life
Fitzgerald was born in Springfield, Illinois, and attended Rochester High School in Rochester, Illinois. As a senior in 2016, he batted .500 with nine home runs, 31 RBIs, and 37 stolen bases. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 30th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and instead enrolled at the University of Louisville to play college baseball.
Fitzgerald appeared in 48 games for Louisville as a freshman in 2017, slashing .208/.303/.272 over 125 at bats. As a sophomore, he batted .264/.344/.378 with 57 runs (8th in the conference), three home runs, 24 RBIs, 23 stolen bases (4th in the conference) in 24 attempts, 9 sacrifice hits (2nd), and 17 doubles (8th) over 246 at bats over 64 games. In 2017 and 2018, Fitzgerald played collegiate summer baseball with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League. As a junior in 2019, he hit .315/.391/.483 with 64 runs (5th in the conference), three triples (6th), eight home runs, 65 RBIs (7th), 18 stolen bases (6th), and seven sacrifice flies (second) in 267 at bats over 66 games.
Professional career
Fitzgerald was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the fourth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for $497,500.
In 2019, Fitzgerald spent his first professional season with the Arizona League Giants, Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, and Augusta GreenJackets, batting .276/.359/.395 with one home run, six stolen bases in seven attempts, and 30 RBIs over 48 games. He did not play in 2020, during the pandemic.
He played the 2021 season with the Eugene Emeralds, tied for the league lead with 28 doubles and 139 strikeouts and slashing .262/.342/.495 with 71 runs (2nd in the league), 19 home runs (2nd), and 65 RBIs (3rd) in 382 at-bats over 103 games, playing shortstop exclusively. He was a 2021 NWL post-season All Star, and an MiLB Organization All Star.
He was assigned to the Richmond Flying Squirrels for the 2022 season. Over 125 games, Fitzgerald slashed .229/.310/.424 with 74 runs (2nd in the league), 21 home runs, 58 RBIs, 19 hit by pitch (3rd), 171 strikeouts (2nd), and 20 stolen bases in 21 attempts. He played 87 games at shortstop, 30 at second base, eight at third base, and two as a designated hitter.
He returned to Richmond to open the 2023 season. After 19 games for Richmond in which he batted .324/.410/.588 in 68 at bats, Fitzgerald was promoted to the Triple–A Sacramento River Cats, where he played in 102 games and hit .287/.358/.499 with 72 runs, 20 home runs, 69 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases (7th in the PCL) in 415 at bats. On September 21, 2023, Fitzgerald was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.
Personal life
Fitzgerald's father, Mike, was drafted in the first round in the 1984 MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and played 13 games in the majors as a first baseman; in the minors, in 1987 he led the Texas League with 108 RBIs, as he was fourth in the league in home runs with 27.