Tony Tarasco
| Tony Tarasco | |
|---|---|
 Tarasco at spring training in March 2015 | |
| New York Mets – No. 51 | |
| Outfielder / Coach | |
| Born: December 9, 1970 Manhattan, New York City | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: April 30, 1993, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| NPB: March 31, 2000, for the Hanshin Tigers | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: September 1, 2002, for the New York Mets | |
| NPB: October 6, 2000, for the Hanshin Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .240 |
| Home runs | 34 |
| Runs batted in | 118 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .239 |
| Home runs | 19 |
| Runs batted in | 57 |
| Teams | |
As player
As coach
| |
Anthony Giacinto Tarasco (born December 9, 1970) is an American professional baseball outfielder and coach for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in the major leagues for the Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Yankees between 1993 and 1999 and for the Mets in 2002. He also played with the Hanshin Tigers in the Japanese Central League in 2000.
Early life[]
Tarasco was born at Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center in Greenwich Village and, until he was 6 or 7 years old, lived in Washington Heights and the Bronx.[1][2] His father, Jack, worked a summer job as a vendor at Yankee Stadium.[2] At 13 years old, after moving to Santa Monica, California, Tarasco joined the Santa Monica Graveyard Crips, a set of the Crips street gang. At 16 years old, with the encouragement of fellow Crips members, he left the gang to focus on playing high school baseball.[2]
Tarasco was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 15th round of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft out of Santa Monica High School.[2]
Professional career[]
Tarasco was involved in a controversial play in the 1996 American League Championship Series while playing right field for the Baltimore Orioles. While fielding a fly ball hit by New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, 12-year-old fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence and caught the ball. The umpires called a home run, although the correct call was fan interference. The play was the turning point in the series, which the Yankees won.
Tarasco spent the remainder of his career as a part time player, often shuttling between the major and minor leagues. Tarasco and Jeter were teammates for a short time during the 1999 season.[3]
In June 2002, Tarasco's New York Mets teammate Mark Corey suffered a seizure after the two players smoked marijuana outside of Shea Stadium.[4] Under Major League Baseball drug policy at the time, because both players were first-time offenders, they were not subject to discipline from the league.[5]
Coaching career[]
Washington Nationals[]
Tarasco began working for the Washington Nationals in or around 2005.[1] For a time, Tarasco was the minor league coordinator for the Nationals.[6] On November 14, 2012, the Nationals announced that Tarasco would join their coaching staff in the 2013 season to coach first base and outfield. Tarasco served as first base coach for the Nationals through the 2015 season. On October 5, 2015, the entire Nationals coaching staff, including Tarasco, were fired after a disappointing 2015 season.[7]
New York Mets[]
On December 30, 2020, Tarasco was hired to be the first base coach for the New York Mets replacing Tony DeFrancesco.[8]
Sources[]
- ^ a b McCarron, Anthony (May 7, 2015). "Tarasco has love-hate relationship with his place in history". NY Daily News. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d Curry, Jack (16 May 1999). "BASEBALL; Tarasco's Agenda: Gang Life To Yanks". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Baseball Reference
- ^ "Two Met Players Caught Smoking Marijuana". Fox News. 29 June 2002. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Hermoso, Rafael (29 June 2002). "Corey has seizure after smoking pot". Deseret News. New York Times News Service. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Nats officials make unfortunate Harper comparisons. Washington Examiner, July 2011.
- ^ Nationals fire Matt Williams after two seasons. Washington Post, October 2015.
- ^ "MLB rumors: Mets hire ex-Yankees outfielder with special place in postseason history as first base coach". nj.com. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Retrosheet
- Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
- 1970 births
- Living people
- African-American baseball players
- Baseball coaches from New York (state)
- American expatriate baseball players in Canada
- American expatriate baseball players in Japan
- Atlanta Braves players
- Baltimore Orioles players
- Baseball players from New York (state)
- Cardenales de Lara players
- American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
- Cincinnati Reds players
- Columbus Clippers players
- Durham Bulls players
- Frederick Keys players
- Greenville Braves players
- Gulf Coast Braves players
- Gulf Coast Orioles players
- Hanshin Tigers players
- Idaho Falls Braves players
- Indianapolis Indians players
- Major League Baseball right fielders
- Montreal Expos players
- New York Mets players
- New York Yankees players
- Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders
- Norfolk Tides players
- Pulaski Braves players
- Richmond Braves players
- Rochester Red Wings players
- Baseball players from Atlanta
- Sportspeople from New York City
- St. Lucie Mets players
- Sumter Braves players
- Washington Nationals coaches
- New York Mets coaches
- 21st-century African-American people
- 20th-century African-American people