Tyler Stephenson

Tyler Robert Stephenson (born August 16, 1996) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Reds selected him in the first round, 11th overall, of the 2015 MLB Draft. Born in Atlanta and raised in Kennesaw, Georgia, Stephenson played for the baseball team at Kennesaw Mountain High School, where he began calling pitches during his freshman season. The Reds drafted Stephenson out of high school, and he chose to forego his college baseball commitment to begin his professional career in their farm system. Stephenson suffered significant injuries during consecutive minor league seasons in 2016 and 2017, but he remained healthy the next two years and received praise from Southern League managers as a defensive catcher. The upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to MLB meant that Stephenson spent most of the 2020 season at an alternate training site rather than playing in Triple-A. He made his MLB debut that year, hitting a home run in his first major league plate appearance, but was used rarely, as the Reds had two catchers. When Curt Casali left the team prior to the 2021 season, Stephenson became Tucker Barnhart's backup catcher, and he also received significant time as a pinch hitter. Barnhart was traded after the 2021 season, allowing Stephenson to become the Reds' starting catcher in 2022. Early life Stephenson was born on August 16, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Rhonda and David Stephenson. He was raised in the suburb of Kennesaw, Georgia, and frequently attended baseball games at Turner Field to watch Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). A catcher for the baseball team at Kennesaw Mountain High School, Stephenson began telling the pitcher what to throw during his freshman year, as his coach wanted to prepare him for the game-calling responsibilities of professional catchers. Offensively, Stephenson batted .415 during his senior year, with eight home runs and 25 runs batted in (RBI).