Craig Tatum

Craig Browning Tatum (born March 18, 1983) is a retired American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles from 2009 through 2011.

Craig Tatum
Tatum with the Orioles in 2011
Catcher
Born: (1983-03-18) March 18, 1983
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 21, 2009, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
September 25, 2011, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Batting average.223
Home runs1
Runs batted in22
Teams

Early years

Tatum attended Hattiesburg High School where he played baseball as a catcher and pitcher. He was named the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year after hitting a team-best .435 with 51 hits and 54 Runs Batted In. He had a 7-3 pitching record with a save and a 3.94 earned run average and 80 strikeouts[1]

College career

Tatum attended Mississippi State University, where he played for the Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team. In 2002 Tatum was redshirted before be the team's starting catcher. In 2004, Tatum hit .325 with 13 home runs and a team-leading 60 RBI,[2] en route to second-team All-All-SEC honors as a sophomore.[3] He majored in Banking and Finance.

MLB career

Cincinnati Reds

Tatum was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the third round (78th overall) of the 2004 MLB Draft.[4]

Tatum playing for Cincinnati Reds in 2009

Tatum was called up from the minors from Triple-A Louisville Bats on July 19, 2009 after starting catcher Ramón Hernández had a knee injury.[5][6] On July 21, 2009 he made his Major League debut against Los Angeles Dodgers,[7] he went 0-2 and was the last player retired in the game.[8] On July 25, Hanigan was scratched from his scheduled start to a stiff neck[9] which allowed Tatum took his first Major League start against the Chicago Cubs.[10] On July 28 against the San Diego Padres, Tatum notched his first Major League hit and first career RBI with a single that scored Laynce Nix[11] On August 29, 2009, Tatum hit his first career home run, a line drive off knuckleballer Charlie Haeger.

Baltimore Orioles

On November 20, 2009, Tatum was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles. Making the team out of spring training, he backed up Matt Wieters for the 2010 season. In 2011 Tatum did not make the team out of spring training but was called up after catcher Jake Fox was designated for assignment on June 1. He has backed up Wieters the rest of the season.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Tatum was claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros on October 28, 2011.[12] After being designated for assignment by the Astros, he was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks on January 23, 2012.

New York Yankees

On March 28, 2012, Tatum was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees.

Retirement

On February 13, 2013, after the Marlins rescinded Tatum's minor-league deal, Tatum announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.[13]

Personal life

He is married to Daniele Rocconi.

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References
  1. "No. 39 Craig Tatum: Mississippi State Bulldogs". Mstateathletics.com. 1983-03-18. Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  2. "Former Diamond Dog Craig Tatum Called Up By Cincy". Mstateathletics.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-09. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  3. "Corley, Tatum Earn SEBaseball.com All-Conference". Mstateathletics.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  4. "Catcher Craig Tatum Taken By Cincinnati In Third Round; Marlins Take Infielder Steve Gendron In 13th Round". Mstateathletics.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  5. "Reds catcher to have surgery, miss four-to-six weeks". Cincinnati.reds.mlb.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  6. "Tatum in awe of callup to big leagues". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  7. Sheldon, Mark. "LA Dodgers 12, Cincinnati 3 Game Wrapup, reds.com". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  8. "Cincinnati vs LA Dodgers-July 21, 2009". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  9. "Reds missing three starters Saturday". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  10. "Late taters not enough to pick up Cueto". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  11. "Arroyo, Reds drop tight one to Padres". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  12. Nicholson, Ben (2011-10-28). "Astros Claim Craig Tatum: MLB Rumors". MLBTradeRumors.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  13. Links, Zach. "Marlins Notes: Nolasco, Hernandez, Tatum, White: MLB Rumors". MLBTradeRumors.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
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