Dillon Tate facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dillon Tate |
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Tate with the Baltimore Orioles in 2019
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| Toronto Blue Jays | ||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | ||||||||||||||
| Born: May 1, 1994 Harbor City, California, U.S. |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| July 29, 2019, for the Baltimore Orioles | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through May 6, 2025) |
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| Win–loss record | 7–14 | |||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 4.11 | |||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 177 | |||||||||||||
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Dillon Michael Tate, born on May 1, 1994, is an American professional baseball pitcher. He currently plays for the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Before this, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles. Tate played college baseball at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Texas Rangers picked him in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft. He was later traded to the New York Yankees in 2016. Then, he joined the Orioles in 2018 and made his MLB debut with them in 2019.
Contents
Early Life and College Baseball Journey
Growing Up and High School Baseball
Dillon Tate went to Claremont High School in Claremont, California. He graduated from there in 2012. When he was a freshman, he made the school's baseball team. However, he did not get to play much in games. To improve, he started training at the Major League Baseball (MLB) Urban Youth Academy. This academy is located in Compton, California. After high school, he was not chosen in the MLB draft.
Playing College Baseball at UC Santa Barbara
Tate decided to go to the University of California, Santa Barbara. There, he played college baseball for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Only two top college baseball programs, the Gauchos and the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, offered him a scholarship. As a freshman, he played in four games. He pitched for three innings and had a 9.00 earned run average (ERA). An ERA shows how many runs a pitcher allows per nine innings.
That summer, Tate worked hard and gained weight. He grew from about 165 pounds to 200 pounds through weight training. In his second year, he became the Gauchos' closer. A closer is a pitcher who finishes the game and protects the lead. He ended the season with a great 1.45 ERA. He also had 12 saves and 46 strikeouts. A save means he finished a close game without losing the lead.
For his junior year in 2015, Tate was expected to be the closer again. But a teammate got injured, so Tate became a starting pitcher. He started 14 games that year. He had an 8–5 win–loss record, meaning he won 8 games and lost 5. His ERA was 2.26, and he had 111 strikeouts in over 103 innings pitched.
Professional Baseball Career
Starting with the Texas Rangers
Dillon Tate was seen as one of the best young players for the 2015 MLB draft. The Texas Rangers chose him as the fourth overall pick. He signed a contract with the Rangers on June 12. He received a $4.2 million signing bonus, which is a payment given when a player signs a contract.
Tate began his professional career with the Spokane Indians. They are a Low–A team in the Northwest League. In 2016, he moved up to the Hickory Crawdads, a Single–A team. He also spent some time on the disabled list because of a strained hamstring. This means he couldn't play due to an injury. For Hickory, Tate pitched 65 innings. He had a 5.12 ERA, 55 strikeouts, and 27 walks. His fastball speed, which used to be very fast (92–98 mph), dropped to 90–93 mph while he was with Hickory.
Time with the New York Yankees
On August 1, 2016, the Rangers traded Tate to the New York Yankees. Two other young players, Erik Swanson and Nick Green, were also part of this trade. In return, the Yankees sent Carlos Beltrán to the Rangers. The Yankees sent Tate to the Single–A Charleston RiverDogs. He pitched as a reliever for the rest of 2016. A reliever is a pitcher who comes into the game after the starter. He worked with a coach to improve his pitching style. For Charleston, he pitched over 17 innings. He had a 3.12 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. WHIP shows how many batters reach base per inning. After the regular season, he played for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. He was even chosen for the Fall Stars Game.
In 2017, Tate missed the start of the season with a sore shoulder. He then made nine starts for the Tampa Yankees, a High–A team. He had a 2.62 ERA there. In August, the Yankees moved him up to the Trenton Thunder, a Double–A team. He finished the season there, with a 1–2 record and a 3.24 ERA in 25 innings.
Playing for the Baltimore Orioles
On July 24, 2018, the New York Yankees traded Tate again. This time, he went to the Baltimore Orioles along with Cody Carroll and Josh Rogers. In exchange, the Yankees received Zack Britton. On November 20, the Orioles added Tate to their 40-man roster. This protects a player from being picked by other teams in the Rule 5 draft. In 2018, Tate played for both the Double-A Trenton Thunder and the Double–A Bowie Baysox. He had a 7–5 record with a 4.16 ERA in over 123 innings. Tate started the 2019 season back with Bowie.
On July 26, 2019, the Orioles called Tate up to the major leagues. He made his first MLB appearance on July 29. He allowed three runs in two innings pitched. He finished his first season with a 6.43 ERA over 16 games. In 2020, Tate pitched in 12 games for Baltimore. He had a 3.24 ERA and 14 strikeouts.
In 2021, Tate played in 62 games for the Orioles. He had a 0-6 record and a 4.39 ERA. He also recorded 49 strikeouts in over 67 innings. Tate had a very good year in 2022. He appeared in 67 games for Baltimore. He finished with a 4-4 record, a 3.05 ERA, 60 strikeouts, and 5 saves in over 73 innings pitched.
On January 13, 2023, Tate signed a one-year contract with the Orioles for $1.5 million. This agreement helped him avoid salary arbitration. On February 16, it was announced that Tate had a flexor strain injury. This meant he would miss the first month of the season.
Tate played in 29 games for Baltimore in 2024. He had a 4.59 ERA and 23 strikeouts in over 33 innings. On August 28, 2024, Tate was designated for assignment. This happens when a team removes a player from their 40-man roster.
Joining the Toronto Blue Jays
On September 1, 2024, the Toronto Blue Jays claimed Tate off waivers. This means they picked him up after he was designated for assignment by the Orioles. In 4 games for Toronto, he had a 5.40 ERA and 4 strikeouts in over 3 innings. On November 22, the Blue Jays decided not to offer Tate a new contract. This made him a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team.
However, on March 12, 2025, Tate re-signed with the Blue Jays. He agreed to a one-year contract worth $1.4 million. He was then sent to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons to start the season. In five games for Toronto, Tate had a 5.06 ERA and seven strikeouts in over 5 innings. On May 9, he was again designated for assignment by the Blue Jays. Tate then cleared waivers and was sent directly to Buffalo on May 12.
