Rowdy Tellez Bio
Ryan John “Rowdy” Tellez, born March 16, 1995, is an American professional baseball first baseman known for his powerful left-handed bat. He has spent his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and Atlanta Braves, and he is currently a free agent. Tellez has also represented the Mexico national baseball team in international play, including the World Baseball Classic.
Drafted by the Blue Jays in 2013, Tellez reached the majors in 2018 and quickly built a reputation for hard contact and steady run production. Across his MLB career, he has hit 123 home runs and driven in 370 runs.
Early Life and Background
Tellez is the oldest child of Greg and Lori (née Bernick) Tellez. His mother, Lori, was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma in late 2016 and later battled brain cancer; she passed away on August 18, 2018, just over two weeks before his major league debut. Tellez is of Mexican descent through his father, and his paternal grandfather, John, played baseball in Mexico and Colorado.
The nickname “Rowdy” was earned before he was even born. His father explained that because they did not know the baby’s sex in advance, they avoided calling him “Baby” or “It.” He was so active in the womb that they nicknamed him “Baby Rowdy,” and the shortened version stuck. Tellez started riding dirt bikes at age three but, given his size, switched to baseball at age 10. He also enjoys hunting and fishing.
Tellez attended Elk Grove High School in California. He was teammates with several future MLB players, including J. D. Davis, Dom Nuñez, Derek Hill, Nick Madrigal, and Dylan Carlson. He earned recognition as a 2013 Baseball America High School All-American, a 2013 Rawlings First Team All-American, and a 2013 Rawlings/Perfect Game All-Region First Team selection. He accepted a scholarship offer to play baseball at the University of Southern California.
Path to Baseball
Entering the 2013 MLB draft, Tellez was ranked as the 59th-best player available by Baseball America. He was passed over by most teams because of his commitment to USC, but the Blue Jays selected him in the 30th round. He signed with Toronto for an $850,000 bonus, which at the time was the largest ever paid to a post-10th-round pick under draft rules enacted two years earlier.
Tellez was assigned to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays to begin his professional career, batting .234 with two home runs and 20 RBIs in 34 games. He moved quickly through the minors, reaching Single-A Lansing in 2014 and earning praise as the best power hitter in the Blue Jays system.
By 2016, Tellez was starring at Double-A New Hampshire, posting a .297 average with 23 home runs and 81 RBIs. Heading into 2017, he was named Toronto’s fifth-best prospect and the sixth-best first base prospect in baseball, putting him on the doorstep of the majors.
Rowdy Tellez Career
Early Career (2013–2017)
Tellez spent his first four professional seasons steadily climbing the Blue Jays’ minor league ladder. He opened 2015 with Lansing, where he was named a Midwest League midseason All-Star and led the league with 41 RBIs at the time of his promotion to High-A Dunedin. He set several career highs that year, batting .289 with 14 home runs and 77 RBIs, and later starred in the Arizona Fall League.
After a strong 2016 campaign at Double-A, Tellez reached Triple-A Buffalo in 2017, where he struggled with a .222 average and six home runs in 122 games. On November 20, 2017, the Blue Jays added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Toronto Blue Jays Breakthrough (2018–2021)
Tellez made his MLB debut on September 5, 2018, against the Tampa Bay Rays, lining a first-pitch pinch-hit double. He made an instant impact, becoming the first major league player since 1913 to hit seven doubles in his first seven games. He was the first American League rookie since Joe DiMaggio in 1936 to hit six doubles in a three-game span, and he tied the record for most extra-base hits in a player’s first three games.
In 2019, Tellez made the Blue Jays’ Opening Day roster and hit 21 home runs with 51 RBIs, becoming the third Blue Jays rookie to reach 21 homers in a season. He also hit a 115.2 mph home run, the hardest-hit Blue Jays homer in the Statcast era at the time. In the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, he batted .283/.346/.540 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs, cutting his strikeout rate by 12.7 percentage points, the largest improvement in the majors.
Tellez struggled early in 2021, batting .209 with four home runs in 50 games, and was demoted to Triple-A in mid-June.
Milwaukee Brewers Era (2021–2023)
On July 6, 2021, the Blue Jays traded Tellez to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitchers Trevor Richards and Bowden Francis. He finished 2021 strong in Milwaukee, batting .272/.333/.481 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs in 174 plate appearances. In the playoffs, he hit two-run homers in Games 1 and 4 of the National League Division Series against the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves.
In 2022, Tellez set a Brewers franchise record with eight RBIs in a single game against Cincinnati. He finished the year with 35 home runs, good for fifth in the National League, and posted a .998 fielding percentage that was the best in franchise history among first basemen. He also earned National League Player of the Week honors in May.
Tellez agreed to a one-year, $4.95 million contract for 2023 to avoid arbitration, but his production tailed off after a strong start. Injuries to his right forearm and left ring finger limited him, though he memorably pitched a scoreless ninth inning in a 16–1 win over Miami that clinched Milwaukee’s postseason berth. The Brewers non-tendered him in November 2023.
Pittsburgh Pirates (2024)
On December 15, 2023, Tellez signed a one-year, $3.2 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played 131 games in 2024, slashing .243/.299/.392 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs. His .998 fielding percentage ranked second among MLB first basemen, and he excelled in clutch situations, batting .302 in late-and-close games. He was designated for assignment in late September, just four plate appearances shy of a $200,000 bonus, and was released.
Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers (2025)
Tellez signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners in February 2025 and made the Opening Day roster. He hit home runs in three consecutive games against his former Blue Jays in April, the longest such streak of his career. In 62 games with Seattle, he batted .208/.249/.434 with 11 homers and 27 RBIs before being designated for assignment and released in June.
On July 5, 2025, Tellez signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers and was called up after the All-Star break. In 50 games with Texas, he batted .259/.315/.457 with six home runs, providing a notable improvement over his Seattle production.
Driving Style and Strengths
Tellez is a left-handed power hitter who consistently produces hard contact, with multiple seasons ranking among the league’s leaders in maximum exit velocity. He has also shown defensive reliability at first base, posting elite fielding percentages with both the Brewers and Pirates, and he has served as a designated hitter when needed.
Notable Events and Milestones
Beyond his record-setting debut, Tellez set a Brewers single-game record with eight RBIs in 2022 and delivered key postseason home runs in the 2021 NLDS. He has represented Mexico in the 2023 and 2026 World Baseball Classic, choosing Mexico over Israel, where he was also eligible.
Rowdy Tellez Career Wins
Rowdy Tellez has built a career as a power-hitting first baseman and designated hitter, with consistent run production across multiple franchises. His most memorable wins have come in pressure situations, from clutch playoff homers to record-setting regular season performances.
MLB Highlights
Tellez’s first major league win came in his debut game on September 5, 2018, a milestone he celebrated with a first-pitch double. He went on to set modern records for extra-base hits in his first games, becoming the only player since 1913 to hit seven doubles in his first seven major league games.
He hit 21 home runs in 2019 and 35 in 2022, his most productive season, when he finished fifth in the National League in round-trippers. He also delivered key playoff hits for the Brewers in 2021, including a two-run homer in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Braves.
Other Wins and Performances
Tellez has also recorded notable minor league performances, including a Midwest League All-Star selection in 2015 and strong Arizona Fall League numbers. Internationally, he represented Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, batting .280/.333/.440 with a home run and five RBIs, and returned for the 2026 WBC.
Rowdy Tellez Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Tellez comes from a sports-minded family. His father, Greg Tellez, and his late mother, Lori, raised him alongside a sister. His paternal grandfather, John, played baseball in Mexico and Colorado, giving Rowdy a deep connection to the game on both sides of the border.
Personal Life
Tellez is Jewish and of Mexican descent through his father’s side. He is the only child of Greg and Lori, and he has a sister. By the end of 2022, he ranked third in career home run frequency among Jewish major leaguers, trailing Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg and All-Star Joc Pederson. His mother, Lori, passed away from cancer in August 2018, just before his MLB debut. Tellez has stayed close with former teammates, including serving as the officiant at Danny Jansen’s 2022 wedding.
2025 Season Performance
Tellez’s 2025 season was a tale of two stops. After signing with the Seattle Mariners in February, he opened the year on the major league roster and hit three consecutive home runs against the Blue Jays in April, his longest such streak. However, his overall production in Seattle was limited, and the club designated him for assignment in late June before releasing him.
The Texas Rangers quickly signed Tellez to a minor league deal in early July and promoted him after the All-Star break. He responded with a much-improved line of .259/.315/.457 and six home runs in 50 games, showing that the power stroke remained intact. His two-club total of 17 home runs and roughly 33 RBIs provided a respectable platform heading into the offseason.
Now a free agent, Tellez will look to land a new opportunity for 2026, with the hope of securing a more stable role and recapturing the power surge he showed with the Brewers in 2022.
