Tyler Locklear Bio
Tyler Evan Locklear (born November 24, 2000) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Seattle Mariners. Locklear played college baseball for the VCU Rams and was selected by the Mariners in the second round of the 2022 MLB draft before making his MLB debut in 2024.
A native of Abingdon, Maryland, Locklear has developed into a power-hitting corner infielder whose professional stock rose steadily through the Mariners farm system. After being traded to Arizona in mid-2025, he joined the Diamondbacks looking to establish himself as an everyday big-league contributor.
Early Life and Background
Locklear grew up in Abingdon, Maryland, a community northeast of Baltimore. He came from a baseball family, with his father Todd Locklear having played college baseball at St. Andrews College and his uncle Jeff Locklear pitching in the minor leagues in the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies systems from 1991 to 1995, reaching as high as High-A. His cousin Gavin Locklear played wide receiver for the NC State Wolfpack, where he is currently a coach. Locklear is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
He attended Archbishop Curley High School in Baltimore, where he starred on the baseball diamond. Locklear was named a 2018 Under Armour All-American and earned All-State honors after hitting .500 in his senior year. He was ranked by Perfect Game as the ninth-best prospect in Maryland in 2019, signaling his status as one of the region’s most polished amateur hitters.
Path to Baseball
Locklear began his college career at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he joined the VCU Rams baseball program. As a freshman in 2020, he appeared in all 15 Rams games, batting .259 with eight runs batted in and 15 runs scored before the season was cut short in mid-March by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the abbreviated schedule, Locklear was redshirted and retained four years of collegiate eligibility.
His redshirt freshman season in 2021 announced him as one of the top young hitters in college baseball. Locklear helped the Rams post a 38-16 record, their best since 2015, while capturing the Atlantic 10 regular season and conference tournament championships. He led the Atlantic 10 in runs (69), RBIs (66), on-base percentage (.515), and walks (46), all marks that rank in the top 10 in VCU history for a single season. His 16 home runs set a VCU freshman record, the second-most in a season in program history, and tied for the conference lead.
After his record-setting 2021, Locklear received numerous accolades, including Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, and freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. That summer he played collegiate baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League, batting .256, tying for the league lead in home runs, and earning the league’s 10th Player Award. Ahead of his redshirt sophomore year, he appeared on the 55-player preseason watchlist for the Golden Spikes Award, and in 2022 he slashed .402/.542/.799 with 20 home runs and 78 RBI, repeating as an Atlantic 10 champion.
Tyler Locklear Career
Early Career (2022-2023)
The Seattle Mariners selected Locklear in the second round with the 58th overall pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the organization on July 23 and received a $1.28 million signing bonus. Locklear made his professional debut with the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Mariners before moving up to the Single-A Modesto Nuts, where he hit .282/.353/.504 in 29 games.
In 2023, Locklear opened the year with the High-A Everett AquaSox before a fastball broke a bone in his right hand on June 1. After a brief rehab stint with the ACL Mariners, he returned to Everett in August and was promoted to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers on August 24. Across 85 games for all three affiliates, he hit .288/.405/.502 with 13 home runs, 52 RBI, and 12 stolen bases, and he closed the year in the Arizona Fall League with the Peoria Javelinas, appearing in the 2023 Fall Stars Game. He played first base full time in 2023, transitioning from his college position of third base.
Mariners Breakthrough (2024)
Locklear began the 2024 season with Arkansas and was promoted to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers in late May. In 51 games to open the year, he hit .293/.404/.520 with nine home runs and 33 RBI. On June 9, 2024, the Mariners added him to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues.
In his MLB debut that day against the Kansas City Royals, Locklear recorded his first major league hit, a double that drove in a run and left his bat at 100.1 mph while traveling 380 feet. He became the first Mariner making his MLB debut to have a go-ahead hit in the seventh inning or later since Mike Wilson on May 10, 2011. Locklear scored his first MLB run later in the inning on a single by Josh Rojas, and on June 13 he hit his first major league home run off Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox.
After being optioned back to Tacoma in late June and recalled in late July, Locklear spent the rest of 2024 shuttling between Seattle and Triple-A. In 16 games with the Mariners, he hit .156/.224/.311 with one double and two home runs, striking out in 40 percent of his plate appearances, while batting .272/.382/.468 with 16 home runs and nine stolen bases in 112 games with Tacoma and Arkansas.
Arizona Diamondbacks Era (2025-Present)
Locklear returned to Tacoma to open 2025 and produced his most consistent professional stretch, slashing .316/.401/.542 with 19 home runs, 82 RBI, and 18 stolen bases across 98 games. On July 31, 2025, the Mariners traded Locklear, Juan Burgos, and Hunter Cranton to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Eugenio Suárez.
After joining Arizona, Locklear appeared in 31 games and batted .175/.267/.262 with three home runs, six RBI, and three stolen bases. On October 3, it was announced that he would require surgeries to repair a ligament tear in his elbow and a labrum injury in his shoulder, bringing an early end to his first season in the desert.
Notable Events and Milestones
Locklear’s debut season produced several milestones, including his first MLB hit, first home run, and a place in Mariners history as the first player to deliver a go-ahead hit in the seventh inning or later of his debut since Mike Wilson in 2011. His 2025 trade to Arizona for a proven veteran in Eugenio Suárez underscored how highly the Diamondbacks valued his offensive ceiling.
Tyler Locklear Career Wins
Minor League Highlights
Across his minor league career, Locklear has shown a consistent power-and-patience profile at every level. He set a VCU freshman record with 16 home runs in 2021, slugged 20 home runs for the Rams in 2022, and posted a 19-homer, 18-steal campaign at Triple-A Tacoma in 2025. His cup of coffee in the majors in 2024 produced his first two big-league home runs, including his first off Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox.
Tyler Locklear Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Baseball runs deep in the Locklear family. His father, Todd Locklear, played college baseball at St. Andrews College, and his uncle Jeff Locklear pitched in the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies minor league systems from 1991 to 1995, reaching as high as High-A. His cousin Gavin Locklear played wide receiver at NC State and is currently a coach with the Wolfpack. Locklear is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, a connection that has been a meaningful part of his identity as he has moved through professional baseball.
2025 Season Performance
Locklear’s 2025 campaign split neatly between two organizations. With Triple-A Tacoma, he was one of the Pacific Coast League’s most productive hitters, batting .316 with 19 home runs, 82 RBI, and 18 stolen bases in 98 games, performances that reestablished him as a top corner-infield prospect.
After the July 31 trade to Arizona, he joined a Diamondbacks club in the middle of a playoff push. In 31 appearances down the stretch, he batted .175/.267/.262 with three home runs, six RBI, and three stolen bases, giving Arizona a left-handed power bat off the bench and at first base. On October 3, the team announced that Locklear would undergo surgery to repair a torn elbow ligament and a shoulder labrum injury, procedures expected to sideline him during the early portion of the 2026 season and shift his outlook toward a full recovery and return to the Diamondbacks lineup.
