Lee Tinsley

Lee Owen Tinsley

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Shelby County High School (Shelbyville)
• Debut April 6, 1993
• Final Game September 28, 1997
• Born March 4, 1969 in Shelbyville, KY USA
• Died January 12, 2023 in Scottsdale, AZ USA

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Biographical Information

Lee Tinsley was an outfielder for three major league teams between 1993 and 1997. His big league career included two separate stints with the Seattle Mariners and with the Boston Red Sox; he also played for the Philadelphia Phillies. He appeared in 361 games over five seasons, hitting .241 with 13 homers.

He was originally drafted in the 1st round of the 1987 amateur draft, with the 11th overall pick, by the Oakland Athletics out of a high school in Kentucky. In mid-season in 1991, he was one of two prospects sent to the Cleveland Indians in return for 3B Brook Jacoby, but he never played in the majors for the Indians. He was claimed off waivers by Seattle at the end of the 1992 season and made his debut with them the following April. He spent most of that season in the minors however, going 3 for 19 in 11 games in the Show and was sent to Boston in a minor league trade during spring training in 1994. Most of his big league playing time came with the Red Sox, as he appeared in 78 games for them that season, followed by 100 in 1995 and 92 in 1996. His best season by far was 1995, when he batted .284 with 7 homers and 41 RBIs, for an OPS+ of 137. He saw the only postseason action of his career that year, going 0 for 5 in Boston's loss to the Indians in the Division Series.

Before the 1996 season, he was traded to the Phillies with Glenn Murray and Ken Ryan in return for Heathcliff Slocumb and two minor leaguers. However, he did poorly for the Phils, hitting .135 in 31 games and was traded back to Boston on June 9th, in return for another minor leaguer. He was sent to Seattle again following that season and finished his career by hitting .197 in 49 games for the Mariners in 1997. He continued to play professionally until 2000, including a couple of seasons in the Mexican League.

He was the hitting coach for the El Paso Diablos in 2001, then spent a year as the Anaheim Angels' roving outfield instructor. He came back to the Arizona Diamondbacks organization as the minor league outfield coordinator in 2003. He joined the major league coaching staff in 2006. Tinsley was on the coaching staff of the Seattle Mariners in 2009 and 2010. In 2011-2013 he was the Chicago Cubs' Minor League Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator the in 2014 joined the Cincinnati Reds as assistant hitting coach. Tinsley returned to the Angels' organization as hitting coach of the Mobile BayBears in 2018.