Michael Tonkin

Michael Harvey Tonkin

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 7", Weight 220 lb.
• High School Palmdale High School
• Debut July 11, 2013

• Born November 19, 1989 in Glendale, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Michael Tonkin made it to the majors in 2013; he is the brother-in-law of Jason Kubel.

Tonkin was picked by the Minnesota Twins in the 30th round of the 2008 amateur draft; Dan Cox was the scout. He was 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA that summer for the GCL Twins. He went 3-4 with a 3.62 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 54 2/3 IP. He was second in the Gulf Coast League in strikeouts, five behind Caleb Brewer. He split 2010 between the Elizabethton Twins (1-0, Sv, 1.08 in 10 G) and Beloit Snappers (3-6, 4.29). With the 2011 Snappers, the Californian went 4-3 with two saves and a 3.87 ERA in 48 games. He tied for 8th in the Midwest League in pitching appearances.

In 2012, Tonkin made good progress with Beloit (3-0, 6 Sv, 1.38 in 22 G) and the Fort Myers Miracle (1-1, 6 Sv, 2.97), striking out 97 in 69 1/3 innings. Despite only pitching in relief, he tied for 7th in the Twins chain in whiffs. He was 4th in saves, behind Corey Williams, Bruce Pugh and Anthony Slama. He went 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA for the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League.

Tonkin began 2013 with the New Britain Rock Cats (1-2, 7 Sv, 2.22, 30 K in 24 1/3 IP) then moved up to the Rochester Red Wings (1-0, 5 Sv, 1.23, 16 K in 14 2/3 IP). He was called up when Caleb Thielbar went on the bereavement list. In his major league debut against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 11th, he relieved Josh Roenicke with a 4-1 deficit, two outs and two on in the bottom of the 7th. He struck out Evan Longoria to end the inning. He cruised through the 8th as well, retiring James Loney, Yunel Escobar and Jose Lobaton on 7 pitches to cap a fine debut.

He didn't play in the majors from 2018 to 2022, instead playing in Nippon Professional Baseball, Triple-A, independent ball and winter ball. He returned to the majors with the Atlanta Braves in 2023.

Source

• 2013 Twins Media Guide

Related Sites

• Michael Tonkin on mlb.com