Nate Tenbrink

Nathaniel Lawrence Tenbrink

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.
• School Kansas State University
• High School Olathe Northwest High School
• Born December 21, 1986 in Olathe, KS USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Nate Tenbrink played professionally from 2008 to 2016.

He was 9 for 36 with 2 doubles and 8 walks as a college freshman at Kansas State University then hit .280/.385/.434 as a sophomore. His junior year, he batted .280/.384/.495 with 17 steals in 20 tries and 46 runs in 56 games. He tied for 7th in the Big 12 Conference in swipes. He was drafted by the Mariners in the 7th round of the 2008 amateur draft, a couple of slots behind Paul Clemens. The scout was Dan Wright.

He made his pro debut with the Everett AquaSox, hitting .198/.339/.317 with 38 walks, 43 runs and 24 steals in 31 tries. He tied Blake Tekotte for 9th in the Northwest League in runs, tied Tyson Gillies for first in steals and was 8th in walks. He fielded only .876 at third base. With the Clinton Lumber Kings in 2009, he hit better (.282/.357/.431, 7 3B) and scored 76 runs but only stole 14 bases (caught 4 times). He played 56 games at each 1B and 3B. He tied Josh Harrison, Ben Guez, Dave Sappelt, Junior Lake and Kyle Russell for 9th in the Midwest League in three-baggers.

The speedy ballplayer had a very good year in 2010, hitting .318/.409/.521 with 14 home runs, 75 runs, 70 RBI, ten triples and 26 stolen bases in 29 attempts in 116 games for the High Desert Mavericks (.377/.449/.646, 42 RBI in 44 G) and West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (.274/.381/.427 in 72 G). He tied James Jones for the most triples by a Mariners farmhand, was second in steals, tied Kevin Rivers for 5th in walks (60) and was third in OPS (behind Johermyn Chavez and Rich Poythress). He had no set position, playing at least 20 games at 1B, 3B, RF and LF. With the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League, he hit .298/.375/.464 with 16 runs and 16 RBI in 23 games.

2011 was not nearly as good: he hit only .218/.337/.403 in 64 games for the Jackson Generals before a fractured right elbow ended his season in late June. Injuries continued to plague him as he missed over two months early in 2012 with a left lumbar spine fracture. He was productive once he got onto the field, producing at a .283/.396/.539 clip for Jackson and going 4 for 4 with a triple for the AZL Mariners.

He reached Triple-A for the first time in 2013, hitting .267/.363/.447 with 15 home runs, 77 runs, 60 RBI, 62 walks and 12 steals in 124 games as a utility man for the Tacoma Rainiers. He tied Daric Barton and Brad Snyder for 10th in the 2013 PCL in runs, though he also tied Gary Brown for third with 135 whiffs. He was 6th in the Mariners chain in runs, tied Poythress and Abraham Almonte for 8th in homers, was 7th in walks and tied Ramon Morla for third in Ks. Between the AZL Mariners, Everett and Tacoma in 2014, he hit .237/.310/.368 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 29 games. Joining the independent ranks or 2015, Tenbrink hit .335/.418/.485 with seven home runs, 52 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 96 games for the Kansas City T-Bones. He also hit .367/.467/.485 in 27 games for the Mayos de Navojoa of the Mexican Pacific Winter League. He played eight games each for the Olmecas de Tabasco in the Mexican League and Kansas City in 2016, hitting below .200 for both clubs.

At all professional levels, he batted .281/.377/.449 with 73 home runs, 363 RBI and 119 steals in 749 games.

Sources

• 2013 Mariners Media Guide
• The Baseball Cube