Ryan Sienko

Ryan Powell Sienko

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 220 lb.
• School University of Iowa
• High School Elgin (IL) High School

• Born September 16, 1975 in Elgin, IL USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Ryan Siemko was a catcher in the minor leagues from 1997 to 2004. He attended the University of Iowa but was undrafted after graduating and went on to play in the independent leagues with the Kalamazoo Kodiaks of the Frontier League, where he hit .235 in 58 games in 1997. In 1998 and 1999, he was in the Texas Rangers organization, playing both seasons with the Savannah Sand Gnats of the South Atlantic League, but hitting well below the Mendoza Line both years. That send him back to the indy leagues, and he was with the Schaumburg Flyers of the Northern League in both 2000 and 2001. he hit .193 the first year, but improved to .244 the second, with a total of 17 homers in the two-year span.

He got another shot at the affiliated minors in 2002, this time in the Chicago White Sox system, playing for the Winston-Salem Warthogs of the Carolina League. he hit .211 with 5 homers in 34 games, but was let go again, and finished up his career back in the indies for a third time. The remainder of 2002, he hit .329 with 18 homers in 47 games for the Joliet Jackhammers in the Northern League, but he couldn't repeat this in 2003, as he fell to .216 with 14 homers in 86 games. In his final season in 2004, he was with the Bangor Lumberjacks of the Northeastern League, but only played 12 games.

Two decades later, he reemerged as the new catching coach of the Detroit Tigers in 2024, replacing former major leaguer Tim Federowicz. In the interim he had worked for the National Pitching Association, a private tutoring firm, from 2002 to 2007, had worked as a scout for the Baltimore Orioles from 2007 to 2015, and then as a minor league catching coordinator for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2018 to 2021. He had joined the Tigers in a similar position in 2021, before earning his promotion, and all the while he had been the head instructor at Catch & Throw, a training firm for catchers.