Scott Tedder

Scott Alan Tedder

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 4", Weight 195 lb.
• School Ohio Wesleyan University
• High School Whitehall Yearling High School

• Born June 1, 1966 in Whitehall, OH USA

Minors BR page

Biographical Information

Scott Tedder was a minor league batting champion who peaked at AAA.

He attended Ohio Wesleyan University, where he played both baseball and basketball, winning All-American honors in both. He set his school's record for batting average in a career (.434) and points in basketball (2,501). In 1988, he was named the NCAA Division III Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 29 points per game and Ohio Wesleyan won a national title. He was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 36th round of the 1987 amateur draft but did not sign. He was then taken by the Chicago White Sox in the 21st round of the 1988 amateur draft. He made his pro debut that summer with the GCL White Sox, leading the Gulf Coast League with a .341 batting average and 73 hits. He hit .341/.416/.402, beating out Dino Ebel for the batting crown by .004. He was also third in the GCL in OBP and made the league All-Star outfield alongside Mike Rhodes and Brian Davis.

His numbers were down to .272/.387/.319 for the 1989 Sarasota White Sox. He was 6th in the Florida State League with 73 walks. In 1990, he got his first pro hit farther than a double and did better with Sarasota (.283/.418/.310) and the Birmingham Barons (1 for 3, 2 BB). He was 4th in the White Sox chain with 92 walks, behind Frank Thomas, Greg Roth and Kinnis Pledger. In the FSL, he was second in walks (four behind Pledger) and second to Jacob Brumfield in OBP. In 1991, Scott appeared for both Sarasota (.336/.436/.383 in 42 G) and Birmingham (.294/.387/.353), with a combined .307 average, .402 OBP and 80 walks. He was second in the White Sox farm system in average (behind Brandon Wilson), walks (one behind Derek Lee) and OBP (third behind Lee and Matt Stark). That winter, he was 13 for 36 with two doubles for the Caribes de Anzoategui.

Tedder struggled for the 1992 Barons, hitting just .235/.334/.291 though his 65 walks did tie Mike Kelly for sixth in the Southern League. He did hit his first minor league homer. In '93, Scott was with Birmingham (.254/.355/.322 in 39 G) and the AAA Nashville Sounds (.288/.368/.414 in 47 G). During 1994, he played alongside fellow college basketball player Michael Jordan in the Birmingham outfield (though Tedder was mainly a DH that year). He was at .265/.399/.374 after 86 games when the White Sox let him go; Jordan helped comfort him. He then signed with the Chicago Cubs and hit .323/.473/.384 with 30 walks in 34 games for the Orlando Cubs. Despite seeing time for two teams, his 88 walks were still good for second in the SL, behind Kerwin Moore and he easily led the league in OBP, 29 points ahead of runner-up Tim Belk.

He moved on to the Bend Bandits of the independent Western Baseball League in 1995, hitting .350 and finishing among the new loop's leaders in average (2nd, 20 points behind Kyle Washington), hits (119, 1st, 3 ahead of Jim Koehler), runs (68, tied for second behind Marcus McGowan) and OBP (.452, 1st, .006 ahead of Washington). Washington won Player of the Year instead. In 859 minor league games, Tedder had hit .290 with a .399 OBP but only a .357 slugging percentage, his lack of power likely keeping him from a shot in the majors.

Sources

• 1989 and 1995 Baseball Almanacs
• Ohio Wesleyan Hall of Fame
• 1991 Baseball Guide
• Venezuelan League stats
• Associated Press on Jordan and Tedder as teammates
• A book on Jordan that mentions Tedder
• The Western League by W.C. Madden and Patrick Stewart