Tito Polo

Tito Luis Polo Gonzalez

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 184 lb.

• Born August 25, 1994 in Isla San Andrés Colombia

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Tito Polo made his pro debut in 2012.

Polo was signed by Pittsburgh Pirates scouts Rene Gayo and Orlando Covo. He hit .298/.427/.421 with 17 steals in 48 games for the 2012 DSL Pirates 1 and was 1 for 7 for the DSL Pirates 2 that year. In 2013, he hit .275/.352/.369 for the DSL Pirates 1 and stole 22 bases in 27 tries over 45 games. The speedy Colombian moved up to the US in 2014 and produced at a .291/.374/.475 clip with six triples and 30 runs in 44 games for the GCL Pirates. He tied for third in the Gulf Coast League in triples and led outfielders in fielding percentage (93 PO, 4 A, 0 E).

Polo began 2015 with the West Virginia Power in his first appearance in a full-season league then joined fellow Pirate farmhand Harold Ramírez in being picked for the Colombian national team in the 2015 Pan American Games. Starting in left for Colombia, he went 3 for 17 with a solo homer (off Jared Mortensen of Gold-winning Team Canada). He hit .236/.313/.328 for West Virginia with 46 steals in 59 tries. He led Pirates farmhands in swipes (7 more than #2 Keon Broxton) and tied Wes Rogers for 4th in the South Atlantic League in stolen bases.

In March 2016, he was back with Colombia for the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers. He was a defensive sub for Ramirez in right field in game 1's win over Spain. In the second game, he pinch-ran for Jesus Valdez in the 9th inning and was thrown out trying to steal by Carlos Ruiz. Colombia wound up winning a spot in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, their first World Baseball Classic, but Polo did not get to bat in the qualifiers. He was the only bench player they used in their three games, though. He started that season with West Virginia where he played 54 games and was then promoted to the Bradenton Marauders of the Florida State League, when he played another 55. At the end of the season, he was one of two prospects acquired by the Yankees from the Pirates in return for P Ivan Nova and got to play a couple of games for the Tampa Yankees to get his feet wet in the organization. Between the three stops, he played 111 games, hitting .289/.359/.447 with 16 homers and 66 RBIs.

Polo was a starter for Colombia in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, contributing both with the bat and the glove as underdog Colombia managed to beat team Canada and give two baseball superpowers, the Dominican Republic and Team USA a run for their money in very close games. He went 2 for 9 with a steal and a run, with hits of Nick Pivetta and Scott Mathieson. He began the 2017 season with Tampa but was promoted to the AA Trenton Thunder on July 1st after hitting .283 in 59 games in the FSL. On July 18th, he was on the move again, being traded to the Chicago White Sox along with P Tyler Clippard and fellow prospects Ian Clarkin and Blake Rutherford in return for 3B Todd Frazier and Ps Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson. He hit .278/.342/.389 in 21 games for the Birmingham Barons after the deal. He finished the season with a .301/.363/.442 batting line, 66 runs, 9 triples and 34 steals in 47 tries between the three clubs. He then played for Colombia in the 2017 Bolivarian Games, going only 2 for 13 albeit with 5 walks in 5 games. His two steals led the tournament and he tied for second in walks, one behind Sneider Batista. Colombia, meanwhile, won the Gold for the first time since 1973.

Primary Source: 2015 Pirates Media Guide

Further reading

• Thomas Neumann: "Yankees prospect Tito Polo helps spark Colombia in WBC", ESPN.com, March 11, 2017. [1]