Ty France

Tyler Lawrence France

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 205 lb.
• School San Diego State University
• High School South Hills High School
• Debut April 26, 2019

• Born July 13, 1994 in Downey, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Tyler France went to San Diego State University where his coach was Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 34th round of the 2015 amateur draft.

He made his debut with the Padres on April 26, 2019, being called up from the minors when rookie phenom Fernando Tatis Jr. had to go on the injured list. He hit .235 in 34 games, with 2 homers and 10 RBIs, before being sent down on June 6th. He did not let the demotion bring him down, as he absolutely destroyed AAA pitching after his return to the El Paso Chihuahuas. On August 16th, he was hitting .399 with with 27 homers and 89 RBIs when he was called up again as Tatis went back on the IL, this time for the remainder of the season. He finished his rookie year at .234 in 69 games with 7 homers and 34 RBIs, splitting his time between 3B and 2B. he was also used twice as a pitcher in a mop-up role.

In 2020, he made the Padres out of spring training, but saw only limited action during the first month, seeing time at DH and first base. He made the most of his limited opportunities, however, as he hit .314 with 2 homers and 10 RBIs in 19 games, good for an OPS+ of 143. On August 30th, the day before the trading deadline in the abbreviated season, he was sent to the Seattle Mariners as part of a seven-player deal. Joining him were P Andres Munoz, C Luis Torrens and OF Taylor Trammell in return for C Austin Nola and Ps Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla. He and Trammell were the key pieces of the deal for Seattle. He continued to do well with Seattle, batting .302 in 23 games with an OPS+ of 128. Together, his line was .305 with 4 homers and 23 RBIs in 43 games and an OPS+ of 133.

The Mariners had signed top prospect Evan White to a six-year contract even before he had made his debut, and he had won a Gold Glove as a rookie in 2020, so it did not look like France had a future playing first base for the M's. However, an injury forced White to miss the entire 2021 and Ty stepped more than ably into the breach: he played 152 games, batting .291 (on a team whose average was .226) with 32 doubles, 18 homers and 73 RBIs; he also led the American League in being hit-by-pitch with 27, helping his OBP climb to .368. His OPS+ was 128 and he was one of the unsung heroes on a team that defied all predictions by winning 90 games and finishing just shy of the postseason. When 2022 rolled around, he was the one with a tight hold on the starting job, with White needing to rebuild his case. He went on to have another strong season, making the All-Star team for the first time and batting .274 in 140 games with 20 homers and 83 RBIs. His OPS+ was 125 as he helped the Mariners break a postseason drought that had lasted over two decades. In his first taste of the postseason, he went a combined 6 for 26 (.231) as Seattle upset the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card Series but was swept by the Houston Astros in the Division Series.

He was the hero for Seattle on Opening Day in 2023 as he hit a three-run homer in the 8th inning against James Karinchak of the Cleveland Guardians for a 3-0 win on March 30th. Until then, the game had been an eerie reminder of the final game of the previous season - Game 3 of the ALDS - when the Mariners and Astros had kept it scoreless for 17 innings before Jeremy Pena had broken through with a solo homer for Houston in the 18th. He hit .250 in 158 games for Seattle that year, but only 12 homers, while scoring 79 runs and driving in 58. His OPS+ fell to 101, but that still made him one of the best hitters on a team that struggled badly to put runs on the board. In 2024, he fell further, to .223 in 88 games, with 8 homers and 31 RBIs. These numbers looked worse than they were, because T-Mobile Park was such an extreme pitcher's park that season: his OPS+ was 97, just below the previous season's. In any case, the Mariners did not think he was providing enough production, and on July 29th, they traded him to the Cincinnati Reds in a return for a minor leaguer, Andruw Salcedo. In 52 games with Cincinnati, he hit .251 with 5 homers and 21 RBIs, but his OPS+ was actually lower than in Seattle, at 85.

He became a free agent after the 2024 season and on February 11, 2025, he signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins in the hope of getting his career back on track.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (2022)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2022)

Further Reading

• Matthew Leach: "Veteran 1B France agrees to 1-year deal with Twins", mlb.com, February 11, 2025. [1]

Related Sites

• Ty France on mlb.com