Rowdy Tellez Bio
Ryan John “Rowdy” Tellez, born on March 16, 1995, is an American professional baseball first baseman who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers, and has also represented the Mexico national baseball team in international competition. Known for his powerful left-handed hitting, Tellez made his MLB debut in 2018 and quickly established himself as a run producer at the first base position.
Early Life and Background
Rowdy Tellez is the oldest child of Greg and Lori Tellez. His father, Greg, has spoken about the origin of his famous nickname, explaining that his parents had decided not to learn the sex of their baby before birth and avoided traditional nicknames. Because the unborn baby was so active in the womb, they began calling him “Baby Rowdy,” and the name stuck. Today, he is known to almost everyone simply as Rowdy.
Tellez grew up in a household with strong athletic and cultural ties. He is of Mexican descent through his father, and his paternal grandfather, John, played baseball in Mexico and Colorado. Tellez also has a sister. As a child, he began riding dirt bikes at the age of three, but his size eventually pushed him toward baseball, which he took up at age 10. He has also been known to enjoy hunting and fishing.
Path to Baseball
Tellez attended Elk Grove High School in California, where he was teammates with several future MLB players, including J. D. Davis, Dom Nuñez, Derek Hill, Nick Madrigal, and Dylan Carlson. He was a 2013 Baseball America High School All-American, a 2013 Rawlings First Team All-American, and a 2013 Rawlings/Perfect Game All-Region First Team selection in California. After high school, he accepted a scholarship offer to play baseball at the University of Southern California.
Entering the 2013 MLB Draft, Tellez was ranked as the 59th-best player available by Baseball America, but he was passed over by many teams because of his commitment to USC. The Toronto Blue Jays selected him in the 30th round, and he signed for an $850,000 bonus, which at the time was the largest ever given to a player taken after the 10th round under the new draft rules.
Rowdy Tellez Career
Early Career (2013-2017)
After signing with Toronto, Tellez was assigned to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays, where he batted .234 with two home runs and 20 runs batted in (RBIs) in 34 games. Baseball America rated him the best power hitter in the Blue Jays minor league organization. He played most of 2014 with the Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League, earning a late promotion to the Single-A Lansing Lugnuts, and combined to bat .305 with six home runs and 43 RBIs.
In 2015, Tellez opened the season with Lansing and was named Midwest League Player of the Week in mid-May. He was promoted to the Dunedin Blue Jays of the High-A Florida State League in late June and hit three home runs in his first four games. He ended 2015 on the disabled list but set career highs with 103 games, 14 home runs, and 77 RBIs. He later played in the Arizona Fall League, where he was named to the AFL All-Prospect Team.
Toronto Blue Jays (2018-2021)
Tellez was called up by the Blue Jays in September 2018 and made his MLB debut on September 5 against the Tampa Bay Rays, hitting a first-pitch pinch-hit double. He became the only player since 1913 to hit seven doubles in his first seven major league games and tied the record for the most extra-base hits in a player’s first three games. In 23 September games, he batted .314 with four home runs and 14 RBIs.
In 2019, Tellez made the Blue Jays’ Opening Day roster and hit a 115.2 mph home run, the fastest by a Blue Jay in the Statcast era at that time. He became the fifth-youngest Blue Jay ever to hit a grand slam and finished the season with 21 home runs, the third-most by a Blue Jays rookie. In the shortened 2020 season, he batted .283 with eight home runs, posting the largest strikeout rate decrease in the majors that year. He struggled early in 2021 and was demoted to Triple-A Buffalo in mid-June before being traded.
Milwaukee Brewers (2021-2023)
On July 6, 2021, the Blue Jays traded Tellez to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitchers Trevor Richards and Bowden Francis. He batted .272 with seven home runs in 174 plate appearances for Milwaukee and hit two-run home runs in both his National League Division Series games against the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves. In 2022, he set a Brewers single-game record with eight RBIs on May 4 against Cincinnati and was named National League Player of the Week. That season he hit 35 home runs, fifth in the NL.
He agreed to a one-year, $4.95 million contract in January 2023 to avoid arbitration. His season started well, but production dropped sharply after June, and injuries limited his availability. In 351 plate appearances, he batted .215 with 13 home runs. He also pitched a scoreless ninth inning to close out a 16-1 win over the Marlins that clinched a postseason berth. Milwaukee non-tendered him in November 2023.
Pittsburgh Pirates (2024)
On December 15, 2023, Tellez signed a one-year, $3.2 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates with incentives that could increase his salary to $4 million. In 131 games, he slashed .243/.299/.392 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs, and his .998 fielding percentage ranked second among MLB first basemen. He was released on September 25, 2024, just four plate appearances shy of a $200,000 bonus for reaching 425 plate appearances.
Seattle Mariners (2025)
On February 20, 2025, Tellez signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners that included a spring training invitation. He made the Opening Day roster and hit home runs in three consecutive games from April 18 to 20 against his former team, the Toronto Blue Jays, the longest such streak of his career. In 62 appearances, he batted .208 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs before being designated for assignment on June 20 and released on June 26.
Texas Rangers (2025)
On July 5, 2025, Tellez signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers and was assigned to the Round Rock Express. He played four games there before being added to the Rangers’ 40-man major league roster on July 18. In 50 games with Texas, he batted .259/.315/.457 with six home runs, providing a stronger stretch to end the season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Rowdy Tellez is known for his plus raw power, which he generates from a strong, physical frame at first base. His elite exit velocities have placed him among the league leaders in hard contact in multiple seasons, including 117.4 mph in 2020. Defensively, he has shown soft hands and reliable footwork, posting a .998 fielding percentage in both 2022 and 2024. He is also a patient hitter who draws walks and drives in runs in clutch situations.
Notable Events and Milestones
Tellez’s MLB debut in September 2018 was historic, as he became the only player since 1913 to hit seven doubles in his first seven major league games. In May 2022, he tied a Brewers single-game record with eight RBIs against Cincinnati. He represented Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he slashed .280/.333/.440 as the team’s designated hitter. He also hit two memorable postseason home runs for the Brewers in the 2021 NLDS against Atlanta.
Rowdy Tellez Career Wins
Across his MLB career, Rowdy Tellez has compiled impressive counting statistics, with more than 100 career home runs and several strong RBI seasons. He has also posted some of the league’s top exit velocities and maintained one of the highest fielding percentages at first base in MLB.
Milwaukee Brewers Highlights
With the Brewers, Tellez hit 35 home runs in 2022, tied for fifth in the National League, and set a club record with eight RBIs in a single game. He added 10 more home runs in 2021, the year he was traded to Milwaukee, and added 13 more in 2023 despite injury-shortened playing time.
Toronto Blue Jays Highlights
For Toronto, Tellez hit 21 home runs as a rookie in 2019, the third-highest total by a Blue Jays rookie, and added eight more during the shortened 2020 season. His September 2018 call-up produced a .314 batting average with four home runs in only 23 games.
Rowdy Tellez Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Rowdy Tellez is the oldest child of Greg and Lori Tellez. He is of Mexican descent through his father, and his paternal grandfather, John, played baseball in Mexico and Colorado. Tellez also has a younger sister. He is Jewish through his mother, Lori, and by the end of 2022 ranked third in career home run frequency among Jewish major leaguers, trailing Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg and All-Star Joc Pederson.
Personal Life
Tellez’s mother, Lori, was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma in late 2016 and later battled brain cancer. She died on August 18, 2018, just over two weeks before his MLB debut. During one year of high school, his future MLB teammate Derek Hill lived with the Tellez family. In 2022, Tellez served as the officiant at former Toronto teammate Danny Jansen’s wedding. He has represented Mexico in international baseball and has been invited to play for Team Israel, citing logistical and personal reasons for choosing Mexico.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was a year of transitions for Rowdy Tellez. After signing a minor league deal with Seattle in February, he earned an Opening Day roster spot and briefly provided power, including a three-game home run streak against Toronto. His overall production with the Mariners was limited, however, and he was designated for assignment in mid-June before being released late that month.
Tellez found a stronger footing after signing with the Texas Rangers in early July. Over 50 games in a Rangers uniform, he batted .259 with six home runs and looked more comfortable at the plate than he had in Seattle. He served as a left-handed power option for Texas down the stretch as the team pushed toward the postseason.
Heading into the offseason, Tellez is once again a free agent. His 2025 performance, particularly his resurgent stretch in Texas, could position him as a viable platoon first baseman or designated hitter candidate for clubs looking for left-handed power heading into 2026. International opportunities, including future World Baseball Classic appearances for Mexico, also remain on the horizon.